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After years of browsing this site, and enjoying other people's work, I have finally (I think...) worked out how to post pictures and can share a little of my own model making...

So I thought I'd kick things off with this Hurricane - with some trepidation as there are some serious Hurricane experts out there (yes Troy, I am thinking of you...!)

The possible "bones of contention" (amongst many, I suspect) are: is this a Hurricane or a Sea Hurricane? As it has no hook I'm saying Hurricane - but in service with the Fleet Air Arm.

Secondly, the scheme. I am aware that there is some debate about the lower surface colours and whether these might have been Sky Grey, or Sky. All I'm going to say is that there is a photo in "Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm" (Sturtivant) showing this aircraft, and although the picture is black and white, it just looks like Sky Grey to me - so that's what I have gone with.

The reference to Jekyll and Hyde is simply that the reviews of this recent Airfix kit seem to fall into two distinctly different groups - those that say that the kit almost fell together and was a pleasure to build and others who found serious fit issues - in particular getting the fuselage to sit down over the cockpit framing, and also joining the upper wings to the lower over the gun bays and spars. To find out which mine was, there is a short build review at www.ipmssalisbury.co.uk under "club stuff/build articles"...

So on to the photos - just iPhone but hopefully worth a look?

Any comments, suggestions or (gentle!) criticism welcome.

Cheers,

Nick.

IMG_0436

 

IMG_0438

 

IMG_0439

 

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It's a Hurricane:  no hooks, no spools, and never converted at General Aircraft.  Even if it is in the Navy, it isn't a Sea Hurricane.  (Similarly Spitfires and Seafires a year later.)

 

I do like the high demarcation scheme with Sky Grey, but as the aircraft didn't join the Navy until 12 months after the Temperate Sea Scheme with Sky undersides had been adopted, my vote is for Sky I'm afraid.  Of course as the FAA should have had Hurricanes a lot sooner you can always regard it as a well-deserved What If.  Or just enjoy it anyway.

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1 hour ago, Nickthebrief said:

So I thought I'd kick things off with this Hurricane - with some trepidation as there are some serious Hurricane experts out there (yes Troy, I am thinking of you...!)

Flattery will get you everywhere... ;)

There are serious Hurricane experts, but not me,  enthusiastic amateur collator of available information is a better description ! 

 

Anyway, a very neat build Nick, lovely finish.

two suggestions.  perhaps would have been worth adding a little white or pale grey to the final varnish,  or a very very thin overspray to tone down the roundels a touch, thoughas you look pretty handy with an airbrush, perhaps painting the upper wing roundels as these were most prone to fading.

the other would be to replicate the very distinctive oil stains 

I've posted this before

The oil stains on a Hurricane have a specific pattern.

Merlins leak oil a lot, and it leaks out the back of the engine bay, and is then blown back by the airflow, on Hurricane this creates a very characteristic diagonal stain on the UC doors.

This shot, shows where the leak comes from, and note the oil flow pattern onto the doors.

hurr1-10.jpg&key=1888844b9742f134fa7daee

 

Once you start looking,  you see the distinctive diagonal stains on the UC doors, 

This is a fabric wing Yugoslav plane on a test flight in UK before delivery for anyone curious.

It's very commonly seen, but the explanation is not obvious as this is one of the few pictures to show why these stains happen. Once you know, it's obvious and you see them a lot!

there used to a an uncropped shot of this on the IWM,  but they seem to have changed their search..grr

Note first aid kit strapped on back of panel,(now cropped off) the mixed exhaust stain, lighter round edges, from running a lean mixture, and the distinctive oil stains on the UC doors.

e33574f628ffe62afa84929ace17cf52.jpg

 

HTH

T

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Thanks Troy - your comments are very helpful and, as I'm sure it won't be too long before I build another Airfix Hurri (hopefully one of the "falls together" ones) I will bear your observations in mind...

And I definitely agree with you about trying to blend the decals in - it's becoming obvious on a number of my more recent builds that they look much too stark and "fresh". I have thought about masks/paint and might give them a go one day - my main difficulty is that by the time I'm ready to put the markings on I'm desperate to move onto the next kit, and decals are relatively quick... I will try and be patient with the Special Hobby Barracuda I'm working on at the moment - as I really do want to try and capture that "worn but not completely knackered" look...

Cheers,

Nick.

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Looks good to me.  I'm "The Eternal Newbie"... I don't sweat the detail too much.  If my models come out looking more or less like aircraft, I'm happy.  Of course, its a bit embarrassing if I was building a motorbike...

 

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Very very nice Hurricane. Love the colours and the general finish. The pilot looks great too.

 

I agree with Troy - a little more oil staining on the underside and on the doors was usual on Hurricanes and would add just that bit more.

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm

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12 hours ago, Baldy said:

Very very nice Hurricane. Love the colours and the general finish. The pilot looks great too.

 

I agree with Troy - a little more oil staining on the underside and on the doors was usual on Hurricanes and would add just that bit more.

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm

Thanks Malcolm - I'm glad the pilot gets a mention as it's one of the things I like about (most, but not all) Airfix kits.

My figure paining skills have a way to go, but I think a crew adds a human touch...

Cheers,

Nick.

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