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Hawker P.1091: Delta-Winged Hunter


Space Ranger

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I'm contemplating trying to convert a Matchbox Hawker Hunter to the P.1091 delta-winged proposal. Are there any published dimensions?

 

Also, would I be better advised using a different Hunter kit? The Matchbox Hunter looks a bit "undernourished" to me, but what do I know? I don't want to waste a Revell Hunter on such a conversion, and I got the Matchbox kit for a song.

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I don't believe there are. I don't think it was ever more than a sketch and a page or two of estimates anyway.

Opinions seem to vary as to whether the delta was the 1090 or the 1091, but I think I'd just overlay the plan view onto a Hunter so that the cockpit areas match, and scale from there. I've also seen is mentioned as both Avon powered and reheat Sapphire powered, so take your pick.

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Edited by Work In Progress
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Basically, BIN the matchbox Hunter, because it's utterly inaccurate.

 

I've blown a set of drawings to 72nd (the top set as it has a handy scale) and intend using a Revell Hunter and a Mirage III wing - it's a 60 degree sweep and the Mirage looks to be right, although will need some work (I'd initially thought TSR2 but that's way too big).  The intakes move forward and the fuselage appears to be shorter with a reheated engine.  I'm using the Revell one due to the nice wheel well detail and the intakes are integral with the wing, not the fuselage (basically any single seat hunter bar Revell).

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The Mirage wing isn't quite big enough - I checked it against a Kfir (close enough - just) and ideally,  a wing spilt properly top and bottom (rather than a complete trailing edge on one half and the lower split at the flap line) so a plastic card template sandwiched (mmmm, sandwich!) between the two would give a core to build on.

 

In addition, the wheel well bays appear to be further from the intakes on the delta compared to the original Hunter wing.  It's certainly doable, but there's a lot of filling and sanding involved.

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Thanks for all the info. Guess I'm gonna have to look for a Revell Hunter or 2 or 3. I was stunned to discover that the Matchbox Hunter is the only Hunter kit in my stash, and it's one of my favorite British aircraft! I built the 1/48 Lindberg kit as a kid. It had a rubber-band powered working ejection seat, and my poor test pilot ejected so many times that the rubber band broke.

 

Looks like we may have started a Hunter Delta group build!

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1 hour ago, Space Ranger said:

I built the 1/48 Lindberg kit as a kid. It had a rubber-band powered working ejection seat, and my poor test pilot ejected so many times that the rubber band broke.

I'm pretty sure that there will be an Eduard Brassin aftermarket rubber band for only $17.50.

 

I had the 1/48 Lindberg F-104 with the same system.

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The worst aspect of the Matchbox Hunter is the way the front fuselage is represented: if seen in planview, the model at some point starts to be too wide, until at the very front end the fuselage section is oval (with the width larger than the height) instead of being round. This affects the shape of the canopy too, resulting in a strangely wide windscreen compared to the real aircraft. It can be sorted by removing material from the inner sides of the fuselage halves (and replacing the canopy), but why bother while the Revell kit is available ?

There are other things here and there, however to me that is the worst and most visible error.

The two-seater front fuselage also sufferes from many shape issues, so it's IMHO basically useless. When built it may look like a Hunter, but only if you promise yourself to never have even a quick glance at a picture of the real aircraft

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22 minutes ago, melvyn hiscock said:

The fuselage is shorter on the afterburner ex prototype

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the cut line in the F6

 

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Proto/record breaker tail.

 

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F5 tail, note the the skin join, at an angle, right in the centre of the photo. That is the fuselage end on the afterburner Hunter

 

i hope that helps

Edited by melvyn hiscock
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