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Hawker Hunter F.6 63(R) Squadron 1976


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Hi everybody,

 

With the dreaded COVID grounding me for the past few months I’ve been working my way through my stash. Here is the new-tool Airfix Hunter F.6 in the markings of 63 Squadron at the 25th Anniversary meet of the Hunter at Greenham Common in 1976.

 

I originally painted this model in the Red, White and Grey scheme of 4 FTS but I couldn’t get a finish I was happy with so I stripped it back and repainted it as you see here. It took a bit of research to find a camouflaged Hunter minus the guns and sabrinas (I had already removed them) but fortunately I found this one.

 

The kit is a pleasure to build however I replaced the pitot tube and ejection seat as well as adding a ladder from Brengun. The paints were Hataka and the decals were from the spares box. 
 

I added a picture of this model with my previous Academy Hunter that I built last year as a comparison. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed building them!
 

Chris

 

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Excellent! Great build. Glad to hear the kit doesn't provide any issues. Your Academy build is commendable too.

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I think it's hard to find a single view of a Hunter that doesn't prove that it was one of the most aesthetically pleasing aircraft ever.

 

Great build and lovely finish. Must admit to having a soft spot for the Red/White/Grey schemes so I suppose I need to get my finger out and build one myself! 

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Hi Chris,

 

a nice Hunter you've built 👍 This kit was already on my "want-list" and now it ranks there even higher.

One has to say, the Academy kit doen't look out of place next to the Aifix kit. It just shows that the Hunter is one of the most elegant jets designs ever!

 

Cheers

Markus

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They both look brilliant and it is nice to be able to compare the Academy and Airfix kits 'side by side' as it were. I must admit that considering the Academy kit's reputation for being so massively inaccurate I am finding it difficult to spot any major issues (I can see the wingtips are slightly different and the front of the fixed canopy is slightly different too but it looks like a Hunter to me). Did you build the Academy kit right out of the box or did you do any modifications to it ? (Sorry to seem more interested in the ACA kit!).

 

Duncan B

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Thank you for the kind feedback everyone! I think we can all agree on the Hunter’s aesthetics too!

 

On 6/22/2020 at 4:03 PM, Duncan B said:

They both look brilliant and it is nice to be able to compare the Academy and Airfix kits 'side by side' as it were. I must admit that considering the Academy kit's reputation for being so massively inaccurate I am finding it difficult to spot any major issues (I can see the wingtips are slightly different and the front of the fixed canopy is slightly different too but it looks like a Hunter to me). Did you build the Academy kit right out of the box or did you do any modifications to it ? (Sorry to seem more interested in the ACA kit!).

 

Duncan B

 

Hi Duncan, the Academy kit has its fair share of failings, I replaced the cockpit, ejection seat, wheels and jetpipe area on this one. The decals are pretty naff too! With the right aftermarket it can really hold up well to the Airfix kit, especially as it has (IMHO) superior surface detail and isn’t made from Airfix’s soft plastic. The Airfix kit does fit together a lot better though. I still have the Airfix F.4 and another Academy kit (plus oodles of aftermarket!) to build as a Swiss F.58.

 

Chris

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Nicely done.......I do like the way the Airfix kit comes together.....I have a GA.11 on the go at the moment.

 

As others have said, the Academy kit should not be written off entirely.....especially if it is built in 'flying' mode, which takes away the major inaccuracy with the location of the main undercarriage, wheels etc. The cockpit, ejection seat and jetpipe will all need to be attended to as well but a good result can be achieved as the photos bear witness to. 

 

I'm looking forward to doing an RAF TWU FGA.9 example next using another Airfix kit and Aerocraft's new resin upgrade set in the near future.  

 

Well Done, Sir ! 

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