Hawker Hurricane K5083: the prototype

[mozart]

Can’t agree at all with you Mike:

 

 

 

[Alain Gadbois]

Hi Max,

Just a thought, looking at these two pics: could it be that these panels be of wood at this point?

The finish ressembles the one on the propeller blades.

Sadly, the odds of sourcing a color photo seem extremely remote.

 

Alain

[mozart]

It's a good thought Alain, and you're right about the finish. 

[mozart]

Now here's a thought suggested by a chap on the Hurricane models Fb Group; these are areas of unpainted (silver) and are therefore showing the red doped linen.  Works very well for me, very plausible!!  

[MikeMaben]

Have to wonder why they would leave them unpainted fabric. Those 2 photos are of the early configuration

as the tail struts and wheel door hinged flaps were deleted early on as they loaded up with degris when on

grass fields. Also have to wonder why they would be made of wood. A real head scratcher , but if the folks

at BritMod don't know then primer red is an unarguable choice.

[Alain Gadbois]

Hi Max!

Looking at your to do list, you have to add removal of the under fuselage strake and modification of lower part of rudder. Not that I doupt you already know that!

And about the shape of nose, the original shape makes me think of the D-520 sort of (looking at photo from top). Obviously the contours were lowered and the engine valve covers hidden under the two tear drop shapes.

 

Alain

 

[mozart]

15 minutes ago, Alain Gadbois said:

Hi Max!

Looking at your to do list, you have to add removal of the under fuselage strake and modification of lower part of rudder. Not that I doupt you already know that!

And about the shape of nose, the original shape makes me think of the D-520 sort of (looking at photo from top). Obviously the contours were lowered and the engine valve covers hidden under the two tear drop shapes.

 

Alain

 

Thanks Alain....fortunately the PCM Hurricane kit gives you the option of the earlier or later rudder and the addition or otherwise of the strake, so that's a simple "fix".  There are a couple of photos in particular which show the early profile quite clearly which is useful, though the Bentley drawings don't mention this fact at all!

 

 

 

I'm currently thinking of using the tear drop shapes as "markers" and filling/fairing in all directions to get a smooth profile.  Needs a bit more investigation.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 10 by mozart

[mozart]

7 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

Have to wonder why they would leave them unpainted fabric. Those 2 photos are of the early configuration

as the tail struts and wheel door hinged flaps were deleted early on as they loaded up with degris when on

grass fields. Also have to wonder why they would be made of wood. A real head scratcher , but if the folks

at BritMod don't know then primer red is an unarguable choice.

I have to agree, it’s a mystery but as I have mentioned previously, an entirely possible answer and quite frankly, good enough for my build till better info comes up.

[Alain Gadbois]

You’re in luck with that optional strake in the kit!  
As for the nose shape, I think it is a question of starting with the kit parts, and comparing, as you modify them, with the photos of the prototype until you are satisfied with the result. The tear drops are a good starting reference, although my hunch is they protrude a tad more than the original profile.

I’m not surprised the Bentley drawings aren’t much help in this instance. Complex shapes may not be well defined in elevation and plan views. Even sections, if not exactly at the right spot, may not show the outline.

 

Alain

 

[mozart]

I had a look at some of my options today with parts that I already have in my "Hurricane Collection":

 

 

Of the three versions of the Watts prop, the Fawcett one is streets ahead of the Grey Matters and kit one.  I have recently emailed Brian Fawcett but no reply, I don't think he is still in business so I'm not sure whether to use this prop for the prototype model or for the Battle of France early Hurricane.

 

 

The Grey Matters wings (I think!) are so tempting because they include the diagonally laid fabric which was a feature of Hawker wings:

 

 

....but they're a solid lump of resin so will take some thought to fix them securely to avoid later "drooping":

 

 

It would involve cutting and joining immediately outboard of the wing centre section so not even a set of undercarriage legs to give support.  Hmmm 

 

The good news is that the kit gives you the option of making it with or without the slightly later under fuselage strake, including a shallower lower rudder section as shown in the first picture.  Virtually every photo that I have of K5083 on the ground shows the elevators lowered so my first job will be to separate those, get the right profile and set accordingly.

 

I've been thinking a lot about the canopy, one possible option could be to make one up from soldered brass strips then "glaze" with acetate, so I'm going to do some experiments to see if my soldering technique is good enough for this delicate task! 

 

Finally, a little "home moulding" is going to be attempted.  The exhausts from the AlleyCat Hawker Fury look to be a good fit, but I have no spares:

 

 

and similarly I need to make the front end of the dog kennel:

 

 

This one is definitely going on the Battle of France Hurricane.  On the early K5083 the wooden ribbing went right up to the edge of the canopy but was later redesigned to save manufacturing time, so I need to modify that area too. 

 

 

Edited March 13 by mozart

[Shoggz]

Excellent stuff Max.

[mozart]

Thanks Rich, I would value any thoughts or advice though about those heavy resin wings and their secure fixing.

Edited March 13 by mozart

[dennismcc]

Very neat and thoughtful start Max, looking forward to more.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[geedubelyer]

Something like the Aircraft in Pixels Folgore canopy would suit you Max?

[mozart]

I guess so Guy, but they’re not likely to do a one-off prototype Hurricane….. I think brass strip is the answer! If I make a former out of wood covered with foil I can lay the brass strip over it then have a go at soldering the joints. Needs a bit of planning but could work out ok…..mebbe! 

Edited March 13 by mozart