Hawker's Kestrel, Harrier, Hind, Hurricane Mk1, Hunters FGA9 and T7...

[HAMP man]

Hello Bill,

Went to SWAM in st Athan tonight, and got to get up close and personal with a T7 Norman and its 'ump. If I can get the photos offa my phone would you be interested?

Strickers

[perdu]

Sure would old bean, thank you.

[giemme]

9 hours ago, Fritag said:

I wonder if I need to invest in the same stuff as you and G, or whether the printing resin will do the same.

If I'm not mistaken, Tony @TheBaron used it that way in his current thread... for sure as glue, but I seem to recall also as filler of sort...

 

Ciao

[HAMP man]

I.T. beaten into a bloody mass here come the Rembrandts

 

 

the winney wipes

 

 

Recliners, for the use of

 

 

Would Sir like it round or square at the back?

 

 

 

 

Pictures facilitated by 614 aux sq Cardiff, a fine bunch of lads and lasses, a credit to the service and country.

Taken at South Wales Aircraft Museum which is a gem, the volunteers include ex lineys can talk about about their charges with authority and humour. 

 

And finally...... just to prove that bits can fall off, I did tell them that I knew of a way to add odd corners with youvee but they said it might come off at 400knts 

 

 

 

 

 

bit of a side-slip from the Hurri hope they are of use

 

Box on 

 

Strickers

[TheBaron]

9 hours ago, giemme said:

If I'm not mistaken, Tony @TheBaron used it that way in his current thread... for sure as glue, but I seem to recall also as filler of sort...

Excellent material for both purposes.

[perdu]

Wonderfully clear ejection seat details amongst all those other fine pictures Strickers dear fellow thank ee very kindly

 

They are very, yes very good.

 

ZA195, heck of a suspicious rebranding

 

[HAMP man]

Not sure about the provenance of the Harrier but was marked up in FAA livery. They let you sit in the T7 and wiggle the stick, they also have Black Mike there sans Speys, again access all areas. Soon as the outlaws leave for oz I will be back down there sniffing around.

[perdu]

That museum is the dog's by the look of it, next time I am adjacent to Cardiff it is due for a visit.

 

Funny how taking the decision to model a partcular kit can take me down uncharted byways.

 

The Hart kit, I always bemoaned Airfix's decison to hack the moulds apart to make it into their Demon, though I bet they knew what they were doing.

 

So Johnny @The Spadgentdecided to make, beautifully as always, the Demon and enjoying the build I chanced upon the Hart in its original bagged version for eight quid at Telford.

 

This inevitably got me started and for me that means delving into the airframe and seeing what makes 'em tick.

 

The Hart family (a sixties TV show with wandering minstrel bi-planes performing around Yoorup as they cope with various exciting disasters...?) has its ailerons only on the upper wings and those wings also share leading edge slots but it never occurred to me to wonder how they worked.

 

I bought the set of photo-etched flying wires on the net and was happy to believe that all such flying wires should be aerofoilly-flat(ish) as in the etch set, but are they?

 

The controls to enable aileron and slat control seem to be round, at least they are on the flying examples we have at our disposal.

 

 

The prominent wire here is for slat actuation and this is the top end of it at the actuator

 

The one climbing into shot further back is aileron control

 

 

Which ends up here at a very complicated junction for aileron control

 

 

Both look round rather than aerofoiled to me, so I will be making those four wires from round stock, mind you the etch set has the answer to some very tricky problems.

 

Ring and bead sights

 

I'm ok at this and have been playing this game for a long time but could I replicate those in plastic?

 

Not without going blind and getting too fumble-fingered with glue.

 

Anyway I digress, the gunner's station has been panel-ed with 5thou plywood

And the wheels hung underneath the fuselage daintily

 

 

The problem is, for me there is always a problem, the rear stay is absolutely nothing like the real deal

 

This

 

Is not a lot like this

 

 

So I will have to call on this to replace it

 

 

Curse my reluctance to get the tripod into action and also curse my blurry hands

 

Sorry guys and miladies.

 

'This' is @John Aero's wonderful strut material which will be swapped for the kit struts one at a time to retain the shape and set up.

 

Well now I have duties to perform, may even get the MGF MOTed this week too.

 

Ciao.

 

 

 

[perdu]

The Hurricane is looking beautiful, if you remember the first Airfix Hurricane with its fuselage perched but not quite fitting above the thickest wing in Christendom.

 

This however is

 

 

Were it not for the traces of paint from the innards I wouldn't be able to see the join

 

Lovely jubbly

 

Even underneath the joins are almost invisible except one or two tiny PPP places

 

 

Of course we do still have to add the rear underside with the tail fillet but I dont think that will be too awkward.

 

On the back of the two seater Hunter at last I can say the shape doesn't displease me any more, phew

 

I can hope to use the Matchbox canopy without making it into a moulding buck

 

We'll see.

 

 

Paint job decided, 4FTS at RAF Valley.

 

Red, White and Light Aircraft Grey.

 

I found the Modeldecals set I have saved for just this very task and it has the pyramid and palm tree emblem I need

 

I intend to scan these emblems for further use too, they are superb.

 

The Frog model has reacted nicely to sanding too

 

 

The pair of Master pitot heads have arrived so I can begin going forwards with the Hunters now too.

 

Still unsure whether to make the single seater a silver belly or give it LAG and low-viz roundels, time for a decision.

 

Edited May 16, 2022 by perdu
Missing sentence reinstated damn this silly laptop

[Hamden]

 

All progressing nicely Bill, a joy to watch a master at work!

 

   Stay safe         Roger

[perdu]

Master Rog? I think he is off on his hollybobs frightening gannets and auks.

 

Or maybe you mean the mephistofelean master brooding on the far shores of 'over there'?

 

Or our own nautical gentlemen down south bless 'em?

 

And there is the General and countless others, me I just enjoy a bimble around the kits with several well regarded files.

 

So many masters here I just bask.

 

I have managed to return the Hind to a state that bodes decently for when the upper wing is hammered onto its pegs, quite like the look here.

 

 

The undercart has been sorted, ish

 

 

Proper aerofoil rear stays now fitted

 

 

And the shiny (but not too shiny) nose panels were added by using MK(?) wax stuff I found down in the garage whilst failing to get a decent finish with Vallejo paints.

 

This is a try out for now but since it doesn't shine ridiculously it may be the winner.

 

Having to use Mr Levelling thinners on the Molotow chrome pen ink was a bit of an off-put, I wondered if it might set the model aflame like the other Molotoffs do.

 

BUT

 

If the collective hive mind wants me to extend that far I do now have a sacrificial Demon to try it on now...

 

adieu

[perdu]

MK ? No AK metallic wax finishes.

 

Nicely worked in steel and aluminium, this is Aluminium.

 

I also tested it on my Lightning mule, impressive.

 

 

 

[The Spadgent]

5 hours ago, perdu said:

All the work on this lovely update is rather fine Bill bit I fear this is my favorite shot. 🤩 Fantastic. 👏👏👏👏

[Procopius]

On 5/12/2022 at 3:59 PM, Fritag said:

 

 

 

Time to try resin.  I wonder if I need to invest in the same stuff as you and G, or whether the printing resin will do the same.  I’ve already got a UV torch somewhere….

 

 

 

Printing resin will cure under UV torches, so it should work...I'd wear gloves when mucking with it until cured, of course.

[perdu]

I hadn't realised that those 'existential annoyances' when they occur can wipe the restorable entry in the reply boxes, ho hum.

 

As PC says I never like getting the resin on my person, horrid gooey feeling slime, "Quick zap it and peel it orf!"

 

I have decided to model the Shuttleworth Hind, a returned from Afghanistan airframe and fully restored by Shuttleworth as K5414, C flight of Fifteen Squadron the Flying Foxes which can be made up from my Modeldecals set, keeps me happy huh?

 

Hawker Hind, Shuttleworth, 2004, taken & submitted by Paul Maritz (paulmaz), Paul retains the copyright to this lovely photo.

 

The Flying Foxes emblem is on the decal sheet as are the fifteen squadron symbols in red, yellow or this lovely blue.

 

Sorted

 

A start now on colouring the fin and rudder

 

 

Better control of the silver will allow me to maintain a blue only fin, honest.

 

That's the task of my Army Painter Wet Palette, better control of colours and brushes.

 

 

Yes I did use the tripod Ian, darn it.

 

 

Tidying needed on the fin.

 

And a decent view of Roger's Scarff ring which he sent me to save me lots of unnecessary work, thank you Roger you're a star.

Last word for this morning

 

Steve did you ever find a pair of these?

 

 

I am sure you know I mean the 4FTS palm tree and pyramid emblems.

 

These will be added to my Hunter T7 however if you need them I did manage to scan the part sheet they are on so they can be printed off for you any time.

 

OK off for brekkie, sitthee all.

[hendie]

lovely update Bill.  You got a good result with the finicky little aerofoil supports on the undercarriage - a task well worth doing.

[europapete]

Nice work you are doing here Bill on a great classic kit. Jumping back further up the page to your description of the wires. I believe that you are mistaken, those wires are the structural flying wires, not control wires. All the aileron and slat controls are hidden inside the wing. Regards, Pete in RI

[perdu]

Thanks for that Pete, exactly the things I like to learn on these jobs.

 

I can see a slight thickening of those wires, do the control cables come up the centre set into the wing roots?

 

And should they be different section to the interplane wires?

[perdu]

Intriguing isnt it, nothing points easily to how control movements get to the ailerons

 

I wonder if the rear cabane struts carry bell crank motion up into the wing structure>

 

Anyway that means Pete is right about the flying wires having an aerofoil section

 

back to plan a

[europapete]

Hi Bill, I will get you a more complete description shortly.

[europapete]

Ok, let's see if I can explain this in an intellidgable way. Starting at the control column in the cockpit. This was pivoted half way up like the Spitfire and Hurricane. The lateral movements being transfered via a sprocket and chain to a torque tube below the foot boards. This in turn transfered movement to a bellcrank that operated two cables going upwards at an angle behind the instrument board and through the fuselage decking into the top wing. There they connected to a system of cranks, pulleys, chains and rods out to the circular fittings that you see on the underside of the top wing and hence to the ailerons. The slats were automatic and operated via an air pessure system within the wing. There were no cockpit controls for this. If you look carefully at photo's of any Hart or varient, you will see two wires coming up in front of, and just to the side of, the windshield and going into the top wing. These are the aileron control wires. The bracing for the carbane struts is heavier duty and in front of these wires. I hope this helps you to understand the control system. Regards, Pete. 

[perdu]

That brilliantly describes it.

 

Thanks Pete

 

Once you said how wrong I as I started looking for the prime suspects and worked out it must be the pair of wires each side of the scuttle that did the job, which you have confirmed with an excellent description so I can begin drilling holes.

 

 

👍

 

[europapete]

Glad to help.

[perdu]

 

AK Interactive True Metal wax.

 

Looked good when put down on the surface but a week of handling and attempts at repolishing show diminishing returns.

 

Maybe but no ceegar...

 

So the buzz word round here has been Molotow, and thinning the refill pack I bought last week with Mr Thinners stuff to spray it.

 

Kinda raised alarm bells, maybe £60 is a very cheap high class H&S airbrush, but I'd hate losing it because of delving into the unknown so I have been reluctant to play.

 

The finish I underachieved with with the wax finish looks scabrous enough to need removing entirely, so I wondered if maybe the self levelling effect of the Molotow would work with the refill.

 

Let us play 🙏

 

Oh yes sorry, let us pray.

 

 

Hind and the Demon mule...

 

 

The Demon isn't even glued together but this isn't a bad finish applied with a dirty cocktail stick, let's see how they look after the inevitable handling sessions they have ahead huh?

[Terry1954]

8 minutes ago, perdu said:

 

Looking good Bill. Be careful with the Molotow though as it takes a while to dry off completely. I left mine a day or so. I understand the latest thinking is that Alclads Aqua gloss coat (the milky white stuff) is the best for varnishing these metallic finishes if you want to retain that hi shine.

 

HTH

 

Terry