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Tired Old Puffers at the Last Ditch (3 x 1/72 Arma Hurricanes)


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"Hauptmann Tietzen, my Staffel commander alone has nineteen [sic] [aerial victories]! I witnessed most of his kills. It is fantastic, the way he shoots. He is the boss, he moves us into position and selects the victims, and we have to do little more than cover him...During the last few days the British have been getting weaker, though individuals continue to fight well. Often the Spitfires give beautiful displays of aerobatics. Recently I had to watch in admiration as one of them played a game with thirty Messerschmitts, without itself ever getting into danger; but such individuals are few. The Hurricanes are tired old 'puffers'."

 

-- Leutnant Hans-Otto Lessing, II.JG/51, 17 August 1940

 


When they finally come to destroy the earth
They'll have to go through you first
I bet they won't be expecting that

 

-- OK Go, "Invincible"

 

 

 

On 18 August 1940, the Battle of Britain's hardest day, when the losses for both sides were heaviest, seven Hurricanes of 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron and eight more from 32 Squadron attempted to break through German fighters escorting 58 Dornier 17s of KG2 over Herne Bay. It was an unequal contest. Four jagdgeschwaders of Bf 109s swept in to attack the RAF fighters as they climbed to meet the enemy; Flight Lieutenant George Stoney, leading 501 into action, was separated from his comrades and shot down and killed, one of nineteen members of 501 to lose their lives during the Battle of Britain, more casualties than any other participating squadron. Severely outnumbered, the other Hurricanes were unable to cut their way to the bombers.

 

But they did not leave empty-handed. 

 

Pilot Officer Pawel Zenker, who had flown fighters in defence of Poland in 1939, where he had shot down a Henschel 126, headed straight for the escorting German fighters and got behind a Bf109. In his combat report, he wrote that the Messerschmitt "turned back towards France and I chased him as he climbed firing from 300 [yards] and closer ranges and about 10 miles over the sea I saw smoke and fire come from the fuselage and he rapidly lost height. The Me 109 did not adopt evasive action but flew straight on until it crashed into the water somewhere near the North Goodwin Lightship." Hauptmann Horst Tietzen, Staffelkapitan of 5./JG51, the fourth-highest scoring pilot in the Luftwaffe, with seven victories over Spain and twenty more claimed since the start of the war, was dead. 

 

Pilot Officer Stefan  Witorzeńć, who had been a flying instructor in Poland in 1939, was flying as Red 2 on F/L Stoney's wing when he was bounced by two 109s. Throwing his Hurricane about the sky, he outmaneuvered both of them in a diving, turning fight that dropped in altitude from 14,000 feet to 10,000 feet. As he regained height, he found himself below and abeam a 109; he gave it a long burst of fire from the Hurricane's eight machine guns, at 150 yards. The 109 tried to turn away in a shallow dive, a fatal mistake against a Hurricane. Witorzenc followed hot on its heels and gave it another long burst from dead astern; it burst into flames and crashed near Wingham, where it exploded. Leutnant Hans-Otto Lessing, with four victory claims, had written a letter to his parents the day before, describing the RAF's Hurricanes as "tired old puffers". Now he was dead. 

 

Pawel Zenker was last seen chasing a an enemy aircraft out to sea on 24 August, 1940; aged twenty-five, he never returned to grow old. Perhaps he waits in Avalon with Arthur to this day. Stefan Witorzeńć survived the war and, after a period of imprisonment, served with the postwar Polish Air Force; he died in 1994. 

 

I'll be building three Hurricanes from 501 Squadron using the new kit from Arma. Unfortunately, decals for Zenker (possibly P3208/SD-T) and Witorzeńć's (L1868/SD-D) machines on the day aren't available, but there was a fair degree of mobility in the squadron, and it's likely that of the three decal options I have for 501 (two in the kit and one in the excellent set of Stanislaw Skalski decals), Zenker and Witorzeńć probably flew in at least one of them once. 

 

In any case, the aircraft in question have distinguished pedigrees regardless, having been flown by the Polish aces Stanislaw Skalski DSO DFC (18 victories and offficially Poland's highest-scoring ace) and Antoni "Toni" Głowacki DFC DFM (8 victories), who famously became an ace in a day after shooting down three 109s and two Ju88s on 24 August 1940. Skalski died in 2004 in Poland; Glowacki, in 1980 in New Zealand.

 

It would perhaps be foolish to think that building what is after all a plastic toy could be in any way a meaningful tribute to the men and boys who flew the Hurricane in the Battle of Britain, whether they were a thousands miles or more from home or whether their parents saw them fight and die in the skies above their childhood homes. But howevermuch an act of love and admiration it can be, let this build be that. 

 

If you wish to hear George Stoney's voice seventy-nine years after his death, he gave a short talk for the BBC on 3 August 1940: 

 

He was twenty-nine and had fifteen days left to live. 

 

I just received my first order of kits from the mailroom here at work. Shall we begin?

 

2019-01-03_10-49-02

 

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6 minutes ago, Procopius said:

 

 

I just received my first order of kits from the mailroom here at work. Shall we begin?

 

 

 

You betcha, can’t wait for this

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47 minutes ago, perdu said:

I will happily follow these tired old puffers PC, your typically eloquent and inspirational intro catches the imagination as many others do not

 

Onwards

What he said. Most eloquent as usual.

 

Can’t wait.

I have three of these (1 expert and 2 over trees) and will watch and learn.

 

Tony

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Many people have raised an eyebrow at my big BoB Spitfire build, but your introduction has explained way more eloquently than I would have been able to say, exactly why it was so important to me.

 

I've held off with the Hurricanes, solely because I didn't think there was a kit good enough. It looks very much like the Arma kit will rectify this injustice. I look forward to the release of the standard boxing. I'll be needing a *lot* of them.

 

Until then, I shall pull up a chair and follow your builds with a great deal of interest.

 

Cheers,

Mark.

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I'll be in for this one too, I've one of these ordered from MJW models. I'm sure you'll craft a fine tribute with your Modelling PC, but I'm equally sure the greater tribute will be the reverence with which you hold these mens memories in your heart in which case it'll be a very fine tribute indeed.

Steve.

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Very interesting introduction, you've caught my attention so I'll follow along.

 

One little thing amongst all the excitement about this new kit, why is no one complaining about it being an end opening box the way they do with Revell? 

 

Jeff

 

 

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3 minutes ago, pinky coffeeboat said:

One little thing amongst all the excitement about this new kit, why is no one complaining about it being an end opening box the way they do with Revell? 

I don't generally complain about such things, but Revell of course is a huge (by comparison) corporation and an established brand, whereas Arma Hobby is three guys in Poland. 

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Well, the 109 is off to one side for now and three of my Hurricane kits are all cleaned off and ready to go. I decided to start with one and see how I went, rather than risk making a mess of all three at once. Softly softly catchee monkee...

 

A quick note: I've found my micro-chisel to be a very useful piece of kit on this build, and if you don't have one, I recommend getting one just on general principles. Generic ones can be had very cheaply from ebay.

 

I started out by removing the raised detail in the gear bay so that I could replace it with the rather nice-looking photo-etch part.

 

IMG_20190103_210257

 

It fits quite nicely, but don't do what I did and get glue on your finger and foul part of the surface. 

 

IMG_20190103_211002

 

The walls of the gear bay are fashioned from two pieces; I found the locating pins on these to be too fat/the slots to be too short and narrow, and it was easier to just shave the pins off and fit them. The keen-eyed observer will note that I fitted the bay walls to the bottom, rather than top wing, in defiance of the kit instructions. This was a mistake, both in the sense that I was confused, and that it doesn't work as well if you do it this way.

 

2019-01-04_07-12-22

 

 

 

After some faffing about and attempting to place parts upside-down so as to conform to the instructions, my brain did a full Immelman turn inside my skull, and with one mighty feat of strength, I wrenched the walls free and reattached them in accordance with the instructions.

 

IMG_20190103_212417

 

IMG_20190103_212423

 

Much better.

 

The instructions would have you add the main landing gear now, threaded as it is through two lattice-like parts added to the bay at this time (fig.1):

 

IMG_20190103_214842

 

The gear is supposed to go in place (square locating pins for it, by the way, well done, Arma!), then the lattice, then close the wing up (fig.2). Now, I know myself. I wouldn't call me a close friend, but it's been a long acquaintance. I will snap those legs off in a heartbeat and without a thought. 

 

IMG_20190103_213143

 

I understand why this way is indicated -- it's a tricky squeeze to fit the gear in after the fact with the lattice in place, so I decided to see if it could at least be done, and taped the wing closed. Thrill to the sounds of my high-pitched yet flat midwestern twang, strangely redolent of Kermit the Frog:

 

 

By the way; you'll want to drill out the hole the landing gear arm goes into to ensure a good fit.

 

IMG_20190103_215417

 

This established, I sprayed some AK EXXXXXTREME!!!1! Dull Aluminium in various spots, and closed up the wing (sans gear).

 

 

IMG_20190103_222616

 

 

 

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The detail on the kit looks really quite nice, kind of "there, but not in your face". And well done Kermit for showing the u/c can go in after all the construction and painting is done, like you I always break off those little legs.

 

Jeff

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Chair pulled up and sat at the back (long sighted you see, can't sit too near the front, won't see a damned thing)!

 

Another thanks for showing us how the undercarriage can be fitted with the wings assembled, I too belong to the club that would snap them off otherwise.

 

Great introduction btw.

Edited by Wez
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12 hours ago, pinky coffeeboat said:

why is no one complaining about it being an end opening box the way they do with Revell? 

"cause I haven't got mine yet. When I do, I'll examine it carefully & objectively  & if I'm not happy I will deliver relevant & pertinent criticisms  bitch like blazes. :D

Steve.

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Hi there,

 

Tagging myself in, if you don't mind.

I have received mine but it is waiting til I feel sufficiently capable of doing it justice.

 

So, watching this to see how it should be done.

 

Cheers,

 

Alistair

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