BoxCar

Ripaman: The engine is fantastic, that's quite the detailing job guy! The Hurri was two planes in one. You had the guts to show the wing spars, they are hard to find and discern in drawings, but your brass rendition shows it pretty clearly. Let me know how you are going to display your work, cutaway? By any chance are you going to represent the skin/tubing work as well? Looking forward to how you handle the canopy - my weak spot in kit building...among a few. Dominic

Gunner, here's the inside work to save the block from a life of obscurity: The white frame is just cut from the geometry of the outline of the original Hurri engine frame. I found that a sheet styrene sandwich sufficed for the exhaust manifolds, I matched the thickness of the manifolds and the width off the block itself. It so happens the replacement prop shaft lines up about a 0.001" off horizontal from it's original position in the engine. I originally built that frame because the engine contains 1-1/2 oz of lead ballast to balance the bird on fishing line-too heavy for the thin frame provided by Trumpeter and never to be seen. Now the frame's just going to carry the ballast. Hey a Grumpy Group build sounds real grumpy. I'm thinking about the Hood's port and bow sticking out of the North Atlantic, Dieppe (one of those knocked out Churchills mired on the beach), or Market Garden, and that's just scratching the surface. Thanks

Grumpy is my new life style. The Airfix 1:24 engine captures the true outline of the block. I have the kits, but I don't know enough about either the aircraft or the kits to answer your question other wise. Trumpeter has done a good job on the engines and aircraft overall. But I noticed the engines lacked significant detail, and as you can see, some of our associates are working hard to account for that. I think Trumpeter doesn't match Airfix for the block shape, but that's just my opinion, and I admit I am always going to be a novice at Merlins nominally, and Hurricanes generally. Airfix caught the cylinder shapes, the bottom oilpan footprint, and the rocker covers brilliantly. The Trumpeter version is good enough that some very skilled individuals here have really given the block a full go, and convinced me not to bury the Trumpeter block in a sealed cowling. I'm looking forward to building it up on its own, taking notes from the post here. Look, the Airifix kit of the Hurricane is authentic, given that, it is really up to the builder to decide how far he wants to take the detail. You can't go wrong on an Airfix 1:24 Hurricane, it is a fabulous build, if you have one handy, go for it mate, the beautiful outline of that Hurri helps me with my grumpiness. All the best, I'm looking forward to my Airfix build as well.

Sorry about that guys, more haste, less speed, I'm looking forward to seeing Richard's build.

Richard, apologies for almost a month to reply, your build looks fantastic. I'm assuming the entire white styrene portion is pure scratch. I wish I had better drawings, draftings, of the Merlin, but the members here seem to have a few ideas about the authentic look. I recently opted to keep my engine parts rather than conceal the block permanently under the cowlings. I've been building a frame for the weight, I was originally going to have the lead shot inside the Merlin's block. I'll post that progress soon. Good luck finding the drawings, Dominic

Sorrrry about that Troy & Ripaman; I was a bit daft and my browser seems to mashing this sites parameters. Thanks for the photos, and yes, very nice work. I wasn't sure how you interpreted those Rolls drawings, but the solution you present makes sense given the radius of the 'charger unit. Dominic

Edgar thanks for the shots, the Trumpeter does look real nice built up. Maybe I'm getting way too technical. I noticed you blanked in the port engine nacelle, I'm guessing you'll leave the starboard clear? Yeah, I put a bit of lead in the block to balance the kit at the wing tips give or take 1/8'', the plane is going to hang from my hobby room ceiling. You've almost got me rethinking the engine build up! -Yikes!!- Nice build Edgar!

Hi Edgar: Was that because they lengthened the supercharger unit/other auxillary unit, or did Rolls' actually recast the block? -any idea why? Hurricane is going together, I feel bad trashing the engine, I need the block for the fishtail exhausts more than anything and to hold the lead shot. I built a heavy styrene sheet carriage for the added weight. If anyone needs all of the other parts, let me know. Dominic

I drilled out the exhausts so at least they are hollow. I may have to magically reinforce the engine cage however, the block weighs in at about 3/8 oz to balance the kit near the wingtips. The instrument panel is almost finished, needs dry brushing.

Thank you for those nsmekanik, best shots of the underside I've seen to date, after seeing the front of that oilpan it confirms that Airfix has the basic outline right. I won't spend too much time building up the Trumpeter 1/24 engines, as bits of catapult ammunition, they'll look fine holding all of the lead shot to balance the kit. Graham, thanks for the extra info as well.

Edgar; Many thanks for that. maybe I'm wrong, but I bet Trumpeter is using the same engine, or blower bits, for the Mk I and MkII's, I'll have to look into it. I've overlooked engines for so long I'm starting to think of building them up separately, you can't see much once they're in the cowlings, or the plane is hanging.

Hi Graham, thanks for the suggestion, I'll look for those. I've only seen three Merlins close up, but at the time wasn't considering oil pans. Pictures from the net or my reference materials don't seem to show the bottom of the engine clearly. I've had a good look at my Airfix 1/24 Spitfire kit, and so far, their engine seems to fit the closest to anything I've seen in pictures. My question seems almost rhetorical now. The Trumpeter 1/24 Merlin oil pan has a fat rectangular footprint with a semi circular dish running the length of it reminiscent of an aerodrome's roof. My, memory and Airfix's solution, is a very narrow pan, triangular dish but the apex truncated. The engine's bottom section is actually a cupola at the front, half circular, and not at all represented in the Trumpeter rendition. I'll stick to Airfix's interpretation, besides they represent the cylinders and block bolts, while Trumpeter has the block with smooth flat sides.

Graham, if you have the time and inclination to answer; I converted a Spit Mk V to a Mk I, or at least I tried, a few years back. Trumpeter's rendition of the Merlin had this great boiler-plate-of-a-flange around the oil pan instead of smooth recessed bolts. Trumpeter's MkIID Hurri also has a flange, I was wondering if I should give it the same treatment or move on. Thanks, Dominic

Hi Mike: Sorry for the extra admin work, I thought I was asking a newbie type question, but your associates are way too helpful! I still haven't found the part of your site where 'donations to the owners' are made. Regards, Dominic

Many thanks for the details Graham, I'm looking forward to this build. Bockscar.