Airfix Avro Vulcan B.2 1/72 New Tool (A12011)

[Kitaholic]

Great review Jim, been waiting a while to get one of these but the price keeps putting me back. Is it my eyes (getting old) or is the detail as soft as it looks?

<<diplomatic mode on>> that's an interesting question; it's not soft but it isn't razor sharp either...

Good answer Jim Can think of a few "people" who are well practiced now at that kind of answer

[SJPONeill]

Black Buck is indeed a no brainer. The Vulcan was also used as a Tanker and Maritime Reconnaissance so those could be possible. Newark Vulcan (and possibly others) was also fitted out for carrying Skybolt missiles too.

All the best

Greg

From memory, all the later B.2s had the Skybolt mods and it was these that the Black Bucks used to fit the external wing pylons for Shrike and ESM pods...

Although, the AM folk will not doubt be measuring up already, I think it'd be nice if Airfix released it's own conversions a la the set it released for the Valiant.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Jim, thank for your effort on this.

Simon, two thoughts. First they’d have to plan futther ahead, thus delaying release. Second, if they don’t we end up with the AFV CLUB LCT-6 and someone ssking why the orig kit and the upgrade couldn’t be better planned, sync’d, etc.

[chrism]

Yesterday you had me all excited thinking there was going to be shapes for the camo masks to use for the cutter .... now I see (on p14) what it is you refer too

[Tarkas]

Anybody have any opinions as to how it compares with the previous kit? I have one of those in my stash, along with a Black Buck conversion kit and appropriate decals, so I'm wondering if it would be worth getting the new one.

[iggie]

My immediate thoughts were that whilst the new kit looks really good, the old one still has merit and with appropriate after market assistance (intakes for certain and corrected jet pipes depending on the aircraft being modelled) and some scratch building for things like air-brakes (which are included in the new kit) to add interest then it can be built into a comparable model. The real difference is that the old kit has raised detail, the new has engraved. Under paint, I'm not certain that the difference would be that obvious...
So although I have the new kit (actually two now due to an oversight on my part when pre-ordering!) I'm keeping hold of the two old tool kits with a view to building them one day as well as I have resin bits for one anyway

[VMA131Marine]

I noted from my kit that it appears to contain both the Olympus 201 and 301 jet exhausts. Only the 301s are used for the marking options in the box so a future release using the 201s must be in the works. XH558 has the 200 series exhausts.

[VMA131Marine]

Anybody have any opinions as to how it compares with the previous kit? I have one of those in my stash, along with a Black Buck conversion kit and appropriate decals, so I'm wondering if it would be worth getting the new one.

My opinion is that this new kit is superior in every possible way to the old one. I always thought the detail on the old kit was somewhat “soft” and elements like the jet pipes were poorly done. You can certainly improve the old kit with all the Wolfpack resin upgrades, but you will spend more on them than the new tooling and I’m not sure the result will be as good.

[Chuck E]

That's a lot of plastic. Have already booked this in for my birthday.

[chrism]

Phil Flory is sharing his build freely on YouTube etc. He has needed filler and a bit of effort to get together. ... Worth a glance at.

[iggie]

Thanks, Jim

Good write up. I hadn't been too interested til now as the Blue Steel doesn't float my boat but now I know it comes with a conventional payload I am sorely tempted...am a little surpised that Airfix didn't go one tiny bit further and include the Black Buck wing pylons but I'm surely some enterprising AM types are hooking into that already...

Simon

I wonder if the removed little sprue might contain those very parts... After all, next year will be the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict so could be a good way to sell another boxing?
I'll go and have a look inside the wings to see if there's any drilling marks

The newly released 'Black Buck' boxing of the Vulcan has been released, and the 'missing sprue' is now included, as we suspected

[TeeELL]

Since the original posting, I have discovered that I have flown the Vulcan at Newark, it was a 44(Rhodesia) Sqn aircraft. As for the ‘new tool’ I shall not bother, I worked the old tool into a representation of the very last Vulcan I ever flew - before escaping, phew.
As for ‘all the later B2’s having ‘Skybolt mountings’ - that I do not remember.