1/48 Airfix

Why this plane?

The unique looks of the Sea Vixen have intrigued me for a long time. A proper mixture of elegance from some angles, and goofy looks from others. I think they are a proper representation of a golden age of British aviation, when things were allowed to be "a bit different". The Airfix kit comes with 4 decal options, and among these I went with the one that had the iconic flying fist in the tail, and the shark mouth.

​

What was added

• This was pretty much built from the original kit, no resin or photoetch. In part because the Airfix kit is so good. Thus, the only changes I made were:

  • Seatbelts were created from Tamiya Masking tape.

  • Some detail got sanded out in joining parts, so engraved panel lines had to be re-scribed in several places. 

  • Tungsten rods were used to represent some detail on top of the booms. There were like piano hinges, for the equipment bays (see here).

  • The seeker heads of the Red Top missiles were made from blobs of Micro Krystral Klear, after losing the original clear parts.

​

Notes and lessons learned

Considering the popularity of the brand, it is perhaps strange that this was my first Airfix kit. But now, I am positive about doing others. Sure, it could use some refinement. For example, the antennas and missile fins are thick, and if it wasn't for the "out of the box" aspect I would have used some metal substitutes for better scale effect. But overall the fit between parts was good, the instructions were clear, the decals did what they were supposed to do. This was a relatively smooth journey, but a few notes of caution if you want to build the same kit:

• The decision to represent the plane on the ground with the wings folded added a lot of complexity. In the Sea Vixen a relatively large part of the wing could be folded, making the wing sub-assembly heavy. Joining that to the fuselage/ wing root sub-assembly relies on two relatively flimsy brackets, and keeping them aligned and held long enough to obtain a firm bond is a job better suited for an octopus (preferably one with tiny opposable thumbs at the end of each arm). Adding the subsequent bits of the wing folding mechanism is also complex, and it is difficult getting the two wings to be at the same angle. I have no real solution for this other than trying again and again, until it worked. This included breaking first attempts, and starting over. For an easier job, consider showing the wings deployed.

• As it often happens, it is in the small details that a lot of time is spent. In my case, it was the pitot probes the caused issues. These are extremely flimsy, to the point that removing them from the sprue without breaking becomes a problem. And when you do manage to get them out, sanding to a smooth uniform appearance becomes another challenge. I circumvented this by dipping the part in resin, and using UV to cure. This worked pretty well. The process could be repeated several times, gradually building up stiffness, until the pitot probes could be sanded to a sharp tip. But, in the end, I opted to use some blunted hypodermic needles for extra stiffness.

Painting and effects

• Priming: SMS Grey surfacer (PLP01).

• Upper surfaces: SMS Extra Dark Sea Grey (EDSG; PL222), followed by irregular application of diluted Mr Color EDSG (333) and Vallejo Model Air Dark Sea Grey (71053). The hues from these manufacturers are slightly different, which adds some variation resembling weathering. Paintbrush-applied Model Air 71053 was used to fix spots, sometimes diluted with water. 

• Lower surfaces: SMS white surfacer (PLP03), followed by irregular application of SMS Insignia white and Mr Color Character White to add variations. Paint-brushed Vallejo Model Air Insignia White (71279) was used to fix spots, sometimes diluted with water.

• Interior of bays, ducts: Depending on the references, I used either Tamiya Light Sea Grey XF-25 or SMS white surfacer. Note that the instructions suggest Humbrol 34 (flat white) for one side of the wing folding mechanism interface, and Humbrol 87 (steel grey) for the other. This was not apparent in the pictures I could find, where the colours looked the same on both sides. I went with the white.

• Undercarriage: Tamiya Light Sea Grey XF-25

• Folded wing supports: Tamiya insignia red.

• Before decals: SMS Clear Gloss PL09. 

• Panel lines were then highlighted with enamel washes created from various Tamiya metallic paints including X-10, X-11, X-33, XF-56. 

• Finish used mixed “satin” coat, created by mixing equal parts of SMS Flat Clear (PL10) and Clear Gloss (PL09).

• The main paint for the missiles was Alclad 117 Dull Aluminium. For the rocket pods the body is Alclad 119 Airframe Aluminium, and the tips and rockets are Alclad 120 Gunmetal. These were later sealed with SMS PL58 Super Clear, before and after decals.

• The main paint for the cockpit was Mr. Color 40 (German Gray). Detail was brought out by dry brushing Tamiya metallic enamels (X-10 and X-11).

• I used a mixture of "Middle shading" (see here) and post-shading, in both cases done with Tamiya Weathering master powders applied with paintbrushes. The main colours used were Oil Stain, Burnt Blue, Rust, and Soot.

• Clear parts were coated with “Looks like Glass” from Deluxe Materials.

​

​