1/72 Arma Hobby FAA Hurricane Mk.1

[Pappy]

 

hurricane (hûr′ĭ-kān″)

 

1. A severe tropical cyclone having winds greater than 64 knots (74 miles per hour; 119 kilometers per hour), originating in the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea or eastern regions of the Pacific Ocean, traveling north, northwest, or northeast from its point of origin, and usually involving heavy rains.

 

2. A wind with a speed greater than 64 knots (74 miles per hour; 119 kilometers per hour per hour), according to the Beaufort scale.

 

3. Something resembling a hurricane in force or speed.

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Pappy

[LorenSharp]

Nice choice Pappy. Hurricanes are always  good. Either the flying or the beverage kind ,of course

[Pappy]

G'day people,

 

I made a start today. Interestingly, the destructions would have you start with the wheel bay, who am I to argue

 

 

Arma have split the MLG into forward and aft sections that is added to the underside of the main spar box/ cockpit floor. I was doubtful that I would be able to get the airbrush into all the nooks and crannies if I added the front section so I only attached the rear section before splashing some paint on. The locating tabs on the forward section did not fit their corresponding holes on the aft section. I just cut them off as test fitting did not show that there would be any issues.

 

 

I also added a prominent pipe to the forward section from some stretched sprue. I drilled a small hole in the aft bay section to accept the pipe section

 

The cockpit floor parts were assembled with the addition of the rudder pedals but left off the control column as I though that it would just be tempting 'Ralph' (aka the Carpet Monster) by adding it this early.

I cut off the on molded rudder toe straps as these looked overly thick and substituted some thin lead foil strips instead

 

 

Once the paint had a chance to dry everything was given a light pin-wash to pop out the details.

The final task today was to mask and paint the fuselage sides. Arma have done a great job including sections of the internal tubular frame. These sections are very delicate and great care needs to be exercised when removing and sanding away the mold seams. Once again, the locating pins of the tube sections did not fit the corresponding holes on the respective fuselage halves. This time I gently opened up the holes with a pin vise and the tube sections installed without any further issues

 

 

I sprayed the interiors silver first then applied the Interior grey green. The map case, pouch and other fuselage 'furniture' was picked out with a fine brush and then given a quick dry-brush followed by a pin-wash. 

 

The seat was painted  and attached to its bulkhead

 

 

I was not going to buy any aftermarket initially as I just wanted a relatively quick and simple build  but while looking on-line for a canopy masking set I came across a mask and PE harness combo set for a modest price so I weakened and now I am waiting for this to arrive so I can close up the fuselage.

 

Finally, I have painted up he cockpit cross-tube part and the IP has been given a coat of gloss black in anticipation of the IP decals which will be my next installment

 

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by Pappy

[franky boy]

Nice start Pappy

 

Its always good to see a Sea Hurricane. 
 

James

[LorenSharp]

Start up looks pretty good Pappy.

[Pappy]

18 hours ago, franky boy said:

Nice start Pappy

 

Its always good to see a Sea Hurricane. 
 

James

 

18 hours ago, LorenSharp said:

Start up looks pretty good Pappy.

 

Thanks very much fellas,

 

One thing I should correct (as was pointed out to me on the BM WWII sub-forum) is that this is not actually a Sea Hurricane ('Hurricat') rather a Hurricane in FAA service as it lacks the navalised equipment like the arrestor hook, cat spools and headrest,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Edited July 31, 2023 by Pappy

[Pappy]

G'day people,

 

I have managed to get the IP decal on

 

Arma include a very nice IP with lovely raised details. They also include two decals that can be applied over the top. I don't understand the logic  behind using two decals as the second of the two decals has multiple colours and white so I don't see why they did not just have the single decal but that is what is required. Having previously laid down a coat of gloss black, the first decal was floated on after a layer of decal solution was brushed over the surface. 15mins layer the second part of the decal system was applied over the top. The second part is 'hotter' and helps soften the decal to conform to the various hills and  valleys. I re-applied this solution about every hour in 4 applications. It is best to walk away while doing this and to resist ALL temptations to touch the decal as it will be extremely fragile  at this point.

Satisfied, I repeated the same process with the second decal.

Despite all the effort, I am really very pleased with how well it turned out(IP)

 

 

Who needs aftermarket!

 

In between applications of decal setting solution, I assembled the wing.

 

 

The fit for the most part was very good  but I could not quite get the two halves to meet near the wing root leading edges.

 

 

I suspect that the  MLG bay assembly was not seated quite correctly but certainly not a big issue and nothing a few small smears of filler will not fix. The fit at the TE was excellent and the parts are alos commendably thin

 

 

I will leave this to set for a few days and cannot do much more until the PE harness arrives,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Pappy

[Dave Swindell]

11 hours ago, Pappy said:

this is not actually a Sea Hurricane ('Hurricat') rather a Hurricane in FAA service

Sea Hurricanes aren't necessarily 'Hurricats' -  A Hurricat was modified specifically for use on CAM ships by the MSFU, it had the catapult spools, but no arrestor hook.

 

 

[LorenSharp]

Nice start Pappy.

[Pappy]

 

On 7/31/2023 at 7:27 PM, Dave Swindell said:

Sea Hurricanes aren't necessarily 'Hurricats' -  A Hurricat was modified specifically for use on CAM ships by the MSFU, it had the catapult spools, but no arrestor hook.

 

 

 

Cool story 👍

 

On 8/1/2023 at 10:54 PM, LorenSharp said:

Nice start Pappy.

 

Thank LS,

 

G'day people,

 

Finally moving forwards again.

The seat harness arrived and was quickly applied

 

 

Noice!

 

It was now time to button up the fuselage. I glued in the IP to one half.

There is a hallow recess in each fuselage half and it just nestled in perfectly. I glued the IP to to one fuselage side and then taped the fuselage together for about an hour to let the panel set while making sure the alignment was square.

 

I had a bit of a struggle to get the rear cockpit bulkhead assembly to it in the cockpit but it did find its natural position eventually. The instructions don't really give a precise location. It tuns out the frame sits between the tube frames, initially I was attempting to fit it just aft -  It seems so obvious now

Unfortunately, the seat came adrift during all the argy bargy, but I will be able to install through the fuselage opening

 

 

So the fuselage had now been buttoned up.

 

With that drying I set about cleaning up the wing assembly. The TE is commendably thin

 

The u/c bay is also looking sufficiently busy

 

 

The destructions would have you install the MLG units as part of the U/C bay assembly but I did not like the idea of having these delicate items sticking out during handling and painting, it seems like an excellent way to break them as well as complicating the masking process at painting time. 

It will take a little finagling but it is possible to install these after the U/C bay has been installed,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by Pappy

[Geo1966]

Nice progress Pappy.

 

I have the Eduard Dual Combo, which i believe is pretty much the same kit, so its good to see it being built and get some pointers.

 

George

[Pappy]

16 minutes ago, Geo1966 said:

Nice progress Pappy.

 

I have the Eduard Dual Combo, which i believe is pretty much the same kit, so its good to see it being built and get some pointers.

 

George

 

Glad you are enjoying the WIP George. What is a dual combo kit? Is that two kits in one box or two versions possible from one kit?

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

[Geo1966]

It is two kits in one box. A Mk1 and a Mk1 Trop. There are 12 marking options and photo etch.

 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/eduard-2138-hurristory--1369269

 

George

[Pappy]

20 hours ago, Geo1966 said:

It is two kits in one box. A Mk1 and a Mk1 Trop. There are 12 marking options and photo etch.

 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/eduard-2138-hurristory--1369269

 

George

 

Got it, some fantastic options in there, I think you ill need more Hurricanes!

 

G'day people,

 

More progress today, I managed to get the seat re-installed  and most of the fuselage seams tidied up. There is still a light hairline seam along the upper engine cowl that I till need to eradicate. I have applied some sprue goo which is great for this sort of job.

 

 

I was not sure about the cockpit colours above the canopy sill. I opted to paint the area over the IP in interior Grey Green (IGG) while the area behind the armour was painted in the colours of the exterior camouflage, which makes sense. 

 

 

The cross tubes have now been added. They needed just a touch of sanding to fit snugly between the side frames. I really like this kit, it is fiddly in a good way and will reward a patient and precise builder. The tail feathers were installed next, although the macro reveals a small gap, in reality it is tiny and some liquid putty will eliminate it, otherwise they fit like a dream!

 

 

 

The landing lights were not a great fit, I needed to sand the sides as they had a bit of flash and were a little irregular. So far, this has been the only dissappointment

 

 

The control column was added in preparation of the wing being mated to the fuselage, note the slight forward pitch to match the drooped elevators

 

Finally, a quick dry-fit to make sure all the bits play nice together. I was going to add a decal to the compass as it is just visible but after the dry-fit it was obvious that the control column  completely blocks it so I won't bother after all.

 

Other than that, it should all fit well come glue time

 

ure

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Pappy

[LorenSharp]

Coming along nicely, Pappy.

[Pappy]

On 8/6/2023 at 11:38 PM, LorenSharp said:

Coming along nicely, Pappy.

 

Thanks Loren.

 

G'day people,

 

Small update but big progress. The wing has been attached to the fuselage and things are looking decidedly Hurricane like

 

 

The left wing root join as not too bad

 

 

Unfortunately the right wing root did not fare as well

 

 

The leg also got a splash of  paint

 

 

cheers

 

Pappy

 

 

 

 

[Geo1966]

I am guessing you have given this a Panel line wash. What is the reason for that at this early stage?

 

George

[Pappy]

Just to see if anyone would ask me why I would apply a panel line wash so early......

[Pappy]

G'day people,,

 

Getting close now.

I have tidied up all the seams and  installed the carby air intake

 

 

 

The ARMA website includes some pictures of my subject aircraft and they show that itwas fitted with the DH Rotol prop/spinner combo. In one of the pics it also looks like the aircraft had an oil seal plate installed. My LHS recently had the Arma 'Expert Level' Hurricane MK.1 kits (Allied Colours) on sale so I snapped one of these up.These boxings come with a small PE fret that includes the oil seal plate. Luckily, for me the boxing option I want to build from that kit does not use the DH Rotol prop or oil seal plate so I stole it from the PE fret and installed it on this kit instead

 

 

Lastly, the reflector gun sight was installed and the kit windscreen attached. This proved to be a tricky item to attach and I managed to drop it into the cockpit twice before I got it to stick in its little cut-out

 

 

There should be a small combiner glass on the gun sight but decided not to push my luck.

Having basically finished the airframe, one of the remaining tasks was to assemble the prop and spinner.

 

 

I found the blades, especially the tips to be a little thick and decided that they would benefit from some thinning down. The thinned blades were added to the spinner hub, and they located positively via a locating pin. When it came time to add the spinner itself, the fit was quite poor. The spinner just did not want to sit down flush. I am not sure what the issue was, but I ended up slightly opening the prop openings as well as scraping and thinning down the inside of the spinner until I could get an acceptable fit

 

 

Apart from the landing light lenses, the prop has been the only other area where the parts fit was anything less than stellar,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Pappy

[Dave Swindell]

5 hours ago, Pappy said:

they show that itwas fitted with the DH Rotol prop/spinner combo.

DH (de Havilland) and ROTOL (a joint venture company set up by ROlls Royce/BrisTOL) were two different propeller manufacturers, so your Hurricane will have either a DH propeller/spinner or a Rotol propeller/spinner - looking at the parts you've chosen it looks like the DH propeller.

[Pappy]

8 hours ago, Dave Swindell said:

DH (de Havilland) and ROTOL (a joint venture company set up by ROlls Royce/BrisTOL) were two different propeller manufacturers, so your Hurricane will have either a DH propeller/spinner or a Rotol propeller/spinner - looking at the parts you've chosen it looks like the DH propeller.

 

Dave, how big should the yellow tip markings be?  Was there a standard measurement? e.g 4'' 

 

Also, was the dh propeller I have used metal?

 

I know that very early MK.1s had wooden fixed pitch props but following the lessons learnt in France, pilot cockpit armor, self-sealing fuel tanks and variable pitch props were quickly adopted. I also thought that the ROTOL prop used composite wood blades?

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

[CliffB]

Just catching up with this one Pappy.  Very impressive, neat work 

[Dave Swindell]

8 hours ago, Pappy said:

 

Dave, how big should the yellow tip markings be?  Was there a standard measurement? e.g 4'' 

 

Also, was the dh propeller I have used metal?

 

I know that very early MK.1s had wooden fixed pitch props but following the lessons learnt in France, pilot cockpit armor, self-sealing fuel tanks and variable pitch props were quickly adopted. I also thought that the ROTOL prop used composite wood blades?

Yes, standard yellw tip was 4"

 

Yes, DH blades were metal

 

Rotol used blades of different materials, some were metal, some sompressed wood - Weybridge, Hydulignum or Jablo.

[Pappy]

19 hours ago, Dave Swindell said:

Yes, standard yellw tip was 4"

 

Yes, DH blades were metal

 

Rotol used blades of different materials, some were metal, some sompressed wood - Weybridge, Hydulignum or Jablo.

 

Thanks very much Dave,

 

Pappy

[Pappy]

G'day people,

 

I have finished painting up the u/c bits. I hadn't realised that there was a very subtle 'DUNLOP' logo present on the main wheels until the detail popped out during a light dry-brush, what a little gem!

 

 

Likewise the prop and 'zorts

 

 

Arma provide a separate windscreen and two sliding canopy sections, one to depict a closed cockpit and a slightly wider version to allow you to display the kit with the hood slid back. The closed hood fits perfectly so I decided to use this to mask the cockpit. I used two small blobs of PA to temporarily secure this during spraying so that it would not be blown away. I used a mask set to mask for the windscreen portion and a quick application of tape to the hood meant that the masking task was greatly expedited.

 

Of course I will still need to mask the sliding hood -ugh!

 

 

I started with a quick blast of IGG to ensure the interior canopy framing was the correct colour. One last thing for the airframe was to open up the two small air intakes immediately behind the spinner

 

I have now applied the underside Sky type "S". There are lots of arguments over which shade is correct, I will leave that to those far more knowledgeable that me (not very hard!) but I am happy with the shade I have chosen. The kit provides the option to cut out the wingtip nav lights and replaced them with clear plastic ones. I decided that in 1/72, for e at least that the bite was not worth the chew, but it is nice that Arma gives you the option.

 

 

I painted the area under/inside the radiator Sky as well. I am not sure if this is correct but it seems that the general practice was to paint this area in the same shade as the underside, makes sense to me. I went 'old skool' with the u/c bay masking and used some wet tissue as I was going for speed and simplicity with this build. It worked well and I only had some very minor touch-ups to perform.

 

I hope to start getting the topside camo done next,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy