Airfix Hawk.... after a long lay off.

[DougC]

So…. here we go: long-time lurker, infrequent poster, first time WIP so please be gentle with me!

And the reason it’s my first WIP? Well, it’s the first model I’ve built since I was 15… & that’s nearly 30 years ago. Life kinda gets in the way sometimes, doesn’t it?

Anyway, seeing as I hadn’t built anything since then, I thought it might be appropriate to resurrect a model from that era so I’ve chosen the original 1/72 Airfix Hawk. You’ll see from the box photo it really is the original – it’s the Hawker Siddeley HS 1182 not some new-fangled BAe Hawk T1. And if I’d taken any photos before I rejoined the fuselage halves you would have seen “©Lesney Products 1974” embossed inside one of them. I actually prefer this kit over the new-tool Airfix Hawk – IMHO despite some inaccuracies in nose shape & a lack of production aircraft details (wing fences, airbrake strakes, tail fillet) it’s better than their current soft-plastic version which has more trenches than Belgium circa 1918. Besides, adding those details is what the fun’s all about, no?

Like I said, I built it way back when I was about 15 & at the time I made a reasonable job of it, finishing it in the standard RAF Red & White trainer scheme of the day. But that was before filler, airbrushes & the words “after-market” had been invented so this time, I wanted to do it properly. I gently pulled apart as much as I could, saving nearly every part before using “Modelstrip” (oo er) to get all the paint off, right back to the bare plastic. Then I started again from scratch.

First, the cockpit received a little work: more accurate bulkheads, coamings & seat rails. The intention is to finish it with Aviation Workshop resin seats, PE from either Airwaves or Flightpath (this will be a first for me) & to have the canopy poseable open or closed.

Next, as the fuselage went together, I opened up as many of the intakes, scoops & vents as I could before adding the fillet below & behind the rudder. Lastly, the exhaust on every 1/72 Hawk kit is an oversize lump so I looked around for something to replace it & found…. well, if anyone can guess what I used from the photos, I’ll buy them an ice cream! I’m quite proud of this little detail ; )

Then the flaps: the flaps on the real aircraft are always down when it’s parked so to my eyes, a Hawk model isn’t right otherwise. So I removed the correct amount of plastic from the wings & thinned the upper surfaces. The flaps were then built back up to the correct chord & shape, before small holes were drilled in them to take the wire which will hold them in place & hopefully look like flap actuators. Getting all these (3 per side) lined up & at the correct angle along with the overlying fowler flap section is giving me a headache…. so any helpful hints would be great, thanks!

Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos up covering any of the work up until now but hopefully you can see what I’m talking about. Here’s where I’m at today:

Next on the work list: add nose weight & some detail to the nose undercarriage bay; reshape the nose profile (it’s a little too pointy); keep at it with the cockpit & canopy details; find a way to mount those s*dding flaps!

I know I have a long way to go & I’ll be using some skills I haven’t tested in 30 years, so please bear with me. I’ll also be using some materials & techniques I’ve only ever read about – PE, airbrushing, etc so I’ll probably be seeking a lot of advice from you all before I go & screw it up. Thanks in advance. Finally, there’s a little bit of a poignant back story to this particular model, which is another reason why I chose it…. promise if I finish it, I’ll tell you all.

Thanks for looking,

Doug.

Edited November 9, 2012 by DougC

[Murdo]

Lovely stuff, good to see another scratcher on the go.

I'll use this to learn how to do bits for my Hawk.

[Skeg]

Watching this one with great interest.

[Alan P]

Next to the large scale vac stuff, seeing somebody rehabilitate an old classic kit to beyond modern day standards is my favourite thing about these forums.

Crack on, this looks like a real winner on the way

Al

[Antony Robertson]

I'm looking forward to seeing this come together.

Antony

[Hawkkeeper]

if your keeping it as a HS1182 then you should retain the original 'short' fillet above the jet pipe.

[phildagreek]

Liking your style.

[DougC]

Ok, time for an update…. progress hasn’t exactly been stellar, partly because I haven’t done this for 30 years & partly because I’m a slow, pedantic sort of person. Anyway….

Nose – I wanted to correct the nose profile of the old Airfix kit which to my eyes looked too slim & pointy, so I started by making a copy of the correct profile from the plans in the Aeroguide book (themselves scaled down to 96%), sticking these to plastic card & cutting out templates. I compared these to the kit profile & then used tapered strips of 10 thou plastic card to build up the areas of the nose which needed it. I used plastic card rather than slapping on Milliput as I wanted to have some control over the uniform thickness.

It was a 2-stage process with a bit of sanding before applying the second set of strips. These were then all sanded & filled to give a slightly chunkier nose profile using the templates & the good old Mk 1 Eyeball as a guide. It still needs finishing with filler & surfacer but I’m reasonably happy. What do people think – still too chunky?

Flaps – after wracking my brains for ages trying to figure out a way of attaching the Fowler flap to the main section, then attaching these to the wings & trying to line them up with the 3 actuators at the same time, I went for the simplest option & tried to copy the real thing as best I could. I started by razor sawing 5 small slots into the leading edge of the main flaps & inserting slivers of 10 thou plastic card. These were then trimmed to the right size & the Fowler flap section fitted on top.

The next step was mounting them on the wing. I split the 3 actuators & glued the front parts onto the underside of the wings & the rear of the centre actuator onto the flap, then drilled a hole in it. This was to accept a short piece of electrical wire which would connect the flap to the wing, hopefully at the correct angle. I had to bend the wire more than a few times to get it all looking right from above & below. Then I lined up the rear parts of the remaining two actuators & glued them to the flap. It only took about 6 hours to do the first flap & I reckon I now need a new pair of eyes for Christmas. It still needs a little tidying up but judge the results for yourselves….

Lastly, the airbrake – I did some work on the inside of the housing & the face of the brake itself to replicate the “trough” for the actuator piston.

And @ Hawkkeeper: thanks for the tip about the tailplane fillet but it’s going to be a T1 so the extended fillet should be good. It’s always great to have advice from someone on the inside though.

Right, that’s all for now…. more when I summon up the courage to tackle the second flap!

Have a great Christmas everyone & Happy Modelling for 2013!

Doug

Edited December 19, 2012 by DougC

[Andy K]

I reckon you used a copper connecting tube for the tail-pipe? Do I get an ice-cream now??

I must admit I built this one years ago and I thought it was a lovely little kit. Nice work so far especially the flaps cos I know what it takes to cut them out lol

Edited December 19, 2012 by Andy K

[DougC]

I reckon you used a copper connecting tube for the tail-pipe? Do I get an ice-cream now??

I must admit I built this one years ago and I thought it was a lovely little kit. Nice work so far especially the flaps cos I know what it takes to cut them out lol

Thanks! They're proving a little.... "trying" to say the least. Maybe I should take up 1/32 scale.

As for the tailpipe - nope, not connecting tube & not copper (but close!) So, sorry no ice cream

Doug

[Col.]

Clever work Doug and good to see you back at her.

[Martian]

Excellent work though I would tend to agree with you that the nose could be sanded down a little more.

Martin

Edited December 22, 2012 by martin hale

[Hawkkeeper]

There is only 1 flap jack, the system runs rods to levers then out to the upper part of the centre hinge post, the 3 fairings cover the inner/centre & outer hinge post/brackets on the mainplane.

your flap full down position looks just right, airbrakes tend to droop when no hyd pressure applied, some a/c are less droopy than others, we have one a/c almost ready for road transport & it's airbrake has hardly moved from the full up position, others droop within 2 hours.

[DougC]

There is only 1 flap jack, the system runs rods to levers then out to the upper part of the centre hinge post, the 3 fairings cover the inner/centre & outer hinge post/brackets on the mainplane.

your flap full down position looks just right, airbrakes tend to droop when no hyd pressure applied, some a/c are less droopy than others, we have one a/c almost ready for road transport & it's airbrake has hardly moved from the full up position, others droop within 2 hours.

Thanks, that's good to know I've got it right! I spent ages trying to figure out the mechanism - despite loads of pictures on the net, it can be tricky to see what's going on when everything is painted black!

It's surprising how little the real things are held on with - glad I didn't quite realise that when I was flying them!

Doug

Edited December 20, 2012 by DougC

[j22mdr]

So what did you use for the exhaust this looks great

[Hawkkeeper]

Thanks, that's good to know I've got it right! I spent ages trying to figure out the mechanism - despite loads of pictures on the net, it can be tricky to see what's going on when everything is painted black!

It's surprising how little the real things are held on with - glad I didn't quite realise that when I was flying them!

Doug

if you do a search on here for hawk walkaround you'll find links to my photobucket folder.

[Roo]

Thanks! They're proving a little.... "trying" to say the least. Maybe I should take up 1/32 scale.

As for the tailpipe - nope, not connecting tube & not copper (but close!) So, sorry no ice cream

Doug

A brass olive from an air pipe?

[j22mdr]

Love the olive idea I did think it was one but did not want to look like an idiot ha ha