Photographs Copyright © Collin Riley 2007
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| Vickers
Super VC-10, British airways |
After
waiting seemingly forever for this model, I ended up being sorely
disappointed. GeminiJets included their as-usual excellent print quality
and rugged construction in the model, but then added one (to me) serious
construction flaw and two (to me) silly gewgaws that were real turnoffs.
Leaning to port.
The fin tilts noticably to the left. This is a real problem in a small-scale
model in which the fin and tailplane unit is such a prominant feature.
I've seen this kind of factory goof in one other 1/400-scale model,
and that model didn't have the T-tail, a feature that makes the problem
that much more noticeable.
My model, my toy.
The GeminiJets modelers included both a moveable tailplane and little
rubber tires to their creation. Unfortunately, since I get my models
by mail, and didn't know about either feature before ordering, or
I would have never bought the model. (Because I ordered the GeminiJets
VC-10, I missed out on the AeroClassics model of the same airplane,
and am still kicking myself.)
The tailplane is designed to move up and down, and not knowing that,
I thought the tailplane had come loose and needed to be re-attached.
I did a lot of twisting and pulling on the thing before realizing
it was supposed to be the way it was. Due to excellent construction,
the tailplane stayed attached (kudos).
The little rubber tires were all mounted crooked, which made the undercarriage
look for all the world like a drunken caterpillar (no kudos). After
a little work, I was able to get the things more or less aligned.
Summary.
All in all, I take my models straight (or solid, if you will), and
this red-tail BA just wasn't my cup of tea. |
| GJ item no. |
GJBAW658 |
| Production run of model |
1,500 units |
| Registration no. |
G-ASGP |
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