DeHaviland Vampire T.11

 
 

 
Kit Kit Manufacturer Scale Price Options Out of Box or Modified Rating (1-10)
Vampire T.11  Hobbycraft  1/48  $15  RAF or Swiss markings  Out of Box 
The Vampire was the followon jet to the Gloster Meteor. Instead of having the engines hanging off of the wings, the Vampire cleaned up its airframe by burying the jet inside of the fuselage.

This is the only kit I could find of this interesting early jet. The Vampire series is typically considered the worst of the Hobbycraft kits due to errors and ommissions throughout the model. The cockpit detail is weak, and (typical for Hobbycraft) lacks any sort of painting guide. I went with an interior green - dark grey or black would probably be more appropriate. The landing gear and wells are devoid of all but the most basic, soft detail. The kit's weakest point has to be the tail booms.  They attach just aft of the wings, and do not match up at all. After much sanding and putty, I did manage to get this matched up decently, but there's still a noticeable ridge between them. What's most annoying is that even with the work to get them lined up, they're incorrect. The tailbooms are too small.

This was painted using Testor's Metalizer (Aluminum and Steel.) Finishing choices consist of an RAF trainer or a Swiss trainer.Just for different markings, I chose to use the Swiss airforce markings. If you choose to do the RAF version, be aware that some masking is involved. Due to the somewhat fragile nature of Metalizer, I'd suggest either painting the yellow bands first and masking them, or using something a bit more durable such as SNJ for the metal finish.