All of you who are building really cool Vampires have made me want to build one also. I checked out my stash and found an old 1/48 Hobbycraft Mk 1, a 1/72 Airfix TT.1, and a 1/48 Trumpeter FB Mk 9. I was really interested in building something in 1/48, so I took a vote and decided on the Trumpeter kit.

I found I also had a set of canopy masks and photoetch for the plane, as well as a set of decals. The decals are by Eurodecals, which are sold by the Fantasy Printshop. Choosing the paint scheme was relatively easy. In the 1980s, I got a call from the Air Force Personnel Center, who offered me an exchange tour as an instructor at RAF Cranwell. I was an instructor pilot in C-141s at the time, and Airlift Command refused to release me to go to this dream job. So this paint scheme reminds me of this missed opportunity. The decal sheet has the markings for a Mk 9 used at RAF Cranwell in the 1960s. Another great selling point for this paint scheme is that there is some fluorescent orange involved...Sold!

I hope to start this build soon. I am currently building a Beaufighter in the Work in Progress group, but you all have convinced me that nothing evil will happen if I work on two at once. Or like Erik (@airbum) and Spiros (@fiveten), who build 6 or 7 at once. During my dating years I never dated more than one woman at a time, because I just like to keep things simple. Modeling has always been the same, so this can be an experiment to be sure I don't go blind or something.

Cheers

Great choice George (@gblair) It is going to look really cool with the camo/Day glo combo.
Now those dating years. . . (suffice it to say that it is a real bommer when one date is delayed due to weather and gets to leave on the same plane as the next one is coming in with - well Greenland had its challenges)

I will be strapped in here to see your "whatif" sort of build.

After some research, I have decided to change this build a little. Spiros (@fiveten), who has been doing some pathfinding with his Vampire build, let me know about the defining characteristic of a Mark 9. It turns out that the Mark 9 has asymmetric engine inlets. The right engine inlet is about 8 inches longer that the left because it houses an air conditioner. So, I go check my Trumpeter Mark 9 and the engine inlets are exactly the same on both sides of the plane. Trumpeter got it wrong.

I did a little research, and found that the Mark 9 was considered a "tropicalized" version of the Mark 5, and apparently the only external difference between the two is the air conditioner housing in the extended right engine intake. So, this opens up a new choice. I could scratchbuild the missing inlet extension, or I could build this kit as a Mark 5. While it would be relatively easy to build the missing extension, I decided I would build this kit as a Mark 5.

The decal sheet that I planned to use has several Mark 5s on the sheet, so I have chosen to build a plane from the South African Air Force. It still has some high viz panels, so that box is checked. The only problem is that the plane is natural metal, and I have never built a model that is all natural metal. I need to break the ice sometime, so hopefully this will turn out OK. I got started on the cockpit today. Photos will follow soon. Everyone stay safe.

Wow, George @gblair! NMF!
I love your chosen subject, SAAF schemes are so cool!
With the Day-Glo orange, your Mk.5 looks will be supreb!
Good luck on your first NMF, and glad you will join the NMF Club!

Good to hear that you got the Alclad, George @gblair!
Have never used it (as I've told you I am a Humbrol 11 enamel guy...), but I've heard good opinions about it.
The nos wheel well seems a complicated assy, but the looks are light years ahead of my Hobbycraft Vampire wheel well, not to mention the nonexisting well of the Venom!
Fingers crossed for your first Alclad attempt!

Having decided to build a South African Air Force Mk 5, I was looking at some photos of these Vampires that I dug up with Google. I noticed that there was a lack difference in color and tone between the various panels. In fact, the entire plane looked monotone, which I had never seen on a natural metal plane. I have done some digging and I believe the planes may have been painted using "High Speed Silver/Aluminum" rather than being natural metal. This would explain why the finish is so monotone. I have found out that Alclad has a "High Speed Silver/Aluminum" and I have ordered a bottle. Well, onward and upward.

Cheers, and stay safe.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

With the very nature of the build, highspeed silver would make perfect sense George. After a few years in service many jets of this era were painted to ease maintenance, as a NMF will be prone to corrosion when the plane is left to the elements.