Airfix 1:72 Hawker Hurricane Mk.1 (fabric wing)

[dr_gn]

Continuing the assumption that the more models I start, the more I finish, I started this Mk.1 Hurricane I bought from Duxford last weekend. It seemed cheap enough at £6.95:

I wanted a Hurricane to complete my triumvirate of early WW2 RAF monoplanes, having previously completed the Spitfire and Defiant:

Plenty of good detail in the kit, with options for two or three bladed props, and the associated ventral panels, rudders and windscreens etc. Plastic is the familiar Airfix soft grey type, with a slight texture; probably evidence of a somewhat abbreviated spark erosion finishing process used on the moulds:

As usual for new-tool Airfix, panel lines are stuck at 1980's standards, but one of the reasons I bought the kit was that it was the fabric wing version, plus the rear fuselage was fabric, so, as with their new tool Gladiator and Tiger Moth, there aren't too many lines to spoil the model:

The wingtips don't seem to match up, and the trailing edges are a tad thick, but again no real issue for me.

The canopy is nice and thin, but mine has a noticable moulding flaw:

Instructions are the new shaded type, with red bits indicating previous assemblies. Not very clear, a retrograde step IMO compared with the simple line drawings of recent issues. Doesn't bother me at all, but it might be an issue for beginners:

Detail painting instructions are also very confusing, this is the cockpit:

Bizzarre combination of green, grey, black, silver and brick red, none of which are defined with respect to the detail painting of each part. Again, it doesn't bother me becasue I do my own research (a few people here on Britmodeller seem to have an idea of what it's supposed to mean), but pretty much impossible to deciper for a beginner.

I bought the Hanants decal set becasue I wanted something different form the kit options:

..and I'll be adding Eduard pre-colured belts to the cockpit, which will look fine with the canopy closed.

Apart from maybe some brake lines and a bead sight it will be a quick oob build...assuming Airfix send me a decent replacement canopy.

Edited September 21, 2014 by dr_gn

[Rabbit Leader]

Dr..

Those three completed aircraft are just superb, I cannot wait to see how this Hurri turns out.

I hope you do not mind me asking - however if your not using that complete Xtradecal sheet, I'll happily take up an option or three.

Happy to pay for it (of course!!)

Cheers .. Dave

[Selwyn]

Continuing the assumption that the more models I start, the more I finish, I started this Mk.1 Hurricane I bought from Duxford last weekend. It seemed cheap enough at £6.95:

I wanted a Hurricane to complete my triumvirate of early WW2 RAF monoplanes, having previously completed the Spitfire and Defiant:

Plenty of good detail in the kit, with options for two or three bladed props, and the associated ventral panels, rudders and windscreens etc. Plastic is the familiar Airfix soft grey type, with a slight texture; probably evidence of a somewhat abbreviated spark erosion finishing process used on the moulds:

As usual for new-tool Airfix, panel lines are stuck at 1980's standards, but one of the reasons I bought the kit was that it was the fabric wing version, plus the rear fuselage was fabric, so, as with their new tool Gladiator and Tiger Moth, there aren't too many lines to spoil the model:

The wingtips don't seem to match up, and the trailing edges are a tad thick, but again no real issue for me.

The canopy is nice and thin, but mine has a noticable moulding flaw:

Instructions are the new shaded type, with red bits indicating previous assemblies. Not very clear, a retrograde step IMO compared with the simple line drawings of recent issues. Doesn't bother me at all, but it might be an issue for beginners:

Detail painting instructions are also very confusing, this is the cockpit:

Bizzarre combination of green, grey, black, silver and brick red, none of which are defined with respect to the detail painting of each part. Again, it doesn't bother me becasue I do my own research (a few people here on Britmodeller seem to have an idea of what it's supposed to mean), but pretty much impossible to deciper for a beginner.

I bought the Hanants decal set becasue I wanted something different form the kit options:

..and I'll be adding Eduard pre-colured belts to the cockpit, which will look fine with the canopy closed.

Apart from maybe some brake lines and a bead sight it will be a quick oob build...assuming Airfix send me a decent replacement canopy.

Just a quickie, these are Q type belts; I understand these are later war type belts, and the Hurricane used the Sutton harness.

Selwyn

[PlaStix]

I shall follow this with interest - I fancy a go at one of these at some point. Really impressed by the three completed builds too!

[Graham Boak]

The wing fore and aft of the gun access panels is metal covered not fabric. Depending which one you are doing check whether the small bulges at the front of the lower nose should be there - not on vey early aircraft. No armourplate behind the pilot. I recall that the venturi needs slight relocation.

You've noticed the upper and lower wing problem, but before attacking the tips check where the ailerons etc align - I think it is an overscale problem on one part not just overlong tips. Nothing major to fix, just consider the whole wing when dry-fitting/assembling.

Rob Taurus do replacement Hurricane canopies, I think some of them are early enough for this kit.

[dr_gn]

Thanks guys.

Graham - is the wing correct for any of the versions or is it an error?

Re. the windscreen, I think I might have one, but I really don't want to get into vacform stuff. It was going to be OOB. I'll just hope Airfix send me a decent replacement.

Cheers.

[HOUSTON]

dr_gn...

I think your Hawker Hurricane will be an AWESOME addition to its siblings ..

those builds are SUPERB. .

IMPRESSIVE start Sir.

Edited September 22, 2014 by HOUSTON

[Graham Boak]

Re metal panels for armourers to stand/sit/kneel on - all aircraft AFAIK. I don't see it as a need discovered once in service. So the wing wouldn't be right for any variant.

[HOUSTON]

I don't understand what you mean Graham about the wings etc.....I am not technically minded and would like to know what you mean..Thank you in advance. .

Edited September 22, 2014 by HOUSTON

[Graham Boak]

There are two points to consider: I'm not sure which you are asking about but I hope this helps.

1. The model is of the early Hurricane where the wing was fabric covered rather than having a metal covering. However, before and behind the gun/ammunition access panels, the wing was covered with metal to permit the armourers to work. This area has been represented by fabric, with a slight ridge and gully effect. This requires filling and flattening by your favourite filler to represent a smooth metal surface.

2. The upper and lower wing halves do not quite match. My opinion is that one is slightly overscale, resulting in excessive chord and span, and the way I treated this was by trimming and sanding all round. Some work is desired to reduce the trailing edge thickness anyway. It has been suggested that the wings can be aligned at the tip to remove the span problem, which also solves much if not all of the chord problem. This approach requires removal of material at the root which may result in fit problems, and results in misalignment of the aileron and leading edge detail.

There's not a lot of work involved.

[HOUSTON]

Thank you Graham. ...very concise and informative. .

I appreciate your reply

[Winenut]

Wow ...your previous builds look very SHARP!

Looking forward to seeing the latest progress

[dr_gn]

Back from Salt Lake with renewed modelling vigor (and antother 3 wives), so made some progress with the Hurricane.

The wheel wells and legs are well detailled, they only really need some hydraulic lines to finish them off:

The walls of the bay are a bit d.i.y in terms of fit, and the intermediate pieces needed some fettling:

And there are some unsightly ejector pin marks which need filling since they are visible on the roof of the well:

As mentioned, wing trailing edge thickness isn't really acceptable either; an issue common to many new tool Airfix kits. I'm guessing it's another production compromise made on cost grounds. I guess I can thin them a bit, but it's a pain, and a risky process that shouldn't be necessary on a modern kit. Not really biggie, but the corrections required are quickly adding up...:

Edited September 28, 2014 by dr_gn

[Mitch K]

I'd echo all your comments about the kit. The wings in particular are a real stand-out point for me. Finding that even with locating pins the upper and lower surfaces didn't meet up really made me wonder if I was in the wrong game!

So far so good. You're a braver (orless clumsy!) man than me putting the U/C legs in at this stage. If I did that, it would be IF I broke them, but how often and and how badly!

[dr_gn]

I'd echo all your comments about the kit. The wings in particular are a real stand-out point for me. Finding that even with locating pins the upper and lower surfaces didn't meet up really made me wonder if I was in the wrong game!

So far so good. You're a braver (orless clumsy!) man than me putting the U/C legs in at this stage. If I did that, it would be IF I broke them, but how often and and how badly!

Ha ha, the legs are only test fitted...

With the amount of different shades of silver I'm planning on using in there, fitting at ths stage would be a disaster!

Cheers.

[dr_gn]

Test fitting the wing halves now the glue is set reveals a significant step casued by the front vertical panel being distorted (no doubt due to the soft plastic):

I've correctd that by sanding the location slot in the upper wing. That stil leaves the wingtip mismatch:

Hmmm, something will have to be done about that tip light too.

Someone on one of my BM threads mentioned that the wing was incorrect in that it shuoldn't be fabric
in front of or behind the gun access panels, due to the armourers needing a surface to kneel on. Initially I didn't believe that this could be correct, since the big deal of the Airfix MK.1 is the wing detail being fabric (it is in fact incorrect). Here are the areas in question:

Here are some of the scallops that need filling, and the boundary will need scribing to represent the panel edge:

I'm now debating whether to correct it or leave it. There is the risk of ruining the wing when correcting it, but if I leave it, it'll niggle me to death. Then again this was supposed to be a quick OOB build. I think I'll leave this one for a while and get on with the Tornado.

Edited September 28, 2014 by dr_gn

[Graham Boak]

Believe me next time. I used Gunze's Mr. Hurricane wing filler Dissolved Putty, which is the finest I've found for such a job, and it was no problem. There's no real chance of ruining anything, especially with the tape protection. I'm about ready to use it again for the metal underside applied to the first cannon-Hurri. Maybe I'd better remove the Aluminium paint first.

[dr_gn]

Believe me next time. I used Gunze's Mr. Hurricane wing filler Dissolved Putty, which is the finest I've found for such a job, and it was no problem. There's no real chance of ruining anything, especially with the tape protection. I'm about ready to use it again for the metal underside applied to the first cannon-Hurri. Maybe I'd better remove the Aluminium paint first.

Yep. Next time.

Anyhow I made a start filling the wings with Milliput - I like it becasue I can wipe the excess off with water. It'll need another layer tonight, then I'll flat it back and scribe some light boundary lines around the new "metal" bits.

Other thing I did (which I believed you about) was removed the lower bulges:

[Graham Boak]

Mm, scribed lines...knew I'd forgotten something. For anyone else trying this, better do that first?

Re modifications to kits: checking up on someone's claims is a pretty good practice. If wrong, these wouldn't have been the first claims made on the internet not to have been justified - thankfully not in this case.

[Scott Hemsley]

Graham....

Is the scribing of the panel lines a simple matter of scribing lines along the vertical edges of the masking tape as shown in dr_gn's post with the pics showing the areas to be filled fore and aft of the wing gun covers, or is there a more complex pattern to the shape of these panels?

Scott

[Graham Boak]

Memory says just a straight edge. Looking at my model, I filled everything behind the central rear panel (as dr_gn's model) but also the inboard adjacent gulley behind the T of the main access panel. I don't recall where I found the photo, but that's how I interpreted it at the time.

Edit: The outboard segment behind the T also seems to be metal, but there is a panel line between that and the central area whereas the central and inboard areas are covered by a single panel. This is how they are represented in drawings in the AJ Press book, if they can be relied upon.

Edited September 29, 2014 by Graham Boak

[dr_gn]

According to this the lines around the gun ports are completely missing:

(full credit to whoever owns the image - I'll remove if necessary)

Looks like I'll now have to strip the primer and fill the inner bays too.

Rapidly losing interest.

Edited September 30, 2014 by dr_gn

[Graham Boak]

Just the contrary: your thread has inspired me to go upstairs last night splashing the Mr DP around. Win one lose one, I suppose.

[dr_gn]

Are there any decent photographs of the areas in question?

[dr_gn]

So for L1599, my Hannants sheet shows a two tone underside, but I've seen a couple of 1:48 builds of the same aircraft with the white/silver/black undersides.

Which is correct, or is it unknown?