The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build - Time's Up!

Good evening all,

Well...I gone and done it. I've run out of time! It's the end of May, and, well, it's still not done. I did manage to get the wing stripes applied...





...touch ups not withstanding, but, well...I've started on the fuselage Invasion Stripes...




...but, writing reports have got in the way. As they do.

Ah well, I'll keep working on it over the weekend. It will get finished, but not by the end of May. Next May, perhaps, but not this one!

Well done to all those who did manage to get their Hawker named-after-a-weather-event aircraft finished. Good job chaps!

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Day 20

Good evening,

Argghh...I've been trying all day to get a smooth, consistent white stripe on these wings.







I've tried the whole multiple coats of thinned paint, but it's just not working. I probably should have done a coat of light grey beforehand.

I'll see how it looks after the black stripes. If all else fails, I'll pretend that it's part of the weathering process, and the camo is starting to show underneath...

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Day 19

Good evening,

Well, I've finished the camo. And then sanded it down. And have finished it again.

Let me explain...

Last night I finished the dark green...all the while realising that the sea grey hadn't gone on at all well in places. Far too lumpy...





So...how to fix it, how to fix it...

Let's try some light application of wet wet 'n dry paper. See if that'll work...



And it kinda did. Well, it looks better than it did, if not entirely perfect.




Which is probably why folks in the know use an airbrush! Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Interestingly, the Humbrol grey stood up to the light sanding much better than the Vallejo dark green.

Now to mask and paint the leading edge, apply the decals, paint the invasion stripes and weather it. Hmmm...and write reports. Hmmm. I may well be lucky to get this done by the end of the month! I won't lose my job if I don't get the plane finished, I'd be in a boat load of trouble if the reports don't get written!

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Day 17 - Andy's Update

Good afternoon,

Here are the latest instalments of Andy's progress.





Looking good Andy. Fantastic, in point of fact.

Cheers,

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Day 16

Good evening,

Another night of ignoring the clamour of the sword of Damocles that is the impending doom of reports where I decided to play with my toys instead!

And here is the result.

First coat of the Ocean Grey top camo (I pencilled the pattern onto the plastic beforehand - not real good with the whole freehand thing)...




...and I filled in the...sink holes? Mold marks? The indents on the underside of the Hurricane's tail planes.


Oh yeah, and I fitted the Hurricane's undercarriage.


Next step is to apply the Dark Green to the Typhoon, and then tidy the paint up, 'specially the division between the top and bottom coats.

Model on!

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Day 16 - Andy's Progress`

Good evening,

Just got these through from Andy Gorman, a fellow, but blogless, group builder.







How cool is that wheel well? Great work Andy!

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Day 15

Good evening,

Not too much to report really.

Got the wings on the Hurricane...


...and received my latest impetuous Trade Me purchase. An old (and I mean old) Revell Tempest.



Which kinda brings up a bit of a problem. Significant yellowing on the decals.


Ah well...at least it's got rockets!

So I was looking on the internet for some affordable/local after market decals and I came across this auction for not one, not two, but three Hawker-named-after-a-weather-aircraft!

Ha!

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Day 13

Good evening,

Thinking further about my Hurricane, and, more particularly, what colours to paint it, I came across this very interesting discussion about Hurricanes in Malta 1941-42.

Note specifically these photos from the above discussion regarding how hard it is to figure out what colours are what from black and white photos.



Now, compare these last two photos to this...

ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS OVER ALBANIA AND GREECE, 1940-1941: Pilots of No. 80 Squadron RAF relax in front of Hawker Hurricane Mark I, V7599 'YK-Q', at Eleusis, Greece
...and you can understand why I've decided to essentially paint my Hurricane as the box...


...but with a black spinner and a few changes in the decals.

Which means I can stick with the paints I've already got.

Sweet!

And just to prove that I have been doing something with the Typhoon...


I cut down the tail wheel from the kit and glued it in it's flying position.


And onto the first coat of top coat. Or bottom coat, as the case may be.



I even did a little on the Hurri itself.


Nick