Airfix Model World

Regarding the new Sea Vixen kit, I’m pleased that Airfix have started to reintroduce its RAF roundel decals complete and not produce them with a separate red dot, which were a nightmare to accurately position them on a model, and was one reason why I gave up model making.

Ironically that started in the early 90s, I think initially by Revell and then Airfix, simple because so many modellers preferred the spots separate, and because it was easier over such a large print run to get more sheets that were usable. Even today many of the specialist decal companies prefer to split things like roundels down as an extra insurance measure against slight shifts in registration.

Centering them is not that difficult, a bit of setting solution to float it in place, then pad it down with a cotton bud.

Indeed, decals only started appearing with separate red dots because modellers had asked for this for so long. Nothing more useless than a roundel with an off-centre red dot!

Regarding the new Sea Vixen kit, I’m pleased that Airfix have started to reintroduce its RAF roundel decals complete and not produce them with a separate red dot, which were a nightmare to accurately position them on a model, and was one reason why I gave up model making.

There is a reason why the red dots are seperate on decal sheets. On the three colour roundels the red can be printed off centre and because it lies directly flat against the panel the colour pigment can appear washed out or the wrong tone. If you apply the red dot over the white part of the roundel it has the white part of the decal to give it a good base for colour saturation. It only takes a few seconds with a rule to line up perfectly, or just use the mk.1 eyeball for good enough results.
Not very well described I’m afraid, but best I can do!

These models are so expensive now, its takes some of the fun out of blowing them full of holes with the air rifle or setting them on fire and ‘flying’ them round the garden………….except the Gannet of course………..always enough pellets, bangers and petrol for that spud……….:D

I don’t know whatever became of the model but I assume it was finished to the same high standard as the airliner models that he and his colleagues produce. I can only admire such skills. I’ve certainly never described myself as a modeller – I’m an assembler of kits!

Love to know how he painted it, or did he just go in the nearest model shop and mug the owner for a Draken kit?

Or go completely crazy and just build your model from scratch. I recall a guy who works for one of the well-known airliner display model companies, sitting-down and announcing that he was going to build a 24th scale Draken. Armed only with a block of wood, away he went. Don’t you just hate people with a skill?!

Rather peversely, a kit can be too perfect.

Why not go for an obscure Eastern European vac form kit where even the fuselage has to be scratch built.

I’ve got a Venom resin kit and the two booms are different thicknesses.:confused:

I too bought a Vixen, and although I havent put knife to plastic, the raw material looks very good.

Not Tamiya standards, though perhaps that isnt all bad!

Bruce

Rather peversely, a kit can be too perfect. I’ve made a MkI Spitfire and FBIV Mosquito in the past made by Tamiya, and they literally fell together out of the box. There was no fettling required, and it somehow left the whole experience lacking. 😀

£34.99 here – only a few left!! 😀

What’s the price of the vixen kit?

I forgot that was one of your bargains, stupid thing is that the donkey work is done on it, but getting the major parts to sit together squarely is hard work. This Dyna is nowhere near as good as the Gannet or Wyvern.
As you can imagine my friend is relieved that he will (hopefully!) have aVixen on his desk soon after seven years of waiting!

one of which is for the chap that I have promised since 2003 to build him..

Not that Dynavector one you bought of me? 😮

Got my Airfix example arriving shortly, more loft insulation.:rolleyes:

Job done. 😀

Feel free to make use of the model forum – it is now on its own owing to the existence of the Airfix mag, and I’m sure Key will be delighted to see you use it!

Bruce

Pagen01 if you do the `work in progress` I will put some pics of the wing on to draw the flak 🙂
You never know we could clear the tumbleweed out of the model section and make it work 😀

Ben

Regarding the new Sea Vixen kit, I’m pleased that Airfix have started to reintroduce its RAF roundel decals complete and not produce them with a separate red dot, which were a nightmare to accurately position them on a model, and was one reason why I gave up model making.

A saw might be better Bruce, the sprues are massively thick! The detail is stunning though, take a magnifying glass to the joystick for example. It has even got a choice of having the control panel (tanker/recce/LABs – same as I enquired about in another thread) fitted or just the blanking plate that fits to the panel left of the observer – and that is a tiny and hidden item.

Bennyboy, I did the B-35 version of the wing kit, it’s all really great, interior and surface detail etc, but by gum when you get to the outer wings, and the leading edge panels, to centre section it gets truely hard work – ISTR the samaritans helped me through that one!

Maybe Tony, just got to figure out how stupid I’m gonna look if it goes wrong!

PS what happened about the chap who joined that was making those superb Halifax and Stirling scratch built models?

How about a work in progress thread in the model section 🙂

Ben

There you go Pagen01. there are others that would be interested. Anyone else?

Tony

I too bought a Vixen, and although I havent put knife to plastic, the raw material looks very good.

Not Tamiya standards, though perhaps that isnt all bad!

Bruce