1/32 FLY Hurricane: spinning wild

[DougN]

The landing light 'spiral' are the two suspension arms and the cable run. The bulb faces to the rear into the reflector.

The way I do them is bend thin copper wire (single core phone wire works) to shape, then flatten it by rolling it between a hard steel shaft and a firm steel base.

 

Q- edit for more detail here. I bought a string of toy pearl beads years ago which gives me a selection of nice sphere sizes. So I can drill a hole in some wood, place a piece of thick foil (Indian and Chinese take away foil dishes are great, but thick foil baking trays can be bought at a supermarket), over the hole then lightly tap a bead to form the reflector dish. Lift out the reflector and pierce the rear opening.

 

Form a correctly sized ring with phone wire around a dowel or brush handle (tip: I pull a length of wire through a pad of fine wire wool pinched around it just with fingers. Three or four pulls through strips the chrome plating off leaving bare copper wire which paints and superglues far more easily than chrome).

 

Set the trimmed reflector onto the ring and glue. Then glue the two flattened pre-prepared 'arms' to a slug of preferably black stretched sprue at the appropriate angles, then lay a couple of wires from multicore household electrical wiring to the centre as the power feed and attach to the front of the reflector.

 

When all is set and detail painted, I use sprue fixed with epoxy for peace of mind attached to the rear of the reflector anchored out of sight to the rear of the aperture, and I'll use thin PETG sheet from packaging to form the cover. Kit transparencies are usually very thick, and you want the effort you've put in to be seen!

 

While looking for those radiator pics, I found these fabric windows, while we're on the subject, if you feel like a further challenge.

I did them once on that Swordfish using the cellophane wrapper of a cigarette pack and and airmail paper bonded to a

square of plasticard. I haven't decided if it's worth doing again, except maybe to emphasize the fabric fin. And I'm not

even sure they still make 'airmail paper'!

 

 

 

 

Never seen those before, I wonder if they are a one-off on that airframe.  I did a quick look through my Hurricane pics and could not see these, or any hint of them, on any of those airframes.

[quang]

They're provided in the kit, etch parts 52.

I'm well aware of it but the kit parts are so thin they're invisible once in situ. Furthermore, the reflectors provided are way too small and need to be redone. Below, pic of the kit part on a scratch build reflector ( still too small)

 

Cheers,

Q

[Kagemusha]

Brengun make some, they come in three sizes.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2016 by Kagemusha

[Chek]

Never seen those before, I wonder if they are a one-off on that airframe.  I did a quick look through my Hurricane pics and could not see these, or any hint of them, on any of those airframes.

 

I think it's a case of never noticed till pointed out.

 

Here's the BBMF's LF363 in 1 Sqn JX-B guise - the rudder windows are certainly visible:

 

 

and the BBMFs PZ865 with both sets visible (just):

 

 

And Hurricane II P3351 K at Wanaka:

 

 

But static airframes seem to usually be painted over, as with Duxford's Hurricane II Z2315 JU-E:

 

[tomv87]

Beautiful build so far Quang, masterful work!

 

Regards

Tom

[quang]

Brengun make some, they come in three sizes.

 

 

 

Good to know, K! But as a proponent of the old school style, I'll try to make my own before resorting to AM. Thanks for the heads-up!

 

Beautiful build so far Quang, masterful work!

 

Regards

Tom

Glad you like it Tom!

 

Cheers,

Quang

Edited July 25, 2016 by quang

[quang]

Olà Hurri fans,

 

Today's menu: transparencies.

 

The clear parts provided by Fly are very good but as always with injection- moulded plastic, they're rather thick. So I decided make my own by vacuforming over the Fly parts.

 

The kit parts (landing light and position light covers) are filled with milliput and slightly raised to act as masters. 

 

I went to my old friend Daniel (AKA 'madcop' elsewhere in this forum) who happens to own a venerable Mattel Vac-U-form machine.  After a few tries, we found out that Old Faithful was not too much rusty (and nor were we   ).

 

The master parts still embedded in the clear plastic carrier. Note the master for the landing light reflector shaped from the tip of a bush handle.

 

 

The clear parts removed from the carrier sheet and ready to be cut to shape and adjusted for assembly.

 

Twas just a quick one for today. Next time we'll try to add some nitty-gritty to these all-too smooth radiator and filter housings.

 

Until then,

Keep well,

Quang

[zaxos345]

Nice work as always ''Q''!

(Save some of those vacs for me please!!!

''J'')

     

[Chek]

 

 

I went to my old friend Daniel (AKA 'madcop' elsewhere in this forum) who happens to own a venerable Mattel Vac-U-form machine. 

 

"Mattel Vac-U-form ?" (incredulously, in the style of Monty Python's 'Four Yorkshiremen' sketch)

Luxury!

We 'ad nowt but a plywood box held together with string and rickets, and 'ad to get Asthmatic Arnold to suck 'is lungs out t' supply vacuum.

And we'd only get a half decent draw on the 40th attempt before 'e coughed up too much blood..

And then our dad would beat us to sleep with fistfuls of malformed plastic - if we were lucky!

 

Plywood box? We used to dream of 'avin' a plywood box.

When our dad was vacforming, we only 'ad a soggy cardboard box.

And t' whole family 'ad to breathe in at once to induce a vacuum.

All 18 of us livin' in' t' room,.

And woe betide us if there weren't a good pull.

We'd get sent t' bed wi' no supper and no more air for a week!

Edited July 25, 2016 by Chek

[DougN]

I think it's a case of never noticed till pointed out.

 

Here's the BBMF's LF363 in 1 Sqn JX-B guise - the rudder windows are certainly visible:

 

 

and the BBMFs PZ865 with both sets visible (just):

 

 

And Hurricane II P3351 K at Wanaka:

 

 

But static airframes seem to usually be painted over, as with Duxford's Hurricane II Z2315 JU-E:

 

Checking more period photos, I can find some that do have those inspection windows, as well as many more that do not. Some even next to each other from the same squadron where one airframe has them and the next one does not. I wonder if only one manufacturing plant put them on, or if they were added based on airframe age, or some other reason,

Edited July 26, 2016 by DougN

[quang]

Checking more period photos, I can find some that do have those inspection windows, as well as many more that do not. Some even next to each other from the same squadron where one airframe has them and the next one does not. I wonder if only one manufacturing plant put them on, or if they were added based on airframe age, or some other reason,

 

 I learned something new today. But hey that's what these WIP threads are for.

 

Thank you Chek and Doug.

 

Q

[Chek]

 I learned something new today. But hey that's what these WIP threads are for.

 

Q

 

Me too - namely after those close-up shots I'm now not satisfied by the (lack of) stitching on the fin and rudder fabric ribs.

Embossed foil strip maybe, or I think someone does them in resin, Archer rivet style.

It's a slippery slope....

 

Btw Quang, never did say what nice clear vac parts you've created there, but they are.

[quang]

Btw Quang, never did say what nice clear vac parts you've created there, but they are.

 

Yeah but to cut them off and trim them to shape is another matter 

 

As for the flying surfaces, the best way to simulate the fabric covered ribs is the Harry Woodman method of embossed plasticard. I tried it a couple of times years ago. Worked a treat. These days I'm just too lazy and too tired to do it again. 

 

Remember this?

 

After I wore out my first copy, I bought a second one as a keeper !

 

Cheers,

Q

Edited July 26, 2016 by quang

[shadowmare]

Very nice work.

[MikeMaben]

These appear to be fabriced on and then cut out. It's a repro too.

I remember something about them having something to do with

electricity/electricals/radio interferance...