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Revell 1/32 Hunter - quick question


Alan P

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Hi all,

I have a Hunter FGA.9 by Revell, very nice by their standards, but I'd like to know what I'd need to do to convert it to an F.6.

I understand the tailpipe is unshrouded, but what else is obviously different?

Many thanks in advance,

Al

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Hi all,

I have a Hunter FGA.9 by Revell, very nice by their standards, but I'd like to know what I'd need to do to convert it to an F.6.

I understand the tailpipe is unshrouded, but what else is obviously different?

Many thanks in advance,

Al

One thing to watch is the aileron chord, on the original FGA.9 kits the hinge line tapered towards the tip (so the aileron chord narrowed as you got towards the tip), Revell corrected this on their F.6 boxing so that the hinge line was parallel to the trailing edge with no change in chord but I don't know whether this followed through to the recent issues of the FGA.9 boxing - although there's no reason to think they didn't.

Some on here have corrected it (Iain 32SIG springs to mind), it all looked pretty straightforward

Brake parachute housing and fairing is the main obvious visual difference that I can think of, though some F.6s were modified with this as well.

The F.6A's had the parabrake housing and were visually similar to the FGA.9, the TWU used these. I think one of the last flights of a single seater in RAF service was an F.6A (although I could be wrong on this).

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Al,

Can I ask why you are not trading it for a Revell Hunter F.6 ?……since they do the latter to, with at least some of the modifications outlined above !.

HTH

Mark

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The F.6A's had the parabrake housing and were visually similar to the FGA.9, the TWU used these. I think one of the last flights of a single seater in RAF service was an F.6A (although I could be wrong on this).

Sounds about right, believe the final sortie on the 25 July '84 was a mixture of 6s & 9s

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Sounds about right, believe the final sortie on the 25 July '84 was a mixture of 6s & 9s

Aah, the old grey matter is holding up, thanks for that!

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One other bit to consider is the wing flaps. The FGA9 kit has cutouts to accommodate the 230 gallon tanks. The F6 didn't have that feature, simply you can ( and maybe, really, should!) glue them closed anyway and fill the groove.

Depending on your F6 and it's time frame bring modelled, you could remove the wing extended leading edges, this was a feature of the F6 when first delivered....included early 'Black Arrow' Hunters of 111sqn....

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One other bit to consider is the wing flaps. The FGA9 kit has cutouts to accommodate the 230 gallon tanks. The F6 didn't have that feature, simply you can ( and maybe, really, should!) glue them closed anyway and fill the groove.

But that doesn't apply to the F.6A which could also use the big tanks.

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Just for clarification....The F6A was a Mk6 that had been upgraded to Interim FGA9 standard. Most were eventually fully upgraded to full FGA 9 standard but some never did, as they didn't have the full "tropicalisation/air-con" equipment fit, nor the full weapons fit . Additionally If you look on the upper nose of the FGA9 just in front if the windscreen, there's a small triangular IFF aerial. This doesn't appear on the F6A.......accordingly to Aeroguide 9/Linewrights anyway. .....but, I have seen photo's of standard F6 jets WITH the IFF aerial......so take that as you will.

In modelling terms, the F6A and the FGA9 are externally identical....apart from maybe that IFF fit.....maybe?

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I have two of these1/32 kits. One I am building as a FR10 with a scratch nose job, the other I want to do as a F4 but I am stuck for the F4 jetpipe fairing as the only one that is available is from Flightpath (in a conversion for for a GA11), and I am not shelling out £38.80 for a jetpipe fairing and a load of etch stuff I dont want or need (I hate etch!). I e mailed Flightpath to see if they could provide the jetpipe fairing seperately but the answer was negative

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions on this?

Selwyn

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I have two of these1/32 kits. One I am building as a FR10 with a scratch nose job, the other I want to do as a F4 but I am stuck for the F4 jetpipe fairing as the only one that is available is from Flightpath (in a conversion for for a GA11), and I am not shelling out £38.80 for a jetpipe fairing and a load of etch stuff I dont want or need (I hate etch!). I e mailed Flightpath to see if they could provide the jetpipe fairing seperately but the answer was negative

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions on this?

Selwyn

For my GA11, I discarded the kit piece and replaced it with a section of the kits Drop tank. Then faired on with Milliput. The rear end wasn't perfect but the external shape okay
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One more question: what is the underside colour (box decals version, 1 Sqn 1963)? It says aluminium in the instructions, but photos look more like LAG.

Edited by Alan P
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One more question: what is the underside colour (box decals version, 1 Sqn 1963)? It says aluminium in the instructions, but photos look more like LAG.

If it is 1963 it should be High Speed Silver. Light aircraft grey appeared on the undersides from 1966/67 onwards, and as No.1 Squadron flew Hunters up to their re-equipment with Harriers in 1969 they would undoubtedly have had FGA.9s with grey undersides on strength in latter years.

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For my GA11, I discarded the kit piece and replaced it with a section of the kits Drop tank. Then faired on with Milliput. The rear end wasn't perfect but the external shape okay

Sounds a way forward bill, I will give it a try!

Selwyn

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Sounds a way forward bill, I will give it a try!

Selwyn

I'm away from home at the moment, but I'll post some photo's when I get back. I have actually started a rebuild of my GA11, it's been languishing in a box in a sorry state for a few years too many!
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One more question: what is the underside colour (box decals version, 1 Sqn 1963)? It says aluminium in the instructions, but photos look more like LAG.

An indicator of the underside colour of Hunters could be that if the upper wing Camo wraps around and under the leading edge of the wings by a couple of inches then it's likely to be Light Aircraft Grey. Those with a leading edge central split are most likely to be Silver. There are always exceptions of course, some of the 8 Sqn and 208 Sqn FGA9s based in Aden in the early 1960s (see the RADFAN site) had much lower than normal demarkation along the nose area resulting in a wrap under the wings.

As T7 rightly says, Light Aircraft Grey was introduced as T7 from 1966 onwards. Most home based FGA9's still in frontline service with 1 and 54 Sqn for example, and the FR10's with 4 and 2 Sqns in RAFG would have had LACG applied.

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Bill mentions the flap cutout on the -9 but I believe that there have been two incarnations of the -9 kit, the original (I think) didn't have the modified flaps and thus a 6 from that issue would be just a tail end job. Unsure of course what the vintage of your kit is.

Nige B

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have all three Revell releases and can vouch that the latest FGA.9/Mk.58 release has both the corrected constant aileron chord of the F.6 release as well as its more detailed aft cockpit bulkhead. But only the parabrake tail and flaps with the cut-outs - no F.6 tailpipe or flaps.

I believe Blackbird Models were working on an early Hunter jetpipe etc for earlier marks.

HTH

Tony

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