T

here are some aircraft

that give an Englishman

a glowing sense of pride,

whether the aircraft in question

is stationary on the ground or

passing overhead in majestic

flight. In the latter instance

it’s the noise of their approach

that alerts you to their presence

overhead: the throaty roar of

a solitary Merlin tells you that

there is a Spitfire or Hurricane

nearby, while the bellicose rumble

of four Rolls Royce Avons alerts

you to the mighty presence of the

God of Fire – the Avro Vulcan.

Unfortunately, with the

retirement in 2015 of XH558, the

last airworthy Vulcan, we are

unlikely to ever hear that sound

again or feel the resonating

vibrations deep within our

chests as a Vulcan powers up and

raises its proud nose skyward.

But even when tethered to its

earthly bonds the long-legged,

hulking giant inspires heartfelt

pride, and it was whilst sheltering

under the starboard wing of a

flightless Vulcan one rainy day

at the Midland Air Museum in

Coventry that I decided it was time

to hunt out the 1/144 scale Vulcan

I had in my stash and build it.

Having become engrossed of

late in the complexities of super-

detailing 1/48 scale German

wartime bombers and fighters, I

decided on that overcast afternoon,

whilst sitting on the bench beneath

the giant’s camouflaged wing,

that a change would be as good

as a rest and that the Great Wall

Hobby (GWH) Vulcan would be

the ideal busman’s holiday.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

As soon as you open the diminutive,

yet sturdy box you know you are

looking at something special. The

two fuselage halves are the first

things you see, each one sealed

within its own plastic sleeve

and wrapped in soft protective

foam. Slitting open the sleeves

and removing the bat-like, one-

piece upper and lower wing and

fuselage halves, one is immediately

impressed by the quality of the

grey plastic parts; they are slightly

textured with a matt finish and

ITEMS USED

KIT: L1001 VULCAN B.2

SCALE: 1/144

DECAL OPTIONS: 2

GEMINI JETS STAND: GJSTD777

FÜNDEKALS: AVRO VULCAN B.2S

FIRE

The God Of

Great Wall Hobby 1/144 Avro Vulcan

by Jay Blakemore

68 • JULY 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

BY SACCO DE VRIES

AVRO VULCAN

BY JAY BLAKEMORE

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