Curtiss Hawk II, China 1937, Monogram conversion - a tribute to the friend

[JWM]

Hi,

Next one from this year current production. This is Curtiss Hawk II in colours of China airforces in 1937, Nankin during initial stage of second Sino-Japan War. This is a scratch conversion from Monogram Curtiss F 11 C Goshhawk. The conversion included the rear of top of fuselage, rudder, skid, main underidge, individual exhaust pipes and old fashion flat tank below fuselage.

 

This model has an old and a bit complex history. Before I'll show the model I would like to tell about it. For me constructing it is a kind of a tribute to my old friend or collgue, Maciek Chawiński. We were in the same age and he was a relative of my close friend from school. Like myself he was doing models so this my school friend introduced us one to another. We were in age of 14.  We never been a close friend but we were meeting from time to time talking about model, painting schemes and conversions (my obsession). Later he started work in Krakow Museum of Aviation as my brother did as well. I was pausing for some 10 years with modelling returning back to this hobby in early 1990s. Maciek worked as guide in Museum until the fatal day of 16 October 2002 when he suddently passed away in age of 43. He was biking on the way to work in the morning and had crash with truck...

Not long time before this tragic event I visiting him and he shown me his recent models. He was very well known among Krakow modellers for his very analytical and critical reviews of all new kits, especially single engine, monoplane fighters of WWII which were his most beloved species. This was the only kind of models he was doing in his adult modelling time. When he was showing me some brand new "tamigawa" Me or Fw (whatever)  I noticed that in open box there is a Monogram F11 C broken into pieces. He said - take it, I do not need it. It is not a monoplane. So I took  this model. It looked this way:

 

 

 

 

After his suddent death friends of Maciek made him an Epitaph plate, which is on wall in Kraków Museum of Aviation:

 

(photo by Piotr Lipowiecki via KRK4m - many thanks)

As you see, on this Epitaph plate a frame with  Me 109 kit is seen...

 

About 20 years earlier few Monogram kits were available in Poland for a short time. Maciek bought it and made it in OOB, US Navy pre-war colours. Later he was not happy about how he did it, so he dismounted (broken) it into pieces  and washed all parts in NaOH solution to remove all paints. As you see some parts are broken and some were even lost or damaged (like windcreen). 

 

So I took Maciek's Monogram broken kit home thinking that one day I will do it in Chineese colours. Now, after 15 years (?!)  that day came. I did her: 

 

 

I left original Maciek's painting of engine and propeller.

 

 

Comments welcome

Regards

Jerzy-Wojtek

Edited August 1, 2017 by JWM
Switch to Flickr

[malpaso]

A great model JW, and a nice memory of your friend.  Those prewar biplanes have a certain elan, even in camo colours.  A sobering story too about your friend as I just cycled home tonight.

Cheers

Will.

[Gerrardandrews]

Brilliant model, brilliant story about a good friendship, and a part of this hobby that's not talked about much, the great friends and passing friends we all meet doing this superb hobby of ours 😊

[Colin1967]

Nice one JWM and a moving tribute to your friends memory..

Colin.

[MikeR]

Nicely done and a great tribute!

 

Mike.

[Jessica]

It's nice to see an old model come back to life, and even nicer that it helps you remember your friend.

[KRK4m]

I remember Maciek starting the R1820 Cyclone of the real Curtiss Hawk in Krakow museum - we have brought it to its "second life" in 1992, after some 55 years of silence. Pity it isn't so easy to make Maciek alive again...

Cheers

Michael

[JWM]

Gentelmen, many thanks for your kind comments. 

This is Hawk II, which Michel quoted:

http://www.muzeumlotnictwa.pl/zbiory_sz.php?ido=19&w=a

Cheers

J-W