Hawker Hunter T.8 - ++FINISHED++

[nimrod54]

This Hawker Hunter T.8 will be my first entry to the Group Build and, depending on how things are progressing in the other GB's that I have signed up for, I may try and squeeze a second build in. Here are the box and content shots, it is basically the Revell kit moulds with Mark 1's replacement T.8 fuselage and cockpit.

 

by John L, on Flickr

 

by John L, on Flickr

 

by John L, on Flickr

 

by John L, on Flickr

 

I have not decided on a final scheme yet but I do like the look of the Admirals Barge T.8C.

[Hockeyboy76]

Is the kit any good dude? I have my eye on the T7 with the Dutch decal version.  I do like Mark 1 models & as you love a 144 challenge. 

Edited February 3, 2018 by Hockeyboy76

[nimrod54]

15 minutes ago, Hockeyboy76 said:

Is the kit any good dude? I have my eye on the T7 with the Dutch decal version.  I do like Mark 1 models & as you love a 144 challenge. 

The ex Revell bits are excellent, the detail on the replacement fuselage looks a little softer but it is still pretty good. I would recommend that you get one whilst you can, if they sell as well as the Revell kit did they could be difficult to get hold of later. I will certainly be getting a few in so I can use some more of the Xtradecal sheet that I have.

[modelling minion]

Nice choice John.

The Admiral's barge does look good doesn't it though option A does have a nice contrasting silver and red scheme .

[nimrod54]

3 minutes ago, modelling minion said:

Nice choice John.

The Admiral's barge does look good doesn't it though option A does have a nice contrasting silver and red scheme .

I have just been looking at that scheme too Craig. It may come down to a coin toss in the end. 

[Col.]

Welcome to the GB John and a top choice of subject. I'm highly tempted by this kit myself so will be watching your progress with particular interest.

[ajmm]

Very nice! Looking forward to this. I’m just finishing up option 3 from this box now as part of a trio of Aden hunters I’m doing on KG144.

 

Only thing to beware of is the cockpit section may need trimming to get the fuselage halves together nicely and the canopy requires a bit of fettling to settle into place. Otherwise it’s been a beauty of a build.  

 

Angus 

[ajmm]

Sorry I lie - I’ve been finishing up theT7 boxing! Near enough identical until you get to the arrestor hook so above stands. 

[Greg in OK]

Such detail for a wee one.  Looks like a good kit!

 

Greg in OK

[nimrod54]

Work is underway on the T.8 and I have started by removing and cleaning up the fuselage and after a coat of primer they have had a coat of black along with the cockpit parts. I plan to dry brush them with a dark grey once they have been assembled.

 

by John L, on Flickr

 

I had planned to do the Admirals Barge version but after further study (and a little prompting from @modelling minion) it will be finished as Option A in silver and red. It also gives me a good excuse to purchase a second kit.

[Col.]

Good to see this one underway John. By the way it's silver and dayglo orange for the 764 NAS bird  

[nimrod54]

12 minutes ago, Col. said:

Good to see this one underway John. By the way it's silver and dayglo orange for the 764 NAS bird  

 

Noted, and thanks for the heads-up Col. The kit instructions state red, but having looked at some online photos I thought that it looked to be orange, good to have it confirmed. 

[Giorgio N]

There's a picture of "your" aircraft in Richard Ward's "Hunter Squadrons of the RAF and FAA", in the same scheme of silver with dayglo orange, taken in 1971. Looks exactly like in the instructions. Interestingly, the caption mentions that the fuel tanks were white

[nimrod54]

12 minutes ago, Giorgio N said:

There's a picture of "your" aircraft in Richard Ward's "Hunter Squadrons of the RAF and FAA", in the same scheme of silver with dayglo orange, taken in 1971. Looks exactly like in the instructions. Interestingly, the caption mentions that the fuel tanks were white

I have just had another look at the box artwork Giorgio and the wing tanks do appear to be white. Should make for quite a colourful bird when finished.

[Col.]

48 minutes ago, Giorgio N said:

Interestingly, the caption mentions that the fuel tanks were white

Taken from a GA.11 on the same squadron most likely which had tanks painted white to match their undersurface.

[CliffB]

Sweet!  I can see the appeal of this one.

Cliff

[nimrod54]

I managed to do quite a bit of work on this today starting with fitting the cockpit tub and following the advice given by @ajmm from his work on the T.7, did a test fit first which showed that a little bit of fettling would be required. This was nothing more than a quick rub down with a sanding stick in a couple of areas to close the gap between the fuselage halves.

The cockpit floor forms the rear part of the nose leg bay but that leaves a gap forward of the front bulkhead, I continued the floor forward from the bulkhead using a small strip of aquarium plant weight and shimmed over the top of this with plastic card. I then packed the area above this with Liquid Gravity and added more plant weight behind the year cockpit bulkhead, this may seem like overkill but I didn't want it tail sitting.

 

by John L, on Flickr

 

After checking that I would be able to fit the seats and exhaust post fuselage join, that was the next task to be completed followed by clean up of the seams and wing fit this afternoon. I have also made a start on detailing the seats.

 

by John L, on Flickr

[ajmm]

Looking great! Mine wasn’t a tail sitter and I put about the same amount of lead in yours, if not less. Coming along nicely!

[Rabbit Leader]

I’ve just hacked away at the misshapen Matchbox T.7 kit myself and after seeing the overall smart lines of this little gem it really made me smile.

Will look good no matter what ‘bold & beautiful’ scheme you choose John. 

 

Cheers.. Dave

[nimrod54]

Cheers Dave, it's a nice little kit and the shape looks about right to my bespectacled eyes.

 

I have put this and my Boeing 737 build on hold temporarily, whilst I finish off a USS Block Island Grumman Avenger which didn't quite make the end of the Radial Engines Rock GB.

[Hockeyboy76]

Some lovely 144 work here dude. Any Albion alloys or 👚primer?😂

[nimrod54]

Now that the Avenger is finished, it's time to get back to my other builds. A little progress was made between coats of paint and the decaling stages of the aforementioned build including seam checks, rescribing of panel lines and priming.

 

by John L, on Flickr

 

And this afternoon I made some ejector seat handles from 0.2mm copper wire. After adding them to the seats they were painted with Citadel paints, they are not brilliant but should look OK under the canopy.

 

by John L, on Flickr 

 

by John L, on Flickr

 

I'll try to find some time to fit these later and then I can add the canopy and mask it up. I did think about cutting the canopy into two parts but there is only one, and I don't want to risk messing up.

[Hockeyboy76]

Oooo very nice. 

[CliffB]

Super work John.  The flashes of colour on the seats should look very effective when in-situ

 

Cliff

[Silver Fox]

Lovely work, I look forward to seeing the finished article. I finished one of these recently as a T8, I did do a bit of detailing to the seats but nowhere near as nicely as you have. I too wanted to open the cockpit but wasn't confident I could cut the plastic part without shattering it. In the end there is very little that can be seen through the thick plastic.