A Trio of Navy Hawks

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These have been sitting in a box for a while now. They are complete except for transfers, canopy and undercarriage. Two Revell (actually Matchbox I think) and an Airfix BAe Hawks. I've got Alleycat and Model Alliance transfers for the display Hawks in 2009 and a Modelart sheet for a straight Hawk. The Alley Cat sheet has markings for both Navy display Hawks so I will be able to do both. 

 

 

 

It will also give me an opportunity to use my new toy. When putting the stencils on my Phantom it was a pain as the water cooled down and the transfers released more slowly and the need for constant hot water top ups. 

 

 

Let's hope I can get at least one finished. There are a lot of stencils on the sheets so I may just go for the markings and the principle stencils, I.e.the ones I can see. 

[825]

The Modelart transfers are a bit yellow, although the white discs already on are fine. So I've pope s them on the windowsill and hope there's enough winter sunshine to bleach them. 

 

I made a start on the others. I need to do a little touching up on one where there was over brushing of white on the fin but got a start. Both sets of transfers went on fine, thin but strong and flexible and were able to be moved into place quite easily. The register on the Alleycat roundels is a bit off (the front plane in the picture below) but I'll wait to see what they look like when dry. If need be I can use either the spare (we'll actually the RAF set) in the Model Alliance set, or it may be possible to overlay the kit transfers or use them if they have white surrounds. Here we are when popping away to dry. 

 

[825]

Slowly but surely moving along here. The Model Alliance transfers go on like a dream and apart from the off centre roundels the Alley Cat ones are fine, although getting them off the sheet is a challenge as the space between transfers is tight. Things have to be done slowly and in a measured way and let dry overnight so as not to disturb when putting the next ones on. So it all takes time. 

 

I removed the Alley Cat roundels from the upper wing surface and that was a nightmare. My usual method is to place some masking tape over the transfer and peel it off. Three or four sweeps is usually sufficient. The Alley Cat roundels refused to budge and even gentle scraping with a scalpel didn't work. So I had to gently sand them off and that obviously meant removing some of the paint. So cue some more polishing and reprinting the outer wings. I'm brush painting with Revell Aquacolour Gloss black thinned with Flow Improver and that needs quite a few coats over the red plastic. 

 

 

i also can't find the Airfix cockpit canopy and so am looking for a suitable donor. I did buy a cheap Revell kit a few years ago as part of the Modelzone closure but I can't find it although I do have a superglue spoiled canopy and an Italeri kit. Some pondering required. I have masks for the Airfix canopy but they don't fit the Matchbox/Revell canopy. I've masked one and fitted the internal screen. Another one to go. (And one to find)

 

Edited January 16, 2019 by 825