1/72nd Sea Hurricane IB, Arma kit Finished

[Mr T]

My entry for this GB will be the Arma Sea Hurricane. The kit is based on their Mark I kit with some 3D printed extras for the carrier based bits as well as some very nice exhausts. The kit also includes canopy masks and some vinyl rectangles, which I suspect are supposed to represent strengthening plates.  The obligatory sprue shots 

Five choices of aircraft are given on the decal sheet, four or which are for aircraft from the Pedestal convoy in August 1942. All aircraft are in Temperate Sea Scheme with Sky undersides. I understand that the Mark I has a couple of build issues that are absent in the Mark II kit. 

[Graham Boak]

There's a running thread by a modeller having a problem getting the leading edge to close up under the nose.  I've just looked at my part-made one and have the same problem, which appears to be the interior framing sticking below the lime of the lower fuselage part.  I shall try cutting the lowest frame member off, I may or may not replace it slightly higher,  If that fails then a little filing of the mating surfaces could solve the problem.  Starting from scratch, make sure the framing is positioned a little higher to clear the view between the two fuselage halves.

[Troy Smith]

6 hours ago, Mr T said:

I understand that the Mark I has a couple of build issues that are absent in the Mark II kit. 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235080866-hurricane-mki-arma-hobby-72nd-scheme-tbc/

 

I found making sure the side framing fits, drill out the mount holes a touch,  I added the floor to this, and did need to file a little on the upper wing to get a snug fit,  I know you have done vac forms and the like,  so a little care and and adjustment I found it fitted really well.

 

You can easily wiggle the uc later as well contrary to the instructions.

3 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

There's a running thread by a modeller having a problem getting the leading edge to close up under the nose.  I've just looked at my part-made one and have the same problem, which appears to be the interior framing sticking below the lime of the lower fuselage part.  I shall try cutting the lowest frame member off, I may or may not replace it slightly higher,  If that fails then a little filing of the mating surfaces could solve the problem.  Starting from scratch, make sure the framing is positioned a little higher to clear the view between the two fuselage halves.

 

Does require a little care and a few adjustments, but I was very impressed with the overall fit.

 

Mine got stalled because I found the much rated Xtracrylix were enough 'off' that I needed to strip the paint and have not it picked after that...  

[Wings unlevel]

21 hours ago, Mr T said:

All aircraft are in Temperate Sea Scheme with Sky undersides.

Is there a better looking scheme on a Hurricane? Mike Crosley’s ‘They gave me a Seafire’, which opens with the sinking of HMS Eagle, has terrific accounts of flying the Sea Hurricane, including during Pedestal, if you’ve not read it?

 

Enjoy the build, I’ll be keen to see how this goes together.

 

 

Edited August 1 by Wings unlevel
Getting my carriers confused

[vppelt68]

13 hours ago, Wings unlevel said:

Mike Crosley’s ‘They gave me a Seafire’, which opens with the sinking of HMS Ocean Eagle

[Wings unlevel]

32 minutes ago, vppelt68 said:

13 hours ago, Wings unlevel said:

Mike Crosley’s ‘They gave me a Seafire’, which opens with the sinking of HMS Ocean Eagle

🤦‍♂️😳

[Graham Boak]

Delving deeper into the AH box, I found some pages I took from SAM Jan 2023.  A build by Brian Derbyshire, in which he describes the perfect initial dry fit between wing and fuselage, followed by trouble when attempted after interior assembly.  "...because the side frames won't quite fit into the grooves provided in the upper wing "bridge" area.  Apply a rat file  just outboard of the heel troughs (part 4) to make the grooves wider and deeper, especially at the rear."  Wish I'd read/understood it sooner.

[vppelt68]

Thank you, Graham! V-P

[ModelingEdmontonian]

17 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

drill out the mount holes a touch,

agree, this makes a big difference especially in completing the cockpit

 

17 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

You can easily wiggle the uc later as well contrary to the instructions.

highly recommend this.

 

But the biggest problem with the Mk I in my opinion is the propellor/spinner fit and this was fixed with the Mk II. Honestly I don't have any suggestions on how to mitigate it because despite many builds I don't have it figured out! Maybe you will find the secret sauce and I can learn from you! 

[Mr T]

A start made on the Sea Hurricane, which is going to be a bit slow as other builds are ahead in the queue, and so it will be a case of doing bits whilst waiting for paint to dry etc. I have basically completed the first two stages of the instructions, although bits of paint work has been done whilst the appropriate colour is on a brush. 

Once the wing is together, I will start on the fuselage, that includes cutting a piece of the lower fuselage for the arrestor hook etc., that I am not looking forward to. 

[Wings unlevel]

13 hours ago, Mr T said:

A start made on the Sea Hurricane, which is going to be a bit slow as other builds are ahead in the queue, and so it will be a case of doing bits whilst waiting for paint to dry etc

Slow progress is good progress, and, apart from the arrestor hook surgery this kit I think will be a great one to chip away at.

[Chuck1945]

Great start. It will be a good looker. I built this Sea Hurricane as well as two other Arma Hurricane I kits and at least four of the Hurricane II kits with several more of both waiting their turn.

[Mr T]

After suffering from the inability to post yesterday and part of today, normal(?) service is resumed. After getting the wing together, I have started on the fuselage. The instrument panel decals have worked really well and the tubular side members are in place. As per several suggestions, I drilled the location holes a bit deeper. After thinning the bottom elements, the wing fuselage joint looks to be OK. I had taken the precaution of deepening the grooves in the top wing beforehand.  The area of fuselage to accept the 3D printed fuselage bottom has been cut ready for the new piece. 

Hopefully the fuselage will be together in the next couple of days depending on projects above it in the build order. 

[Wings unlevel]

6 hours ago, Mr T said:

As per several suggestions, I drilled the location holes a bit deeper. After thinning the bottom elements, the wing fuselage joint looks to be OK

I found drilling out the location holes helped, but I also had to trim the lower sides of the armour plate piece to clear the cockpit frames too.

 

6 hours ago, Mr T said:

The area of fuselage to accept the 3D printed fuselage bottom has been cut ready for the new piece. 

Sounds fraught!

 

 

[Mr T]

Yes, it was a bit. The fuselage interior seems more fiddly than I remember the MkII. I added the seat and armour plate and instrument panel, and I have left everything to set hard. The cockpit will need a bit of paint touch up before I assemble the fuselage halves. The instructions would have you add the 3D printed lower fuselage before the wing. I may have a play around with wing and fuselage to see what works best. 

[Wings unlevel]

Is there a template or guide for how to cut the fuselage halves to accept the 3D part?

[Mr T]

Not really, the instructions just have a bit of the fuselage in blue to show where to cut. Fortunately it follows a panel line and where the fuselage turns at the bottom. I am going to have a play today if I have time. I think they have done it this way as Arma thinks it is easier to cut and fill the bottom of the fuselage, rather than an insert. 

[Wings unlevel]

Good luck!

[Mr T]

Fuselage together and the 3D printed rear fuselage added. Not as neat as I would have liked, but the wing actually matches the end of the rear fuselage, and so I am not going to complain too much. 

The new rear fuselage piece doesn't help by having an ever such a slight warp at one end, which, off course, I didn't see until after the front end was firmly fitted and glued in place. It looks better in the flesh than in the photo 

[glwanabe]

Faith that it will all come together.

[Wings unlevel]

14 hours ago, Mr T said:

but the wing actually matches the end of the rear fuselage

That’s a win!

 

 

[mick]

great start

[Mr T]

Hurricane shaped model now beginning to appear. The fit is pretty good and I have not needed a lot of filler, other than to cover up my mistakes  Now the BP111A in another GB is finished, I can spend more time with this kit. Some smaller parts are being worked on, but as we are away on holiday next week for 9 days, not much will appear here. 

 

[Wings unlevel]

Looking good. Doesn’t look like the primer has revealed much in the way of problems to fix, and all that lovel Arma detail really shows through.

[Mr T]

Thanks. The main issues have been a couple of scars around sprue attachment points where I have not cleaned up enough. A bit of PPP in places, but not bad. It us a nicely detailed kit, and because I dealt with the potential fit issue around the wing and fuselage due to the cockpit framework, it wasn't a problem.