Vigilante - The Practical Kind

[Spino]

Well this one's definitely going to be more of a mid-late '80s bird, given that it will be carrying AGM-123s.  I'm toying with the idea of trying to get two of them on one pylon, say with a TER, but I'm not sure that there will be enough fin clearance...

I also have a spicy whiff engine that actually existed (well sort of anyway) in mind for this plane.  I wonder who could guess what that might be 
Given that it has to fit in more or less the same space as a J-79, there aren't too many options...

I decided to print some new decals for it, since I no longer have a complete set of the kit decals anyway, so here's the sheet I decided on:

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[Rick Lowe]

Cool.

What about folding fins? Duct taped down with some wire taped to the fins and the pylon to pull it off at launch?

[Doug K]

it would make a rather good conventional strike aircraft

I read somewhere that it was actually offered to Australia as a conventional strike aircraft at one point. There's a picture somewhere with the classic aircraft in the middle of all the load out it could carry on the 4 pylons. I've actually got that as a potential project as well 

It has always struck me a a US TSR2, sort of...

[PR19_Kit]

It has always struck me a a US TSR2, sort of...

Exactly so, my thoughts as well.

I even built a hydbrid A-5/TSR2 umpteen years ago, using half of an Airfix Vigi and half of a somewhat dubious 'TSR2' kit as well.



It's got three engines, the middle one in what was the Vigi's bomb bay. 

[kitbasher]

'Dubious 'TSR2' kit' - surely not the Merlin kit?

[Spino]

Cool.

What about folding fins? Duct taped down with some wire taped to the fins and the pylon to pull it off at launch?

Nah, I just decided to do one per pylon.

[PR19_Kit]

'Dubious 'TSR2' kit' - surely not the Merlin kit?

Exactly Dave, but I didn't want to offend anyone.........................

[Rick Lowe]

Cool.

What about folding fins? Duct taped down with some wire taped to the fins and the pylon to pull it off at launch?

Nah, I just decided to do one per pylon.

Fair enough. 

[Spino]

Weapons have been fitted and decal work has started.  I'm still debating about adding another pair of wing pylons to mount more weapons, four rocket-boosted bombs and two Sidewinders seems a bit anemic for a plane this big, especially with the huge gap between the inner and outer main wing pylons.  Photos to follow.

[Rick Lowe]

More ordnance is better... 

[Spino]

More ordnance is better... 

I agree, I think I'll be 3D-printing a couple of extra main wing pylons, for a total of six.  Not quite sure what I'll put on them, maybe either AGM-78s or Mavericks.

[Spino]

Due to some unforeseen circumstances (including the light fixture over my workbench giving up the ghost!) there hasn't been much modelling going on lately, but I do have the promised Vigilante photos.  I had to move my photo op to an alternate location due to the dead light fixture, so cardboard and carpet replace the usual background.  Unfortunately I can't really print white decals, but that can be explained by a slow and maybe reluctant transition of the Vigilante community to a low-viz paint scheme.

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[Rick Lowe]

 

[NARSES2]

Looking good 

[Spino]

Spent some time working on the backstory.  My biggest issue is how to keep the Vigilante around long enough for it to get re-engined with PW1120s...