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Hurricane rag wing


Monty Python

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I looked when the new Hurricane was released and could not find one so had to build my CA example instead. The only wings out there ( MDC & Heritage aviation) are for the old Airfix kit with completely different engineering of the wing to fuselage join.  I think they would be quite hard to make for the new kit as they would likely have to either replicate the kit parts in upper and lower halves and be highly accurate in that respect to accommodate all the internal spars of the new kit, or attempt to mould all that high relief detail in the wheel wells in resin so you could chop the kit spars off level with the wing roots.  Seems strange that Airfix don't capitalise on sales of the new kits by releasing a rag wing ( surely could have been included in the same mould when tooled but blanked off). Same goes for the Spitfire- why not mould the Mk VC wing in the same tooling and release both Vb & Vc?

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6 hours ago, Monty Python said:

Does anybody do a rag wing conversion for the Airfix 1:48 scale Hurricane Mk.I (A05127)?

 

New tool kit. No

 

As has been suggested,  a complete resin wing would be  tricky, but this then ignores some details which mean you can't just add in a new wing, the main one is the lack of the rectangular access hatch in the early Hurricanes,   and the curved lower windscreen sides.

this shows the hatch I  mean, going into roundel

post-1-0-91633300-1396203106.jpg

 

this is one without, look at the 'T'

post-1-0-85742000-1390849406.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

I'll add more details later.

 

 

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6 hours ago, neilh said:

The only wings out there ( MDC & Heritage aviation) are for the old Airfix kit with completely different engineering of the wing to fuselage join. 

 

The Heritage  wing was originally by  Aardvark,  and for  the old tool Airfix kit.    

It's  well done,  but has the same fault as the base kit, in which is the wing  is too thin.

see http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234967342-best-148-hurricane-kit/&do=findComment&comment=1735621

 

The MDC wing was meant for the Hasegawa kit,  but it's a poorly planned conversion,  requiring the wing to be cut at the  transport joint, and the resin grafted on,  which is makes for some  detail destroying seam work.

The one I have has traling edges about  1mm thick as well, thinning of which would destroy more detail.

 

Neither kit mentions the lack of rectangular fabric panel on the L**** and N**** series Hurricanes, or  the use of  5 spoke wheels.

 

The Classic Airframes kit includes the rectangular panel,  and  4 spoke  wheels, :banghead:   along with other faults.

more on the CA and MDC conversion here

http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/thread/1456608414/Question+about+fabric+wing+1%3A48+Hurricane+-+trying+to+convert+the+new+tool+Airifix+kit

 

note links,  including this is particular

though  stuffed up by PB...

 

An  accurate 1/48th fabric wing Hurricane would really require a new wing and fuselage ....

 

HTH

 

 

 

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I don't see it as strange - it was a version that hadn't been done before (except for Sword, then a very small player) and was a significant gap in the market.  

 

PS  Bear in mind that the majority of buyers wouldn't notice nor care.  Unlike other producers whose products are only bought by enthusiasts, Airfix still sell in large numbers outside our circles.  Thankfully they haven't let this dominate their thinking, and are prepared to let us have something a bit different. 

Edited by Graham Boak
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17 hours ago, Monty Python said:

Find it strange that Airfix have done a rag wing in 1:72 scale. Wonder if they have any plans of a 1:48 kit in the future?

Re the 72nd rag wing,   it has a surprisingly large range  of marking  options. 

My anoraky comments aside,  when built it does make a good model.

 

16 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

I don't see it as strange - it was a version that hadn't been done before (except for Sword, then a very small player) and was a significant gap in the market.  

 

PS  Bear in mind that the majority of buyers wouldn't notice nor care.  Unlike other producers whose products are only bought by enthusiasts, Airfix still sell in large numbers outside our circles.  Thankfully they haven't let this dominate their thinking, and are prepared to let us have something a bit different. 

 

As for any other versions, in 1/72 or 1/48, It would be a new  tool,   except for the Spitfire I/Vb kits in 1/48th,  Airfix don't seem to plan their kits for multiple versions, in the case of  the  Hurricane,   a sprue dedicated  to all the common parts.

 

This is a bad and good thing,  if they do any more Hurricane kits  of  other versions, it will be  a complete new  tool.   I would think this unlikley soon,   as Graham points out,  Airfix are not a specialists company.

 

The good thing it is they did a new tool they could iron out the  faults of the last two.

 

The next  logical version in 1/48th would  be  Mk.IIc,  as this was the  most built, and what the two BBMF Hurricanes are.

With some small tweaks, you get a Mk.IId and Mk.IV.

 

With the same sprue planning  at the Spit I/V kit,   a separate wings sprue , with a B  wing (easy to backdate to an A) and a new prop  for Canadian planes, this covers all the two stage Merlin versions.

 

Hasegawa basically did this in 1/48th,  and if they hadn't stuffed up the fuselage fabric, and they were actually  available, they have sewn up the 1/48th market apart from the fabric  wing.

  Airfix had the right idea with  their 1/72nd IIc kit,  including a B wing sprue.

The problem with the Airfix 72nd  IIc was it  was based on the Corgi diecast, which was based on commonly available apparently reputable plan, which  are essentially a caricature of the  real thing,  combined with crude toy like moulding,  make it  a non-starter for the serious modeller.

 

What is  really needed for the Hurricane is for  the likes of Eduard to do it properly.    

 

And  I'm still amazed that trumpyboss have not  done the shrink ray treatment on their 1/24th kit,   which aside  from recessed rivets and a few minor glitches aside is stunning  for basic shapes,  whoever did this research on this for them really knew their stuff.

 

Finally, actually converting the metal wing to  a fabric wing is not impossible,  easy  enough for a reasonably skilled modeller with some time,  in some ways the really hard bit is filling that rectangular hatch on the fabric,   not impossible but hard to do neatly.

 

I  say this as IMO problems  with Hurricane fuselage fabric are a real make or break of how good  a kit is, as sorting these out can be a very long and  tricky job.

 

 

 

 

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