1/72 Airfix SAAF hurricane Mk.I Trop in East Africa

[Modelraynz]

 

Hiya!

 

I've been been enjoying reading about the east african campaign from:

- 'The First Victory'(good overall acount)

- 'Air War in East Africa 1940 - 41'(a good summary of sqn diaries, but a very dry read)

 

Ive decided I would have a go at modeling '277' using the Airfix 1/72 Hurricane Mk.+Xtradecal SAAF pt.1 decal sheet:

 

I have a feq questions regarding the SAAF Mk.I 'ragwings' posted to Kenya that im hoping someone can help with  

 

 

these two photos look like they might be for 277 'Q':

- it appears they have the latter exhausts of the Mk.Ia

- it looks likes like armour plate wassn't fitted?

 

onto the model!

 

Starting with the wing I filled the horrible ejector pin marks in the wheel and attached the upper spar:

 

 

Now the upper wing has a pretty good dihedral, where as the bottom wing one side sits higher ( atleast in my example).

To rectify this i placed slower curing super glue behind the lower wheel bays and clamped to the upper wings.

now the lower wing fits nicely into the upper, with the correct dihedral.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2021 by Modelraynz
resize pics

[Sturmovik]

47 minutes ago, Modelraynz said:

have a feq questions regarding the SAAF Mk.I 'ragwings' posted to Kenya that im hoping someone can help with

@Troy Smith

[Modelraynz]

wheel bay complete:

 

 

[Troy Smith]

5 hours ago, Modelraynz said:

it appears they have the latter exhausts of the Mk.Ia

no such thing as a "Ia", just a Hurricane Mk.I,  though this simple term covers a very complex subject.  

 The exhaust look like the standard early ejector type.

As for armour plate,  the weight caused problems with centre of gravity and the relatively light wooden prop,  and need counter weights to use it. 

A new metal prop solved the problem and improved the the performance as well.

 

and would depend on when these were sent abroad.  If they were sent out before armour becamne a standard then probably not.   I think there are more early SAAF pics about.

I'd have to do some digging around,  @tonyot has done one of these and may have the info to hand.

[Troy Smith]

another shot of Q

 

re armour plate,. 

A little detail I only noticed by chance, due to the sun angle, which is that the armour plate projects over the edge of the ply structure of the "doghouse" 

 

 

there is a Flickr album here of 253 Sq from late 39/early 40

 

eg 253 Squadron 06 by Сергей Кривицкий, on Flickr

 

 

I can't see any armour, given the SAAF are dated June 40,  I'd be inclined to think they were shipped before armour was coming online as standard, bear in mind armour only came about in early 1940 from operational experience in France, 

 

see https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234951615-paul-richey-hurricane-questions/page/2/

 

[Graham Boak]

Armour didn't come about from experience in France, it had been planned and production organised in 1939 but simply weren't ready in time.  Something else for which Dowding deserves the credit.  Not to mention the off-abused Staff officers and bureaucrats responsible for making sure that all these good ideas actually were turned into hardware built in the required numbers and delivered to the necessary units.  Nothing ever happens overnight, or without someone doing all the boring bits.

 

I agree that it's very unlikely that the early aircraft sent to South Africa were so fitted.

[Modelraynz]

17 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

no such thing as a "Ia", just a Hurricane Mk.I,  though this simple term covers a very complex subject.  

 The exhaust look like the standard early ejector type.

As for armour plate,  the weight caused problems with centre of gravity and the relatively light wooden prop,  and need counter weights to use it. 

A new metal prop solved the problem and improved the the performance as well.

 

and would depend on when these were sent abroad.  If they were sent out before armour becamne a standard then probably not.   I think there are more early SAAF pics about.

I'd have to do some digging around,  @tonyot has done one of these and may have the info to hand.

good to know, Mk.I then  interesting regarding the prop and CoG issue

 

13 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

another shot of Q

 

re armour plate,. 

A little detail I only noticed by chance, due to the sun angle, which is that the armour plate projects over the edge of the ply structure of the "doghouse" 

there is a Flickr album here of 253 Sq from late 39/early 40

eg 253 Squadron 06 by Сергей Кривицкий, on Flickr

 

I can't see any armour, given the SAAF are dated June 40,  I'd be inclined to think they were shipped before armour was coming online as standard, bear in mind armour only came about in early 1940 from operational experience in France, 

see https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234951615-paul-richey-hurricane-questions/page/2/

 

 

Thanks for the information, photos and album links!  a good find with the armour plate protusion - ( ive seen the term 'doghouse' but never understood why?)

based on everyones feedback im going without armour

 

12 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Armour didn't come about from experience in France, it had been planned and production organised in 1939 but simply weren't ready in time.  Something else for which Dowding deserves the credit.  Not to mention the off-abused Staff officers and bureaucrats responsible for making sure that all these good ideas actually were turned into hardware built in the required numbers and delivered to the necessary units.  Nothing ever happens overnight, or without someone doing all the boring bits.

 

I agree that it's very unlikely that the early aircraft sent to South Africa were so fitted.

 

it must of been somewhat nerverwracking flying without armor plate! wonder how it affected the CoG/handling when fitted...

 

 

started work today: fitted the fuselauge light with obligatory tinfoil,  and begun looking at wheels.....I really dont want to order aftermarket if I can avoid it, but all the 5 spoke wheels i have are from spitfires and are smaller tyre diameter and larger spoke size....trying to think of what other 1/72 british kits i could 'liberate' some from

 

 

started reading threads on BM about cockpit colours....oh boy......🥴

 

Edited October 10, 2021 by Modelraynz

[Modelraynz]

a fine day here, so I got some of the base colours down on the wheel wells and the cockpit.

 

Despite going though threads on the forums, Im not particularly closer to figuring out of the aifix instructions of 'brick red' are accurate for the headreast area! at the moment its green....i used tamiya ts-17 alminium for the cockpit and As-12 for the wheel bay ( as i ran out of TS-17!) its far shinier in the photos than in real life (looks almost like crome in the pics!!! 😆)

 

[Troy Smith]

9 hours ago, Modelraynz said:

I really dont want to order aftermarket if I can avoid it, but all the 5 spoke wheels i have are from spitfires and are smaller tyre diameter and larger spoke size....trying to think of what other 1/72 british kits i could 'liberate' some from

The Airfix tyres are slighlty too large, try fitting them in through the well openings! 

If you, or someone, has built an Eduard Spitfire, they all come with 3 wheel, hubs, 4 spoke/5spoke/flat,  so there are loads in spares boxes.....

The hubs are the same,  so you can just drill out the Airfix hubs and then use those. Not sure if you have any local modeller friends, but I know we have a few NZ members on here who maybe able to send you a pair.

 

If you can be faffed you could add some plastic strip to a Spitfire tyre and sand to shape.    

 

If you are bothered, you also need to fill and sand flat the fabric effect behind the gun bays, this was metal.   the line runs back from the main edge of the panel, not the small side out crop part, note the change in colour between metal and fabric areas,  not sure if the fabric faded faster, or was just a matter finish and looks lighter,  but is commonly seen on early Hurricanes

Hurricane by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

you can see the line here if you look carefully, and shows why this area was metal.  The pic will greatly enlarge if clicked.

 

HTH