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Hunter GA 11


expositor

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Was hoping the Hunter experts could help with info to turn the Revell FG 9 into a GA 11....Much as I love the RAF Hunter, I try to limit my interest to naval and maritime a/c, hence the '11.  My only Hunter source is the Warpaint, so all I know is remove the drag chute housing and shave the nose for the light.  My understanding is they have the same saw- tooth wings.  So, what else must I do, or am I all wet trying to use that kit?

 

Thanks!

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Wings were the same but the fuselage was a bit different: the GA.11s were converted from F.4 airframes so retained the smaller exhaust of this variant and has different vents in yhe centre fuselage area.

This variant featured an arrestor hook and this required a different bump under the rear fuselage, larger and in a different location.

Last but not least, no guns were present and the gun throughs were faired over.

Now you don't mention the scale of your kit, if it's 1/72 then Alleycat have a conversion set in resin

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6 hours ago, expositor said:

Was hoping the Hunter experts could help with info to turn the Revell FG 9 into a GA 11....Much as I love the RAF Hunter, I try to limit my interest to naval and maritime a/c, hence the '11.  My only Hunter source is the Warpaint, so all I know is remove the drag chute housing and shave the nose for the light.  My understanding is they have the same saw- tooth wings.  So, what else must I do, or am I all wet trying to use that kit?

 

Thanks!

Blackbird Models had a conversion set for the GA. 11, kit 72012.  I have no idea if it is still available.  If your kit is something other than 72, then they may still possibly have, or have done, a conversion set for the larger scales.  Part of the conversion is cutting away part of the central fuselage and replacing it with a new resin part.  It has to do with some of the vents.

Later,

Dave

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Just now, Giorgio N said:

Now you don't mention the scale of your kit, if it's 1/72 then Alleycat have a conversion set in resin

Darn you Giorgio, you beat me to it!  Just as I posted my reply yours came up too! 😉 I wonder if the Alleycat set is the same as the Blackbird set?

Later,

Dave

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Just spotted this thread.  Here's my FRADU FAA RN GA4 conversion, built 2007, using the Revell F6 kit as start point.

 

Whilst this model was a subject in a ARC GB during build, the photos were photobucket - lost.

The conversion parts were compared with other available sets, but no match established.

Revell-Hunter-GA11-001.jpg

Airbrushed overall Humbrol 164,  Dark Sea Grey.

Revell-Hunter-GA11-002.jpg

I'd bumped into Neil Robinson, and I think Paul Lucas, on the SAM stand at IPMS Avon model show in 2005.
Paul sold me a resin GA4 conversion set for the then new Revell Hunter, consisting of a Harley Light nose. A mid section including two upper fuselage vents, a slightly smaller bore exhaust, and a hook. He said that a magazine article about the conversion, and offering the set for sale would soon appear. Well if it happened, I never saw it!
Much searching for appropriate decals, before starting this build. The nose and exhaust sections designed to fit the fit the kit without cutting, then fill the cannon ports and omit the shell casing collectors. I didn't risk that mid-fuselage section, prefering to represent the added vents with a blob of carefully positioned paint.
Represents XE861 VL, which at the time was a preserved and flying aircraft, based at Kemble, Gloucestershire.

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1 hour ago, e8n2 said:

Darn you Giorgio, you beat me to it!  Just as I posted my reply yours came up too! 😉 I wonder if the Alleycat set is the same as the Blackbird set?

Later,

Dave

 

Dave, the two conversions look different in pictures, with the Alley cat set having more parts. Haven't tried any of the two, although a FAA Hunter is on my to-do list. I rate an early pre-Harley light GA.11 as maybe the most elegant variation of one of the most elegant fjet fighters ever

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Many thanks gents!  Giorgio, there are other scales???   Very nice model Surgeon, thanks for posting. That's what I would like to do.  I have an old Hunter kit of unknown mark somewhere, but only the newer '9 to hand.  So, remove the canon bulges and fill in the muzzle troughs, and add a square vent lower and rearward of the teardrop Naca vent?  The air brakes appear to be in the same area, so anything beside removing  the drag chute housing?

 

Thanks again!

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11 hours ago, expositor said:

Many thanks gents!  Giorgio, there are other scales???   Very nice model Surgeon, thanks for posting. That's what I would like to do.  I have an old Hunter kit of unknown mark somewhere, but only the newer '9 to hand.  So, remove the canon bulges and fill in the muzzle troughs, and add a square vent lower and rearward of the teardrop Naca vent?  The air brakes appear to be in the same area, so anything beside removing  the drag chute housing?

 

Thanks again!

 

Well, there may be other scales, but they are less important.. 🤣

Jokes apart (yes, I am a big fan of 1/72 but I respect all other scales), there is one detail to consider: the exhaust size. Since the GA.11 was based on the F.4 this variant had an exhaust of smaller diameter. How noticeable is it ? I suggest searching the forum as there have been several discussions in the past on this subject. You may decide to try and modify the Revell part or just not bother. The various conversions generally include this detail so with one of these you'll be sorted anyway.

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You may wish to consider an earlier scheme when they operated from Brawdy.  The Harley light was not fitted at that point. However markings may be an issue, I'm not sure what's available in 1/72 or 1/48.

Edited by MikeC
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On 18/05/2021 at 06:25, Giorgio N said:

Now you don't mention the scale of your kit, if it's 1/72 then Alleycat have a conversion set in resin

The Alleycat sets are the old FAAmodels set with the addition of a small bore tailpipe, and only one nose option in the set - FAA provided both PR and Harley light noses, Alleycat only give you the nose appropriate to the conversion kit title. For some reason the FAAmodels set didn't include the small bore tailpipe.

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My effort at a GA11 using the Alley Cat set plus an old Aeroclub F4 jetpipe and Modelart decals, but I ignored the vents. Also added a further option the PR10 - again using the same Alley Cat/ FAA Models /Aeroclub/ Modelart combo although I remember I had to make the PR nose fractionally longer.

 

@Giorgio N I did read somewhere that in fact the tailpipe of the less powerful Avon was the same diameter as in F6/ FGA9 but it was the fairing around it that was less bulky (less heat generated?). Can't vouch for the accuracy of that however. Certainly agree with you that the Royal Navy GA11 with the early nose is the best looking Hunter!!!!!

 

43229736075_3c3c152c14_b.jpg

 

38342893866_b2ab025681_o.jpg

 

Edited by Pat C
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21 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

 

Well, there may be other scales, but they are less important.. 🤣

Jokes apart (yes, I am a big fan of 1/72 but I respect all other scales), there is one detail to consider: the exhaust size. Since the GA.11 was based on the F.4 this variant had an exhaust of smaller diameter. How noticeable is it ? I suggest searching the forum as there have been several discussions in the past on this subject. You may decide to try and modify the Revell part or just not bother. The various conversions generally include this detail so with one of these you'll be sorted anyway.

Always a bit contentious, the actual jetpipe is identical in diameter on both the F4 and F6 (i think it may be the same part no), its the fairing around it that is different.  I personally believe the difference was caused because that the 200 series Avon of the F6 was actually shorter in length than the 100 series of the F4 so the end of the pipe was further up inside the rear fairing and could cause the jet blast to hit the edge of outer fairing, so they made it wider to stop this happening. The Jetpipe was mounted on a rail in the hunter so the jetpipe could expand and contract depending on JPT.

 

Selwyn

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Very nice models Pat!  Selwyn, you're always good for technical info, thanks.  Bent, seeing that tail end pic of XE707 in RAF camou makes me question the colors.  The RAF colors are Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green over

all, no?  The navy color should also be DSG, but though photo interpretations, etc, etc, shouldn't the two a/cs' 

colors appear to be more similar than they are?  Am I wrong about the required colors?  I do like sea birds in

land bird plumage....!

Thank you Gentlemen!

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No.  The Navy colour is Extra Dark Sea Grey.  Though I must admit that (from memory) the GA.11s I saw at Dunsfold (back for rebuild and export - to the Swiss IIRC) looked more like Dark Sea Grey.  You might argue they were faded, but EDSG fades bluer as it gets lighter whereas DSG doesn't.  Or at least it did into the late 60s.

 

PS: the best looking Hunters were the early ones without sawtooth leading edges, but the GA 11s are nice.

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XE707 is in EDSG overall. At some point it had been EDSG over White in FRADU service. It was built as an F Mk4

The two tone scheme in the hangar is EDSG and a darker shade of grey. This machine flew in the USA as a DACT Aggressor for a time. It has a glass cockpit, which CAA refused when it came home. If it was restored to analogue and given a proper overhaul, it is potentially flyable.

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@bentwaters81tfw Interesting - I’ve been comparing pics of the all over grey FRADU Hunters to all over DSG Harrier FRS1 and to my eyes the colour looks the same. There’s also a pic of WW654 on the same site that shows It with a darker grey nose. 

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59 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

I am sure that you are tight Pat, but I saw them at Dunsfold in 1970/71, well before the days of the Harrier.

 

Not at this hour of the morning Graham ! 😁 70/71 they would have been XDSG over white with various training squadrons.

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On 5/19/2021 at 5:20 PM, Pat C said:

My effort at a GA11 using the Alley Cat set plus an old Aeroclub F4 jetpipe and Modelart decals, but I ignored the vents. Also added a further option the PR10 - again using the same Alley Cat/ FAA Models /Aeroclub/ Modelart combo although I remember I had to make the PR nose fractionally longer.

 

@Giorgio N I did read somewhere that in fact the tailpipe of the less powerful Avon was the same diameter as in F6/ FGA9 but it was the fairing around it that was less bulky (less heat generated?). Can't vouch for the accuracy of that however. Certainly agree with you that the Royal Navy GA11 with the early nose is the best looking Hunter!!!!!

 

 

 

On 5/20/2021 at 9:40 AM, Selwyn said:

Always a bit contentious, the actual jetpipe is identical in diameter on both the F4 and F6 (i think it may be the same part no), its the fairing around it that is different.  I personally believe the difference was caused because that the 200 series Avon of the F6 was actually shorter in length than the 100 series of the F4 so the end of the pipe was further up inside the rear fairing and could cause the jet blast to hit the edge of outer fairing, so they made it wider to stop this happening. The Jetpipe was mounted on a rail in the hunter so the jetpipe could expand and contract depending on JPT.

 

Selwyn

 

Of course, for smaller exhaust I meant the rear fuselage end, never the actual jet exhaust fuselage pipe. This would be of very little relevance in modelling terms since it's inside the fuselage and not very visible. The rear fuselage fairing on the other hand is visible, although it is debatable if the difference between the two types is worth working on it. In any case I'm sure someone did measure both rear ends and posted the relevant figures in a thread in this very forum

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