mike romeo Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Hi folks, Our esteemed GB fuhrer, aka @Rabbit Leader, has persuaded me to add a build here. I am going to try to update the FROG DH Hornet F3 and correct a few of the things that bug me about the kit. Masochism? Yes, but I'll consider it a small price to pay if, by annoying the modelling gods, they nudge Airfix to do an accurate new tool Hornet, with @David A Collins as technical consultant. So, what might I do? Well, reduce the thickness of the wings, improve the outline of the fin and rudder, gash up some cockpit gizmology, improve the canopy shape, and make the nose a little less blunt. We'll see how this goes; it's not a full-on accurising job, but if I do it right, it should look more like a Hornet. Of course the existing kit also looks like a Hornet oob, so I may be onto a hiding for nothing! More when I've gathered some bits n bobs and worked out how to post pics after the PB debacle. Regards Martin 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Ooooo Martin, this sound nice, I will watch with interest. Good luck with your build All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Hi Martin, Are you OK for decals - I have the odd set of Frog Hornet ones which should work. If interested send me a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 3 hours ago, mike romeo said: Our esteemed GB fuhrer, aka @Rabbit Leader, Funnily enough, I've been called worse!! Glad you've taken the plunge to sink your teeth into this kit kit as I'm sure we will all take something positive out of it when we decide to tackle ours. Wishing you the best of luck and enjoyment as this GB progresses. Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Well done Martin If you wanted a Hornet years ago this was the only option, it's always great to see these being built and I will be very interested to see what you have planned for it. Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 First, I need an Airfix Mossie fin (take a bow, @The Wooksta!). Let's see what Pat at Collectakit can do . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 9 hours ago, PeterB said: Are you OK for decals - I have the odd set of Frog Hornet ones which should work. Thanks, Peter, but the ones in the box look ok. I'm planning to do the 41 Sqn intruder scheme. Regards Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted June 19, 2019 Author Share Posted June 19, 2019 Hi folks, I have got some reference together, which has thrown up some interesting results. I have also ordered a donor kit from Kingkit, so work will start when this arrives. In the meantime, I will work out how to post pics again. Regards Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 I have started - honest - and have taken some pics, but have fallen at the first hurdle in getting the pics hosted on Flickr; seems I can't even work out how to register as a user! Sigh. Never mind, I'll sort it and get them posted when I can. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted June 26, 2019 Author Share Posted June 26, 2019 Still can't register with Flickr, maybe something to do with my phone. Slow progress is being made. I've: Chopped off fin and fillet Ground off cockpit interior and applied a smear of filler to the cockpit sidewalls. This evening, I inserted a cockpit floor from plastic sheey into one fuselage half. When that's dry, I'll cut it to fit then build the rest of the cockpit structure on it. I have removed the blank radiator grills from the leading edges and have enlarged the inlet somewhat in both length and depth. I will reposition the to-be scratchbuilt radiators further aft and open up the outlets. The upper wing halves have had filler added inside the leading edges in case I go through the plastic when correcting the wing cross-section. I have also added plastic sheet backing to the gap in the nacelle sides for the exhausts so I can add them after the wings are assembled. Next I plan to build up the cockpit structure from sheet and strip styrene, sort out the radiators and work out whether I bother to do anything with the gear bays prior to joining the wing halves and correcting the wing cross section. I'll keep taking pics so that if I work out how to post pics, I have something to show. Until then, though, it's a radio build. Regards Martin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted June 26, 2019 Author Share Posted June 26, 2019 Oh and I've also sourced a new fin (Airfix Mossie), removed the halves from the fuse and joined them, and glued together laminations of plastic sheet in the shape of the fin fillet, hopefully of a more sensible width. I now need to cut down the fin height appropriately and work out how I'm going to join fillet and fin neatly. Regards Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 Wow! Can I post now? Looks like it. I ground off the moulded in detail. And here's my references and what I'm using. The better printed of the decal sheets is a bit yellowed. These have now been taped to the window to bleach a bit. More soon. Regards Martin 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 Smeared filler in the cockpit area and forward part of the wing. Opened out the radiators. I need to detail these areas in due course. Cut off the fin and rudder from the fuse halves. Regards Martin 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 Here is the Airfix Mossie fin and rudder, and I've started the fillet, made from lamination of plastic card. And started detailing the cockpit. Regards Martin 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 Last post for me tonight: I got a bit carried away in cutting the fin to size, so I added some plastic card to the base. I have started shaping the edge of the fin fillet, and taken the front of the fin off. I'll have to fair in the fillet with filler in due course. And some more work on the cockpit. This won't be an Adrian class job, but hopefully will look ok when painted. Regards Martin 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Great to finally see some photos of this conversion Martin. She is certainly needing a lot of work, although as they say it will be all the better for it in the end. Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted July 4, 2019 Author Share Posted July 4, 2019 3 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said: Great to finally see some photos of this conversion Martin. She is certainly needing a lot of work, although as they say it will be all the better for it in the end. Cheers.. Dave Thanks, Dave. Flickr now appears to be cooperating. I'm not convinced the old Froggie needs this level of titivation. We'll see whether any of it is noticeable when finished. Regards Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Some nice work there so far. Few tips DO NOT under any circumstances trust the Warpaint Ian Huntley plans. They've been drawn from inaccurate information and are chock full of errors. I'm sure David Collins will back me up on this and tell you what they are. The windscreen is one that springs to mind. A Hunter canopy might be a good replacement - Pavla do a detail set that includes a vacform one. It's certainly better than the kit one. Tempest wheels are good replacements for the Frog wheels, even though the latter are reasonable. A Vampire nosegear will replace the kit tailwheel. Looking forward to seeing the finial results. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 1 hour ago, The Wooksta! said: Some nice work there so far. Few tips DO NOT under any circumstances trust the Warpaint Ian Huntley plans. They've been drawn from inaccurate information and are chock full of errors. I'm sure David Collins will back me up on this and tell you what they are. The windscreen is one that springs to mind. A Hunter canopy might be a good replacement - Pavla do a detail set that includes a vacform one. It's certainly better than the kit one. Tempest wheels are good replacements for the Frog wheels, even though the latter are reasonable. A Vampire nosegear will replace the kit tailwheel. Looking forward to seeing the finial results. Thanks, Lee. We've corresponded in the FROG Hornet before. In fact, I'm sure it was you who suggested using an Airfix Mossie fin. If you look at the first post of mine with pics above, you'll see the references I'm using. Re the windscreen, I had idly thought of cutting 3 bits of clear plastic packaging to form it. All of the windscreen panels are flat, and only the windscreen bottom has a curved edge. Regards Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 Well, I promised cockpit gizmology, and that's what I'm going to deliver! So, an extreme close up of a Matchbox Me262 nosegear leg, midway through being repurposed as a control stick. The black is sprue soup, which I'm going to carve down closer to the actual shape and size once it's gone off. Then a bit of representative sidewall action and we may be ready for a scoosh of primer. Regards Martin 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Looking really good Martin. A 262 gear leg used as a Hornet control column! Who would have thought? Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 Making blistering progress on the Hornet. Still, after numerous life distractions, I managed to get some paint on the various cockpit bits. I then took photos on a white background and that has washed out any visible detail. Soz. Hope to get the fuse joined, start on external fuse reshaping, and get fin and fillet on this weekend. We'll see. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 OK, I daubed some paint on the control column and added it, and the IP, then got the fuse halves joined. That's the first FROG on FROG glue action complete! Then, after a cursory seam rub down, I used the outline of the nose as template to roughly cut a former for the new nose contour thus: Note the outer profile has deliberately been cut too large so I can sand it back when installed. And here it is attached with a couple of supports: And here is a fuse side profile with the fin (with filler applied) and fillet in roughly the correct position: I'll let the nose former set up overnight, then sand it down tomorrow and try to build up the nose contour with filler. If that goes ok, I may go mad and try to sand then rescribe the fin and try to attach the fin and fillet. I then need to build up the tail cone a bit with filler, but when that's all done, the fuse is essentially finished for the moment and I'll move onto the wings. Regards Martin 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 Interesting way of going about this Martin. Good reference pics to take notes. I quite fancy this type of modelling every now and again, it’s good for the mental juices to kick in and think outside the box. Cheers.. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted July 14, 2019 Author Share Posted July 14, 2019 And after some judicious sanding . . . Regards Martin 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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