1/24 Hawker Fury Biplane

[Guyman1]

Very impressive the approach to this build is really interesting to see unfold.

 

Guy

[Jim Barry]

Thanks Guy. 

 

 

A family picture of the parts. 80 hours in.  

 

Some things here like the seat belts are tests, though they are going well. The shoulder belt might be a keeper. The lap belts were my learning models. 

 

Edited March 16, 2017 by Jim Barry

[fozzy]

80 hours in ...and the individual parts looking great!!

[109]

Awesome!!

[Guest Peterpools]

Jim

Some mighty incredible work

Keep 'em coming

Peter

[Jim Barry]

Thanks gentlemen! I'm glad you came to visit as I respect your work very much.  

 

 

Here's the seat and the instrument panel, now installed and possibly permanently as the dry fit was like a ship in a bottle thing. Gauges are cut brass tube for the rings, then sprayed black and then stuck to the styrene panel (pre painted aluminum)  with a drop of black paint. I then painted/dabbed the white markings, etc and then gave them a glass look with a drop of canopy cement from Testors. This is going to do very well and not weigh too heavily on my total investment. Guns still need to built and installed. 

 

 

[brahman104]

Hi Jim, 

 

Really nice job you did on getting the foil around the nose. Looks very convincing and certainly not an easy thing to do!

 

Craig

[LSP_Kevin]

Excellent work, Jim! Really impressive stuff, mate.

 

Kev

[Jim Barry]

Thanks Craig and Kev, much appreciated. 

 

This is some steep stuff! So I got the two fuselage halves together which was sort of a Soyuz and Apollo spaceship hookup, seeing that both ends were made under such wildly different circumstances. Success there. Yeah! 

 

Then, I went on to skin some more. First the aluminum panel behind the cockpit. Keen eyes who think that looks a lot like Peter "Airscales'" stuff would be right. It's from his stock. He's not only an outstanding modeler, but also kind to the fellow budding scratcher! I was sort of tickled to think my humble little Fury here is related to the mighty #80 Spitfire. After that, I got to the skin of the rear upper fuselage which is classic Hawker. To build the spar effect, like the tail, I embossed the back of the panel with a ball point pen. I epoxied it down on one side and will do the other side tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning more about Hawker as I have missed some of the history of the Company. Named after Harry Hawker one of the partners that formed Hawker Aircraft along with Tom Sopwith after Sopwith Aircraft Co. sold all their inventory and dumped the company to avoid a possibly nasty tax bill.  Harry, an Australian, died in a crash in Nieuport Goshawk in July 1921.  He sadly never saw all the amazing aircraft that bore his name. 

 

During the war Gloster as one might note was a company caught between  the old Gladiator biplane and and the new jet Meteor. What were they up to in the mean time? They actually built the most Hurricanes and Typhoons.   Now you know. 

Edited March 22, 2017 by Jim Barry

[Old Dog Flying]

Jim:  That scribbing method is what I use as well for wing ribs for fabric covered aircraft models.  It gives just the right "sag" to the fabric...approx 1/2" scale effect between ribs

 

Barney

[mpk]

 

"Pssss, Jim, Mate, c'mon over here. Mate we have to talk. It's okay nobody's listening. Mate, it gets to the point where you're just showing off. You know that right?

 

Mate, you're making me look bad. All the girls are looking at you! I've got this ugly mug, and look at you! Ruddy show off".           

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           +++++++++++++++++.....................................

[Jim Barry]

Barney, I'm in good company then. I checked out your builds on Barneysairforce.com and they are such a treat. My head spins!  I count 87 kits and the lovely American and Fleet Canuck scratch builds are wonderful. Your passion and skill is amazing!  Your Canada focus is a great strata of aviation history.

 

Dale, We get girls for this? My experience is otherwise! Ha. Good humor. Thanks for stopping in, my good man. I still have room for a disaster, so stay tuned.

[mpk]

Jim, my friend. There will be zero schadenfreude at this end.

 

Keep going. I am learning a great deal.  

[Old Dog Flying]

Thanks you for the compliment Jim, much appreciated.  My inspiration came from a man that I met in Moose Jaw, Sask who was an aviation historian.  Ray was F/L David Hornell's RADAR operator  on the Canso "Mary K" before the final flight..he did the pre[flight on the equipment then fell sick missing the sinking of the U[boat 

 

In 1970 I was assigned by the Base Commander to represent the base on the new museum board were I met Ray..and that got me started.  A real labour of love .

 

Barney

 

[Jim Barry]

Very good! I had to read more about that. What a mission ! I see they restored "Mary K". is that what you were a part of?  Your model is outstanding. I thought it was the restored plane! My visit to the US Air Force museum last fall left me overwhelmed with aircraft impressions but the Catalina they have  really stands out.