Jump to content

Airfix Hudson


Magua87

Recommended Posts

Hi, team. 

 

Figured I'd share some progress on a kit I've been working on for a wee while. This is an old kit my father gave me after he upgraded to the Italeri / MPM Hudson. I'm hoping to have this wrapped up in a few months (I'm not a fast builder). 

 

dK9z15ll.jpg

 

Progress to data includes removing the raised detailing...

 

jzyNDvjh.jpg

 

... and a bit of scratch building. I moved the wall behind the cockpit back to where it's meant to be, added some boxes, and busied up the walls. 

 

51rlRUsh.jpg

NaxlfoYh.jpg

 

The rear door has been re-profiled to match my target aircraft.

 

9wJgkl5h.jpg

 

The propellors were lumps of misshapen plastic. They had a good sanding down and the spinners were rounded. 

 

9q1TQRsh.jpg

 

No photos, but I've also built up the elevators by filling in the gaps, and scribed these as one piece. Airfix has them moulded as individual elevators, which is incorrect.

 

The reason I'm doing all this is to represent a Hudson at my local museum in Auckland, MOTAT. Photo is mine. I'll visit again soon to get some better shots. 

 

Dt4Habqh.jpg

 

Shout out to @fightersweep for helping me with this kit. I lost one of the nose transparencies and he kindly sent a spare set across the world for me! 

 

Next step will probably be to join the fuselage. I think I'll practice with some liquid mask on all those windows before I commit to cement and styrene.

 

  • Like 19
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking great so far on a kit that is certainly not a straight forward build. Glad to help with the transparencies. That's what Britmodeller is all about!

 

The museum also looks great. I would love to visit one day. The Keith Park statue looks amazing (it is Keith Park I take it?)...we should have one here in Trafalgar Square...and maybe one of my other Kiwi hero, Al Deere!

 

Steve

Edited by fightersweep
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great start on what must be a very challenging model. Certainly a very old one!

 

As Steve says, I have found the BM community immensely helpful since joining in earnest this year.

 

Terry

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, fightersweep said:

Looking great so far on a kit that is certainly not a straight forward build. Glad to help with the transparencies. That's what Britmodeller is all about!

 

The museum also looks great. I would love to visit one day. The Keith Park statue looks amazing (it is Keith Park I take it?)...we should have one here in Trafalgar Square...and maybe one of my other Kiwi hero, Al Deere!

 

Steve

There is a statue of Park not far from Trafalgar Square - about 5 minutes’ walk away along Pall Mall, in Wellington Place.  In fact I think it might even be the same carving as that one in MOTAT - not sure which is a copy of which!  It looks a very similar pose.

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

There is a statue of Park not far from Trafalgar Square - about 5 minutes’ walk away along Pall Mall, in Wellington Place.  In fact I think it might even be the same carving as that one in MOTAT - not sure which is a copy of which!  It looks a very similar pose.

Thanks for the info! It's been years since I visited the smoke, but now you mention it, I do recall reading about a statue of Park in the capital....and quite right too! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome, all.

23 hours ago, fightersweep said:

The Keith Park statue looks amazing (it is Keith Park I take it?)

 

11 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

 In fact I think it might even be the same carving as that one in MOTAT - not sure which is a copy of which!  It looks a very similar pose.

That's him. I think the MOTAT example is a copy, but I can't remember where I read that.

 

I've grabbed some photos of the elevators. I had to use a lot of plastic card and super glue on the underside to get them level before they could be scribed.

 

mGSFd5zh.jpg

 

The top side wasn't anywhere near as bad, but still took a lot of sanding.

 

n7NYrL6h.jpg

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Afternoon, all. Life has got in the way of modelling lately, but I've managed to crack into it this week. 

 

First up, if I'm going to replace the windscreen with a vac-formed copy, I was going to need more detail. Here we have the seat as it comes in the kit. 

 

7Z1u2D3h.jpg

 

And here we see its transformation with plastic card.

 

bNqHUDSh.jpg

 

Progress. 

 

mmswSHah.jpg

 

And closure of the fuselage.

 

3mmHvwTh.jpg

oObX5kwh.jpg

 

The next step is to work my way around the fuselage with modelling glue and superglue, closing and filling all gaps. I'll also need to get out the Milliput to close the gap left by the rear turret, as my chosen aircraft does not have a turret. 

 

Wish me luck. I'll be back with updates soon and a discussion around my paint options and choices. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is some genuine images of a Hudson flown by 9th Squadron in the Solomon's. These were taken by the radio operator who was a family friend of mine. I'm not sure if the lower right is a Hudson  it looks different.

 

Hudson

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Superglue and Milliput progress. Piece by piece. The Milliput is currently drying and I hope to attack it tomorrow with a file. 

 

tYNRqcNh.jpg

 

HkB4eVyh.jpg

 

I had a bit of an issue with the windows fogging up. I guess some fumes got into the fuselage? I have managed to sneak a cotton bud in there to clean it up via the opening for the dome in the roof. I'll give them another wipe down before I close up the fuselage with the dome, but that will be some time off.

 

uTr3wuAh.jpg

 

Now, colours. RNZAF aircraft wore a variety of colours depending on who the aircraft were purchased from and at what point in the war they flew. See here and here. The main differences I can see being the manufacturer in the USA (Lockheed - unknown as far as I can see, and Curtis), who they were producing for (some RNZAF aircraft were directed to NZ from British orders), the time period they were producing for (pre- and during-lend lease), and the RNZAF's application of NZ produced paints in country. 

 

I've simply eye balled the colour scheme on the aircraft a MOTAT. It seems to be different from the P-40 they have in place, which I believe has more of the Du Pont colours for a Curtis aircraft. 

 

So, with that out of the way I'm using 

Tamiya XF-21 Sky for the undersides,

Gunze H72 Dark Earth for the brown on the top side, 

and I'm not sure about the green. My usual go to for the RAF's green is Gunze's H330 Dark Green, but I think I'm going to go for a lighter shade here. Maybe Gunze's 309 Green. We'll see. I'm a little way off painting at the moment. 

 

mX0oSq8h.jpg

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The filling, filing, and sanding continues. I inserted a small plastic card plug into the opening in the bomb bay, which is presumably provided for a stand. I'm done with the super glue and have been lashing on coats of Tamiya surface primer with a brush. 

 

The tail has been added and I've started blending it in. A mixture of Squadron putty for the big gaps (top side) and Perfect Plastic Putty for the wing joins on the underside where sanding is a pain. 

 

Next step will be to test my sanding with a quick coat of paint to look for any defects. 

 

pDJIitQh.jpg

 

qkx8NLfh.jpg

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This one slipped under my radar as well. I’ve got a 1980’s release unbuilt in the pile somewhere (and a Revell/MPM one too).  Those photos are great, especially the ones of the cockpit and starboard cowling.

 

You're certainly beating this golden oldie into submission.

 

If it helps I provided some walkaround pix of the one in Hendon.

 

 

Regards

 

Trevor

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/22/2018 at 8:17 PM, Max Headroom said:

If it helps I provided some walkaround pix of the one in Hendon.

 

Regards

Trevor

 

Cheers, Trevor. Those shots around the elevators and the bottom of the fuselage are very helpful. I think the Airfix kit is a bit boxy in the latter area. 

 

The ailerons are on. The gaps are huge, both between the wing and aileron (see the light shining through) and between the upper and lower halves of the wings.

 

ctUiVAkh.jpg

zZDBbvch.jpg

 

I think I'm going to build these up with plastic card and super glue and then I'll scribe around the edges when I'm done. Compare the Airfix ailerons with the Classic Airframes Hudson here.

 

I think I'm done with the fuselage sanding. I'm hoping to get some paint onto the kit this weekend to see what needs touching up. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/4/2018 at 3:31 AM, Greg Law said:

Here is some genuine images of a Hudson flown by 9th Squadron in the Solomon's. These were taken by the radio operator who was a family friend of mine. I'm not sure if the lower right is a Hudson  it looks different.

 

P

Lower right looks like an early Anson.

 

The green on MOTAT’s Hudson looks to me like a faded Australian Foliage Green, but that could be down to the lighting, my browser and any number of factors.  Is there any indication as to whether, when and how the aeroplane was restored that could shed some light on the paints used?  I wonder if the dorsal turret was removed to save weight and drag for the ASW role.  (I don’t recall ever seeing a Hudson fitted with the “stickleback” radar antennae before.  Fascinating!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Magua87 Two things I didn’t mention in my list were that the door hatch on the Airfix model is for a civilian Lockheed 14. It should be square along the top, not rounded. Also the bomb bay engraving is incorrect and shows it to be very weedy. It’s much longer to the extent that at the rear there are notches in the corners to stop the doors fouling with the ground when open.

 

Trevor 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Small progress. I decided to throw some paint at the kit to see how things are shaping up.

 

NIx7cQFh.jpg

 

The ailerons aren't looking too bad. They'll need a brushing of Mr Surfacer or Tamiya Fine Surface Primer and some fine grades of sand paper. I might fill those gaps inboard of the ailerons and re-scribe the whole of the aileron.

 

VoxtqIfh.jpg

NthldJbh.jpg

 

You can see the marks on the wing from my metal files. I've been using those to sand the super glue flush and to try and thin the trailing section of the wing to match the profile of the ailerons. 

 

The fuselage looks alright. It'll need a few touch ups and a bit of super glue where the very front seam has popped open. The engine cowlings will need a bit of attention too, just to smooth everything out. 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/4/2018 at 12:59 AM, stever219 said:

 Is there any indication as to whether, when and how the aeroplane was restored that could shed some light on the paints used?  I wonder if the dorsal turret was removed to save weight and drag for the ASW role.  (I don’t recall ever seeing a Hudson fitted with the “stickleback” radar antennae before.  Fascinating!)

 

I've realised that I forgot to share the airframe history for my Hudson. I'm building NZ2031. There's a bit of a history of the aircraft here. It's a little out of date as the aircraft is now inside the "new" hangar with its wings attached. 

 

The aircraft lost its turret when it was converted into a C-63 Hudson Transport. 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am impressed with your progress on this build. I built one as a commission job a few years ago and it fought me every step of the way. More power to your scalpel!

 

Martian 👽

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎12‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 6:38 AM, Kampartiger said:

I think that picture on the lower right shows the cabin of an Avro Anson.

I was just getting to post the same observation- we're either both pretty smart or clueless!

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...