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HpH de Havilland Hornet – Sea Hornet F Mk22 TT202


airscale

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hello all,

I was chatting away on the Rumourmonger thread about this kit when I thought I should post a WIP here. It's my first on Britmodeller, so please be gentle with me!

I have already started, so this is going to be a long introductory post...

I picked up the HpH Hornet kit at Telford and what a beauty it is. It will be my first resin kit and I am looking forward to learning a new discipline. More of the kit later..

The subject I have picked is Sea Hornet F Mk22 TT202. I chose this one as there are a series of colour pictures taken on an air-to-air sortie on the South Coast with de Havilland test pilot Pat Fillingham at the controls. I like the simplicity of the scheme and the fact that the surface finish even on an all silver aircraft has many hues and tones.

Here she is...

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..a stunningly beautiful aeroplane and full credit to HpH for kitting it. I have been speaking with David Collins who runs the Hornet Project – he is literally a world authority on the aircraft and has been assembling what little remains of the real aircraft into a full cockpit section rebuild. Over time I am looking forward to learning more and more about it.

So onto the kit – here are some shots of what’s in the box..

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..major components..


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..nice surface detail...

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..lots of bits & bobs...


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..nice PE..

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..more in a moment...


..so, while I was waiting for Telford I got started on the Merlin engine – the kit does not have separate engines so I got hold of the sprues for a Merlin from a Tamiya Mustang.

The 130 series Merlin in a Hornet differs in that the air intake at the rear takes air from the top, not the bottom, and there is a big gearbox on the front to allow the props to rotate in different directions countering asymmetrical torque.

..visible here (posted under fair use policy but thanks to RR)..

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..the tamiya parts..

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..first up was to build the rear air intake structure...

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..and modify the kit parts..


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...detailed the carburettors..

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..with a bit of paint..

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..modified the coolant pump to the bigger bore Hornet unit...

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..starting on the gearbox – I made a brass template by reducing a parts manual image to 1/32 scale...

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..starting on the gearbox structure..

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...and the nearly finished unit..

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Edited by airscale
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..the hoses are from a car set I got somewhere in the US with an insert of albion alloys tube and another sheath of tube & a micro washer. The clamp is just tamiya tape and a strip of brass (thin as paper stuff). I have just got some brass nuts from scale hardware so will now be able to do the hexagonal connectors I think - used some today and it seemed to work..

..they are not in this pic, but I did add more hoses & the distributor sheathed cable (again car stuff)..

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..the front of the Hornet's merlin (and others for all I know) has the prop pitch control mechanism & bits - it looks like a little engine in itself...

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..I made up the core of the unit from a bit of rod and some square brass tube. The little cylinder like thing I made from different sizes of airscale instrument bezels on another rod - being the founder does have some perks!

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..started making the other side from stock and more airscale bits

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..after a fair few hours I have a Hornet part that will probably never be seen yippee...

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..and fitted on the gearbox...

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..a bit of paint - it needs sorting as here it is so fresh the wash is still wet...

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..needed to make what I think is the 'cabin air' thingy on the right side of the Merlin - not sure what it is - in this pic it is missing the whole of the rear section, but anyways this is what it looks like..

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..started measuring out from known dimensions and making the part..

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..an assortment of nuts, bolts, rod and tube - I prefer to make things on a handle so I can work them - this is a bit of stock that was worked into the mounting bracket at one end...

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..used some rod to make up the missing rear section...

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..and the finished part...

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..painted in alclads for the base colours - the alclad came off the brass at the end when i peeled the masking tape off - I liked the colour so I left it...

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..also painted and mounted the coolant pump..

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..and dry fitted all the bits so far to make sure it hangs together - this version of Merlin was designed to present the smallest possible frontal cross section so I can't have bits sticking out or it won't fit in the Hornet's cowling...

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only had a little bit of time today so got some of the pipes & hoses connected - I must spend more time in the manual as most of the time I don't know what I am connecting to what - I just build what I see..

..this lot for example - pipes made from car heat shrink tubing, fittings from albion alloys and bits of tape, PE or brass...

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..all hooked up with lead wire and fittings...

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..and the bottom of the engine..

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..trouble with this sort of thing is knowing when to stop - there are so many hoses, wires, pipes and leads all over the place and thats just in the manuals where the engines are not connected to the aeroplane or many of the ancilliaries - I need to start getting the nacelle & bearers together next to try & work it all out..

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anyone who has waited a long time as I have for a 1/32 Hornet, who has sat there and dreamt how fantastic it would be to have one kitted - it's modelling porn time...

..I started on the kit...

..here are one set of nacelle halves...

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..taped up with the spinner...

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..there is a slight step between the spinner and the nacelle - at least on the dry fit - it won't matter on this one as all this will be cut away to expose the engine, but something to bear in mind for the other side.. I am sure a tiny bit of fettling will sort it out..

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..checking how the merlin fits - all seems ok - it's too tight with the cylinder heads attatched but thats just the thickness of the resin casting..

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..I also roughly cut out the lower wing half and glad I did as I was going to finish the nacelle with the engine in it and fit it to the wing but I think there is too much working and fettling to be done so I am going to fit the nacelle and then mount the engine to it..

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..one issue is the u/c gear well is too shallow - you can see here the lower wing is solid - in fact in the real aircraft the top of the gear bay is the top surface of the wing - one to sort out later

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..I soon learnt one new thing about resin kits - it's a messy business - lots of grinding and dust and I have only cut out a few parts!

and thats it - where I am at with the HpH Hornet - I hope you like following along and I also hope that many of the knowledgable members here can chip in and help me along the way..

until next time my friends..

TTFN
Peter
airscale

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Top choice of aircraft and a lovely looking kit so far. That engine will pass for a model in its own right and if you intend to keep this level of detail up throughout I feel we are about to witness the definative Dh Hornet modelling thread.

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Top choice of aircraft and a lovely looking kit so far. That engine will pass for a model in its own right and if you intend to keep this level of detail up throughout I feel we are about to witness the definative Dh Hornet modelling thread.

It is a pleasure to see this large scale Hornet come together in such detail. I am supporting the build with as much information as I have.

Yes, lets make this the definitive 1/32 scale Hornet thread.

Edited by David A Collins
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Work of that Quality and you say be gentle. I for one could not criticize that is outstanding modeling there and what a corker of a kit that is.... Helps its a Hornet I love them beautiful plane.

I am still trying to finish my old Frog one... Not decided on the scheme yet but like you I love the simple all silver scheme.

I will be watching this especially as I have not yet attempted a resin kit. I guess I have been put off by horror stories of super their fragile nature....

Cheers Rob

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