Jump to content

Mark’s 1/48 Trumpeter Hawker Sea Hawk FGA Mk.6 (finished)


MarkSH

Recommended Posts

Hello everybody,

For the Hawker (Siddeley) GB I’m going to build the Trumpeter 1/48 Hawker Sea Hawk FGA Mk.6, for reference I am using 4+ Publications’ Post War Wings booklet.

26190936918_cb8a6dd203_b.jpg

I have a soft spot for the Sea Hawk as it was the Aircraft I depicted in one of the first oil paintings I ever sold (Tiger, Tiger see below); not surprisingly I intend to complete the kit as the very same aircraft as per my painting, the markings for which are conveniently included in the kit.

26190897138_ea9c24f210_z.jpg

I’m going to complete the kit out of the box with some added scratched extras; however I had already purchased a Pavla ejection seat which I’d forgotten about until I retrieved the kit from the stash.

In preparation I have trawled through the forum and elsewhere looking for comparable builds and pitfalls in the kit generally. There do seem to be a few minor issues, the most annoying of which is a misalignment of some panel lines between the rear of the main fuselage and the tail section.

I've been looking forward to this one,

Cheers, M.

  • Like 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for your comments regarding the painting chaps, hopefully the build will prove as satisfying as creating the painting. Unfortunately all modelling at a standstill due to the blue screen of death my laptop threw at me this morning currently re-setting windows and having to use phone for access to BM/internet etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Greg in OK said:

Painters who build or builders who paint...?

Looks like you have it covered either way, looking forward toward your build, and paint job!

Greg in OK

Either way we are all artists ;) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Evening all,

 

So whilst the Beaufighter for the BM10th rests a bit and hopefully becomes less sticky, I've finally made a start on the Sea Hawk;

 

As is typical, it all starts with the cockpit and as I intended the addition of a few little details to the port console in the shape of a throttle lever some texture to the large trim wheel a lever on the side panel to represent the cockpit heating control. The main panel is a PE/printed film sandwich which I have strengthened by adding some thin plastic card behind, the PE was painted and then I used a coarse brush to scrub the paint away from the dial bezels. I then dropped some Humbrol Gloss cote into the dials.

 

40224708512_6673f99279_b.jpg

 

I've added the central panel below the main panel for the oxygen regulator controls and busied up the Gyro Gun sight, nothing much on the Stbd. panel just defined a few blocks a bit more. The use of the Pavla seat meant that the control column base had to trimmed so it all fitted, but with the seat installed you cant see it anyway.

 

40224708412_1f5a7fe7f0_b.jpg

 

40224708252_27ba89d8b3_b.jpg

 

I found the Pavla seat moulding to be quite good and well defined so that has been painted up as well and fitted and a quick dry fit to the upper fuselage showed a nice snug fit including the extra details...phew!

 

40224707762_cca8eccd12_b.jpg

 

That's all for today.

 

Cheers, M.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Evening all,

 

The Sea Hawk is slowly progressing but I have to admit I'm not too enthusiastic about putting the top and bottom of the fuselage together after numerous dry fits "I've got a bad feeling about this"  I think it may require the same process as for another horizontal fuselage crisis queen the Airfix Buccaneer and glue it in stages to ensure proper alignment. Any way most of the sub assemblies are in place, just a case of suck it and see.

 

25535333617_18082c0247_b.jpg

 

 

25535333247_343347ee7a_b.jpg

 

25535333477_46ce243e87_b.jpg

 

I've added some detail under the windshield a bit of cabling to the gun sight and what I assume are demister/air vents.

 

Cheers, M.

 

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, stringbag said:

Could it be that the lower fuselage half is slightly distorted by the ballast?

Just a thought Mark.

 

Chris.

 

A good thought, however the alignment issues were evident before I added the ballast (which I was careful not to squish in too hard anyway). generally the fit is very good throughout the kit but the left side of the fuselage top half, next to the cockpit actually seems to tuck under slightly, should be able to sort it as I said by staged gluing, I have tried a dry fit by taping and clamping the right hand side and then moving round to the left hand side and it seems to be easier to align.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Col.

The Beaufighter is nearly done I have added some more substantial whisker aerials as the thin wire ones kept falling off and took the opportunity to incorporate some of the detail in the link that Dogsbody supplied, The display base proved to be rather problematic I thought I'd 'cracked' the air drying clay cracking issues by keeping it moist and making sure that the base was sealed and not too absorbent, but I looked at it one morning and it had literally exploded...lol so I am waiting for a costal kits base to arrive which I can use for photographing most of the 1/48 kits I've got.

Cheers, M.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, MarkSH said:

A good thought, however the alignment issues were evident before I added the ballast (which I was careful not to squish in too hard anyway). generally the fit is very good throughout the kit but the left side of the fuselage top half, next to the cockpit actually seems to tuck under slightly,

I understand Mark.  Had a look at my copy after reading of your problem and thankfully it seems to be fine. 

Best of luck with the rest of the build. :thumbsup:

 

Chris.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice work Mark. I’ve got this kits little 1/72 cousin on the workbench for this GB, so will watch your bigger version come alive very closely. The Sea Hawk is another classic Hawker design so these builds will make nice additions to the plethora of Tempests, Hurricanes, Harriers and Typhoons.. 

 

Cheers and best of modelling luck.. Dave

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Evening all,

 

Well, spent a good part of today filling and sanding the forward fuselage side seams, the join between forward and aft fuselage and the aft fuselage top and bottom seams.

As I suggested I would I joined the forward fuselage halves in stages and it worked out not too bad at all with only a minor step just forward of the port intake. The aft fuselage was problem free requiring very little filler. The joint between the two fuselage sections isn't horrendous but did need a bit of coarse filing, filling and sanding.

 

39565702055_73180d2d1a_b.jpg

 

39565701855_92c65b76ca_b.jpg

 

 

39565701575_250da2419a_b.jpg

 

39565702175_45e1957e11_b.jpg

 

A couple of panel lines to re-instate plus a couple to correct. I'll give it a coat of primer tomorrow to see where I need to pay further attention to the joins.

 

Cheers, M.

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Evening Chaps,

 

A little behind where I was hoping to be, haven't had time to apply any primer yet as rescribing lost and incorrect panel lines took me longer than I thought it would yesterday and then there was the bottle red at lunch which slowed me down a tad!

 

Anyhoo, I did get the major assembly completed although there isn't much to hang the wings on so sitting in quiet contemplation in an almost zen like state holding the wings to the fuselage until the glue cured enough to prop them up has stood me in good stead for the rest of the working week. The canopy is tacked in place with masking fluid and will be displayed open. I've also added a little rivet detail on the tail planes as in the reference I have it's more prominent there than anywhere else. I think I will fill the jet nozzle scallops as there is an unsightly gap, I am contemplating using some foil to form a heat shield effect.

 

39607693915_a4777fd68a_b.jpg

 

I have started on some smaller bits and pieces such as the external tanks and ordnance, also I decided that the wheels were just too plain so I have added some Tamiya tape tread.

 

39607693575_eda7b2beb6_b.jpg

 

Hopefully the primer will get done tomorrow.

 

Cheers M.

 

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...