Avro Vulcan B.2

For this week's Falklands War themed model, I have built perhaps the largest 1/72 scale kit around, that being Avro Vulcan. This is, however, not technically a new build but one I built 10 years ago and which, over the last few weeks, I've sanded down, re-painted and applied new decals. Having been suspended above a 007 inspired Scalextric track, now repurposed for my diorama canvases, it had faded badly. Funny thing is that it could very well be returning to the loft rafters, albeit now hung above a Falklands War scene!

Before the makeover 

The Vulcan entered service with the RAF in 1954 to provide Britain's independent nuclear deterrent, a role it owned for the next 10 years. With the Polaris submarine fleet taking over the nuclear deterrent mission in 1969 and multi role aircraft, such as the Tornado, muscling in on the its strategic bombing role in 1979, it was no surprise that by the outbreak of the Falklands War in 1992, Vulcan crews were already being given new assignments and the 30 year old aircraft itself had started to be withdrawn from service. 

With delta wings and skin plating that would cover a football pitch, the Vulcan was as impressive an aircraft to the RAF as Concord was to the commercial flying world. Indeed they even shared the same engines. I loved seeing this aircraft fly and have fond memories of it being one of the highlights of any airshow. I even have a picture on my office wall of the last airworthy Vulcan, XH558, making its final flight over the Lake District in October 2015. 

My last Airshow sighting of the Vulcan at Yeovilton, Summer 2013

Before repainting my Vulcan, as has become the norm for all my lockdown scale modelling projects, I undertook quite a bit of additional research to ensure I correctly reflected its Falklands War colour scheme. Although I would have followed Airfix's original colour painting instructions to the letter, and with that original model also looking to portray the famous Operation Black Buck Vulcan XM607, it is surprising how different my makeover model looks. Oh, and I'm not going to go into detail of what XM607 got up to, I will only say that when I read Roland White's book, Vulcan 607, I was blown away and if you want to know more, I highly recommend you read it, you will not be disappointed!

The colour scheme I discovered that I had applied to my original Vulcan dates back to that the RAF were using in the late 1960s. It would appear that the RAF moved from this dark grey & green to a lighter grey camouflage in the 1970s and it would have been this that XM607 would have been wearing in 1982. One could write a whole book on camouflage and I dare say I may have to have a go one day, but it is now clear to me that Airfix were using a 1960s colour chart for this aircraft, which although incorrect for  Operation Black Buck, it was quite OK for XM607 when it entered service with the RAF on New Years Day 1964. XM607 was withdrawn on 17 December 1982 to became a static exhibit alongside the Waddington runway. I've been fortunate enough to visit 2 other Vulcans on static display. XL360 which flew to its retirement location at Coventry on 4th February1983 and XJ823 which was on standby for Operation Black Buck and flew into Carlisle on 24th January 1983 to join Solway Air Museum's collection; they are truly amazing and intimidating aircraft! 

After the makeover, with a Harrier alongside for scale.

The Vulcan is such a large model that there is no way my runway and hanger will ever be able to accommodate it. I am definitely going to have to return XM607 to the air! In the above picture, I have also added a Hawker Siddeley Harrier for size. This is a later Harrier than those used in the Falklands War but I'll share more of that later in this project. 

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The Model

Brand: Airfix

Title: Avro Vulcan B Mk2

Number: 09002

Scale: 1:72

Released: 1995 | Rebox (Changed box only)