Welcome to the The Great Build off campaign!

Please post your progress and campaign fellowship here

If you haven't already joined, you can Enlist Here

Please post the photos of you completed build in the Official Campaign Gallery

Already? I must buy the kit!

Scrap, it's not even the first yet and I'm already behind

Happy New Year
Here is my build for this campaign.
OOB except for Pavla cockpit which I have done a In-box review:-
http://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/review/9468
I will include part of this build as a Build-review.

Out of plain idle curiosity, will you be using the kit markings, Heritage Flight on the cover, or the working trainer from the '50's or an AM set? I'm leaning towards the '50's version myself.

Decal will be from the box, not sure which to do.
I would have done an Irish version but I have not found any in1:72 yet.
Richard

That would be different, never knew they had an AF.

If I can get my act together, I have a bunch of pics of a Vampire, single seater, that I need to share with the build...

Happy New Year everyone!

Here is my time stamp for the start of this campaign:






This last pic shows the colour scheme I will be doing, a Royal Navy "Admiral's Barge" that was based at Lee-on-Solent, in a mint green and white finish, which is the most unusual, and therefore most interesting scheme I could find. I am looking forward to having some fun with this one.

Good Luck everyone!

My entry is going to be another out of the box build. I'm leaning towards the box-top aircraft at the moment. So far I've got a coat of dark grey on the cockpit parts and various bits which are supposed to be black.

I'm here. Having just made the New Years deadline for a campaign, I'm rolling into this one, keeping my momentum going.
To step outside the British versions, I intend to build the sole Japanese T.55(export) Vampire, received for evaluation in 1955 and now on display at Hamamatsu Air Base.
Here's my kick-off photo...

Cheers!
-Sean H.

Looks like you're all off to a great start! Don't forget a ribbon for your campaign.

Michael

I'm on that ribbon! Just got mine at the LHS. I may hold off for Chilean decals though. Haven't decided.

Everybody who isn't enlisted: GET IN HERE! It's like a fun run. But with vampires.

OK, I'm off and creeping along.


Need to get a better date display for my tablet. This one isn't easy to read..

Start pic:


We may begin to really notice my "if it feels good do it" approach to modelling as more accurate builders work side by side with this one.

Little parachute packs added to the Martin Bakers, going off memory of the classic airframes mb. Masking tape harnesses, a little vertical member added to the rear bulkhead. I believe this is loosely reflective of reality. Subsequently I have added some GNDN piping and a mystery box to that area.

No photos to share (typing this from my phone), but got the cockpit complete and weights in and closed up the forward fuselage-- man, this is a crazy jigsaw puzzle at this stage! Anyway, make sure you don't stop at step 9 like I almost did, because those parts have to move a little to get step 10 to match up.
It's coming along. Still a fun little kit.
-Sean H

Back at my computer-- here are some update pics. I pulled my colors from internet photos, and I may have made them too bright, but in the closed up cockpit, I imagine that shouldn't be a problem. Taking notes from Jess's comments above, I used a variety of dark grays instead of black.


The nose weight is a white metal one, but cut diagonally to fit the space, then jammed in there with tacky hobby glue. It was 7g before I cut it. We'll see how that goes.
The seat belts are masking tape strips, and the ejector handles are brass wire. After I saw raypalmer's I realized I really oversimplified the seat belts-- that's really good work, Richard!
Cheers!
Sean H.

Thanks Sean! I saw your ejector seat handles and had to install some of my own. I've also stuck to varying greys and am attempting a sort of Spanish school approach. I have high and low lighted with a fine brush. Shadows applied with the ab. One coat of future with brown mixed in sealed the paint and gave a little filter in one fell swoop. Tomorrow I may be nearly done the pit. Pictures to follow.

Question, the only clear reference photo I can find indicates the parachute bag (I assume that's what it is) above the headrest is like Dark muted grey or green with beige/brown piping. But the thing is clearly old as rocks in the pic. Anyone have a more definite idea of the bag's colour?

There is a very nice video of a South African Vampire in flight at this site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG3MYngtYNo
Also you can watch a complete in cockpit flight of the South African Vampire here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UQR5SMhp_Y
Enjoy

Hokey Smokes! (to quote Rocky the Flying Squirrel), the booms are tricky to align. Everything is dependent on the warp of the top wing piece. I think I got mine down to a manageable/not too obvious amount.

Here I am beginning to run out of parts in the box...

Ray, I don't know if I'll add the parachute packs. Maybe if I can do a good job of it. At least that can wait until the very last before the canopy.
Cheers!
-Sean H.

I'd be posting more but I either need to use my phone or the wife's imac.. Which for a computer that is supposed to be intuitive and easy to use is baffling and convoluted...

Stung into adding handles.

Something is going wrong with my a/b. I think I may have been using spring water and not distilled? Something is causing vallejo to glob up in it. Massive shadows on the cockpit walls result.

I need to buy more airfix. This thing actually fit together first try.


Of course I just realised I forgot to weight the nose.

I like the shadows. They keep it from looking like a coal pit.

Hmmm, looking good!

Raypalmer, I stand by my previous comment-- you do fine work! I agree with Jessie that the shading should look good in the cockpit, despite your ab struggles.
As for the forgotten nose weight, I had highlighted that on my instructions lest I do the same, but then I went and forgot to pre-drill the fuel tank holes in the lower wing parts. I'm satisfied that I placed them corrextly though, based on the instruction sketch and intrrnet photos.
For your nose weight, would you prop it up or pose it flying?
Cheers,
Sean H

FWIW, could you drill a small hole in the nose gear well and push in in some (OK lots of) solder or some bird shot or small fishing weights, then plug the hole and paint to match?

I did that on my F2H-2P a while back, solved my tail sitting problem rather neatly.

I've got off to a slow start