CaptainObvious Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 (edited) Hello everyone, I heard news that Airfix is coming up with a new tool hunter. https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/new-for-2018/hawker-hunter-f6-1-48.html So I guess it's time that I build the one that I have before I get tempted to buy the Airfix kit. According to Scalemates, it was originally molded by Academy in 1997 with this boxing released by Italeri in 2012. There are many short comings and inaccuracies with this kit but I'll only be addressing a few. I bought the SBS detail set which included a replacement cockpit, wheels and main gear wells. As you can see, both the kit's seat and cockpit are undersized. Here we have the resin cockpit mocked up. I used the kit's rudders because the resin set didn't provide any. I've never been much of a wheel well person but I'll use the resin since they were included in the box. They were troublesome to install but look the part once in place. The weakest part of the kit in my opinion are the intakes. Too many pieces with vague attachment points that also fit badly. Very fiddly and test fittings showed that they will be a challenge. Horribly engineered. I started out with these 2 halves reinforced with styrene because the joints were so weak. I made these sanding sticks with toothpicks and 3m sanding sponges stuck together with superglue. This is round one of many. Putty, sand, repeat. The squared off intakes needed to be rounded off to look closer to the real thing. Here the wings were glued on but the fuselage halves are just taped together. Some sink marks on the top of the wings have been puttied. That's all for now folks. Thanks for dropping by. Edited April 23, 2018 by CaptainObvious Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Looks great once it is assembled, but I have heard it is a bear to build. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 I should add, a friend of mine bought 1/2 dozen flying Hunters about 10 years ago. They were the Northern Lights, I’m not sure why they are named now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainObvious Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 Thanks for dropping by Scooby. Believe it or not, I'm still working on the intakes. On 4/23/2018 at 4:07 AM, Scooby said: I should add, a friend of mine bought 1/2 dozen flying Hunters about 10 years ago. They were the Northern Lights, I’m not sure why they are named now. Your friend bought six 1:1 scale flying Hunters? And made an acrobatic team no less? Holy cow! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 1 hour ago, CaptainObvious said: Thanks for dropping by Scooby. Believe it or not, I'm still working on the intakes. Your friend bought six 1:1 scale flying Hunters? And made an acrobatic team no less? Holy cow! Ex-Canadian fighter pilot, training middle-east fighter pilots, he is rolling in the dough. He has a Castle in Saudi, drives a 911. It’s a house but looks like a castle. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainObvious Posted May 2, 2018 Author Share Posted May 2, 2018 On 5/1/2018 at 7:28 AM, Scooby said: Ex-Canadian fighter pilot, training middle-east fighter pilots, he is rolling in the dough. He has a Castle in Saudi, drives a 911. It’s a house but looks like a castle. Wow. 6 hunters, a 911 and a castle. I'd say your friend did well for himself! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainObvious Posted May 2, 2018 Author Share Posted May 2, 2018 (edited) Hello again everyone. I've been beating the intakes into submission. Here are the interior bits sanded and painted. The instructions would have you build up the intakes as a completed assembly but I elected install them separately to minimise external gaps. I tried out this Vallejo putty as I was told you could wipe it off with water. It behaves like a rubbery caulking. I haven't been able to get a smooth result with sanding. It will crumble and chunks will come off. But if you use it like caulking and wipe it off while wet, it will not affect the underlying paint. It does shrink significantly though. So back to regular putty and repaint. Not perfect but good enough for me. The hunter's cockpit is painted black but I used XF-63 german grey instead. The actual cockpit's switches are mostly black too but I used some artistic license to add visual interest. One last shot before I close her up. I gave the new Quick Setting extra thin a go. You use it the same way as the regular extra thin except you don't have to hold the parts together as long. I'm glad I didn't use black for the cockpit. Even in dark gray, you can't see anything. Thanks for dropping by everyone. Edited May 2, 2018 by CaptainObvious Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skyhawk174 Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Wow looks just great. Very nice job on those intakes. I like the way you worked on them and got to remember that when I do mine. After seeing yours I think I will do my Academy kit. I just saw that SBS set recently too so it is nice to see it being used and how it fits. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Thanks for making this lesser-known Fifties jet a WIP. I've already learned some things. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Excellent progress! Really like how you're beating this kit into submission! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Gorgeous work, really like hos you are elevating that old kit to new hights! 😄 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainObvious Posted May 5, 2018 Author Share Posted May 5, 2018 On 5/3/2018 at 5:40 AM, skyhawk174 said: Wow looks just great. Very nice job on those intakes. I like the way you worked on them and got to remember that when I do mine. After seeing yours I think I will do my Academy kit. I just saw that SBS set recently too so it is nice to see it being used and how it fits. Thanks Chris. Those intakes were a bear. There are still gaps but I've decided to call it a day and move on. The SBS set, like most resin parts take a bit of fiddling to fit but all in, not too bad. On 5/3/2018 at 9:45 AM, Slartibartfast said: Thanks for making this lesser-known Fifties jet a WIP. I've already learned some things. Thanks for stopping by Bruce. I've learn so much from this place that I am happy I can contribute too! On 5/3/2018 at 1:49 PM, Sebastijan said: Excellent progress! Really like how you're beating this kit into submission! Thanks Sebestijan! Is stubbornness a virtue? Cos my wife says no. 15 hours ago, Aigore said: Gorgeous work, really like hos you are elevating that old kit to new hights! 😄 Thanks Janne! Very nice of you to drop by. There's lots of rescribing to do now that I at the putty and sanding stage. I'm absolutely hopeless at rescribing. I use tape guides and my lines still wander all over the place. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 5 hours ago, CaptainObvious said: Thanks Janne! Very nice of you to drop by. There's lots of rescribing to do now that I at the putty and sanding stage. I'm absolutely hopeless at rescribing. I use tape guides and my lines still wander all over the place. Are you using dymo tape? Dymo tape is thicker and a better support for a scriber than ordinary tape. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Falconxlvi Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 I just caught up with this build Captain. Great job on the intakes and for even starting this build in the first place! I cannot overcome the temptation to build the new tool kits of aircraft I have in the stash. EBay is my friend. Ha! Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 Capt. Obvious, Sorry I'm late to your party, but with the warmer weather, I'm actually spending more time outdoors these days. Excellent work in the cockpit. Your decision to go with Dark German Gray really makes a huge difference. the intakes are coming alone quite nicely. As for the Vallejo putty, I use it all the time for little fill jobs or in areas that I can't get into and sand. I apply just enough to cover the joint, then give it 30 seconds to settle, then with a damp Q tip I very lightly go over the joint trying to work across it rather then going down it if possible. I make sure that I've cleaned the sides of the joint. As you found out it really shrinks, so I repeat several more times. eventually it will level off. Another great use for it is a small seam after painting and you don't want to go the sanding process. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainObvious Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 On 5/5/2018 at 4:03 PM, Aigore said: Are you using dymo tape? Dymo tape is thicker and a better support for a scriber than ordinary tape. I tried Dymo a long time ago but I found that the adhesive didn't stand up to repeated use. What I'm using now is triple stacked masking tape which I cut with a penknife and a ruler to get a straight edge. I may have to give dymo another try. On 5/6/2018 at 4:23 AM, Falconxlvi said: I just caught up with this build Captain. Great job on the intakes and for even starting this build in the first place! I cannot overcome the temptation to build the new tool kits of aircraft I have in the stash. EBay is my friend. Ha! Steve Thanks Steve. What a coincidence! I think we may have a common friend. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainObvious Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 On 5/7/2018 at 2:35 AM, Joel_W said: Capt. Obvious, Sorry I'm late to your party, but with the warmer weather, I'm actually spending more time outdoors these days. Excellent work in the cockpit. Your decision to go with Dark German Gray really makes a huge difference. the intakes are coming alone quite nicely. As for the Vallejo putty, I use it all the time for little fill jobs or in areas that I can't get into and sand. I apply just enough to cover the joint, then give it 30 seconds to settle, then with a damp Q tip I very lightly go over the joint trying to work across it rather then going down it if possible. I make sure that I've cleaned the sides of the joint. As you found out it really shrinks, so I repeat several more times. eventually it will level off. Another great use for it is a small seam after painting and you don't want to go the sanding process. Joel Hi Joel, A big welcome! The party just got started. Great advice on using Vallejo putty. After your clear and concise tips, I will definitely give it another try. I'm of the opinion that any tool is a good tool. You just have to find the correct way of using it. Thank you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 3 hours ago, CaptainObvious said: I tried Dymo a long time ago but I found that the adhesive didn't stand up to repeated use. What I'm using now is triple stacked masking tape which I cut with a penknife and a ruler to get a straight edge. I may have to give dymo another try. Dymotape has two strips to remove on the adhesive side, I usually remove one strip and use until the adhesive is gone and then I remove the other strip and use the other half of the adhesive side...makes them last a bit longer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Capt. Obv. One guide I usually forget about way to often is Electrical tape. Not because it doesn't work, but because I never remember to buy a 2nd or 3rd roll just to keep with my modeling supplies. The advantage to electrical tape is that it's thicker then masking tape so you don't need to double or triple it up, it stretches and stays stretched as long as it's tacked on to a surface, it's much tougher then masking tape so a slight wiggle of your scribing tool won't cut into it, and like Tamiya's curvable tape it just puts plain masking tape to shame when you need it to conform to concave or convex shape. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainObvious Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 On 5/10/2018 at 5:20 PM, Aigore said: Dymotape has two strips to remove on the adhesive side, I usually remove one strip and use until the adhesive is gone and then I remove the other strip and use the other half of the adhesive side...makes them last a bit longer. That's interesting. The ones I get only has one strip to remove. Gives me an idea though, I can lightly score the strip to make 2 halves. Or I can stick in onto masking tape and see if that works better. On 5/10/2018 at 9:28 PM, Joel_W said: Capt. Obv. One guide I usually forget about way to often is Electrical tape. Not because it doesn't work, but because I never remember to buy a 2nd or 3rd roll just to keep with my modeling supplies. The advantage to electrical tape is that it's thicker then masking tape so you don't need to double or triple it up, it stretches and stays stretched as long as it's tacked on to a surface, it's much tougher then masking tape so a slight wiggle of your scribing tool won't cut into it, and like Tamiya's curvable tape it just puts plain masking tape to shame when you need it to conform to concave or convex shape. Joel Great idea. I'll give that a try too. I've tried using Tamiya's flexible tape and I found it to be useful in curves. But it doesn't stand up to repeated applications. U get maybe 2 or 3 placements out of it. Electrical tape may work better. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 5 hours ago, CaptainObvious said: That's interesting. The ones I get only has one strip to remove. Gives me an idea though, I can lightly score the strip to make 2 halves. Or I can stick in onto masking tape and see if that works better. Great idea. I'll give that a try too. I've tried using Tamiya's flexible tape and I found it to be useful in curves. But it doesn't stand up to repeated applications. U get maybe 2 or 3 placements out of it. Electrical tape may work better. Capt. Obvious, I've never tried to use Tamiya Flex tape more then once. didn't even know you could. I just treat it like Tamiya tape. The only difference is that I only use it for jobs that the regular stuff can't or won't handle. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egg2012 Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 I had similar experience when using that plastic putty.Maybe I applied it in wrong place.Now I use gaianotes m-03r,it works fine. beautiful cockpit painting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainObvious Posted May 26, 2018 Author Share Posted May 26, 2018 On 5/15/2018 at 11:05 AM, egg2012 said: I had similar experience when using that plastic putty.Maybe I applied it in wrong place.Now I use gaianotes m-03r,it works fine. beautiful cockpit painting. Thanks for dropping in Egg2012. I might have to look into Gaianotes m-03r. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainObvious Posted May 26, 2018 Author Share Posted May 26, 2018 (edited) Hi all, Time for a quick update. The kit's canopy is designed to be closed with no provision for opening it. However I couldn't let that resin cockpit go to waste under a closed canopy. Aftermarket vacuum formed canopies are available but I decided to go cheap. The area behind the cockpit was too wide for the canopy to slide aft. I thinned it down about 1.5mm. I thinned the canopy a little too where it contacts the fuselage. This allowed it to be placed without stressing the part. The canopy comes molded with an aft frame not present in the actual aircraft. When installed in the closed position as designed, it is not obvious. However as I wanted the canopy open, the frame had to go. Some filing, sanding and a dip in future later, viola! I'm not sure why the designers placed the ejector pins on the side with all the nice rivet detail when the other side is blank and flat. Pin marks gone, along with all that nice detail. I used some tape on the landing gear struts to match the bigger holes in the resin wheels. I've decided to do the Singapore scheme and they were modified to carry sidewinders. I had to scratch up some rail adaptors as none were included in the kit. The sidewinders and launch rails were leftover from the Tamiya tomcat build while the fuel tanks were included in the kit. So here we are. Most of the basic construction is complete. I should be able to start painting soon. Thanks for dropping by everyone. Edited May 27, 2018 by CaptainObvious Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 26, 2018 Share Posted May 26, 2018 Capt. Obvious, That's some really nice work on the canopy. the end results more then justify the effort to produce it. Great progress as it sure looks like you're nearly ready for primer. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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