StephenMG

Not sure if this helps but I've taken a couple of quick pics. This is a part-built Academy Hunter (an FR.10 conversion that I couldn't be bothered to finish!) with the Airfix canopy sitting on it. It fits surprising well with no real gaps at all. The only problem is the oversized spine of the Academy kit. If that can be slimmed down to suit the Airfix canopy then it'll fit fine and will be a huge improvement on the Academy version. Bear in mind that the canopy is sitting about 3mm too far forward in these photos as the rear of the canopy should normally overlap the spine.

Airfix are correct in suggesting aluminium for the intake trunking. Some later aircraft (e.g. FGA.9, FR.10, GA.11, PR.11) had the area was covered with a flexible rubber coating (which was an off-white colour) but certainly stick with aluminium for the F.6.

Agreed. The nosewheel is incomprehensible. I'll be using a ResKit wheel set when I build mine.

Are you SURE it was like that when you found it John?!!! (34 Sqn didn't mess about when it came to nose markings did they?!)

I agree @guillaume320, if I was doing that scheme I'd certainly add white wingtips. To be honest, I find Airfix' subject choices a bit uninspiring so haven't really taken much notice. The decals look excellently printed though and all those stencils will be about a months work to apply! Speaking of markings, I assume the subjects they are currently showing for the forthcoming F.4 will change given that one is an F.5 and so the same centre fuselage/wing part couldn't be used for both. It would be nice to see an F.1 instead as the poor old Mark 1 always seems to get overlooked! The more I think about the F.6 kit though the more bemused I am by the flaps, ailerons and certainly the nose wheel. They just seem...unfinished. Also the lack of gun blast deflectors - one of the F.6's characteristic features.

Duh! Somehow I'd completely missed that F.4/F.5 announcement! Thanks James. That's my modelling mapped out for 2019 and beyond!

Well done @Jon Kunac-Tabinor for getting this thread started. This has got to be one of Airfix' the most requested kits so I'm sure there'll be plenty to say! Mine arrived this morning. It'll be a while before I start building but I've had a look at the sprues this evening. It looks fantastic and I predict more will be ariving at my door in due course! I can't offer any build advice at the moment but here are a couple of observational notes on the parts while still on the sprues, Wheels - the mains look excellent, very detailed and accurate looking. However, the wheel man must have got burnt out after doing the mains because the nose wheel is terrible! It has no hub detail whatsoever. Absolutely nothing. Even Revell managed spoke detail in 1/144 scale! Disappointing and very surprising, but some work for the aftermarket chaps or you'll have to drill and trim to make a more accurate hub out of the kit part. Flaps - no interior detail at all, not even the basic detail in the Academy kit. Another one for the afternarketeers for folk that want to drop them. Ailerons - need a couple of swipes of a sanding stick on the trailing edge of the tips to get the characteristic shape as they're too pointy as they stand. They have the proper shape on the elevators and rudder but not on the ailerons for some reason. Also, the trim tab on the port aileron is missing completely (which is a bit of surprise) but can easily be scribed in. Those raised panels on the lower surfaces of the wings near the intakes and on the upper surface of the starboard wing are definitely getting sanded off!!! Minor point of interest - the port cockpit shelf has the High Pressure Fuel Cock lever moulded on it. That's applicable to the 100 series engines only. I like the way they've moulded the upper centre fuselage separately from the rest of the fuselage - that gives hope for a small-bore version in the future. The great thing is, this is a fantastic kit and one I've been waiting for for a long, long time. The points above are easily modified. Happy camper here!

Not sure about the Porton tanks but the Napalm tanks were standard 100 gallon drop tanks - the phenolic material they were made from meant that they burst open nicely when dropped.

As guillaume320 says the cut-out flaps will be needed . The only other thing (which I don't think are included in the Airfix kit) are the ERU breech covers on the wings.

I'm sorry, I didn't save copies of the photos from the original thread (I wish I had!). Hopefully John (jaw) can get us some pictures (with both our thanks) - jaw, the intake in question is right underneath the rear fuselage which is why it's so difficult to see in most photos.

You're right. The standard windscreen was/is flat so the 'conical' extension was added to make it more 'slippery' for the record attempt (along with a pointed replacement for the normally rounded radome). It was removed after the record runs leaving a patch of the original green showing. As for the canopy length - the first two P.1067 prototypes had a longer and more bulbous spine behind the cockpit and a correspondingly shorter canopy - the original rear bulkhead between the spine and the cockpit was located immediately behind the seat headbox. One of the original criticisms of the prototypes when evaluated was it's restricted rear visibility. To help, the canopy was extended rearwards and the spine behind it made less bulbous. That's whay the control rod trunking behind the seat became visible through the hood. This revision first appeared on the third prototype WB202 (the Sapphire prototype). The first two, WB188 and WB195 weren't modified to match however. This is almost always overlooked by model makers - well done for spotting it!

Oops, sorry!

Personally for an F.6 of that period I'd go for 100 gallon tanks inboard and empty outer pylons.

Yes, the rear part of the sabrina is attached to the radio bay door but the forward part is completely detachable and was removed before the gun pack was lowered out. The gun packs were swapped between aircraft (empty one out, re-armed one back in) so quite often appeared a different shade to the rest of the undersides. The forward part of the link collector was then re-attached to the 'new' gun pack. Early '60s - definitely HSS.

The F.6 and F.6A could carry M155 launchers (on the outer pylons) but only after Mod. 1257 had been embodied. This modification enabled the outer pylons to be used for the carriage of RP launchers or practice bombs. It also rendered inoperative the Hunter's ripple/normal and salvo size selector switches as the Matra's firing mode was pre-selected on the ground rather than by the pilot in the air. I do have a Hunter modification manual somewhere which may tell us the date of Mod. 1257 but, for the life of me, I can find it at the moment. I believe the Matra pods came along in the mid '60s though so if you're modelling a Hunter in 1960 then it wouldn't be using the M155 at that stage.