"V-bomber"
[ Page 4 ]
Vickers Valiant models in 1/72 scale
MACH 2and CONTRAIL vacuform
The green camouflage was added next. Please note that on the leading edges of flying surfaces the camouflage pattern continues.... this required quite some masking with tape.
After 24 hours drying time, the overall finished was polished with a cloth and some Tamiya Rubbing compound. The surfaces got a glosh sheen.
. 
The inner intakes were painted white
and their edges camouflaged with a brush.
The wheels were put onto their undercarriage
legs; this required enlarging the wheelhub holes on each of them.
Final touches to the Valiant were
the painting of the cockpit main windshield window frames with a fine brush.
As the window is not in a perfect symmetrical position (error in the model
parts), the frames were painted slightly off to their suggested "raised"
location to suggest a more symmetrical look. This trick makes the overall
impression better.
(I did not add the refuelling boom installation on the forward fuselage; some planes got that installation later on).
The two wing tip pitots were added made from metal needles. Also, some tiny antennes were added. The moving surfaces gaps/edges were accentuated with a darker black wash. The small opened up windows on both side aft of the cockpit were filled with Micro Kristal Klear.
The decals of the kit can be used,
but I replaced the RAF roundels with XtraDecal ones.
The serials came from the kit decal and that has two different styles.
| The Valiant
"XD818" was depicted from 49 sq at Marham. No. 49 Squadron of the Royal
Air Force operated the Vickers Valiant from RAF Wittering and RAF Marham,
from 1 May 1956 until 1 May 1965. The aircraft were camouflaged in Sept
1964.
The currently
sole remaining Vickers Valiant (XD818), in its initial overall "anti-radiation"
white scheme, dropped in 1958 the first
nuclear bomb at Christmas Island with 49 Sqn; plane is preserved at
the RAF Museum Cosford West Midlands.
|
Before applying each decal onto the
surface, some FUTURE
was applied first in the area of the decal. The decal was than applied
and the trapped air bubbles rubbed out with a soft cloth.
I did not bother to apply various
but very small small stencils; these were yellow on camouflaged planes
(see the Aerofax book, pages 115, 118, 119.)
The result.....
Note the very
large tanks of the Valiant
Flying over Scotland...
Britain's first operational nuclear weapon, Blue Danube, was based on the "Hurricane trials device" and was in service from 1953 to 1961. With a yield specified by the Chiefs of Staff of 10KT, Blue Danube could be accomodated in the bomb bay of the Valiant, with its tail fins retracted. The fissile material was not inserted into the warhead until just prior to the mission, using an in-flight loading system.
I saw a picture of Danube dummy with
its main body being dark green and blue on Thunder
and Lightnings. Also some info
here...
The kit parts were used and painted
accordingly.
The model seen here shows the scratch
made transport dolly:
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Created this page
January 29, 2007