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Scratchbuilt 1/24 Hawker Fury Biplane (Done!!!)


Jim Barry

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Alright! Woo Woo! After 6 pretty intense months and probably 400 hours, I'm calling this one done. It's my first large scale plane I've completed, which is something since I've started 3 or 4 over the years only to end in nothing. It's kind of mixed emotions thing now that it's done. I've been really hard on myself to keep the quality and accuracy maximized while at the same admitting I'm new and exploring and learning and failing all along the way. It's like a crash, I've worked really really hard to hide. The Fury is a great subject for scratch, a great plane to begin with, and a  gem in the history of fighter aircraft once one comes to appreciate “Interwarâ€, the planes  that WW2 aviation legends were all  built on. Shout out to Dr. Sydney Camm, who designed this beauty  and another shout out to things British, because they just have a place in my heart (though I'm American).

 

The build log was sadly lost mostly due to Photobucket's evil and my new blog was sort of a summary of shots I hope captures what it took to build it. There are no pictures of the blood ,sweat and tears but they are there. Like the pain of making  6 rudders, the two wings (actually failing in my second attempt) , the endless *f'in hours tuning the wingtips, searching eBay for tires after I had already spent a number of hours trying to make my own. The coats of surfacing and the sanding and the sanding and sanding. But in all these months this project was my release from a ton of work and the passing of my dog, Tess  so as tough as it was, it was a pretty safe distraction. Worrying about the lower wing dihedral is better than stressing on some deadline, right? I did admittedly have an affair along the way as we perhaps all do. I did a ton of research on the next build, the Bearcat. I learned 3D CAD and printing for that project, and I took a break and scratched a quick 1/72 Nike Hercules. Crazy kinda.

 

And finally and importantly. Thanks to all of you that supported me with kind words, very usable advice and even materials. In particular, Martin and Joe and Peter and Hubert and other scratch builders that inspire (Dan, Ben, Rich and Barney! ) Thanks! It's honestly much of the reason why I could push it and go beyond my range of comfort. And another note of thanks to Kevin for his work keeping LSP going through thick and thin. All the builds and the tips and tricks here really helped keep my motivation high: A requirement. 

 

Cheers guys!  Fury forever. 

 

—Jim

 

 

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Thanks, men. Means a lot. Oh, and Craig, I'm sorry I missed mentioning you in the credits. I knew I was missing someone!

 

Funny just as I finished the final picture I went to move the plane and the tail struck the post of a chair and tore off the elevator, rigging and strut. It won't take long to repair, but I could not beleive it! My baby!

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Thanks everyone. Nice of you to all to drop in and comment. I agree Joe! This is the gusto. Joel, not exactly one of a kind. Master scatchbuilder, Ron Lowry built a 1/24 Fury a number of years ago. Silver, though. 

 

Here's some more pictures going for a realistic background look. This are shots at a now decommissioned Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine. Corsair fans might be interested to know this airbase was founded as an airfield to train British Corsair pilots in their Mark Is. Some British connection here. The Fury felt at home, perhaps. :)

 

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Here's a picture of a Royal Navy Corsair pilot learning the hard way in Brunswick, Perhaps not far from these shots at all.

 

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Edited by Jim Barry
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