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RA-5C Vigilante (1/48 Trumpeter)

helios

helios

Well-known member
My entry into the Naval Aircraft campaign. I was originally planning a Tomcat or Prowler build...but with the passing of Hippy I've had a change of mind. Instead I'll be building a RA-5C Vigilante in Hippy's memory.

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I'll be :popcorn this one ... Gonna be a large one in 1/48 ... Ed would have liked it that way ... To Ed :salute :drinks :pilot
 
Not much to report. I did get the bags opened up yesterday, cleared out the kitchen sink, and washed the parts. Not very impressed w/ the cockpit detail...so I'll be doing something there. Do I do just the Eduard PE set...or do I go full hog & do the Aires full cockpit set? We shall see. The Aires cockpit & wheel wells are very tempting. The 1/72 Aires cockpit I got for my F-8 (that I haven't finished :pinch: ) was a marvelous little piece of kit, though labor intensive.
 
Got the itch to fiddle a bit tonight, so I pulled the main body bits off the sprues, cleaned edges and did a little test fit. For the most part it looks like most of the bits line up ok. There will likely be some filler work around the lower wing roots and the fuselage seams...but not too bad. I definitely see what people are talking about when they complain of a flimsy underside fuselage. I'll have to rig up some kind of internal bracing for some support. I'll probably just use some square styrene stock.

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I did also order the Eduard PE & Quickboost seats for the cockpit along w/ a set of intake FOD covers tonight. I decided to save a few bucks by doing the PE & seats instead of the full Aires cockpit due to the limited view w/ the canopies closed (especially the rear seat). We'll see if I regret my decision. I suppose worst case if I don't like the way this pit turns out, I can always order the Aires pit later. I'm going to pass on the wheel wells since they gear doors are usually closed anyways. I may still spring for the tailpipes...but we'll see how the kit ones shape up. There is no rush to have all the parts here with the completion date several months away yet, so we'll play it by ear.
 
Sounds like you have a plan (y) . Rumors have it that the leading edge slats fit poorly if you want them up. One suggested fix is to glue each part to its respective wing half and work from there. I haven't got to that yet so only passing along rumor. I'm going to bite the bullet and go with the kit cockpit parts and add only the Eduard PE, others then can see what the differences are and decide for themselves. You will most likely be ahead of me on the build as my modeling output drops considerably once I can get outside to work. Looking forward to seeing your progress!
 
Old Dog said:
Sounds like you have a plan (y) . Rumors have it that the leading edge slats fit poorly if you want them up. One suggested fix is to glue each part to its respective wing half and work from there. I haven't got to that yet so only passing along rumor. I'm going to bite the bullet and go with the kit cockpit parts and add only the Eduard PE, others then can see what the differences are and decide for themselves. You will most likely be ahead of me on the build as my modeling output drops considerably once I can get outside to work. Looking forward to seeing your progress!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I saw that somewhere too. Also that the flaps may be too thick and need to be thinned a bit. I haven't stuck any of those parts together yet, so I don't know how much is too much. It may be passable for me, as I don't get super concerned like some of the rivet counters at BM. :rotf
 
Started assembling the cockpit and installing the pit PE. First time messing with PE parts...it's interesting. Definitely requires a little patience. We'll get there though, sooner or later. :bat

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Applied a little Mustang technology to the Vigi. How do you stiffen up a flexi-Stang? Add sub-frame connectors.

I give to you, scratch-built belly fuselage connectors for the RA-5C Vigilante. :rotf

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I was actually planning a bit more elaborate ladder bracing...but after seeing the effect a short longitudinal bracing did I started wondering if a full length box tube would provide sufficient stiffening. I tore off the short runners and trimmed out a full length brace. I think it's actually going to work out pretty well. It gets rid of a lot of the flexi-skin on the belly, while still allowing a degree movement for aligning the fuselage halves. It also removes the wavy lines of the belly skin due to the thin plastic.

As of now, I'm reasonably pleased w/ the rather simple solution. We'll see how it all works out in the end. The kit engines will still fit, and I'm running intake plugs so I don't have to worry about intake runners.
 
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