1:32 Fly Hurricane IId - 5 Sqn SEAC, 1943, under repair! [Complete!]

[Kallisti]

Back in the dim and distant past of 2013, I did the first build of my long-running "Aircraft my Father fixed" project  which you can read "all" about here

 

This first build was supposed to be of a Hurricane IIc in 1:32 scale, using an old Revell kit. This was enhanced to be a more accurate IIc and then had some panels cut out to show the internals behind the cockpit and with a figure to represent my Dad, which in the end looked like this:

 

 

You can read all about the build here:

 

 

Even though this was awarded a Commended at Scale Model world in 2013, to be brutally honest I was never entirely happy with it. The problems with the wings and the general poor quality of the kit, plus the mistakes I made with the paint job (eg it should have been grey and green not brown and green and I forgot to add the white stripes used on SEAC Hurricanes). So in the years since then along comes Fly and release a series of 1:32 Hurricane kits! Woo hoo! Last year I built the Fly Hurricane IIc as a diorama depicting a story my father told me. You can see this build here

 

 

So that leaves a gap in my plan, namely a Hurricane IID which 5 Sqn were equipped with for a short time around the time my father joined the squadron from 81 Sqn in late 1943,. My thinking is to build a replacement for the original IIc diorama, replacing the IIc with the IId and improve the pose of my father on the wing at the same time. To start with, here is the box of the Fly kit

 

 

Funnily enough this kit comes with the options of 5 Sqn markings

 

 

Here are the inevitable spur shots

 

 

There is a small selection of resin parts for the exhaust stacks, wheels and undercarriage bays. 

 

 

 

Here you see the main pieces and some photoetch and decals. I'm thinking of re-using some pieces from the original model

 

the accumulator trolly, which I thought came out quite well in the original -I think this could easily be reused;

the toolbox is a non-RAF toolbox and was built to look like the one I remember my Dad having when I was a kit which was a blue enamelled thing, so that will definitely be reused - cleaned up a little from the dust;

The figure's pose is almost right but the head is a little off - it needs to be a little more upright that it is currently.

I think I can also reuse the stowage pieces and the trestles.

As for the base, I think this will need to made afresh...

 

I've got a collection of figure kits that can be used to add another figure or something to the scene

 

 

As before, I'll be rebuilding the internal structures in the fuselage behind the cockpit and for that I've still got my research from 5 years ago to work with

 

 

 

Which should be built out from the rear of the cockpit framework like this from the earlier build:

 

 

So this will be my big build over the Christmas period, watch this space

Edited February 3, 2019 by Kallisti

[Kallisti]

So a little preparatory work first before starting to build - mainly around the framework inside the fuselage. I decided to draw the framework to get it more accurate than last time. This is the original part from the kit

 

 

and here is the diagram derived from that part - the green shaded area is the bits that will need scratch building

 

 

To test the fit I copied the diagram and cut it out and it seemed to be a good fit

 

 

and here is what it looks like with the panels cut out

 

 

Which brings me onto the only plastic work that has been done so far, namely cutting out the panel and thinning down the edges from the rather thick plastic

 

 

This photo shows the difference in thickness between this kit and the parts I worked on 5 years ago. I'll need to repeat that work on these new parts as they have better detail than the older kit.

 

 

 

[clive_t]

Looks interesting, I like subjects with a personal/family connection. Nice start on the internals.

[Troy Smith]

On 22/12/2018 at 23:44, Kallisti said:

plus the mistakes I made with the paint job (eg it should have been grey and green not brown and green and I forgot to add the white stripes used on SEAC Hurricanes).

NO, Dark earth/Dark Green is correct.  

Some very late Spitfires retain the DFS, but Hurricane got repainted.

note the Hurricane

undersides could be Medium Sea grey or Azure Blue, depending on what the initial camouflages was, DFS or Tropical (Middle Stone overpainetd with Dark Green)

SEAC stripes are "depends when modelled"  decision,  In Nick Millman blog on SEAC he posted a photo of a Hurricane IId,  "Cheetah"  with no SEAC stripes

this one in fact

.  

 

These don't have them

 

 

see also

 

Note, this shot of KZ295

 

by this stage interiors parts are all Grey-green, and that the insdie of the gear doors and what is visible of the wheel well are the underside colour.

 

HTH

T

[Kallisti]

Superb, thanks Troy! I do believe that the caption in Peter Jacobs' book says that those 2 Hurricane IIds by the coast were with 5 Sqn and they definitely don't have SEAC stripes, so thank you for bringing that to my attention - I think I was getting IIc and IId mixed up there. 

 

The kit marking for the 5 Sqn aircraft are for serial KX121 - where can I find out more about this Hurricane? If it was a Spitfire I'd know where to look but I'm just not that familiar with info resources for the Hurricane...

[woody37]

Going to be coming along for the ride on this one, loved your previous builds

 

[Kallisti]

Welcome along woody  Today's progress so far is small but significant, after drawing the framework to be exptended, now is the time to actually build it. For this I dug through my plastic supplies and found a set of Plastruct 1mm hexagonal rod which looked the best fit. You can barely tell its hexagonal, but the flat surfaces will make attaching the shelves and various other components later I reckon!

 

 

I've left off the pieces underneath the framework as the vertical bar you see at the bottom is actually the main brace to which the wings are attached and which the cockpit framework is fixed to. I'll have to add that when the cockpit framework is assembled and then attach the struts that connect to it. Once the glue has cured I can next look at building the rest of the cockpit as per the kit instructions.

[Kallisti]

Today is a nice quiet day to be able to sit down and do some modelling, so here is the progress so far...

 

First off, the cockpit frame was assembled 

 

 

Because this is a limited run kit, the fit isn't great, the locating holes are a bit hit and miss, but careful alignment and patience sorts it out. Next, the seat is supplied as a resin casting, however when sawing off the casting block at the base its nearly impossible to not cut out the indent at the bottom of the seat, so I replaced that with a piece of plastic card.

 

 

You really need to be very careful when trimming the resin flash on the back to avoid breaking off the mounting brackets that attach the seat to the two horizontal struts. These brackets are very fragile and I remember accidentally breaking them during the build of the IIc I did earlier in the year.

 

 

This time, they survived! One other annoying feature of the Fly kits, is they supply the emergency exit door as a separate part. They've obviously fallen for the common misconception that this is a door like on the Spitfire. So this means it needs to be glued back into the fuselage and the fit is not very good! It would be much better moulded in place with the option to cut it out.

 

 

Once the glue has set, I'll clean this up a bit more. The inside of this has some detail with the map pocket and release handle. I've added a small piece of lead wire behind the release handle to represent the cable that works the bolts that release the door. In my original IIc built I put a lot of effort into making this door more accurate and of course it was barely visible in the finished diorama  I've learned my lesson so will add a bit but not worry about it too much.

 

 

Finally in this update,  a puzzle - how many kits have you come across where the instruction diagrams had more detail on them than the actual kit part? Take a look at this side panel from the cockpit and compare the diagram with the PE part that is supplied...

 

 

I think the detail in that diagram looks fantastic, pity its not present

[clive_t]

47 minutes ago, Kallisti said:

 

Finally in this update,  a puzzle - how many kits have you come across where the instruction diagrams had more detail on them than the actual kit part? Take a look at this side panel from the cockpit and compare the diagram with the PE part that is supplied...

 

 

I think the detail in that diagram looks fantastic, pity its not present

Lol glad it's not just me! I have exactly the same issue with my Mistercraft P40 - amazing details in the diagram, even the seat is portrayed as having seat belts! 

[Kallisti]

Very intense and detailed work this morning to build the instrument panel. I did use the acetate films provided with the kit but int he end I overlaid them with individual instrument decals from AirScale along with some cockpit placards to make the IP look appropriately busy. I also drilled 3 very small holes in the bottom left to allow me to insert 3 short pieces of wire to represent some switches to give it more of a 3D appearance.

 

 

Now its time to break for lunch and rest the old eyes

[spitfire]

Looking good, I enjoyed the original build so will follow this one as well.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Kallisti]

Finaly update for today and I've come to a momentous decision today - I've been taking a look at the internal details I built 6 years ago and you know what, they are pretty darn good and I'm not sure I could do any better now, so I'm going to re-use them in the new build.

 

So here is the cockpit with more of the framwork added, plus the scratch built instrument tray and the components from the previous build

 

 

and here are the salvaged components close up

 

 

which are supposed to represent these

 

 

 

I'll need to redo the wiring and plumbing for them but that is the easier bit than scratch building them all again since I did a decent enogh job of that in this post from the previous build  

 

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2018 by Kallisti

[Kallisti]

Last update for 2018 and the cockpit internals have progressed well:

 

 

The piece of steel wire across the front will get painted black to represent a conduit which will be visible at the top of the fuselage opening. Various other wires and cables are still to be added to add tot he air of business.

 

 

At the bottom you can see one of the control cables for the elevators which will get painted silver to reduce the shininess since it is made from braided steel cable so won't be shiny. Another cable needs to be added above it that will connect to the top of the pivot just under the pilots seat that is then connected to the control column.

 

The sidewalls of the cockpit have als had some extra wires added using lead wire

 

 

 

This pic shows the extra partition added at the front of the starboard fuselage opening which has several cables, wires and conduits on it which you can see the start of here. You can also see the plastic strips I've added to the fuselage to aid alignment of the two sides since this kit doesn't have built in alignment tabs or anything to assist alignment. 

 

In addition, a collection of other components have been assembled in preparation for later stages

 

 

Finally, work has begun on the new base. First of the old picture frame surface needs evening out. This is done with a generous coating of Tetrion filler which when dry will be water resistant (helpful for the later stages)

 

 

Later the model surface will be added over the top of this using my trusty claycrete mixed with artist acrylic paint:

 

 

So thats all for this year - Happy New Year to everyone and see you next year!

 

 

[Kallisti]

Well I'm sorry to say that the base I have been working on for a few days had to be abandoned as it warped beyond repair after the Tetrion fell out earlier in the week and I then decided to replace it with plaster of paris. Sadly the moisture warped the base and even though I tried to flatten it under a stack of heavy books, it just wasn't working. Instead I went back to my stock of old picture frames and pulled out this one which is slightly larger but has a wooden base rather than cardboard so should withstand the moisture!

 

 

In the meantime, the cockpit has been installed into one side of the fuselage and I forgot to photograph that stage! However earlier today I did fit the two sides of the fuselage together and I do have photos of that. First off a shot from underneath which shows the cockpit frame in place

 

 

You can glimpse some of the masking tape I've put over the cut outs in the fuselage to prevent paint coming in when I come to prime and paint the camo later. You can see the masking tape even clearer in this overhead shot that shows the poor join along the upper ridge

 

 

Keeping with that theme, here you can see the joint along the nose which will need quite a bit of work to get level and smooth

 

 

Overall the fit of the two fuselage halves leaves a LOT to be desired  Its all fixable however, just a bit of a pain! Here are a couple of shots showing the detail visible inside the cockpit.. .with added plastic sanding dust from another task!

 

 

 

That other task I mention is illustrated here, these are the two fuselage panels I but out right at the start and as you can see I've been sanding the right one down from the thickness of the original on the left to something much more appropriate on the right...

 

 

These will need an internal frame built that would have fitted into the fuselage, but I will only do that for one panel. The other will be displayed face up so that the inside is hidden  So moving on to the other components of this diorama,  here are a few of the pieces that have either been salvaged from the original model or have been left over from other builds and are available to use

 

The tressels and bpxes with tarps were in the original model build, while the wooden crate on the right and the flimsies on the lower left were what remained after my Scammell Pioneer Recovery diorama last year. There are a collection of new items to add to this however, including more flimsies, of two different types

 

 

The metallic ones have been given an initial coat of XF-56 metallic grey and will have an over coat of ovilve drab that will be scratch and chipped to show the underlying metal later. These are resin pieces from a Resicast set of "Damaged flimsies and wooden boxes" that I used in the Scammell diorama before. Speaking of wooden boxes...

 

 

These are the wooden boxes that pairs of these type of flimsies would have been carried in. Since this is an airfield in the jungle of Burma, they would not have had a fuel truck so all the fuel needed for the aircraft would have been brought in via cans, ie flimsies. Finally on this update I've worked out what figures I want to use on this build. This time I won't be having my Dad lying on the wing obscuring all that lovely detailed work I did inside the fuselage  This time I've decided I'll pose him on the other side crouched down using this figure composed of pieces from the Airfix 8th Army multipose set

 

 

The outstretched arm will be leaving against the side of the cockpit to allow him to steady himself while the other hand holds a screwdriver, The head has been salvaged from the original prone figure and fits perfectly with the rest of the figure. The painted arm is one left over from the Scammell diorama. I've decided to add another figure to this build and this comes from a Bronco figure set for the 17/25 Pdr Anti-tank gun and is in face based on the loader figure who in the set is  bent over slightly

 

 

So I thought that with an alternative set of arms and head that might work here. This set is 1:35 as opposed to 1:32 but he won't be very near the 1:32 scale figure so should pass muster okay - so maybe he was a bit on the short side...

 

 

 

There are two heads because I've not yet decided which head I'll use. Whichever one I decide his neckline will need to remedial work as the open collar will need some building up to fit with the head. This figure will be standing on the wing opposite my Dad and leaning over the edge of the cockpit, resting his right hand on the seat and leaning his left arm on the edge of the cockpit wall. The head will be angled so he'll be looking down in the cockpit, obviously looking for something...

 

Lots going on and I'm enjoying this build

 

 

[Kallisti]

Today's progress:

 

The panels have both now been thinned down and holes drilled for the fixings 

 

 

However, turn them over and you see the internal detail that has been added

 

 

The first round of sanding the fuselage joints showed up some gaps and faults, so a liberal coating of Mr Surfacer 500 has been applied and will be ready for sanding tomorrow probably. In the meantime, the underside central portion of the wing has been glued in place. This necessitated heavy sanding of the resin wheel bays to allow them to fit under the cockpit framework .

 

 

 

As you can see I've added extra plastic strips to act as guides for the wings. Similarly when the wings were assembled, strips were also added 

 

 

Underneath the wings, the tropical air filter has now been attached - this wasn't a very good fit so some filler has been needed, topped up with a layer of Mr Surfacer 1000

 

 

 

So now its just a matter of waiting for the filler to dry and do some more sanding. In other news, the base has had an initial layer of plaster of paris has been poured and is currently drying.

 

[Kallisti]

So last update for tonight and its simply to show the new base having been given its second plaster of paris coating

 

 

The central piece had and extra dollop of plaster or paris added as it was the central bit of the picture frame so needed an extra bit of filling. This will be drying overnight in the cupboard in the kitchen where the hot water boiler lives so its a bit warmer than the rest of the house. This means that tomorrow it will be ready for the next layer which will be the claycrete, which then means I'll need to start the landscaping.

 

Dunno if anyone is still reading this, seems to have gone very quite so maybe I'm just talking to myself...

 

[Kilroy1988]

The original build from '13 looked fantastic and I can't wait to see how this one turns out. Thanks for sharing!

 

-Gregory

[clive_t]

I am definitely still reading this! Good work on the modified figures too

[Kallisti]

Today's adventures were all to do with the base. The first step was to add some terrain to the board

 

 

Next was to mix the papier mache aka Claycrete with water and a selection of water-based artist acrylic paints to get the colour. Looking at the geology of central Burma, the rocks are predominantly an iron-rish reddish brown, so the alluvial river plains are going to be reddish-orangy brown and this is what I mixed up... unfortunately it tends to remind own of baby poo - at least it doesn't smell like it!

 

 

Some of the other landscaping materials available to use are 

 

 

 

 

After a while of slopping the claycrete onto the base, smoothing it down then humping it up to get some features, I started on the scatter while the claycrete is still wet. You'll notice I'd put masking tape around the sides of the picture frame, This is supposed to protect the outer edge so that later I can peel it off and still show the wooden outer frame.

 

 

Finally, some foliage and grasses have been added and some of the stowage boxes etc have been placed.

 

 

The claycrete will take about a week to dry and will probably shrink quite a bit. Will be interesting to see what it looks like once dry! I may have to go over it again and wipe out all that landscaping! Heigh-Ho

 

[Kallisti]

The wings are on!!!!

 

 

A bit of filler was needed at the wing roots but it was okay in the end, underside was even better - a bit of smoothing down. There are PE strengthening braces to be fitted over the joint in any case

 

 

 

Other work has been taking place including the initial painting of one of the figures

 

 

This has been painted using a combination of XF-49 Khaki and XF 51 Khaki drab, plus some Vallejo medium flesh for the skin. This needs a lot more work for highlights and shadows... The resin wheels have been painted and given a bit of weathering

 

 

 

and finally the flimsies and their boxes have been painted up, plus a rather battered oil drum

 

 

The claycrete on the base is gradually drying and skrinking - I'm hoping it won't go much further because there is a distinct depression along one edge where the picture frame juts up a bit. I was hoping not to have to put another layer on top considering the landscaping I've already done!

 

[Kallisti]

I think the claycrete has stabilised... fingers crossed!

[Pete in Lincs]

My excuse is, I've only just noticed this one.

So you're not quite talking to yourself.

As always, impressive stuff. 

[phildagreek]

This looks very good.

[Kallisti]

Thanks guys, more to come later today hopefully!

[Kallisti]

Updates so far this weekend - first off the figures have been painted using a combination of Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics and oil paints

 

 

Since you won't really be able to see their faces, I've not gone too mad in detailing them beyond basic shadows and highlights. The various accessories, fuel cans, boxes etc have all been completed and weathered with washes and pigments and placed in their initial locations on the diorama. The accumulator trolly, tool box and trestles from the old build have been brought across. Thankfully the shrinkage of the claycrete has not caused a major problem with the base. There is a bot of ridge if you really look for it around two sides of the picture frame, but when the Hurricane is in place you really won't notice it.

 

 

Speaking of the Hurricane, it was primed on Friday and yesterday evening it got it Azure Blue undersides. This was a custom mix of Tamiya using the recommended formula of  2 parts X16 Purple, 10 parts XF2 white, 5 parts XF18 nedium blue. I think I might have put a little too much purple in at the fist mix so had to add some extra blue and white in, but I think its come out a reasonable colour - its difficult to reproduce accurately on the camera with the flash...

 

 

More later today I hope