F154 Hawker Sea Fury fighter *** FINISHED! ***

[Johnson]

The Hase/FROG Harrier GR1 is going OK and with a bit of luck should be finished in a week or two. That will leave the whole of August without a FROG. I could get on with my Airfix Spit XIX... but I had a look at the King Kits website and found this:

 

 

So if it's OK, I would like to enter the Hawker Sea Fury for the FROG Group Build.

 

I'm hoping that it will come with the decals for Sea Fury VR943/105 of the 804 NAS as shown (and as described on Scalemates). FROG seemed to get a get a bit confused about Sea Fury decals in their later kits, mixing up VR943 with WJ232/114 and getting the decals completely wrong.

 

The box art is great, but I've made a few FROG Sea Furys in the past, so I'm under no illusions as to what's in the box.

 

 

Got to be one of the best photos ever of a Sea Fury?

 

Edited July 16, 2019 by Johnson

[PeterB]

Hi Charlie,

 

Being from KK should be OK but unless I have thrown it I should have a Russian bagged one of these somewhere so if you are missing any bits let me know. I also have several sets of decs _ I will check if they are 493.

 

Later - see what you mean about the confusion - my decs are for 493, but as 232 "O" of HMS Ocean, which they mistakenly I believe claim to be Carmichael's supposed Mig killer.

Edited July 15, 2019 by PeterB

[Rabbit Leader]

Well done Johnson, the Frog Sea Fury was the only 1/72 kit of this great aircraft for absolute ages so therefore is always welcomed on here. We wish you well. 

Cheers.. Dave  

[stevej60]

Great to see the Sea Fury arrive Charlie!

[Johnson]

Many thanks for all the encouragement chaps. I'm looking forward to the post arriving!

 

As I mentioned above, not my first FROG Sea Fury, this will be the 4th or possibly 5th going back to the late 1960s when I was still at primary school. Here are a couple that survived.

 

Firstly an early one from the graveyard box in the loft, VR943 / 232 that I completed with matt Humbrol Authentic enamels then just added the decals, with predictable results ;

In those days I would have done the masking with sellotape. Looks like it's had a severe deck landing!

 

I've got this photo clipping in my file, possibly where FROG got their ideas for decals? Or maybe it was the other way round and they repainted the aircraft from the FROG colour scheme! The caption reads 'The ex-Royal Canadian Navy Sea Fury rebuilt and flown by Frank Sanders'.

From Flight International, 24th Aug 1972 (ain't the www amazing?)

 

Later, when I was getting more serious about modelling (a slippery slope). Another FROG Sea Fury, started in the 1970s and completed many years later, must have been post 1989 as it has Almark decals. A slightly more accurate version of Lt Peter Carmichael's WJ232:

Brush painted with Xtracolors and matt Humbrol varnish. The canopy would have been 'slam moulded' using a FROG Tempest canopy. The filler I used for joints and building up the wing roots and radiators was plastic wood. I either hadn't heard of Green Stuff, or it wasn't around. Hand painted stencils on the props - my eyesight must have been better than it is now, and my hand steadier!

 

Cheers!

 

 

[PeterB]

Plastic wood - that brings back memories as I said in my intro to the Me 410 build. Only stuff available in the early 60's!

[Rabbit Leader]

Naught wrong with the latter one Johnson and I’m pretty sure the earlier build would have held its own at the time. Cannot wait to see what you have in stall for us on this build, you’ve set yourself a nice high bar I’d say.

 

 Cheers.. Dave  

[Johnson]

The Sea Fury has landed! (2nd wire). 

 

Package from King Kit arrived today. The box is tiny! But the artwork is great, if only the decals matched it. 

 

 

Seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Old FROG box, later decals, NOVO instructions. The plastic looks good, nice uniform grey, crisp details, a warped u/c door, but that's easy to replace.

 

I'm determined to do 105 from HMS Glory. I'll have to see what I can cobble together, unless someone has the old ones spare? Or for sale?

 

Anyway, back to the neglected Harrier, or the Sea Fury will never get started.

[bigbadbadge]

Oooooooo lovely a Sea Fury, what a cracking aircraft. Your second model looks absolutely lovely too.  

Good luck with your build.

All the best

Chris.

 

[Whofan]

Interesting to see the plastic in your kit s a grey colour, my Frog Sea Fury is in a fetching dark blue plastic.

 

And the box art is slightly different, I think.

 

I'll dig it out at some point and put a photo up for comparison.

[Rabbit Leader]

Looks like you’ve got a bits’a there Johnson. Seems like Novo plastic and instructions, although there’s only one way to know about the decals. These look to be quite nice so perhaps they are Frog originals. If they shatter - guess what!

 

Anyway, it should all build up quite well so I wouldn’t be too concerned. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Johnson]

On 7/16/2019 at 11:16 AM, Rabbit Leader said:

Naught wrong with the latter one Johnson

 

On 7/17/2019 at 7:35 PM, bigbadbadge said:

Your second model looks absolutely lovely too

 

Thanks chaps, you're very kind! 

 

On 7/16/2019 at 11:16 AM, Rabbit Leader said:

you’ve set yourself a nice high bar I’d say

 

Hmmm, @Rabbit Leaderthat could be the problem! I have (very vague) recollections of how long that second Sea Fury took. I was planning to do an OOB build, just throw it together and paint it to enjoy the kit and relive those simpler younger days. But there are some easy (?) things that I know will improve the model; wing roots, intakes and replace that dreadful canopy. Maybe a rescribe...

 

Ooops!!!! Down the slippery slope again! Arrrggghhhh... 

Edited July 25, 2019 by Johnson
errors

[Ventora3300]

15 hours ago, Johnson said:

The Sea Fury has landed! (2nd wire). 

 

Seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Old FROG box, later decals, NOVO instructions. The plastic looks good, nice uniform grey, crisp details, a warped u/c door, but that's easy to replace.

 

 

Here is the early Frog boxing kit I did - the colour was approximating to the underside 'beige green' (the later boxing was dark blue, more like extra dark sea grey. 

 

In this earlier moulding, the propeller was moulded as five separate pieces - that was fun! Unfortunately, I did use the '105' transfers, 'edited' to '115' from HMS Theseus. Good luck with your build this time around - looks like you previously added a lot of extra detail (exhaust/inlets/cannon) that this kit is missing. All the best. Mike.

 

Edited July 18, 2019 by Ventora3300

[Johnson]

2 hours ago, Ventora3300 said:

the propeller was moulded as five separate pieces

Thanks for Mike, nice pics, I may have to start collecting early Sea Fury kits if I can fine them. Was always in my Top Ten.

 

Interesting that the prop was moulded in 5 pieces, the FROG Tempest was the same IIRC. I always thought that the FROG Sea Fury prop 'looked' right (compared say to the more recent Trumpeter kit). I'll have to compare the one that's just arrived to the earlier ones and the plans I have.

 

Cheers.

[JOCKNEY]

Delighted that the iconic Sea Fury has joined us.

I started one of these as a nipper and never finished it, looking really forward to following your progress. 

Cheers Pat 

[Rabbit Leader]

24 minutes ago, JOCKNEY said:

I started one of these as a nipper and never finished.... 

Some things just never change do they mate!! 🤔

[JOCKNEY]

10 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Some things just never change do they mate!! 🤔

Haven't you got a build list to update 😜

[Rabbit Leader]

Ok.... Touc

3 minutes ago, JOCKNEY said:

Haven't you got a build list to update 😜

Touché my friend.. I thought it would have been wise to wait until @stevej60 bought all of King Kings Frog collection! 

[PeterB]

Charlie,

 

Don't know if you have ever tried printing your own decals, but black letters and numbers are about the easiest thing to do, particularly if you have the correct fonts. A friend in the States "paints" planes for a computer game (European Air War) and he kindly sent me US, Luftwaffe and RAF fonts mostly for WWII but there seem to be RAF post war included, so I just print the decs from a paint program on clear decal sheet, having worked out what size I want them and can do this sort of thing for any combination of numbers and letters. These are part of my replacements for the Airfix Firefly as the kit decals are shot.

 

Other colours can be more of a problem - I discussed this in my Me 410 build. So you might wish to try and print the markings you want for your Sea Fury if you can't find a set. I find it easier than using the old letter/number sheets from Modelcal which Hannants probably now sell under the Xtradecal banner, but they do work if you have the patience. Let me know if you decide to give it a go and want any help.

 

Pete

Edited July 19, 2019 by PeterB

[Whofan]

A little while ago I mentioned that the Frog Sea Fury I have is in a dark blue plastic, and the box art is similar to, but not quite the same as in the picture put up by @Johnson.

 

Here's the box art for my kit;

 

 

As I say, the same picture, but no Frog "box" to the left.

 

Here's the plastic - the kit has been primed so it's an interior of the fuselage picture;

 

 

 

On 18/07/2019 at 09:58, Ventora3300 said:

In this earlier moulding, the propeller was moulded as five separate pieces

 

My moulding has the propeller in one piece.

 

I've looked at Scalemates and it seems my boxing is a 1974 boxing.

[Richard Humm]

The propeller was modified to a single piece around 1971, as part of a plan to issue it as a motorised "Spin-a-Prop" kit. This never happened, but the tool change had been made before the plan was abandoned.

 

Your box could be 1974 or 1976 - the way to tell is to look at the box side next to the kit name. If it says there's a Skybase included, it's 1974, if it doesn't it's 1976.

[John]

I've got a spare FROG Tempest canopy, if that's of any use to anyone.

 

John

[Johnson]

19 hours ago, Richard Humm said:

The propeller was modified to a single piece around 1971

The kit I'm building has this single piece prop. Compared to the older separate blades they are slightly narrower and taper more to to the tips. I've ordered a set of Pavla prop blades, when they arrive I'll post some comparative pics.

[Johnson]

2 hours ago, John said:

I've got a spare FROG Tempest canopy, if that's of any use to anyone.

 

Thanks, I have one!

[stevehnz]

On 7/18/2019 at 5:22 AM, Johnson said:

The plastic looks good, nice uniform grey, crisp details, a warped u/c door, but that's easy to replace.

Almost certainly Novo plastic, the prop molded as one piece is a give away there as I understand it, I've a couple of Frogspawn kits & they both have one piece props.

On 7/18/2019 at 8:58 PM, Ventora3300 said:

the propeller was moulded as five separate pieces - that was fun!

I made my last one of these 40+ years ago now, the multi piece prop went together well, to my mind a good way to do these as long as the wedgy bits that fit into the spinner are free of flash & burrs.

Steve.