Hawker Hurricane G-AMAU Racer

[Courageous]

Having recently completed a destroyer in the the 'Small is Beautiful' GB and my Churchill in the paint shop for the Churchill STGB, I thought I better get my Hurricane on the go. It will be the Hawker Hurricane Racer G-AMAU, a modified Mk 1. The modifications involved streamlining, removing gun ports, bulges and sights and the fitting of a more powerful engine. First, the compulsories:

The box.

 

The plastic.

 

Clear sprue, kit decals and replacement decals.

 

Resin exhaust.

 

Stuart

[2996 Victor]

Nice choice, Stuart (I'd like to do this scheme in 1/48). Very much looking forward watching your build progressing. 

 

Cheers,

Mark

[Malc2]

Nice!

The new 1/32 Revell Sea Hurri kit includes this scheme and I am seriously thinking of getting one to do as G-AMAU, so shall be taking a ringside seat for your build as I'm sure the Revell kit will not have deleted all the features (I could be wrong.....) that you mention!

Malc.

[Wings unlevel]

Fantastic subject! This will be a perfect bookend in the gallery to @theplasticsurgeon’s prototype. I’ll enjoy seeing this come together.

[ModelingEdmontonian]

8 hours ago, Courageous said:

It will be the Hawker Hurricane Racer G-AMAU, a modified Mk 1

Love it, but I think it was a modified Mk IIc.

[Troy Smith]

12 hours ago, Courageous said:

Hawker Hurricane Racer G-AMAU, a modified Mk 1.

No. G-AMAU was PZ865, the last Hurricane built, and bought back from the Air Ministry by Hawker, and called The Last of Many.

It was  late IIC, and flies to this day with the BBMF.

The kit is  IiB, which is neither a Mk.i or a IIc,  the c has different wing panelling for the cannons

 

12 hours ago, Courageous said:

 

The modifications involved streamlining, removing gun ports, bulges and sights

The changes vary, depending on when.

They also include different exhausts, and a whip aerial.

The earliest version still has cannon bulges and 3 stack exhaust, around 1949.

@Malc2 this is what the 32nd Revell kit builds BTW. 

 

Also, G-AMAU was them repainted back to wartime colours in 1950 for the filming of Angels One Five film, and then back to the blue, there are subtle changes in the later scheme, which was then worn until  the late 1950's.

Cheatilines and style of The Last of Many text.

There have been several threads on various aspects of G-AMAU including colour used.

I'll look them out later.

12 hours ago, Courageous said:

 

and the fitting of a more powerful engine.

Never heard this mentioned anywhere ever. 

Many warbirds fly with transport optimised Merlins fitted as these were designed specially for longevity and reliability post war, but these are not more powerful. 

HTH 

 

Edited August 21 by Troy Smith

[Malc2]

49 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

The earliest version still has cannon bulges and 3 stack exhaust, around 1949.

@Malc2 this is what the 32nd Revell kit builds BTW. 

Great to know, thanks!

Malc.

[Troy Smith]

20 hours ago, Courageous said:

G-AMAU

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235128469-arma-hobby-148th-hurricane-iic-optional-parts-description-spinners-cannon-barrels-tailwheels-tropical-vents/#elControls_4737381_menu

 

this stated to be 14 May 1950, 

 

This maybe slightly later, as by now has 6 stack exhaust

Above is Pre Angels One Five, but has the 6 stack exhaust,  compare to image below, listed as being 1955 

No mirror, no aerial, note the later style cheat lines, with 3 stripes behind G-AMAU, and position and placement of forward edge, early slated back, late angled forward.  I think  the later also gets a "The Last Of The Many" on the starboard side as well

 

this is with the 41 numbers added

 

the oil tank in the port wing root looks to be an unpainted replacement, and the mirror looks to have been removed.

 

@2996 Victor @Malc2

 

@Courageous

The kit box has "Gen Major Kuznetsov" written on it,  any reason?

 

Kuznetsov had the first Hurricane handed over by 151 Wing in Russia, Z5252,  incredibly Z5252 was lost in a lake, and then found and salvaged

see here 

https://lend-lease.net/articles-en/hawker-hurricane-iib-trop-z5252/

 

Z5252 has been partially restored in Russia, and is on display  presented in exposition “Falcons of the Motherland” in the museum of technology of Vadim Zadorozhny. 

https://www.realhistoryonline.com/aviation/hurricane-z5252/

 

HTH

[Courageous]

@2996 Victor @Malc2 @Wings unlevel @ModelingEdmontonian Thanks for the welcome guys.

@Troy Smith I must admit that I hadn't researched this aircraft as much as I should have and obviously what little I did was wrong. I chose this particular kit because it's the only Hurri kit I have and if that means that I'll have to re-scribe a few lines and add some bulges, then so be it. I have no clue about the guy on the box as I bought it second hand. The engine upgrade or not is of no consequence to the build, it's on the inside but I thought that that might have been the case because I saw the image of a 6-port exhaust. With all those helpful images, I think I'll be aiming for the 1950 King's Cup racer. I like the little differences; no tail post, no mirror, 6-port exhaust, replacement oil tank, etc. A question if I may, do you happen to know what colour were the undercarriage, wells and inner doors painted as I have been led to believe that they were blue? Thanks for your help Troy, much appreciated and thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow.

 

Stuart

[Malc2]

Hi @Courageous, I am sure Troy will also chip in, but the colour pics I have of G-AMAU do indeed show blue on the inner faces of the U/C doors, I am assuming they are not colourised pics!

This is the best albeit tiny. If there is a bigger version of this picture out there I would love to see it.

Slightly less clear, but still looks blue to me....

 

The Revell 1/32 Sea Hurri instructions say silver - but I guess this is for the two non civilian options, what do Revell know anyway😁

Malc.

 

 

[Courageous]

26 minutes ago, Malc2 said:

show blue on the inner faces of the U/C doors

I should've looked better at the previous images but they're blue to my eye. I would also say that undercarriage is also blue when you compare it to the aluminium wheel centres. Now, what about the wells, not that anybody is going to see when the model is mounted on its base but if a job is worth doing...?

 

Stuart

[ModelingEdmontonian]

I think she's one of the most beautiful Hurricanes, so love that you're building her! When I built mine I did blue wheels wells, UC etc.

[Troy Smith]

17 hours ago, Courageous said:

what colour were the undercarriage, wells and inner doors painted as I have been led to believe that they were blue?

From the images, the inside of the UC doors and legs are the same blue.

 

The well, hmm.  It may have been repainted, but UC wells are not things you want to paint unless you really need too, as they have lots of working bits.  They are also quite protected so don't fade, weather or get easily chipped.

AFAIK,  PZ865, along with all late production Hurricanes have their wells in the underside colour, which as built would have been Medium Sea Grey.

So, your choice, Med Sea Grey of Blue.   

17 hours ago, Courageous said:

the only Hurri kit I have and if that means that I'll have to re-scribe a few lines and add some bulges, then so be it.

You could skip the bulges, the bulged doors later got flat ones,  note the Arma Mk.IIB kit is their IIC kit with a new wing,  someone may have one spare, no idea if it would fit but just a thought.

Also at least some Hase boxings have a really mishaped 'bullet' spinner,  but the Arma Mk.I kit has 3 spinner types included, so you maybe able to get a spare of one of those.

 

HTH

 

 

 

 

 

[Courageous]

A slow start but a start none the less.

Starting at the usual start point, the cockpit. I was hoping that the cockpit was going to be a little more detailed, so I'll have to add a little just to break up the interior green, not that you're going to see much with a closed cockpit.

 

So I knocked up the side frames (not fitted) and painted everything else interior green, i/p black as the decal doesn't cover all with the sight removed.

 

Tub going in...

 

and buttoned-up. Also put together the nose assembly.

 

Stuart

[Beard]

Nice detailing in the cockpit, using the plastic rod is something I would never have thought of.

 

Also, I have a spare pair of Arma Hobby IIC wings. If you want them, let me know.

[Wings unlevel]

1 hour ago, Courageous said:

A slow start but a start none the less.

Looks like you’re off and racing to me! Very tidy work so far, especially scratching the framework. 👍

 

1 hour ago, Courageous said:

buttoned-up. Also put together the nose assembly

Looks like classic Hasegawa modular design.

[Courageous]

With my Crocodile Tank all but complete and with a set of Arma wings that were kindly given to me by Simon @Beard, there is no excuse for this not to move.

Nose section fitted with no real issues, maybe a little PPP.

 

The Arma IIc wings are miles better than the Hasegawa IIb but it's all in the fit, we'll see.

 

As you would expect, the kit wing fits like a glove with the only thing doing is the filling of the ammo ejection ports...

 

The Arma wing on the other hand has better detail but much work would be needed to mate it with the fuselage, the fitting of the radiator, the wheel internals need blocking in and the landing gear mounts. My thoughts are to go with the kit lower wing.

 

The Arma upper wing sections need to match the kit wings which looks like a relatively easy job. Going this, I won't have to fill and scribe lines, a job I dislike. 

 

So at this stage it looks like, lit lowers, Arma uppers. Watch this space.

 

Stuart

[Wings unlevel]

Sounds like a neat solution. 👍 Will that then make this a Hasegarma kit? 🤭

[Beard]

The bottom Arma wing really doesn't fit.

Still, worth a try.

[Rabbit Leader]

Great seeing this thread kicking along with lots of detailed facts to get every Hurricane lover tempted to have a go at this scheme one day. Nice progress so far Stuart. 
Cheers.. Dave 

[Courageous]

The Hasegawa lower wing was fitted, less work neded. After a little bit of hacking the Arma upper wings were fitted.

 

On the whole not too bad. 1mm plasticard was fitted in the forward wing root but the rear 1/3 of the root has a bit of a step between the fuselage and the wing and will need to be sorted.

 

Stuart

[Beard]

That step looks like it can be dealt with.

[Wings unlevel]

There's a little work to blend that in, but I can see it will be definitely worth the effort. Nice!

[Courageous]

@Beard @Wings unlevel, thanks for the encouragement guys.

 

Wing root step and join hopefully sorted, primer will reveal all. Period photos show the starboard landing like not fitted, so I've fitted mine (a little filler needed) and it will get painted as part of the wing. Also fitted the tail feathers and canopy.

 

Stuart

[Wings unlevel]

That’s cleaned up really nicely indeed.