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Airfix 1/48 242SQN Hurricane


Bell209

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My next project is the new mould Airfix Hurricane Mk.I, the subject of a number of builds here already. I'll be building mine with Xtradecals markings for Douglas Bader's 242SQN mount out of Duxford during the Battle of Britain. It'll be pretty much out of the box (if I can restrain myself...)

The seat and floor are done. Slight weathering of the floor and I've cut the locating lugs off the seat armour so I can fit the seat to the fuselage first, as reviews suggest that's an easier way to go.
 

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I've also elected to clamp the spars in place on the lower wing now and will use the unused gun truss frames to build up the area around the landing lights as they don't look like basic way Airfix has modelled them and I won't be opening up the gun panels.

 

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I will use some stashed etched seat belts as I just can't leave the seats without belts!

 

 

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9 minutes ago, Bell209 said:

I will use some stashed etched seat belts as I just can't leave the seats without belts!

Couldn't agree more! Seats without belts, particularly on second world war aircraft, don't look right. Well, to me atleast 😊

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I love the Airfix 1/48 Hurricane. It's a good kit which rewards patient work. To date I have built 2 both as 242 Sqn Hurricanes both flown by Fleet Air Arm pilots during the Battle of Britain (RJ Cork flew as Badgers wingman).  I have also built the Sea Hurricane (same kit different markings) and have the Hurricane (Trop.) in the stash

 

Ensure you dry fit everything, sand flat the tops of the wing spars and fit seat belts..

 

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Good luck with your Hurricane..

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

More progress. Fitted both the wings up but here's what they look like with and without the upper surface.
 

691821-35291-99-pristine.jpg

I modified the landing light area a little and attempted to add the black wire frame on the lenses.

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Fighting my instincts, I resisted the urge to get an Eduard or Yahu panel and decided to try out the decal on the kit instrument panel fascia. With paint and Future top coat applied, I placed it on with Micro Set and Sol, following it up with Future on the dials. Quite surprised and pleased with the result (sorry about the out-of-focus shot - the camera refused to focus on the panel!).

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The instructions would have you fit the seat to the frame but I've followed the advice of others and fitted it to the port fuselage half after removing the locating lugs. It will now have to wait until I get my etched seat belts in a couple of weeks (the Airwave set's at home - of course!) before joining the halves.

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  • 1 month later...

Well, I got the seatbelts and installed them. I also made a rear cushion from plasticard as the kit doesn't come with one (you're supposed to put the pilot in).
 

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I've also worked away on the thing progressively and here's where it is this afternoon.
 

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Putting the frame together separately from the seat worked a treat and it went together pretty well. Still a couple of seams at the wing/fuselage junctions but not too bad.

 

I spent an hour or so masking canopies and the windscreen this afternoon so I can get a coat of primer on to see where I'm at with joins. I'll leave the control surfaces off until I've finished sanding and will use the wheel-up option parts as masks for the undersurfaces.

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  • 1 month later...

Not sure if you’re doing undercart down and step down but if you are the hand hold half way up the fuselage and level with the trailing edge has a flap that opens when the step is pulled down.  Have to do this on my own Trop version.

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3 minutes ago, Grey Beema said:

but if you are the hand hold half way up the fuselage and level with the trailing edge has a flap that opens when the step is pulled down.

 

down

Sea%2520Hurricane-015.JPG&key=d0d7243ef1

 

 

up

sh09.jpg&key=5d0d3bb3488a7c006c86efeb173

 

from 

 

Lots of very usefuk detail shots applicable too all Hurricanes :) 

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Just unmasked it (it was actually in the Dark Earth area) and cut it out. After I've painted the Dark Green, I'll make the small folding panel from brass sheet and paint it.

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Should've put a shot of the underside in!
 

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The wheels and doors are the retracted kit pieces being used as masks for now.

I got the RAF Dark Green on yesterday, too. Used the AML masks for the camouflage and modified it with some extra masking to allow the whole port cowl to be green, as per the photos of his aircraft.
 

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Thanks, Troy; I cut the step open and made the cover up from scrap brass sheet. Pretty happy with the result so far, even though I had to remask and repaint! Fitted the radio mast, too.

 

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Just realised I should've cut the ejector ports open - they stick out like a sore thumb now! Why Airfix didn't mould them open is beyond me.

I'll give it a couple of days to cure before gloss coating, then I can get on with decaling. I pinched the Hitler/242SQN jackboot artwork from my Italeri Hurricane so I can put it on both sides as Bader was adamant his aircraft had it on both engine cowls.

Edited by Bell209
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  • 2 weeks later...

Gloss coated and decalled (mostly).
 

 

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I've decided to wait for the Aviaeology stencil set before continuing this as I reckon this aircraft would have had all of them painted on ex-factory (it wasn't very old at the time I'm depicting it). I'll use the Airfix kit set on my Italeri example which will be modelled as the only Hurricane used by the RAAF in Australia, as its stencils probably weren't extensively repainted after the aircraft was repainted here.

 

I've used a combination of Airfix and Xtradecal sets so far. The Xtradecals were difficult. They started to move off the paper, then stopped and I'd have to re-wet them before they'd leave the paper. Then they wouldn't sit down neatly until I'd soaked them in Micro Sol. One of the squadron letters cracked and I had to cut a bit off another set to cover the crack. You'd be hard-pressed to see where now, though. Noticed (too late) that the 'D' on the left side is slightly crooked, too. It can stay that way.

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46 minutes ago, Bell209 said:

I'll use the Airfix kit set on my Italeri example which will be modelled as the only Hurricane used by the RAAF in Australia, as its stencils probably weren't extensively repainted after the aircraft was repainted here.

If at all, as the RAAF had a couple of paint jobs IIRC?  Ending up overall aluminium dope.

 

I assume the one above is getting the Spitfire Rotol prop and spinner?

 

If so, you can use the leftover Airifx DH Hurricane prop and spinner on the Italeri kit, Ideally you need to reduce the size of the nose ring on the Italeri kit,  (compare to the Airfix) but the Italeri spinners are all horrible .... too big and wrong shape, all 3 of them in different kits!

 

 

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1 minute ago, Troy Smith said:

I assume the one above is getting the Spitfire Rotol prop and spinner?

That's the plan. I think I can make the correct prop using one of the kit props and its other spinner. I also have the Airfix Spitfire Mk.I I can rob a prop and/or spinner from as I'm using the Watts prop for it.

4 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

If at all, as the RAAF had a couple of paint jobs IIRC

Very true. I'm doing the Foliage Green/Sky Blue scheme, which was its intermediate scheme

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Just now, Bell209 said:

I think I can make the correct prop using one of the kit props and its other spinner.

the new tool Airfix kit has two complete prop/spinner units,  the spare in this build is the right one for the RAAF one, the DH Hurricane unit, which was fitted to all Tropical Mk.I's.  

as seen here

V7476-RAAF.jpg

 

see https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234980181-hawker-hurricane-propellers-and-spinners-a-modellers-guide

 

one caution, you can fit either set of blades to either spinner in the Airfix kit...  I have seen build with DH blades on a rotol spinner :fraidnot:

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  • 1 month later...

So...I couldn't help myself and decided to add AM exhausts. Unfortunately, when adding them today the thin CA glue I used instantly wicked all over the matt clear coat and now looks like crap. I'll recoat this week with a (slightly) glossier clear coat and I'm hopeful this will remove my sins. In a way, it's just as well as I've realised the Future has too much X-21 in it and has a whitish sheen too the finish, hiding some of the weathering. Anyone else had a similar experience with CA?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Before the disaster, I'd weathered the model and then flat-coated it. Here are the pics:

 

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The disaster that was described above:

 

 

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So I added a bit more Future to the X-21/Future mix I used for the matt coat and...voila!

 

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The sharp-eyed amongst you may notice the main gear has also been fitted. I've drilled the antenna mast to accept a piece of 0.1mm rod which will form the insulator for the wire antenna. Not sure I'm convinced the servicing and DTD markings add to the model but they're on now and can stay there. The exhaust staining isn't as pronounced as I'd like, either. It'll do, though.

 

Not far to go now but the model is located at work, 2200 km from my current location, so it will be taking a hiatus for a couple of months (or more?!) until the COVID-19 crisis is over. Plenty of other kits to work on in the interim...

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Thanks; you can't see it with the naked eye, either. The weathering over the gun acces panel may be a little over-done now but I'll file that away for reference on the next kit.

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  • 7 months later...

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