Airfix Avro Vulcan B.2 Black Buck

This is the seventh part of the Airfix Avro Vulcan B.2 Black Buck 1/72 Scale A12013 build and review.

There have been several models that I’ve built and I wish that I could build them a second time because I now know exactly how to build the model and I could build it better and faster the second time. When I built the Tamiya 1:48 F-14A I was very nervous about messing up such a big and complicated project. When I built my second Tamiya F-14, this time the D model, I knew exactly what to do and I built it much quicker than the A model.

I feel that way with this Vulcan, if I had a second one to do, I’d know exactly what to avoid and what to look out for. Now I can’t predict the future but I think I’ll be more than satisfied when I complete this Vulcan, and there are a lot more kits I want to build this year.

Fortunately, I can document this build through these blog posts, and you following along can see what to look out for with this project. And my hope is that it will be helpful enough that you can speed through your Vulcan build the first time.

There’s some mastic and sanding work that I’ll need to do before I can begin priming the model. There are small gaps all over the place and I really want to fill these so I can keep those flowing curves that the Vulcan is famous for.

I placed some modeling tape around the spine where the wings joined, just behind the cockpit up to the beginning of the tail section. I then used my crafting spatula to smooth out some Tamiya Basic Type Putty.

I left the putty to dry for 2 days, and by then it was really easy to sand down with Tamiya 400 Sanding Sponges. Once I had the majority of the putty removed I sanded some more with 600 grit to smooth out the putty with the plastic.

So far it looks pretty good, and I’m hoping that once I add a coat of primer everything will blend together and you won’t notice any of the putty.

I also added a good amount of Mr Dissolved Putty into the neck as this section had a noticeable gap. I sanded it smooth and it looks a lot better now, but what I find very odd is no matter what I did that horizontal panel line can’t meet with the panel line on the fuselage. It’s a bit of a strange error from Airfix, but not one that I think will be really noticed.

I also sanded the wing edge smooth and rescribed the panel lines that connected to the underside of the wing. These panel lines are quite important to the overall profile of the aircraft, and they will look really great later on when they are painted in.

The fit on the splitter plate isn’t that great, but it’s going to be an easy fix. I glued the splitter plate towards the fuselage section, this would ensure a secure bond on that side and it would be much more difficult to fill in a gap from the inner side.

I added more Tamiya Basic Putty to the inside where the splitter bridged with the intakes. The fit was a bit wonky, so I took out the sanding sticks that I had made earlier, and I was able to easily sand the putty away.

What I should, or wish I had done first, was sand down the bare plastic to smooth out the sides. I would have used a more aggressive sanding sponge like a 240 to really attack the plastic. After things were smooth, I would have then applied the Tamiya Putty, and it would have been easier to fill in the gap and have this section more level.

Here is the splitter and intake after everything was sanded. So far it looks really good, but this could be another section that I need to return to once I add a primer coat.

To fill in the gaps on the outside of splitters I mixed up some Milliput 2-part epoxy, and I pushed this into the gaps. The Milliput will take a bit of time to properly dry and harden, but once it’s done I’ll be able to sand it smooth and flush with the rest of the wing.

If there needs to be more added I’ll likely brush one some Mr. Surfacer 500. Filling it in with the Milliput will work better as a base layer since it’s much denser than other fillers.

I did try using Tamiya Epoxy Putty Smooth for the neck sections, but I think I got the ratio of the epoxy wrong and it failed to harden, I’ll admit that I actually liked it more than the Milliput as it wasn’t as sticky and it was as described much smoother. I’ll test this product out again on another project and see if I can get it to work properly next time.

To help smooth out the Milliput a bit more I took a wider paint brush and dipped it in water. I then gently brushed it around and this helped flatten out the edges and smooth some of the bumps in the Milliput.

Moving now to the back section of the Vulcan, I built the components that make up the tail. The rudder is separate so you can pose this if you’d like. When I test-fitted the tail to the main body I couldn’t get the pegs to fit in all of the way, so I cut off one side of them.

One small error I found in the instructions is that Airfix shows you using parts F05 and F06. You need to add the squared topper for the tail which are parts F07 and F08.

Moving onto the tail boom I cut out the small side intake. The back section of the intake was hollowed out but not the front. This would be easy to fix using my Tamiya Fine Pin Vise. I first drilled out two holes next to each other.

I then took my Excel hobby knife and I was able to cut out the excess plastic and square off the opening. To finish the part, I brushed Mr. Cement S into the opening which smoothed out the plastic.

Here I’ve glued the intake to the boom, and it looks a lot better now. It’s probably something that no one would ever really notice, but I enjoy correcting little details like this on my models.

The tail boom of the Vulcan holds the aft radar, avionics, and the parachute for landings. The part was a bit wonky so I sanded it down and filled in the center gap with Mr. Dissolved Putty.

I sanded the putty away and scribed in the panel lines with my Tamiya Scribing Saws. And now the tail boom is ready to be added to the model.

And that will do it for this week’s work. I’ve mentioned before that sanding and filing in parts with putty is my least favourite part of the modeling process, but I’m actually having a lot of fun this time, which is odd because some of the sanding has been really difficult. I can’t wait for that Milliput to dry out so that I can sand those splitters smooth, but that will have to wait for next time.

And speaking of next time, I’ve got to get some planning done, there’s still the engine nozzles to build, and I need to decide what I’m going to build to get this model ready for primer. It’s going to be fun so stick around and we’ll see how far I can get in the next section.

To be continued…

Jared Demes is a modeler from southern Alberta. He has been building models since he was 4 years old when his Dad first introduced him to the hobby. He has written for several magazines including, Fine Scale Modeler, Scale Aircraft Modeling, Phoenix Scale Models, and others. He has an interest in all modeling subjects, with a focus on WWII Japanese aircraft and Science Fiction.

Jared has won several IPMS awards for his modeling, and currently operates his YouTube channel rebelsatcloudnine, where he showcases model builds and product demonstrations.

Next Post: Part 8
Previous Post: Part 6
First Post: Part 1