Vickers FB.5

Sandy Spigot-Colon · 15 July 2005, 04:51 PM

Hi all,
anyone here had a bash at building the 1/48th scale Blue Max kit of the Vickers FB.5?
It's an aircraft I've always liked but I'm not sure of the Blue Max kit.
Thoughts anyone?
Cheers
S.

Tripehound · 15 July 2005, 08:29 PM

Got one going now. My major complaint is the wing trailing edges. Evidently the mould didn't close all the way and the edge was quite thick with lots of flash, but this ain't the only Blue Max kit with that problem. Sand them down and redo the ribs with Evergreen stock or thick decal strips. The tail structure is all metal, but I will replace it with plastic like I did on my Lone Star FE-8. After rigging it's stiff enough and doesn't weigh a ton. The thing that caused me to set it aside was the almost total lack of the multitude of metal fittings details that the real A/C has. I intend to reproduce this with black decal bits and plastic stock. There's a few pictures on the web, but the Datafile is recommended.

drbubba43 · 16 July 2005, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tripehound

Got one going now. My major complaint is the wing trailing edges. Evidently the mould didn't close all the way and the edge was quite thick with lots of flash, but this ain't the only Blue Max kit with that problem. Sand them down and redo the ribs with Evergreen stock or thick decal strips. The tail structure is all metal, but I will replace it with plastic like I did on my Lone Star FE-8. After rigging it's stiff enough and doesn't weigh a ton. The thing that caused me to set it aside was the almost total lack of the multitude of metal fittings details that the real A/C has. I intend to reproduce this with black decal bits and plastic stock. There's a few pictures on the web, but the Datafile is recommended.

While I havn't started it yet... Ditto every word! I'm still looking for a tank to replace the one molded into the rear fuselage. For some reason I can't put my finger on, that one detail really lessens the illusion.
I've been scrounging through model car parts an WWII bombe but no luck so far. Model train stuff is next.

Ray

Tripehound · 17 July 2005, 06:42 PM

The tank was the first thing to go. Find some round stock at the hobby shop. Plastruct makes a wide range of tubes and rods. Glue a thick chunk on the end (if it's a tube) and chuck it up in a drill. You can get the ends evenly rounded that way. The kit would be a delight for somebody with a case of AMS. Virtually ALL the insides can be seen.

drbubba43 · 18 July 2005, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tripehound

The tank was the first thing to go. Find some round stock at the hobby shop. Plastruct makes a wide range of tubes and rods. Glue a thick chunk on the end (if it's a tube) and chuck it up in a drill. You can get the ends evenly rounded that way. The kit would be a delight for somebody with a case of AMS. Virtually ALL the insides can be seen.

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually have the plastc tubing for the tank, but I was hoping to find a prefab before I start this project...

As for AMS, that me. Except I'm getting therapy for it. AMS does not eqate to better finished models, at least in my case, it only means more unfinished ones...

I liked your Idea of using plastic on the rear instead of the metal included. I plan on taking that rout now also. I was concerned it might not hold its shape well till you mentined it here.

on a slightly different note. What is the Lone Star FE-8 like. Is it worth my time? What would I be getting myself into with that kit? I have no experience with Lone Star's kits at this point.

Ray

Tripehound · 18 July 2005, 08:11 AM

In my opinion, Lone Star kits, or at least the resin parts, are poor, not to put too fine a point on it. I have a DH-5 and two FE-8's from them. The DH-5 is all resin and very poorly done. I've started it and set it aside to await a really rainy day. Nearly all details are too heavy and need to be reworked. It makes the old Aurora stuff look good. The FE-8 is resin wings and tail and a vacuform nacelle. The nacelle is fairly good, but the external detailing is very light and needs enhancement. No big deal there. The wings are worse than the DH-5. They vary greatly in thickness along the span and are nowhere near the correct shape. They need plastic stock added to widen the center section chord. Kind of a shame because the ribs are fairly well done. I'm going to scratch a pair of wings for the second one and then decide what to do about the nearly-completed first.

On the other hand, the all-vacuform FB-12 I got from them looks to be pretty well done. The nacelle sides may be a little too flat, but that can be fixed.

I tried a gentle e-mail to the company, and they defended their work stoutly. The second FE-8 was to verify that the first wasn't a fluke. Unfortunately, it appears it's not. They make several neat planes, including a Junkers J.I. I'd have a hard time forking over 80 bucks for that and finding the same quality.

drbubba43 · 18 July 2005, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tripehound

In my opinion, Lone Star kits, or at least the resin parts, are poor, not to put too fine a point on it. I have a DH-5 and two FE-8's from them. The DH-5 is all resin and very poorly done. I've started it and set it aside to await a really rainy day. Nearly all details are too heavy and need to be reworked. It makes the old Aurora stuff look good. The FE-8 is resin wings and tail and a vacuform nacelle. The nacelle is fairly good, but the external detailing is very light and needs enhancement. No big deal there. The wings are worse than the DH-5. They vary greatly in thickness along the span and are nowhere near the correct shape. They need plastic stock added to widen the center section chord. Kind of a shame because the ribs are fairly well done. I'm going to scratch a pair of wings for the second one and then decide what to do about the nearly-completed first.

On the other hand, the all-vacuform FB-12 I got from them looks to be pretty well done. The nacelle sides may be a little too flat, but that can be fixed.

I tried a gentle e-mail to the company, and they defended their work stoutly. The second FE-8 was to verify that the first wasn't a fluke. Unfortunately, it appears it's not. They make several neat planes, including a Junkers J.I. I'd have a hard time forking over 80 bucks for that and finding the same quality.

Thanks for the head's up... I think I'll wait a bit befoe I bite that one off. Still got lots of kits to work on. Sound like more of a scratch build project than a kit, and if I'm going to go that far, I think I just tackle my Maurice Farman...

Ray

PeterL · 18 July 2005, 10:59 AM

Lone Star vacs are good, but the resins are produced by pouring polyurethane into the vac-form moulds. The result is the worst of both worlds and you're really better off with a vac-form.