Big Build - Hawker Hunter. (1 Viewer)

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Thanks very much guys, glad you like it.
Alex, you ought to have a go, it's not too difficult, and even small additions can make a big difference. I've never yet used aftermarket detailing parts, I prefer to try making my own, especially if they're partly hidden. More fun and sense of achievement that way, and it costs a LOT less!
 
Great scratching Terry! Love the additions to the cockpit, that seat'd look real if it wasn't stuck to a lid with that yellow stuff! :thumbleft:
 
Looks phenomenal Terry old boy! Tell me, there's more parts on that seat than the kit itself, right? Looking forward to more!
 
Thanks very much, M and Jan, much appreciated. There's a heck of a lot of parts, but you should see the decal sheet - there are well over 100 stencils alone!!
 
Thanks 'Eagle, appreciate it.
I've done a little bit more on the easy bits, and boy, are they big!
The inside of the air-intake trunking has been painted, and the interior antennas fitted and painted. The pics show this in progress, with the intake turbine, the end of the venturi, and the trunking walls fitted to the 'roof' of the trunking. Once the paint and glue had fully set, the bottom section of the trunking was fitted, glued, and secured with tape to ensure a positive joint.
The next stage involved joining the main fuselage halves, and this was achieved a bit at a time, as the sections are so big.
This part alone is as big as a 1/48th scale B26 Marauder!
Tube cement was used on the fin and forward section, and then the joint was progressively glued with liquid cement and, where internal access was possible, tube cement was added to the joint, using a BBQ skewer to help reach inside the fuselage. The joints were then taped, and the part set aside to set overnight. The fit of these parts is excellent, and I don't envisage any filling being needed on the main sections.
Once the intake trunking had set, this was slotted onto the forward fuselage section. No glue is requried, as the parts are designed to 'float', aiding the assembly of the front and rear fuselage sections. This design allows for the spaced inlet 'wall'. which stands slightly proud of the fuselage.
The next step is to mate the large rear section to the front, and leave it a good twelve hours to set properly, whilst work can be done on the equally large wings.
Hopefully, I might be able to post some more pics tomorrow. The construction of the main components is straightforward, and should be fairly quick, and the Revell design engineers need to be thanked, as the design of the parts ensures excellent fit. Maybe some other manufacturers ought to take note!
Although the main construction is quick, as mentioned, the detail work, such as the landing gear, and the painting, will take some time. I'm in no rush however, as I want to finish this model as accurately as possible in the colours of an aircraft from my childhood/adolescent memories. To this end, my brother is sending me some pics taken at Acklington in the late 50's, so I should be able to get it right!
Thanks again for your interest and kind remarks.
Terry.
 

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Thanks very much Alex, Daniel and Marek.
I've done a bit more, which was fairly straightforward stuff. The pics tell the story, with the air-intake trunking in place, and the main fuselge joined. The pic on the computer keyboard gives an idea of the size of this beast!
The flaps on the F6 version were straight, unlike the modified flaps on the later FGA9, which had a curved cut-out, in order to clear the larger outboard drop-tanks. As this kit originated as an FGA9, first launched by Revell in 1999, the wing is common, but there's a moulded-in groove, where the lower wing-surface extension needs to be removed. This is shown by the hatched area in the pics, and was very easily cut off.
The moulded detail in the wheel bays is quite impressive, and, with the addition of a few scratch-built pipes, wiring etc, and the intricate and detailed gear legs, it should look very nice when done.
The very large wings, nearly six inches wide at the root (146mm), have been fitted, and the joint on the upper fusdelage was left partly loose to accommodate them. This will be pressed into place and superglued, with any sanding and filling been done once the joint has set. The pencil line marks the position of the spine fairing, yet to be fitted.
With the wings in place and set, the jet pipe and tail cone were fitted, along with the tailplanes. This beautiful kit is starting to take the shape of a beautiful aircraft, but there's a heck of a lot of work to do before the main painting can take place. Of course, the undercart and other small bits will be left off until the painting is done, then it'll be time for the huge amount of decals to be applied. I counted the stencils, and there are 205 of them! That's not counting the main markings decals either!
I may be changing the final Squadron scheme, as neither myself or my brother have been able to locate colour shots of the Acklington-based aircraft I wanted to model. However, there are colour shots of 92 Squadron Hunters, which were based at Middleton St. George (now Teeside Airport), which was another base close to where I grew up, and the main decals for this unit are included in the kit. But, that stage is some way off yet!
Thanks again for your kind comments, and I'll post some more pics soon.
Terry.
 

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Thanks guys. I reckon it'll take more than a week to do the stencils - some of them are sooo small! Still trying to decide which way to paint it. The undersides were painted 'Aluminium' or 'High Speed Silver', so they'll be sprayed. The uppers had a hard-edged demarcation between the cammo colours, so it might be a combination of spray and brush, or mask with film and spray - have to see when the time comes!
 
Thanks awfully old chap! And thanks Karl - you never know, if Model Zone still have them at that price, you might get one as an advance Chrissy prezzy! But, can I have some of your shelves, or better still, a wall to hang shelves on?! As you've partly seen, my place is looking like a Base Air Depot - and that's only the models you saw, there was the same again, hidden away in boxes!
 

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