DonH

Thanks, that is very useful information. I may fit them to a) match the film and b) it looks a bit different. Yes, I am enjoying @hendie build. Looking at the film, I have convinced myself that I see a spectacle type handle on aircraft taxiing back from the sortie. That will do me. I have masked the cockpit and there is a chance that the masking tape will remove the handle when I unmask. If that happens, I will revisit. I have found one blade aerial that is missing from the instructions. Part no 81, if I remember correctly. This should fit in front of the forward blade aerial. You can see it in the video if you stare for long enough. Next up, I am defining the locations of the whip aerials. What fun we have!

Never sit and watch a video over and over. Now I have more questions than I really want: Did the black arrows have the gun muzzle deflectors fitted? It kinda looks that way in the video. There are four whip aerials that I can see. One on each wing (easy to locate the right position). One on either side of the spine. Does anyone have a good view of exactly where these were fitted?

Yes, you are absolutely right, I stand corrected. Thanks Anthony, you would make a lovely job of this kit and it would definitely look good next to your Phantom.

Already enjoying this build. Some very lovely enhancements that I can only droll over (I have a spare pint glass over here at the bar that is catching said drool). This kit arrived chez moi yesterday and I have fondled the plastic. I will be interested in your opinion on the squarish slabs on the top and bottom of the wing roots. I don't see them on any hunter anywhere ever. Looks like someone added some antennas left over from the Vulcan.

Go for it, it is a lovely kit of a lovely aircraft. It needs some attention, but nothing beyond what a "normal" modeller can do. By "normal" I mean average, which is definitely what I am. Very average.

Ooooo, that's a good point. It's an easy fix. However, there is a video on YouTube showing the Black Arrows in action. About two minutes in, Peter Latham is shown getting into his office and the pull handles are black/yellow non-D type. I am always a bit nervous about trusting video like this, so any further info is very much appreciated.

Progress! From this.... To this... I have glued in the main gear struts now to maximise the plastic/plastic glue joint. Hopefully, painting will still be relatively straight forward. The joint in the fuselage is seamless, it just looks like a huge gap due to some paint and glue seepage during assembly. Some minor touching up to do and the antennas on the bottom, then I am going to throw some primer/paint at it. Still loving this kit.

This looks like great fun and I will enjoy watching from the back of the bar near the dart board. Rudder pedals...hmmm.....are you going to see them when all is buttoned up? My guess is not.

I love your clamps. Where can I get some?

Just bought this kit, so will follow you for tips and tricks. Gotta love a Hunter!

Oh my eyes! That plastic needs to come with a pair of sunglasses. Great work so far, you have way more intestinal fortitude than I in tackling this kit.

I too love these Hasegawa kits. I will be following along and enjoying every moment of it. 🍿

Good advice CJP! I am assembling the intake ducting slowly, taking one piece at a time. Not for any particular reason - I think I am just delaying the point where I have to fix them in place and discover how well they fit (or not). Anyway, today we concentrate on the bit in the front where the driver sits. First up, the IP. Sometimes a kit "wows" you with the great fit and this kit has done that to me already - long may it last. But this kit is also "wowing" me with some of the details. When you consider how old this thing is, there is some lovely raised detail on the IP that I don't believe has been bettered by the aftermarket. I should know, I splashed out on most of it that was available and am not using any of it now, apart from the seat. I have an FGA.9 in the stash so who knows? Maybe, but Revell have produced a real gem here. The only thing I have done to the IP is paint it, dry brush, scrape some of the details in with a cocktail stick (all the instruments are done this way) and then put a blob of crystal clear on the dials. The rest is all Revell. Next, the cockpit. Exactly the same again. Nothing added other than paint and crystal clear. I have managed to get the resin seat to fit by surgically removing the previously added joy stick. I will re-insert the stick once the seat is in place and everything will be lovely. Until next time...

It is a very nice kit. I have had no major fit issues so far and a dry fit of the front fuselage is very encouraging. The really hard bit will be lining up the air intakes, from and rear fuselage and the wings. There are a lot of parts coming together in one place that all need to line up properly. But that is for another day or week (I assemble slowly).

There is a 1/44 scale Belfast kit that is quite tempting. With the right camera angles, I might get close with that. Not going to do it though!

Thanks John, that may help me a bit because I chewed up the end of the other wing getting it off the sprue (don't know how). If I taper the ailerons, that might get rid of the unsightly gouge!

I've just started this one: It's going to be a Black Arrow, based at Leuchars. All over black paint job, should be straightforward. It's coming at you OOB apart from this: This is the True Details (I think) resin seat and is much nicer than the kit seat. I just have a slight concern that it won't fit in the cockpit but time will tell. I still have the kit seat to fall back on. Not much to report so far, I have stuck the cockpit together and added a dash of paint. I am loving this kit already. The panel lines are very muted (Airfix take note) and the fit is amazing so far. I even blurted out "Oh wow" as I was assembling the cockpit. Let's hope that continues! A wing is assembled: Nice fit all round, one needs to be careful with the extra dog tooth parts and the end cap. I have some remedial work to do in this area: Nothing a bit of filler and some sanding won't cure. More next time!

That someone could be you. Go on, go on, go on!

Thank you, for a single colour (grey) scheme, the Chippie does look surprisingly good. just goes to show all that blingy day-glo orange and red/white nonsense is just for show and not for real I think your confidence in my scratch-building abilities far exceeds mine. I did consider removing the rear windows as this was done to give a clear view for the guy with the box brownie in the back. Thanks for the link. There are some interesting stories on tinterweb and to hear what was going on under my infant nose is strangely exciting. Didn't notice any of it, of course. You are too kind. I can only give the credit to the pre-cut mask set.

Thanks! Yes, the Chippie was the RAF equivalent of the U2.

I hope to visit sometime in the future, just to see how much it has changed. I know my old school is still there.

When I was a lad, I spent a few years at RAF Gatow because that we where my dad was posted. During my time there, Gatow had two Chipmunks used as part of the BRIXMIS mission to gather intelligence from the air about troop movements etc. Very interesting to read now, but I was oblivious to it at the time. Fast forward 50 years and Airfix release a new Chippie that is just begging me to build one as a Gatow Chipmunk. How could I refuse? This is what I am aiming at (hope I am OK with copyright): And this is what I managed to produce: Hope you like! Cheers Don

Wash - done Satin coat - done Details - done Airfix Chipmunk - done Lovely kit, not without it's frustrations as documented above. A lightning quick build by my usual glacial standards and very enjoyable (mostly). RFI going up after this. Here is my reference from planepictures dot net (it's the one in the foreground in case you are wondering):

So here are a few pictures of the built and painted canopy. Airfix provide a handy little jig for assembling the individual pieces of the canopy. Overall, I would say this works well, if you are careful and I am satisfied with the result, even if it isn't perfect. It is VERY fragile even with suitable amounts of extra thin applied. I was reflecting on what other options Airfix might have had to get this canopy right without the hassle of jiggery but, to be honest, I think they have done a good job with this. It is not easy but produces a nice result in the end. As you can see, the canopy is painted and decalled already. I highly recommend a mask set for this kit. I used one that had inside masks as well as outside ones. We shall see how this has worked out once the masks are off... I have primed and painted the airframe and applied the stickers. I am modelling WP850 which is one of tow Chippies stationed at Gatow when I was there. I chose this one because I can make up the serial number from the kit decals with a minimum of trimming and cutting. I had fun applying the stencils as the photos of WP850 show a different layout to many of the kit stencils. I saw this as a challenge and really had fun sorting it all out. Not totally accurate to the 1:1 version but close enough for me. The kit decals are really nice. Thin, release from the backing paper quickly and conform to all those raised rivets with hardly a whimper. This really is a nice kit, despite its foibles and frustrations and potential droopiness. I like it a lot, though I feel the line between a good result and the round filing cabinet on the floor is fairly thin and easily crossed! Next up, a wash, satin coat and unmasking. Then it will be on to the final details.

You can't fool us oh great and wise extraterrestrial, you are very used to massive things just floating in the air, it sounds just like your neighbourhood. Looking forward to seeing this mighty ship coming together.