StephenMG

Thanks for that tag Troy and sorry for the delay, I don't check in here as often as I used to at the moment. Paul has answered the DTD query far better than I could but I believe the HABL number is the manufacturer's construction number also sometimes referred to as a build number or serial number (not to be confused with the service-allocated serial number or 'tail' numer). Each major airframe component was given a construction number, e.g. one for the forward fuselage, another for the centre fuselage, another for the rear fuselage etc.. As has been said, this HABL/xxxxxx number is a HAwker BLackpool example. There is also an overall construction number for the whole airframe which you'll see quoted from time to time (Blackpool Hunter are in the format HABL/003xxx). Hunter construction numbers are a minefield and can be in a number of formats depending where they were built. Some I am aware of incude HABL/xxxxxx for Blackpool, S4/U/xxxx for aircraft built/refurbished by Armstrong Whitworth, Fokker-built Hunters just seem to have a simple 4-digit numeric number (with a suffix to denote the airframe component; -02 forward fuselage, -01 centre section etc.). In addition you'll commonly see 41H-xxxxxx numbers, 41H being the Air Ministry code for Hawker Aircraft Ltd. - I believe this was used on components built at a Hawker main site rather than a subcontractor and was used from way back in the 1920s/30s into Hawk and Harrier production. Subcontracted assemblies were prefixed with other codes e.g. FL for Folland (Hamble), B3 for Blackburn (Brough). @Bergwall Hope that helps!

The problem with Hunters, especially the F.6 as it was the most numerous, is that there were a huge number of mods introduced at different times. For that reason the mod state is really just a snapshot in time and you hardly see two aircraft the same! 😁 Also, it's often difficult to pick out these aerials in photos especially as sometimes they were painted black rather than yellow. The antenna between the sabrinas is relatively easy to locate. Firstly, it's mounted on a structure in the radio bay rather than on the radio bay doors, so the doors (along with the rear part of the sabrinas) closes around it. That means it's mounted right on the centreline and a few inches forward of the rear edge of the radio bay doors. This is a photo of my Dad doing his stuff back in 1956 - you can see the antenna mounted in the radio bay here, This photo is side-on so more clearly shows the longitudinal position relative to the radio bay doors, Whip aerials on the upper wing surfaces are actually a pair - one on each wing. This photo is of an F.4 but shows the locations of the wing aerials relative to the aileron hinge and roundel, also the spine aerials, One more which shows them all, A couple more to consider which are interesting as they are of the Black Arrows' F.6 (although I believe these are from the late 1950s so are a little later than your desired time period). Note the central position of the whip aerial between the Sabrinas, the whip aerials on each wing upper surface and spine and the rod aerials on the belly (although these were a later fitment as you say). I hope that helps.

Hunters were originally fitted with a retractable gunsight mounting and the Mk.5 GGS. Later (late F.6, F.6A and FGA.9) a fixed gunsight mount was fitted along with the Mk.8 GGS. The flat box you mentioned on top was a GGS camera which could be clipped onto the sight and recorded the view through it.

You are correct except they were VHF rather than UHF radios. The early F.6 wasn't much more than an F.4 with the 'big' engine, so initially had two VHF radios fitted - hence the side-by-side pair of whip aerials on the spine as you have noted. It wasn't until the switch to UHF and the ARC.52 that those aerials disappeared and were replaced by a blade aerial on the spine. Rebecca aerials were mounted on the radio bay and engine starter doors as you describe.

The coating covers the splitter plates completely and extends right down to the compressor face - the whole intake trunking is covered. I did have a good photo but can't lay a hand on it at the moment. However, there are some decent ones of Yeovilton's T.8M in the walkaround section here,

The intakes weren't painted, they were covered in a protective rubber coating which extended around the intake lips and over the boundary-layer splitter. It's an off-white/ivory colour.

Calm down. That's a very well known and well published Air Ministry photograph so the eBay vendor will have no rights over it anyway.

You're very welcome. Shame I can't find a clear photo though. This might help a bit as it's side on and shows the general size quite well,

@StuH@XV571 Found it - this is from the FGA.78 Vol.1 and shows both packs - note also the strap and buckle passing around the control tube casing, I hope that helps. I'll see if I can find a clear photo but I can't remember seeing one in all honesty - it's a tricky location. 👍

@StuH@XV571 That tan bag behind the headbox is "Survival Pack A". There was a second smaller one, predictably called "Survival Pack B" 😁 strapped to the staboard cockpit wall adjacent to the pilot's shoulder. Pack A is like a asymmetrical horseshoe shaped thing that sits over the top of the control tube casing. I'll see if I can find a picture - I'm pretty sure there's a line drawing in one of the manuals. Bear with me...

Right, that's it. No more tinkering with this, I'm calling it done! Now with added chocks, parachute, label and dog ball! 😁

The base is an MDF disc. Onto that I glued a piece of the stuff you buy in garden centres to line hanging baskets. I weighted it down and left it a good while to make sure it was well stuck then ripped most of it off leaving a stuck layer with random grassy looking fibres. That layer I then further trimmed right down to scale length with a scissors. I was tempted to leave it like that but it wasn't quite green enough and I thought needed some more texture - you can just about see the original effect around the very edges of the base. So I heavily sprayed it with 'extra firm hold' hairspray and gradually sprinkled on some Woodland Scenics grass scatter. When it looked about right and the hairspray had dried I gave it another heavy coat of hairspray to hold it all together. The little clumps of dandelions (or buttercups, I'll leave you to decide! 😁) are just small bits of model railway lichen/bushes with the ends picked out with yellow paint. Hope that helps, Mark

It's probably 3 years since I last made a model so I suppose this is a mini-return to the hobby! The background to this is that my dad was stationed with 233 OCU at RAF Pembrey during his time in the RAF in the 1950s. I had a plan to make models of the aircraft operated by the OCU but that plan expanded a bit to include other aircraft operated from Pembrey. Progress stalled somewhat, then my dad sadly passed away earlier this year and, in an attempt to distract myself, I resumed work on this which I started way back in September last year. 316 Squadron was the last of the Polish squadrons created in Britain during WWII and become operational at Pembrey on 15th February1941 with the Hurricane Mk.I. After a bit of research, P3100 caught my attention. On 26th May 1941 it was being flown by Sgt. Pawel Piotr Gallus. On take-off it seems he was a bit keen retracting the undercarriage resulting in the prop striking the ground and shortening the blades by 4 inches. Sgt. Gallus failed to notice and went on to conduct his planned 90 minute sortie over the sea, only discovering what had happened after landing back at Pembrey! Despite a further hair-raising incident (after transferring to 7 Squadron at Colerne for night-flying training on a training flight he collided with another Hurricane in the pitch dark when the light in a Turbinlite Havoc failed to ignite, both Hurricane pilots bailed out) I'm pleased to say Gallus survived the war (by then a Warrant Officer), got married and lived in Northampton until his death on 19th April 2011. Anyway, this is my model of P3100. It's the lovely new(ish) Airfix 1/48 Mk.I. I'm sure you've seen the ICM figures a million times before but I found a photo of a 316 Squadron Hurricane with a couple of 316 Squadron personnel - one wearing a peaked cap and another with an Irvin flying jacket, so they seemed appropriate! I couldn't find a 1/48 trolley acc so had to scratch build this one. It's not 100% accurate but I'm happy enough with it. And, as a tribute to the man himself, Sgt. Pawel Piotr Gallus, All the best, Mark UPDATE- finished fettling this at last. Added chocks, parachute and dog's ball!

The early ones were red too rather than the later black/yellow stripes.

The Mk.3H seat started to be fitted with the F.6A and FGA.9 so for an F.4 or F.6 stick with the 2H. The two seats were similar but the 3H's seat pan lacked thigh guards. Later on, the RAF started fitting the 2H to FGA.9s again for some reason - possibly because the thigh guards were actually a good idea?!