Iain

Replacement copy of book has arrived - and I've picked up a second kit - the Mk 5 boxing. Maxed out with things at the moment - and flying at the weekend - but may get some Vampire time next week as I've asked for a few days off from the 'day job'. But I do have a plan... Iain

Apologies folks - on holiday at the mo - so no more progress just yet. However this arrived, some really useful images: Wingleader Photo Archive No.8 de Havilland Vampire in RAF and Overseas Service. My copy is slightly damaged in transit - but a replacement should be here in next few weeks - and I'll do a full LSP review then. I have a plan for some nose tweaks - stay tuned... Iain

Additional thoughts... I've seen a few negative comments out there on the interweb - it's a short-run kit and, to be fair, anyone building this type of kit will probably have the skills/confidence to make some alterations to the kit if they feel they're warranted. If it had been a resin kit - at more than twice the price - I suspect there would have been less hyperbole - but because it's an injection-moulded kit it's 'too expensive/not accurate enough'. I'd also point out that many mainstream kits from the big names have their fair share of things that can be improved. This is a limited edition kit - from a very small team - I suspect that it'll be the only injection-moulded Vampire we'll see in 1:32. It deserves supporting IMHO. I really don't want this thread to put people off - hopefully it'll give some ideas for possible modifications others may want to incorporate in their builds, or not. If not - you'll still have a nice looking Vampire IMHO. For me fettling a kit what modelling is about - and I quite enjoy it! Iain

The kit actually stacks up pretty well in profile against the Airfix CAD images (as I said earlier, these are based on LIDAR scans - so should be pretty accurate). Airfix designer blog post with images. Canopy isn't actually that bad - in fact, it looks like trimming a little off the rear of the sliding portion (frame area) the profile will match pretty well - with one caveat: The angle of the interface between rear sliding portion and the windshield doesn't look quite vertical enough from what I've gleaned so far - but I have a plan for that that won't involve replacement... The aim of my build will be to improve the look of the kit - the nose area of the Vampire is a focal point of the airframe and can make, or break, the look. I'm reasonably confident at this stage I can make this close enough simply with some nips, tucks - and a little judicious 'bending'. Rivets - they're pretty fine - I suspect they'll pretty well disappear under a coat of my favourite automotive rattle-can primer and a quick sanding session. BTW - assembled the tyre halves last night - the CAD designed detail parts on Sprue D are superb - and the fit is spot on. Bit busy today - involved in some flying over the weekend (50 odd retired RAF Trainers at Goodwood and over south coast of England on Saturday/Sunday) so probably no further updates until next week... Blue skies! Iain

There's a whole family of conversions that may be possible with this and the Matchbox Venom Thierry - I'd love to do a Venom FB Mk.1, or FB Mk.4... Want to get this one cracked first - and I don't have the best reputation for actually *finishing* things! Iain

Thanks Thierry, Yes, I have that image - and printed at 1:32 with respect to longitudinal dimensions - and I'm pretty certain now where some tweaks need to be made. I've also been comparing with the Airfix CAD for their 1:48 release. So far the nose looks pretty good in side elevation/profile. The nose is about the right length. It does look too wide towards the bottom in plan elevation - and too blunt on that section towards the nose. The good news is that my current thoughts are that this is a fairly easy fix with a couple of razor saw cuts by the intakes and 'squeezing' the sides around a former and reshaped bulkheads - followed by squaring off the upper and lower mating surfaces. I've already had it looking a lot better in plan and front view just by squeezing the sides in with my fingers! I'm still, cautiously, going through data I can find - any input there *really* appreciated! The cannon muzzle positions are out and need relocating. Cannon ports should be straightforward to relocate and I'll use styrene, or aluminium, tube to replace - depending on what I have on stock. There are a few other things that need addressing also - but nothing I haven't had to do in similar fashion on mainstream kits. I like this kit - and the build is progressing pretty well so far - but do reserve the right to change my view as things progress... Made a little more progress at lunchtime - if I get a chance later I'll post more images. Happy kitbashing everyone! Iain

Progress this evening: Various sections that are 'halves' have been prepped and bonded: That bonding includes the upper main fuselage and wings. I need these to dry off thoroughly whilst I corroborate thoughts on nose shape in plan, as I think it's a little too wide/blunt when comparing with photos and plan images of the CAD for the Airfix 1:48 kit - which is based upon LIDAR scans, so should be a reasonable reference point. Nose looks pretty good so far in side elevation. Trailing edges have been given a quick sanding with 400 grit wet and dry on the sanding bar to true up and thin just a little - the trailing edges are commendably thin as moulded. Central bulkhead/mini spar in place - this won't be bonded for now... Lower port wing half being prepped on the sanding bar... That's about it for now - *if* I decide to narrow the nose (and I need to confirm that) I have a cunning and fairly straightforward plan for a fix that should work. More when there's more... Iain

Cracking start Kent - and a great subject! Iain

Thierry - I've pondered on this - and I think you're right - I've altered the review to read: 'Highly recommended - subject to the caveat that some parts will need careful preparation and assembly, as is to be expected from a short-run kit.' Iain

Indeed. If modellers want to see new injection-moulded subjects such as this, they need to demonstrate that such products are viable from a sales perspective! Iain

Believe me Thierry - I am drooling... Wonderful subject - well interpreted/realised IMHO. I see a lot of general complaints out there regarding the fit and buildability of a lot of mainstream kits, so I think starting with the right expectation is healthy. Treat it as a high-grade realisation of what could well have been a resin kit, rather than a short-run alternative to a mainstream kit by Tamigawa... I really hope these kits sell very well for them, they deserve to - and that we'll see other interesting subjects as a result. I *really* want to see that Wyvern reach production! Iain

Now that the review is done I've made a start on the build. The first step was to remove the major components from the sprues, loosely tape things together and see what we've got to work with: A Vampire! As I mentioned in the review, I suspect the nose is a little bloated in plan view and could do with a little reshaping - along with some adjustment to the position of the cannon ports, but I'll come back to that. I think the blending of the intake trunking and intake areas will need some careful work. Canopy parts loosly positioned - this caused some head scratching as the sliding portion appeared to have fit problems where it interfaces with the canopy rails - but there are more parts to add for this area - parts A10 and A11. I've started gluing some parts together - efflux halves, intake trunking, wing tanks - each needed the mating surfaces dressed off on some flat 400 grit wet and dry - a very quick and simple process that makes things easier! Iain

Perhaps I need to expand on the 'Recommended' in the review... I was trying to tread carefully as I think the kit needs to be approached with the right mindset - and that links to your comments regarding assembly - the builder *will* have to treat this as a short-run kit: surfaces will need to be prepped before assembly to get the best fit, for example. I've made a start and I've been using my extruded aluminium sanding bar to prepare all surfaces. There are also some shape tweaks needed IMHO - and I'll come back to those after I've nailed everything down in my build thread. Perhaps a 'Highly Recommended - with the caveat that it is a short-run injection moulded kit that will need more careful assembly than current mainstream kits'? Iain

Review is now live - very much an 'in-box' - will cover any issues in this build thread. Have made a start - will try and get some photos over next few days... Iain

We take a look at the new de Havilland Vampire F Mk3 kit from Infinity Models. Have already started building it... Iain