Airfix 1/24 Hurricane Mk1 BOB - with Added Photographic Skills...Hopef

[CraigH]

Time to move on from my last build, Airfix's 1/24 Me Bf 109 E-4 http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=69743&hl= to the next of my planes from childhood, the Airfix 1/24 Hurricane Mk1. 

Before I start, confession time. I never actually built this in my formative years. I did the Spit, 109, Ju87 but never the Hurri. I don't know why, perhaps other things got in the way as I would have been a teenager by then. 

 

So, this is a learn as I go along thing (nothing new there then )

I picked the kit up on eBay and it a good old example contemporary with my formative years. The box art on these kits still impresses me and the little book as opposed to a sheet of instructions all added to making it feel a bit better than a normal run of the mill kit

 

 

 

As any of you who were kind enough to look at my log for my previous build, you'll realise that David Bailey I ain't but I've looked at some of the excellent posts and articles on LSP and hopefully I've improved a bit on the pictures here. Let me know 

As ever for me I've started with the engine. My old photo skills are (non) evident in these early shots but they just show the first couple of stages after gluing the mighty Merlin together

 

I'm still unashamedly an enamels man so I started with a black base coat of Humbrol mixed with a little gunmetal to try and give a metallic effect

 

 

These two are thankfully the last with my old camera and the auto setting.

 

Next came the coat of satin varnish and a dry brush with Humbrols 27001 aluminium to give a little wear then an oil wash of burnt umber with a little lamp black added to try and simulate some oily grime in the nooks and crevices.

 

I used some reference pics of various Merlins but you have to be really careful, I've realised to get the right ones or you end up putting all manner of bits and bobs on to enhance the look that really shouldn't be there. So a couple of the reference pics have various bits not evident on the Airfix engine, although I think it's a lovely but of plastic, so much better than the one on the Spitfire but there were quite a few years between those models.

 

 

I added some extra wiring and cut off the spark plug connectors on the ignition harness as they looked awful. I used the 0.8mm resin connectors from Hobby Design painted silver, drilled into the engine body with my trusty microdrills and then hooked the lot up with 0.3 mm lead wire painted a suitable colour. Fiddly but I think it looks OK

 

Looking at these pics I can see I need to redo the coiled pipe into the supercharger. It's thin brass wire wound around a core of thicker wire but I then slid it off the core and as I've bent it into shape is parted. The core needs to go back in to give it strength, I think.

 

 

Very uncertain as to how much to do to the top section. I'm no Merlin expert but there are images with extra ignition wires etc going into the top but then others with nothing. I'm presuming they're different models of engine. I don't want to **** it up by adding stuff that shouldn't be there so any advice would be most welcome 

 

Hope the pics look better than my previous efforts. I'll post updated when I've fixed the coiled pipe and hopefully got some feedback on how far to go with the top section.

 

Thanks for taking the trouble to have a look.

Edited August 13, 2017 by CraigH

[CraigH]

I've inserted a rod to stiffen the coiled tubing and I think I'll clad it in some suitable shrink tubing

 

Detail of the added pipework etc.

 

 

While I search fro shrink tubing, the Firewall is coming along. I believe they were a dark metal base painted with an aluminium paint so I've painted in Humbrol aluminium again and dry brushed with gunmetal to simulate wear. Some chipping will be added later

 

Edited August 13, 2017 by CraigH

[Gerhard]

Good start, I remember this kit fondly, also the issues fitting the cowls. 

[CraigH]

Good start, I remember this kit fondly, also the issues fitting the cowls. 

Might be grounded and being serviced then LOL

[CraigH]

Afternoon, thought it was about time I posted an update.

 

I finished the reserve fuel tank and firewall then fastened them end the engine to the mountings

 

 

 

Up to now there don't seem to have been any problems with fit but I've not glued anything in yet as I want to add a few more linkages etc. Just short of some white scale lettering to put on the fuel tank but can't find any scale stuff despite a fairly extensive search.

 

Next up was the control Panel. I was going to buy a Yahu one as they look brilliant but I had a spare set of Airscales decal sheet for the Mk1 so decided to try using the kit panel and their decals with a couple of extras from their allied cockpit placards thrown in for good measure.

 

 

 

I've finished painting the cage assembly and tried it on a dry fit. I'm already learning that it's a tricky bit to get right as some of the bits interlink. I spent ages making a handle to go in the undercarriage gear select box then realised on assembly that one of the knobs on the starboard cage wall fits in there 

 

 

 

Hope to get it all fastened together and some wash etc on there in the next couple of days. 

As ever thanks for looking and any comments are always appreciated

 

Craig

[CraigH]

 

Also got the seat assembled today. Not weathered at all yet except for some wear on the seat back. Rather than spend an age trying to remove the horrible sink marks in the seat bottom which are in the most difficult place imaginable, I decided to make a nice seat cushion out of Milliput to cover them

[AlexM]

Looking good!

[CraigH]

Looking good!

Thanks Alex. Much appreciated

[Gazzas]

Very nice work, so far.

[Bomber_County]

Craig with you on this one, never ever built a Hurricane.............in all the years........I have the 51D from the same vintage....looking good so far

[CraigH]

Very nice work, so far.

Thanks. Got a week away from work so hoping to crack on

[CraigH]

Craig with you on this one, never ever built a Hurricane.............in all the years........I have the 51D from the same vintage....looking good so far

Thanks Phil . Never got to build this one in my formative years so all new. Better than the Spit in same scale that's for sure

[CraigH]

Hi all, thought I'd put an update on now I've virtually finished many of the individual units

Finished the reserve tank and added a bit of shading and such. Added some lettering then realised that the 'A' has dropped   will rectify it later

 

Next up is the engine. I've added a couple of oil washes, one with some gloss varnish in to represent fresh oil.

 

 

I've added some chipping to the instrument panel and "drybrushed" with my trusty silver pencil. My cameras added quite a bit of noise to the picture but hoping to get a better one soon

 

 

So far as the gun bays go, I've dirtied up the bottom of the bays but kept the guns clean. After all that's how they'd have to be, clean and well oiled. To this end I've added a bit of light brown oil wash with gloss varnish again to represent this. I've kept it light 

 

 

The landing gear bay is finished more or less. I've added some pipework from the compressed air tank so it wouldn't look all alone and just dirtied the inside with an oil wash

 

 

Lastly for now here's some of the 'cage'. The parts of the Sutton harness fastened to the seat sides are in, I'm still playing about with the shoulder strap assembly.

 

 

Next up is to put it all together....that should be good  

[Gerhard]

Just awesome!!! 

[CraigH]

Ma

 

Just awesome!!! 

Many thanks Gerhard. I'm sure the next bit will be a challenge though. It doesn't look like it's going to go together quietly!