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1/72 Vampire F Mk.3; 03934
Topic Started: Apr 30 2017, 10:52 AM (845 Views)
DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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Revell 1/72 Vampire F Mk.3

Here is the In-box review of the 1/72 DH (DeHavilland) Vampire F Mk.3 which was one of the first jets operated by the RAF, that served as a frontline fighter, with squadrons in the UK and Germany and later with the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF). It was also operated by many other airforces around the globe.

This is a re-boxing of the 2014 Special Hobby kit that is the base kit for other releases of differing versions of the Vampire and therefore there are quite a number of parts that wont be required for this particular variant.
Before we take a look inside the box take a look at the super box art on this release ....very nice :wub:

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Contents

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At first there doesnt seem to be very much to this kit as there are only 2 sprues of dark grey plastic , 1 clear sprue , decals and instructions .
Looks can and are deceiving as this is a really well detailed kit and is a world away from the other Revell Vampire kits of old which I believe were re-issues of Heller kits.

Sprue A

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The plastic is very smooth with no surface imperfections other than the raised detail and the recessed panel lines on the parts are fine but not so fine that it will instantly disappear under a coat of paint.
The main parts on sprue A are the two part horizontally split fuselage , upper wings and various detail parts .
What strikes me straight away is just how small this little fighter is :blink: ....the fuselage parts are less than 8cm in length but I can assure you that beauty is contained in small packages as the detail is top class for such a small jet . The gun ports would shame some 1/48 and even 1/32 kits.
Very small parts are superbly moulded and not just blobs of plastic....the very small joystick being a very good example.
The wheels have separate hubs and the undercarriage looks very nicely done for this scale.

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Sprue B

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The main bits on sprue B are the twin booms and lower wing parts which are , as with sprue A , free from any sink marks.
Nicely detailed engine faces and here you can see the rockets that are not required for this version but strangely are included on the finished kit photo on the front of the instruction sheet :D
Cockpit floor and the seat , not an ejection seat for this version are on this sprue and all I would add here are masking tape seat belts when making the kit.

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Sprue C ; Clear parts

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The clear parts are probably the weakest part of this kit but thats not to say they are bad......they are clear as such but they seem to have a rippled effect when looking into them that will distort any view of the cockpit if you have the canopy closed.
The instructions only show a closed option but I hope that it will be just a simple case of placing the rear part of the sliding canopy further back to allow an open view of the cockpit.

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The wing tips are also included on this sprue.....yes clear wing tips. Not sure if thats a good or bad idea ....we will find out soon enough when I build it ;)

Instruction Sheet and Decals

Instruction sheet is the now standard affair with Revell which is well printed, colourful and easy to follow BUT .....i do miss the short subject history that used to be on the front of the older style sheets :(
Set over 27 construction stages and with 2 decal options , both finished in Aluminium with all paint call-outs for the Revell range .

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Sprue diagram shows which parts are not needed for this build ...

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The two decal options are
1. Vampire F.3 No.601 Sqn RAuxAF, North Weald , 1952
2. Vampire F.3 N0.608 Sqn RAuxAF, Thornaby, 1951

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Decals are the usual top quality we expect to find in a Revell box :thumb:

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Conclusion

Although not an original Revell new tool this kit is more than worthy of being in a Revell box .
Its a small model but has a lot of great detail and judging by the build sequence should be a fairly easy kit to build.
Just a little gripe about those clear wing tip parts and wondering if they will affect the paint finish in that area and the not perfectly clear canopy.
Apart from the above this is a lovely kit and one that should be on all post war jet fans list.

Highly recommended :thumb:

Many thanks to Revell for the review sample :clap:

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Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers.
For details visit:

Revell Website

Revell Facebook

:beer:
Andy
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jacksdad64
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Aikidoka
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:thumb: Cracking review Andy and it really does look like a lovely little kit.

Have you finished it yet? :coolio:


Steve



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peebeep
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Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious
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Shame about the flow marks in the canopy, but if it's really bothersome you could probably get a vac replacement. This otherwise looks peachy and worth a punt, SH have upped their game considerably over the last couple of years. I'm loving the decal options.
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DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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Tempted to start this tonight :yes: :coolio:

Andy
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jacksdad64
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Aikidoka
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DH764
Apr 30 2017, 05:42 PM
Tempted to start this tonight :yes: :coolio:

Andy
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