Chiefs Vampire FB9 under cover.
Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 10:03 pm
Hi guys 
here's my finished vampire. Great kit but as you can see, I had some canopy issues, hence the canvas cover!
Here's some pics of the real deal.
The FB.9 was basically a "tropicalized" FB.5. The FB.5's cockpit proved to be an unbearable "hot box" in tropical climates, and so the FB.9 was fitted with a Godfrey air-conditioning unit in the right wing root. The FB.9 looked much like an FB.5, the biggest giveaway being a modified right engine inlet to feed the air-conditioning unit, with an extended boundary-layer plate in front of the inlet.
Vampire FB.9s replaced FB.5s in the Middle East and Asia beginning in 1952, and they were used to fight nationalist Mau-Mau insurgents in Kenya. The FB.9 was the last single-seat Vampire built, with a total of 348 manufactured from 1951 into 1953. 332 of these machines went to the RAF, with the other 16 going to Rhodesia. The Rhodesian machines differed by being fitted with the Goblin 3 instead of Goblin 2 engine, permitting better performance under "hot and high" conditions.
That's it fellas, thanks for looking
here's my finished vampire. Great kit but as you can see, I had some canopy issues, hence the canvas cover!Here's some pics of the real deal.
The FB.9 was basically a "tropicalized" FB.5. The FB.5's cockpit proved to be an unbearable "hot box" in tropical climates, and so the FB.9 was fitted with a Godfrey air-conditioning unit in the right wing root. The FB.9 looked much like an FB.5, the biggest giveaway being a modified right engine inlet to feed the air-conditioning unit, with an extended boundary-layer plate in front of the inlet.
Vampire FB.9s replaced FB.5s in the Middle East and Asia beginning in 1952, and they were used to fight nationalist Mau-Mau insurgents in Kenya. The FB.9 was the last single-seat Vampire built, with a total of 348 manufactured from 1951 into 1953. 332 of these machines went to the RAF, with the other 16 going to Rhodesia. The Rhodesian machines differed by being fitted with the Goblin 3 instead of Goblin 2 engine, permitting better performance under "hot and high" conditions.
That's it fellas, thanks for looking
That canopy cover came out well, good recovery.