Fonderie Miniature 1/48 Vautour IIB
The Sud-Ouest Aviation (SNCASO) Vautour was an early 50's mid-sized combat jet, typically employed in the bomber and attack roles, but also having some usage as an interceptor.The type sported a shoulder mounted swept wing and an all-moving tail, with power provided by a pair of powerful SNECMA Atar 101 turbojet engines carried in underwing located pods.
The dedicated IIB bomber version lacked any sort of radar arrangement or many of the contemporary navigational aids and attack systems that were installed upon several aircraft performing the same role during this era, with aiming performed via a WWII era Norden bombsight, with the bombardier sitting within the glazed nose section.
Both the Vautour IIA and IIB were restricted to performing missions only under clear-weather operations during daylight, with the IIN "all weather" interceptor, having been furnished with a radar, being not as restrictive, having some capacity to conduct both nighttime and adverse weather operations.
While the Vautour's lack of advanced targeting and navigation equipment was found not to be a crippling limitation during its service in Israel (the only other customer of the type), where the weather of the local climate was generally favorable and daylight missions commonplace, when operated in Europe, these restrictions were considered to be a major disadvantage.
The Vautour IIA was capable of carrying various armament, including 30 mm cannons, up to four removable underwing rocket pods or 4,000lb of bombs and up to 3,000lb of bombs or alternatively a maximum of 232 68 mm rockets in the bomb bay.
Seeing combat with Israel, the type undertook various missions and roles during the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition, among others. Only one air-to-air kill was recorded, with the Israeli Vautours replaced by the A-4 Skyhawks in 1970.
Though not uncomplex and with a number of limitations (something not too uncommon for many aircraft types of the era), the Vautour was a potent platform that could have in fact fared much better than it did, should it have not been hampered by the deleterious combination of budget limitations and political factors which, to take Tom Cleaver's @tcinla words, “created a domestic political fight over what was the right place to invest: either in proven products, such as those of Dassault - producer of the Mystere IVA, then developing the Super Mystere and designing the Mirage - or to risk purchase of an "unproven" aircraft in such quantity” (such was the Vautour).
Of the initial order for 480 units issued by the Armée de l'air, only 149 were built (including the three prototypes and six pre-production machines), with 31 of them purchased by Israel and for a comprehensive presentation and operational use of the plane, you need to read no further than Tom's excellent review and ditto build of the cousin IIN kit.
As virtually every FM kit, this is were by all means a complex kit, very challenging to build, but, on the other hand, the only viable offering for a detailed 1/48 Vautour.
https://modelingmadness.com/review/korean/french/penvau.htm
Happy Modelling!
Excellent result on this difficult to build model, Spiros!
Thank you so much, my friend @blackmopane!
Hi Spiros
I have a friend who tried to build one of these many years ago. He gave it up half finished. It's an excellent result and great persistence with what is a of a kit. You can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
Christopher
Thank you kindly, my friend @christopher!
Another beautiful build with immaculate canopies, Spiros @fiveten! Jets from the 50ies are just cool!
Thank you very much, my friend @fxrob!
Spiros, you have done an absolutely magnificent job with your FM Vautour. Having read several reviews of various kits from this producer I must confess that I haven't the courage to takle one. Your photos amply justify your efforts as well as illustrate some of the difficulties you overcame so successfully. An absolute winner in my view. Congratulations!
Thank you so much, my friend @tony-prince! Deeply appreciating your comments!
Superb build, Spiros! @fiveten
It must have been a truly challenging job reading your story on MM.
I admire your perseverance with this kit, I am afraid I would have given up on it.
Thanks a lot, my friend @alfred! Indeed, this kit was challenging and I had to take short (or not that short 🙂 ) breaks to regain mojo.
The usual Spiros overall great job! Well done...
Thank you so much, my friend @gwskat!
Spiros there are 2 kinds of modellers; those who have completed a FM kit and the rest.
You belong to the select class.
Nice result on an unusual aircraft.
Thank you kindly, my friend @info4!
Fantastic results, and a great looking finish overall Spiros. I really admire your perseverance in what was certainly a challenging build. Thanks for the background as well, for this is a type that I was unfamiliar with until now.
Thanks so much, my friend @pb_legend!
It looks like you did a great job with this notoriously difficult kit with a great result, Spiros, yet another terrific post from you.
Thank you very much, my friend @chinesegeorge!
Great looking build of a challenging kit Spiros. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work.
Thank you kindly, my friend @gelleb18!
What a great looking result on a challenging FM kit. A beautiful airplane got the result it deserved. Magnifique!
Merci beaucoup, my friend @bobd56az!
Nice to see this one completed and Posted (also on MM), Spiros.
Very nice work on the busy FM build and the finish.
Whenever I see pics of the Vautour, I always think Yak-28.
Thank you so much, my friend @georgeswork! Indeed, the Yak-28 comes to mind!
@georgeswork, Not knowing the aircraft, upon seeing the picture, this was my first thought too, something Yak-ish about the huge engine nacelles and sleek shape. Yak-28 is one of my favorite obscure Soviet aircraft, so perhaps that's why I like the Vautour presented here.
Looks like both aircraft designers had similar approaches, my friend @pb_legend! I would not be surprised to see a similar "Luft 46" design.
I'm glad you still decided to finish this challenging kit, Spiros @fiveten
She looks excellent, especially the metal paintwork and weathering.
Thank you very much, my friend @johnb!
Just beautiful! I had one and she drove me insane and it is wonderful to see one actually built! I also had the Fonderie Hampden and the Halifax, I gave them away (with regret actually just having them made me feel good) because I realized I do not have the skills to build them.
Thank you so much, my friend @michiel_gielen! I also have the Halifax, the Maryland and the Breguet 693 to build!
Excellent build of a notoriously difficult kit.
Thank you so much, my friend @dbdlee!
What a beauty, Spiros @fiveten! 😄 It's a very elegant aircraft and one we seldom see built. Your model is a stunning example and proof that great modelers can turn difficult kits into great scale models! Thanks for showing this one here! 🙏🏻
Thank you kindly, my friend @garybrantley!
Nice work on those seams, Spiros! She looks nice and sleek!
Thank you very much, my friend @bapowellphys!
Great build and end result Spiros!
Thank you very much, my friend @dtravis!
Nice work as always @fiveten Spiros!
Thanks a lot, my friend @dbutlr!
I have to say Spiros that you have chosen a very interesting type that I have not seen before as a model. Moreover, superbly built from such a bad kit. My compliments. I like it very much.
Thank you kindly, my friend @milantesar!
A really nice-looking build, Spiros! @fiveten
Thanks a lot, my friend @jdtruby!
This is a great looking model, Spiros @fiveten ! Not a commonly seen subject here on imodeler. Kind of looks similar to a Yak-28.
Thank you so much, my friend @ssgt! Yes, you can clearly see the similarities in design.
Great build Spiros. I know I say this often, but it's always true - you sure have a knack for picking the unusual or now-often-seen subjects! Much appreciated, and provides some motivation to stray from the beaten path! 😉
Thank you kindly, my friend @gkittinger!
Well done, Spiros! It’s a real achievement to complete something like this to such a high standard. It was a pleasure to watch it take shape.
Thanks a lot and for following along, my friend @j-healy!
What a neat looking aircraft. I never really knew about it. As usual your build of this kit is outstanding and the bare metal finish looks superb! Beautiful work Spiros. The background history is much appreciated as well. I love learning about aircraft that I'm not familiar with.
Thank you very much, my friend @curtisshawk!
Fantastic result. So many planes from this era I’ve never heard of so seeing them come to life here is a real treat. You managed to hide all the flaws in the kit. Very skilled work.
Thank you so much, my friend @coondog! Yes, this era featured a good number of designs.
Bravo Spiros! Perfect result with this difficult model!
Thanks for this beautiful tribute to one of my favorite aircrafts 😎
Merci beaucoup, my friend @stelaire!
You really knocked this one out of the ballpark by the well-known "country mile" @fiveten. I didn't have the courage to do mine in NMF - the camouflage camouflaged a lot! This is really excellent work.
Thanks so much, my friend @tcinla! Your Vautour build was THE inspiration.
Sorry for coming late to the party Spiros, so there is little to add to the comments above. It is simply outstanding what you achieved here!
Thank you kindly, my friend @marcellorosa1!
Looks great, Spiros @fiveten. Another beautiful build from a very rough kit. This is one of my favorite lesser-known aircraft. As soon as Special Hobby comes out with it in 1/48, I may finally be able to build it. FM kits are going for $300-$400 CDN online now! Hope you got yours early.
Thank you so much, my friend @coling! Got mine a the very reasonable price of around $60 back in mid 00s, also got their Halifax for around $100, now, if you are lucky, you can find it around $500...
🙂 ... Greetings ... 🙂 :
This is just a good refreshing model Spiros!
A very unique subject and a remarkable build.
Some challenges were present and delt with and as you can see, it all paid off.
Good modeling and good photography, thank you for sharing this.
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Thank you so much, my friend @de4ever!
Great job mate. Love your work my friend. All the best, Paul.
Thank you kindly, my friend @paulwoodyvanacker!
Superb as usual Spiros. Nice job with the NMF.
Thanks a lot, my friend @popeofchillitown!
Never heard of these mate but it looks like you produced a nice model of it, well done chap👍
Thanks my friend @chrisballard! Saw it sometime in mid 00s as a static display outside SNECMA factory, wondering what it was...