Colin1
Senior Master Sergeant
Terry
which Hunter squadron was based at Acklington?
I've got a page of squadron markings here that I can post up; I didn't think the camouflage scheme would differ at all between squadrons
Big Build - Hawker Hunter.
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which Hunter squadron was based at Acklington?
I've got a page of squadron markings here that I can post up; I didn't think the camouflage scheme would differ at all between squadrons
BombTaxi
Tech Sergeant
Terry, looks great, I will be well pleased if the Venom comes out at 10% of this quality 
ian lanc
Senior Airman
Looking well Terry, i love how the fuselage are built up in sections it makes it alot easier to assemble doesn't it ?
ian.
ian.
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- #64
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks BT and Ian. You're right Ian, it does make it easier, and, of course, leaves it open for other versions, including the T7 and FR10.
Colin, it was 66 Sqn, between 1958 and 1960. I used to have colour pics of them, as I lived not far away as a youngster, and a relative was stationed there also, in Air Traffic, therefore I used to be able to get up close - great as a kid, as you can imagine!
Unfortunately, 1,200+ of my slides and prints were lost in a fire a few years back, and my brother only has shots from post 1960, when Acklington became a training base, with Jet Provosts. It's OK, I've got some black and white pics, and I've already done my own profile (attached). I just wanted a colour pic to go with the model, and to work to an actual aircraft, down to the last scratch and so on!
Might still hand-paint the Squadron flash and badge, or use the kit decals for 92 Sqn., who were at another relatively local base when I was still 'up north'.
Thanks for the kind offer though.
Cheers,
Terry.
Colin, it was 66 Sqn, between 1958 and 1960. I used to have colour pics of them, as I lived not far away as a youngster, and a relative was stationed there also, in Air Traffic, therefore I used to be able to get up close - great as a kid, as you can imagine!
Unfortunately, 1,200+ of my slides and prints were lost in a fire a few years back, and my brother only has shots from post 1960, when Acklington became a training base, with Jet Provosts. It's OK, I've got some black and white pics, and I've already done my own profile (attached). I just wanted a colour pic to go with the model, and to work to an actual aircraft, down to the last scratch and so on!
Might still hand-paint the Squadron flash and badge, or use the kit decals for 92 Sqn., who were at another relatively local base when I was still 'up north'.
Thanks for the kind offer though.
Cheers,
Terry.
Attachments
Tony Hill
Tech Sergeant
Hi Terry,
Just "found" the modelling section of the site...
What a great build. The cockpit detail is stunning! Looking forward to watching her come together.
If you don't have details of the whole history of 66 Sqn (or 92 for that matter) I'm happy to provide them.
Keep up the great work.
.
Just "found" the modelling section of the site...
What a great build. The cockpit detail is stunning! Looking forward to watching her come together.
If you don't have details of the whole history of 66 Sqn (or 92 for that matter) I'm happy to provide them.
Keep up the great work.
.
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- #67
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks very much Darryl and Wojtek. Daryl, thanks for the offer, but it's OK, I have the histories, and the 'Air Britain' book on RAF Squadrons, 1918 to 1988, which is very comprehensive. Thanks anyway though.
Terry.
Terry.
- Thread starter
- #68
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Having put aside the Group Build Bf110 until I get some required bits and pieces, I've dragged the Hunter out of the hangar, well, from the corner of the room anyway, and done a bit more work on her.
The fuselage spine is in place, and the joint between the nose section and the main fuselage has been squeezed into place, superglued, then filled. I used my home-made 'porridge' filler for this - a mix of varnish and talcum powder, the residue of which can be seen in PICTURE 1.
The wing leading-edge 'dog tooth' extensions and wingtips have been attached, and also treated to a serving of 'porridge', along with all other minor gaps, as shown in PICTURE 2, and the under fuselage intakes and vents are in place, together with the ammo links collectors, known as 'Sabrinas', after a glamour model of the period.
These are shown in PICTURE 3.
PICTURE 4 shows the ejector chutes for the empty shell casings. The kit parts, which were solid, were replaced by lengths of plastic tube, cut to size and angled, and this was sourced from the stem of a cotton bud! Once totally set, the inner walls of each tube will be thinned, to give more of a scale appearance.
The ventral speed brake fairing and the tail skid were cemented in place, as shown in PICTURE 5, but the speed brake and actuator ram will be fitted, in a slightly extended position, after the model has been painted.
PICTURE 6 shows the small opening for the external canopy jettison handle, used by rescue crews in a ground emergency. The kit part, a clear plastic lens, was omitted, and the opening backed by a piece of plastic card. When the model has been painted, a short length of stretched sprue will be inserted, to represent the pull-handle and coiled cable, then the 'window' will be glazed with 'Kristal Klear'.
The final two pictures show the model awaiting sanding and polishing, before being prepared for painting.
The first colour to be sprayed will be the underside 'Aluminium', or 'High Speed Silver', which I'll need to mix from available enamels. Once this has totally hardened, after at least 48 hours, the relevent areas of the undersides and wings etc will be masked, ready to apply the grey and green camouflage to the upper surfaces.
But, that's some time away yet, as there is still a lot of work to be done first, and I'm in no hurry.
Thanks for your interest, and I hope you enjoy the pics of this beautiful aircraft.
Terry.
The fuselage spine is in place, and the joint between the nose section and the main fuselage has been squeezed into place, superglued, then filled. I used my home-made 'porridge' filler for this - a mix of varnish and talcum powder, the residue of which can be seen in PICTURE 1.
The wing leading-edge 'dog tooth' extensions and wingtips have been attached, and also treated to a serving of 'porridge', along with all other minor gaps, as shown in PICTURE 2, and the under fuselage intakes and vents are in place, together with the ammo links collectors, known as 'Sabrinas', after a glamour model of the period.
These are shown in PICTURE 3.
PICTURE 4 shows the ejector chutes for the empty shell casings. The kit parts, which were solid, were replaced by lengths of plastic tube, cut to size and angled, and this was sourced from the stem of a cotton bud! Once totally set, the inner walls of each tube will be thinned, to give more of a scale appearance.
The ventral speed brake fairing and the tail skid were cemented in place, as shown in PICTURE 5, but the speed brake and actuator ram will be fitted, in a slightly extended position, after the model has been painted.
PICTURE 6 shows the small opening for the external canopy jettison handle, used by rescue crews in a ground emergency. The kit part, a clear plastic lens, was omitted, and the opening backed by a piece of plastic card. When the model has been painted, a short length of stretched sprue will be inserted, to represent the pull-handle and coiled cable, then the 'window' will be glazed with 'Kristal Klear'.
The final two pictures show the model awaiting sanding and polishing, before being prepared for painting.
The first colour to be sprayed will be the underside 'Aluminium', or 'High Speed Silver', which I'll need to mix from available enamels. Once this has totally hardened, after at least 48 hours, the relevent areas of the undersides and wings etc will be masked, ready to apply the grey and green camouflage to the upper surfaces.
But, that's some time away yet, as there is still a lot of work to be done first, and I'm in no hurry.
Thanks for your interest, and I hope you enjoy the pics of this beautiful aircraft.
Terry.
Attachments
Screaming Eagle
Senior Master Sergeant
Looking good Terry!
nice Terry
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- #72
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thank you, Jason, Karl and Wojtek.
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- #74
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks V. I don't normally do 1/72nd scale, but I've heard, and seen, good things about the Revell 1/72nd scale kit. A build in a modelling magazine checked out the kit for accuracy, measuring against two actual aircraft, and it came out very well indeed - only the odd 1mm difference here or there - but who's counting, in that scale?!! The pics of the finished model, coincidentally from the same Squadron I'm doing, looked great.
Nice Terry! 
109ROAMING
2nd Lieutenant
Sweet Terry
Thank you for the info, Terry! I'll see if I can find any reviews and pictures of it on the Internet. As far as any 1mm difference, you're right about 1/72 scale - maybe that's why I like it. It's a little more forgiving than 1/32 (both for the model and the modeller), for example.
Venganza
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- #79
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Great V. I found the magazine article, and it would seem the 1/72nd scale kit is a 'down-sized' version of the 1/32nd scale kit. The modeller/author, who is apparently from the same area as I originate from, hence his choice of Squadron markings, included some nice detail shots of the two actual aircraft he measured, to check the accuracy of the Revell kit, and his finished model looks very nice indeed. It could almost pass for 1/48th scale, and it's mainly OOB.
Anyway, having got all the sanding and polishing done, which wasn't much, as the parts fit is mostly excellent, I've sprayed the undersides of the model.
The colour scheme on the real aircraft at the time, 1959, was Dark Green/Dark Sea Grey uppersurfaces, with 'Aluminium' undersides, in a gloss finish. In order to achieve a realistic-looking 'Aluminium' paint finish, rather than what might appear as a botched attempt at natural metal, I thought I'd have to mix two or more different 'silver' paints, possibly with the addition of a spot or two of grey.
However, the current Humbrol No11 Silver, whilst being nowhere near the bright, almost chrome shade of the original Humbrol paint, is a virtually spot-on match for the R.A.F. 'Aluminium' paint of the period. I was very surprised when I opened the tin, to find this 'new' paint is very thin, and needed the minimum of stirring. How it will perform if brush-painted, I have yet to find out, but it looked as if it could possibly be sprayed straight from the tin. But, not wanting to clog my new airbrush with a metallic paint, which, as you know, is a pain anyway to clean afterwards, I added a small amount of thinners, and did a bit of trial spraying on the 'hack' model I keep just for this purpose. After all the problems I've experienced lately with the 'new' Humbrol paints, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it sprayed beautifully. So, with the relevant parts of the model masked, I sprayed the underside of the wings, tailplanes and the fuselage, feathering the paint along the fuselage sides, on a line just above the level of the wings.
When this has thoroughly cured, I'm allowing a couple of days at least, a thin coat of Johnson's 'Klear' (Future) will be applied, in order to seal the paint and protect it from damage during handling. This will also allow the masking of the camouflage demarcation to be carried out, without fear of the paint 'picking' or lifting, when the masking tape is removed. The uppersurface camouflage can then be sprayed, with the grey going on overall first. When this is dry, I'll cut masks for the camouflage pattern, possibly from 'Frisk' film, as I need a hard-edged, and accurate separation of the green and grey, to replicate the finish of the period. Had the model been from a later era, when the pattern was soft-edged, I could have sprayed freehand.
I'm reasonably pleased with the underside fuselage joint; this was filled, sanded and polished where neccessary but, as a 'silver' finish is being used, as opposed to a solid colour or polished metal, using any form of paint to check, or smooth over the sanding of the joints is a non-starter, as it will almost always show-through the silver. There is a very small area where the joint is only just noticeable, but I think this will virtually disappear once the final gloss coat is applied.
As the kit is moulded in a very pale grey, almost white plastic, the surface detail was difficult to see until painted, and the 'silver' has suddenly made it come alive. With some very light panel line definition work, it should look rather good.
The pics show the model in between coats of 'Aluminium', and some of the other parts also sprayed, such as the flaps. Although the wheel-wells and flap reccesses will be in a matt silver finish, they were masked in order to prevent any build-up of paint overspray, which could not only affect the fine detail, but also prevent good adhesion of the parts yet to be fitted.
Thanks again for your kind comments, and I'll post some more pics when I get around to painting the uppersurfaces. Meanwhile, it's back to the studio... I mean the '110 build!
Anyway, having got all the sanding and polishing done, which wasn't much, as the parts fit is mostly excellent, I've sprayed the undersides of the model.
The colour scheme on the real aircraft at the time, 1959, was Dark Green/Dark Sea Grey uppersurfaces, with 'Aluminium' undersides, in a gloss finish. In order to achieve a realistic-looking 'Aluminium' paint finish, rather than what might appear as a botched attempt at natural metal, I thought I'd have to mix two or more different 'silver' paints, possibly with the addition of a spot or two of grey.
However, the current Humbrol No11 Silver, whilst being nowhere near the bright, almost chrome shade of the original Humbrol paint, is a virtually spot-on match for the R.A.F. 'Aluminium' paint of the period. I was very surprised when I opened the tin, to find this 'new' paint is very thin, and needed the minimum of stirring. How it will perform if brush-painted, I have yet to find out, but it looked as if it could possibly be sprayed straight from the tin. But, not wanting to clog my new airbrush with a metallic paint, which, as you know, is a pain anyway to clean afterwards, I added a small amount of thinners, and did a bit of trial spraying on the 'hack' model I keep just for this purpose. After all the problems I've experienced lately with the 'new' Humbrol paints, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it sprayed beautifully. So, with the relevant parts of the model masked, I sprayed the underside of the wings, tailplanes and the fuselage, feathering the paint along the fuselage sides, on a line just above the level of the wings.
When this has thoroughly cured, I'm allowing a couple of days at least, a thin coat of Johnson's 'Klear' (Future) will be applied, in order to seal the paint and protect it from damage during handling. This will also allow the masking of the camouflage demarcation to be carried out, without fear of the paint 'picking' or lifting, when the masking tape is removed. The uppersurface camouflage can then be sprayed, with the grey going on overall first. When this is dry, I'll cut masks for the camouflage pattern, possibly from 'Frisk' film, as I need a hard-edged, and accurate separation of the green and grey, to replicate the finish of the period. Had the model been from a later era, when the pattern was soft-edged, I could have sprayed freehand.
I'm reasonably pleased with the underside fuselage joint; this was filled, sanded and polished where neccessary but, as a 'silver' finish is being used, as opposed to a solid colour or polished metal, using any form of paint to check, or smooth over the sanding of the joints is a non-starter, as it will almost always show-through the silver. There is a very small area where the joint is only just noticeable, but I think this will virtually disappear once the final gloss coat is applied.
As the kit is moulded in a very pale grey, almost white plastic, the surface detail was difficult to see until painted, and the 'silver' has suddenly made it come alive. With some very light panel line definition work, it should look rather good.
The pics show the model in between coats of 'Aluminium', and some of the other parts also sprayed, such as the flaps. Although the wheel-wells and flap reccesses will be in a matt silver finish, they were masked in order to prevent any build-up of paint overspray, which could not only affect the fine detail, but also prevent good adhesion of the parts yet to be fitted.
Thanks again for your kind comments, and I'll post some more pics when I get around to painting the uppersurfaces. Meanwhile, it's back to the studio... I mean the '110 build!
Attachments
Screaming Eagle
Senior Master Sergeant
Superb Terry!
