Full Review with Dave Coward
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Background…
There are other builds of this kit in SMN such as Calum G’s very nice RNZAF aircraft and I encountered many of the same issues but I did resolve them in slightly different ways so hopefully this build in conjunction with the others will make your build of this model a lot easier.
The Vampire F.Mk.I entered Royal Air Force service in March 1946, to be followed by the revised and more capable F.3 just two years later. The Vampire was also the first RAF aircraft to exceed 500 mph, with the extra range of the F.3 allowing this to be the first jet fighter to cross the Atlantic.
January 2026 Note: I have now started experimenting with the Google Gemini app to produce amazing finished images of completed builds! See below:
This is my completed Airfix De Havilland Vampire F.3, 1:48 shot on a display board with an A2 size photo for the background. I used my iPhone 12 Pro as I have for all my photography to date. The model was placed outside on an overcast but bright day.
Described the image: Set this RAF De Havilland Vampire in an authentic RAF station from the 1950s with RAF ground crew and vehicle
Described the image: Keep this scene. Change the viewing point as if standing behind the aircraft looking towards the two ground crew members standing by the vehicle. As you can see, the app moved the aircraft, so you don’t always get what you ask for but with practice I’m sure this will improve on both sides. The images look good I think and definitely add something to the presentation of the model such as: composition, lighting, shadows and atmosphere.
Read Geoff’s article: Photographing Scale Models: Using Google Gemini AI to Create Realistic Backgrounds
Here are a couple of pictures of what my finished model looks like.
Construction…
The kit has 3 options, all of which give the modeller a nice finished subject but I opted for the RAF option for no other reason than I just liked that scheme!
