Hawker Sea Hawk prototype N7/46 from MPM 1/72 kit

[John R]

This started life several years ago as a modification of the MPM kit. The original intention was to build an F1 to go with my P1040 but something, probably due to something between lack of nous and gross stupidity, led to it ending up as the N7/46, the navalised P1040. I thought that the first F1 had the short wings and tail and carried out the appropriate modifications but while searching for data on the original tailhook I found a picture of the N7/46 and realised that was what I was building. I also found that it appeared to have the the P1040's later canopy rather than the one fitted to the production Sea Hawk. Since I was in no mood to produce a new canopy at that point it was consigned to the shelf of doom until I could face up to making one. There it languished for several years until I realised that I actually had a suitable mould, created when I was refurbishing my P1081 so it was restarted. All went along well until I came to fit the main u/c legs when I discovered that the Sea Hawk u/c was different to that of the N7/46. (you would think that he should have noticed at the beginning - it's his age you know). It appears to me the the Sea Hawk main legs were shorter, perhaps to give increased angle of attack when being catapulted, so the kit legs had to be lengthened and new u/c doors made.

The VP413 decals were made at home. The prototype 'P' decals were a problem as the ones I had were either a fraction too small or a fraction too large. I went with the smaller ones.

There seems to be a lack of pictures of this a/c. I only found two. Fortunately one of them showed it with the wings folded so I could see the registration.

For anyone building the 'proper' version from this kit the are some frustrating items. There are some 'holes' in the actual a/c for guns, boundary layer bleeds and something ahead of the windshield. None of these appear in the kit. There is a resin cockpit that requires much fettling before it will fit and a resin seat which is too wide for the resin cockpit. It has a 'battle damaged fuel tank' made from resin but lacks something that would be really useful, namely inlet guide vanes and the boundary layer offtakes in the intakes.

 

 

 

 

 

Seen here with its predecessor the P1040

 

 

Any comments and extra information welcome

John

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Great job on this 👍

[cngaero]

Another stunner John, you're certainly on a roll with these prototypes at the moment.

[invidia]

Looks great 

[Troffa]

Nicely done, glad that you persevered as they are a nice pair of rare birds.