A pair of Airfix Hawks in 1/72. Finished.

[tomprobert]

So good. Mouth-wateringly good. The sheen you've achieved on them both is just perfect for the scale - something very difficult to do in 1/72md scale. I cannot wait for the big reveal!

 

Stay safe on the slopes!

 

Tom

[Martian]

13 hours ago, tomprobert said:

I cannot wait for the big reveal!

Oh dear! I foresee a deal of disappointment in your foreseeable future.

 

Pessimistic of Mars  

[brianthemodeller]

Surely you can manage another 15 pages just on the canopy hinges alone?

[Anthony in NZ]

You've managed to achieve a realism that few can achieve...I Dof my hat to you sir.....wow

[TheBaron]

In the absence of surrounding  objects, the visuals on those two are so good Steve that they sit aloof from any particular sense of scale. Remarkable replicas, quite, quite remarkable.

 

Safe travels, both horizontally and vertically....

[perdu]

5 hours ago, TheBaron said:

Safe travels, both horizontally and vertically....

Diagonally?

[Bigdave22014]

Gentlemen (and the rest of us as well), I fear the time is nigh where we must dust off our dictionaries and Thesauruses (Thesauri?) to find suitable superlatives to describe the completion of this epic saga of modelling.

Anybody got the number for Susie Dent?

[mark.au]

The exquisite quality of work you somehow conjure up in paint, plastic and 3D while juggling your parallel requirements of holidaying and lawyering is truly remarkable.

 

 

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Wait…. Go back a couple of posts.  Did Steve say “unknown pipe”?  Unknown???

 

There are Beefers all round the country banging their heads against the screen [for the non-Naval types amongst you, a “Beefer”is a QFI ‘ QHI - but I know Monsieur Vendredi understands the term].  
 

How did we let this imposter go front line?  He didn’t know what the pipe does.

 

 

The models are ridiculously wonderful, obviously.  There is a limit to the number of new ways to say it, so I’ve gone for the usual Serviceman’s option of abuse.  

[perdu]

3 hours ago, Bigdave22014 said:

Gentlemen (and the rest of us as well), I fear the time is nigh where we must dust off our dictionaries and Thesauruses (Thesauri?) to find suitable superlatives to describe the completion of this epic saga of modelling.

Anybody got the number for Susie Dent?

And we'd pass it to you because?

 

 

 

 

[Brandy]

9 hours ago, mark.au said:

while juggling your parallel requirements of holidaying and lawyering is truly remarkable.

No, it's the reason it's taken so bloody long!

 

Ian

[The Spadgent]

Agog!!!! That’s what my mouth is.

I neeeeeeeed to se them with canopies!!! The undersides are just a sight to behold, not taking anything from the other angles but I love that belly shot of the camo one.

sooooo While you’re skiing I’m sure we can fill up one or two pages for you. should get a “ go fund me “ type thing going on to get to the magic 200.  Do you get an explosion  and ticker tape I wonder?  

 

Enjoy the slopes dear boy.

 

 Johnny

[Fritag]

 

 

On 1/7/2023 at 9:52 AM, 81-er said:

As for the rest of us, we've got until he's back to fill up 15 pages to reach the double ton 

 

Failed, James 

 

Thanks all, I enjoyed the skiing (as always) and there was a decent amount of snow in the end thankfully - not necessarily the best snow - but enough of a covering where it mattered.

 

That said, a spectacular tumble over a rock ‘ard mogul on the penultimate day left me with a twisted and bruised left ankle, but nothing that several beers couldn’t anaesthetise  and no real harm done.  Lesson one - don’t let your concentration wander on a steep icy mogul field and lesson two - do your ski boots up as tight as they can go if you’re gonna be stupid enough to ski down a steep icy mogul field. 

 

On 1/9/2023 at 10:52 AM, tomprobert said:

Stay safe on the slopes!

 

Mostly did, Tom.  Mostly 

 

On 1/11/2023 at 5:25 AM, mark.au said:

juggling your parallel requirements of holidaying and lawyering

 

Oh no Mark.  Never in parallel.  Definitely sequential.  You’ll not catch me lawyering on holiday.  I’d rather not be caught doing it at all actually 

 

Back to more important stuff:

 

On 1/6/2023 at 3:31 PM, Terry1954 said:

I'd join in the chorus for canopies, but might there be some canopy internals to fabricate first? I may have missed those entirely, but can't recall being impressed by them yet!

 

Did you miss the whole printed internal framework and the clear plastic blast screen then Terry?  - Prob. weren’t impressed by em, mate 

 

But…  I did decide to print a couple more internals.

 

 

The long thin things are aircon pipes that run along the sides of the canopy; and the oddball shape in the middle is a crude representation of a linkage that sits in the middle of the hinged side of the canopy.  It’s not a hinge (the hinges are set into the frame and invisible at this scale) but I think it might be a lever and a suspension strut to assist/cushion the opening and closing of the canopy.

 

On 1/11/2023 at 7:31 AM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

How did we let this imposter go front line?  He didn’t know what the pipe does.

 

And now he doesn’t know what that oddball gizmo is neither….

 

On 1/11/2023 at 7:31 AM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

I’ve gone for the usual Serviceman’s option of abuse.

 

Expected.  Appreciated.  Anticipating more…

 

On 1/10/2023 at 9:34 AM, brianthemodeller said:

Surely you can manage another 15 pages just on the canopy hinges alone?

 

Sorry Brian.  Hinges are basically invisible. All I’ve got is the aircon pipes and the oddball gizmo.   1 post rather than 15 pages…

 

On 1/7/2023 at 1:18 PM, hendie said:

Wot? No canopies?

 

More barracking from the cheap seats    But seeing as you asked nicely Alan  the canopies ‘ave found they-selves affixed to the Hawks thus:

 

TWU Canopy

 

 

And in the next two piccies you can see the new aircon pipes along the edge of the lower frame and the oddball giszmo in the middle by the front bang seat headbox.

 

 

 

Valley Canopy

 

 

 

And with that, these little old ‘awks appear to be finished… Yes I think I really do mean that… (despite @Martian’s alien pessimism )

 

A few piccies to be getting on with:

 

Valley:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And my personal favourite.

 

TWU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a few with the gun pod.  The gun pod was just tacked on with a couple of tiny blobs of thinned thin Gator Grip and taken off again afterwards, as I think I prefer the look without it.  I think…

 

Gun Pod

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pair

 

 

 

I’ll do RFI, but first I’ll have to try and remember what I did to the original Airfix kit.  Some of it was a while ago   I’ll also try and take some better photo’s in better lighting conditions.

 

So there we are.

 

BTW. I’m not starting any Jaguars any time soon.  Just saying. 

 

 

Edited January 19 by Fritag
Formatting issues

[Martian]

Finished? Finished! Amazing work  but I think I need to lay down in a very dark place. Underground on the Dark Side of the Moon with all the lights out should do, along with a bucket of tranquillisers and regular visits from the BM shrink. 

 

Speechless of Mars 

[John Laidlaw]

Finished?

 

 

Seriously, they are exquisite, and you have advanced the art beyond what I thought possible. Splendid stuff, sir!

[bigbadbadge]

Beautiful,  simply Beautiful,  what a cracking pair.  Amazing work.

Chris

[Steve Coombs]

It's been quite the journey, and those two are magnificent.

[Terry1954]

Well blow me down! Finished you appear to be.

 

26 minutes ago, Fritag said:

Did you miss the whole printed internal framework and the clear plastic blast screen then Terry?  - Prob. weren’t impressed by em, mate 

 

 

Drat, I must have missed them, but consider me retrospectively impressed if you will, and actually I was partly alluding also to those aircon pipes. I spotted them on the Boscombe Down Hawk when I last took some pics, although very difficult to get a good shot. I was wondering if they would put in a late appearance 

 

I wasn't born (in Britmodeller years) when this thread started, having discovered it some time in 2017 I think. And what a delight and education it has been to follow. I picked up quite a few tips and things en route, and even bought myself a dental thermo forming machine and actually vac formed my first canopies, as a direct result. No 3D printer though ............. yet.

 

The two Hawks have turned out looking spectacularly special, and confirmed in my own mind that you are really rather good at this modelling malarky!

 

Thanks for the journey Steve, and well done.

 

Terry

[mark.au]

Possibly the best 72nd scale work I've ever seen, certainly that I recall.  As a bonus, the prose wasn't bad either!

[hendie]

1 hour ago, mark.au said:

the best 72nd scale work I've ever seen,

 

Oi!  I was going to say that!  

 

Now I guess I have to come up with some other assemblage of words though I'm fairly certain that whatever I do come up with is going to fall far short of appropriate and proper praise.

 

The attention to detail and the execution of said detail is mind-blowing and just plain bloody wonderful. Wonderful. Just mesmerizing to behold. 

It's been a pleasure to follow this thread since it's inception, through the modeling highs and not quite so highs, the (too numerous to count) vacations, and watching the evolution of Fritag the CADder, among other things.

 

A record breaking thread indeed - the largest number of vacations, the longest hiatus of a still-alive modeler ever observed, and the greatest number of Prime Ministers of any thread.   I doubt we'll see the like again.

If I had a cap sir, I'd doff it. 

 

There. That's all I got. 

 

Now what was that about a Jaguar?

 

 

 

[Galligraphics]

Wow. I mean… wow. We always knew that these were going to be the ultimate 1/72 Hawks. And here they are. Finished. And stunningly good. As expected.

I can only reiterate all the plaudits that have already been… plaudited? … 

A thoroughly enthralling, joyous and instructive journey for which I thank you, Steve.

I don’t know how I feel now - it is the end of an era. Or at least half an era…

[Phone Phixer]

Amazing work and a lesson in detailing to the exquisite level.

Your oddball gizmo seems to be a combination of a canopy hinge damper (riggery bit pah!). With the MDC initiator and shroud (the good trade item)! Ooer, there should be one for the rear MDC too.

 

Picture from BM walkround section.

 

Tsk tsk, now what's this about Jaguars not being started soon!

I suggest another dual build. the 226 OCU jet you first went solo in, and any random 6 Sqn jet you joyfully threw around the skies. Starting next week!!!!!

 

Rob (In total awe).

[fatalbert]

Truly remarkable.

 

 

 

 

[ernestf]

Congratulations ! it is absolutely stunning ! master pieces !

 

Ernest

[stevehnz]

7 hours ago, Fritag said:

That said, a spectacular tumble over a rock ‘ard mogul on the penultimate day left me with a twisted and bruised left ankle, but nothing that several beers couldn’t anaesthetise  and no real harm done.  Lesson one - don’t let your concentration wander on a steep icy mogul field and lesson two - do your ski boots up as tight as they can go if you’re gonna be stupid enough to ski down a steep icy mogul field. 

Yup, good sense there.  

The Hawks are bloody brilliant mate, OK, I know that is stating an obvious that has been so for a lot longer than I can remember but its not till you actually see them as a unit that it all comes home. A BIG  on that. 

Steve.