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1/18 Hawker Fury


airscale

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mojo

 

 

noun

  informal

 

 

a quality that makes you successful and full of energy:

  • ·        He's definitely lost his mojo.
  • ·        He needs to get his mojo working if he's going to finish that model

 

 

Well, I lost mine over the last few months in a big way. For many reasons I just lost interest in my Fw190 and so it has been shelved for now. It's one of those inexplicable things, those that remember the 1/24 Tigercat maybe know I have form in this area ..

 

 

Instead, I have found a new source of mojo which has seen me back at the bench, enjoying my modelling which is what it is all about right?

 

 

This is new for me, I don’t think I have ever built a biplane, certainly not scratchbuilt so it will be a journey of discovery I hope to share

 

 

The Hawker Fury needs no introduction from me, all I can do is show you the picture that set me thinking and ultimately on this path…

 

 

tqyTv3.jpg

 

 

..look at that beautiful form, the polished metal nose panels, the state of the art in it’s day. I don’t know yet which airframe I will model, but likely it will be a Tangmere bird as that was but a few miles from my childhood home.

 

 

I gained the confidence to take the plunge from John Alcorn’s books ‘Scratchbuilt’ where various masters show how they achieve the impossible in relation to fabric covered structures such as those shown below – if you don’t have the books, get them, they are superb..

 

 

Need fuselage stringers? A few methods are shown..

 

 

 

t0p6vr.jpg

 

 

 

Wings? Just like the originals..

 

 

bZNrDj.jpg

 

 

I started with the Westburg plans, four sheets sourced from a 1970’s RC Model magazine I found as a PDF that my printer scaled for me..

 

 

..these are widely acknowledged as the most accurate out there..

 

 

fYD7TH.jpg

 

 

..and so onto building & making a start..

 

 

..the first element I thought would be a rigid structure that supports both the landing gear and the cabane struts atop the fuselage. This would need to be very strong and so was made of brass parts..

 

 

The very first of which is here – the main gear mount..

 

 

ipa0KN.jpg

 

 

..then the transverse rods that link to the main gear trailing arms and the mounts for those mounted on the mainspar tube.. I used (badly) my new Proxxon mini milling machine for those..

 

 

gHt5CE.jpg

 

 

..all the parts were made up over the plans and ultimately soldered together, including spigots for the cabane strut mounts..

 

 

..the firewall looking square is to add rigidity and the hole is the prop datum that will carry forwards into the nose..

 

 

ndjkOp.jpg

 

 

..more of the fuselage framework was constructed of carbon fibre rod – this stuff is super stiff and easy to work with – I used an RC modeller trick in pinning the rods to a scaled plan to get everything lined up..

 

 

YbYyLD.jpg

 

 

..soon I had both halves (at least the bits that can be seen) which will dovetail into the brass frontal assembly..

 

 

CXuYJh.jpg

 

 

..the real airframe is bolted together with some quite rudimentary brackets – that’s good, I can do rudimentary..

 

 

uW3iv1.jpg

 

 

..I should have made these from PE, but such was my renewed enthusiasm I made them by hand with the resultant rudimentary outcome..

 

 

M3jQgr.jpg

 

 

..the structures were primed and painted with black MRP enamel and the assembly plates added..

 

 

wecmpN.jpg

 

 

tC52t9.jpg

 

 

4L5Rqr.jpg

 

 

..whilst I didn’t take any construction pictures, I did make up the seat based on the few pictures I have (that’s a problem I will come onto later..)

 

 

…essentially I drew parts as templates and cut them from litho, annealing & shaping them and bordering with fine solder wire..

 

 

U8lzKq.jpg

 

 

pny4KB15j

 

 

..to finish up for now, the work to date dry fitted together…

 

 

dHtyuQ.jpg

 

 

weGfBI.jpg

 

 

f4x56U.jpg

 

 

..now for the appeal – I have zero drawings apart from the plans, I have the one Mushroom book I could find and that is 80% about the Nimrod, not the Fury and about 5 cockpit pictures all from the same angle from the internet..

 

 

I have written to both operators of existing Furies in the hope they have drawings they can share, but if anyone out there knows of any good reference, please let me know – drop links in here or PM me perhaps

 

 

So that’s it – a change in direction, for me the main thing is being motivated to pull up to my bench and enjoy myself and that I am now doing :)

 

..hopefully this one will see a competition table in a few years

 

 

TTFN

Peter

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For someone that lost their modelling mojo for a few months, you seem to have half a plane built already!!!!!!! :)

 

Great start on the project so far Peter! I love all the little gusset plates as well, how do you do all the little internal cuts in the litho, is it just scribing with a pin then snapping out like normal?

 

LOVE all the brass work too, you'll definitely need it for this one!

 

Craig

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Wow. This is going to be epic! Great choice of subject too. 
 

I know exactly what you mean about the mojo. When a model becomes a chore it’s time to put it away. That’s why I’ve got about a gazillion projects on the go at any one time and as you rightly say modelling should be fun - and it looks like you’re having a blast. 
 

I can’t wait to see more!

Tom

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