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KIWI · Posted: Sat 04 Oct 2008 12:33 pm Post subject: Old vacform kits

Yesterday I was given a box old vacform kits , at first it mainly looked like left over parts and an assortment of instruction sheets , but with a little sorting I was able to see there were many of the parts for three kits that were a bit unusual . According to the some what crude instruction sheets each kit originally included enough parts for three different aicraft . Some were conversions , while others must have been complete kits . One kit provides the fuselages and fins for three conversions , York , Privateer and Liberator Freighter . Another kit contained fuselage and engines for a Ventura , engines for a Whitley 111 and parts for a Wellington 11. The third kit had the parts for Botha , Albemarle and Waco CG-13A .These kits are all very basic , I have found no canopies and no wings, and only the first seems anything like complete . I am simply curious as to their origins as there is no brand name . At least two instructions mention Heavy Conversion Unit . I suspect early Contrail can anyone add any info ?

Richard Humm · Red Star Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 686

That definitely sounds like early Contrail, possibly before Gordon Sutcliffe was using the trade name. I remember seeing an ad for Heavy Conversion Units in an early 1970s Airfix Magazine.

Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Sat 04 Oct 2008 17:05 pm Post subject:

That sounds like the kit equivalent of Pandora's Box.....Smell the fear! Nailbiting

All the best
Sgt.S
PS - Actually, I'm a wee bit jealous!

KIWI · Posted: Sat 04 Oct 2008 19:52 pm Post subject:

The instructions are on an assortment of coloured paper some pink some white , some ochre . Some are typed others are hand written . Some of the white ones have outline diagrams printed in a colour I can only describe as the colour of Methylated Spirits . One set of instructions for which I found no plastic , appeared to be for a kit including four Russian types , Tu 14 , Yak 15 , MiG 9 and La 15 . Another incomplete set of instructions seem to be for a kit of conversion parts for a Manchester , Halifax 11 , Halifax transport , Stirling transport , Hereford and Beaufighter . This set may have been Heavy Conversion Unit No1 , the set with the York , Liberator and Privateer is listed as No 2 available in late 1971 . Originally these kits did have transparencies where needed . There is also the instructions , no plastic , for the Hamilcar .

kitnut617 · Posted: Sat 04 Oct 2008 21:04 pm Post subject:

I have the Ventura, Whitley, Wellington conversion too Kiwi, the instructions I have calls it Heavy Conversion Unit No.3, I even got the clear sheet and an extra bit of card for some of the stiffening required. I thought I had a name but mine doesn't have it sorry, I have two sheets of instructions, one white and one mustard colour, and three drawings for the conversions, supposedly in 1/72 scale. I got this second hand from somewhere and some of the sheet of parts have been cut in two although they all seem to be there. Sorry I can't help any further, I would be interested who the manufacturer is too because I don't think it's Contrail, the bits just don't look like their work, all the bits are 'male' moulded.

Robert
_________________
If I'm not model building, I'm dirtbike riding

KIWI · Posted: Sat 04 Oct 2008 23:02 pm Post subject:

Was the Ventura a conversion on the Airfix Hudson ?

kitnut617 · Posted: Sat 04 Oct 2008 23:48 pm Post subject:

Richard Humm · Red Star Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 686

I've found the ad in the January 1972 Airfix Magazine. It is from G. Sutcliffe of Shepton Mallet but doesn't have the Contrail brand name.

There are two Heavy Conversion Sets listed, No 1 is for the Manchester, Halifax B.II, Halifax V transport, Hereford and Beaufighter II, all for £1.25, while No 2 is for the Consolidated LB30 transport Liberator, PB4Y-2 Privateer and York, 50p each or all three for £1.25. He also had a separate full kit for the Hamilcar, costing 82p. The next releases were all to be Soviet aircraft - MiG-9, La-15, Yak-15 and Tu-73.

A review of the Heavy Conversion Kits appears in the same issue, which comments that the mouldings are a little crude, and that they include transparencies. It also mentions that a 1/72 scale C-5 Galaxy was in preparation.

It's quite possible that these were male moulded, as this was the start of the vacform era, and even the earliest RAREplanes were male moulds. Female moulds are a little more difficult to produce.

kitnut617 · Posted: Sun 05 Oct 2008 14:35 pm Post subject:

Thanks Richard, that solves that question. They are definitely 'male' moulded and 'crude' is being polite, all edges that should have a nice crisp edge are rounder than a cricket ball. The clear parts are made with clear styrene but the outcome isn't very good, the parts are not very clear at all.

Robert
_________________
If I'm not model building, I'm dirtbike riding

KIWI · Posted: Sun 05 Oct 2008 20:19 pm Post subject:

After further rummaging in another box from the same source I have found some other parts from these kits (wings etc for both the Albemarle and Botha, wing extentions and engines for the Manchester , Halifax freighter parts) . They will never be complete but it has interesting to piece together the story of these early kits . With my skills they are unbuildable , more historical than valuable , will make the occasional talking point with other modellers . I had no idea the Hamilcar was such an early kit , dating back to the early 1970's , I bought mine from Sanger in the late 1990's I think .

XN923 · Green Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 387

KIWI · Posted: Wed 08 Oct 2008 07:38 am Post subject:

Hi Matt , those ones are not for sale , not sure if they are even buildable , certainly not for the collector as they are incomplete and some are damaged . I do have some vacforms I will part with but they are mainly types already released in injection moulded form or a few I aquired as part of job lots .