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Playing in the Sandbox Group Build Sept 1, 2024 - Jn 1, 2025

Hobbycraft Sea Fury - Hawker Company demonstrator G-AKRY


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evening all,
 
Peter from airscale here - long time lurker on LSM so took the plunge and joined Jim and you guys to hang out.
 
I have a build log over on LSP but thought I would have one here too. I love watching your builds so hope some of you like watching mine
It’s a  1/32 Hobbycraft Sea Fury   I have chosen a Hawker company demonstrator from 1948  Fury 1 NX748 effectively what became in lineage the Sea Fury prototype....

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For those with an eye for history, the shot is attributed to be in Luqa, Malta and I have the following info (would welcome any further pics / details / corrections):
 
In April 1948, Bill Humble, Hawkers chief test pilot, flew the first prototype Sea Fury to Cairo for the forth-coming Heliopolis Air Display. On this occasion, it carried the civil registration G-AKRY instead of its original RAF serial number NX798. Humble arrived on 21 April and three days later put on a demonstration of aerobatics and high-speed passes for the Royal Egyptian Aero Club at Almaza AB. This display so impressed the Egyptians that an excited crowd swarmed over the aircraft as soon as Humble landed. On 27 April, Bill Humble gave the machine a ten-minute test flight preparatory to his homeward journey. Just before his intended departure the Hawker test pilot discovered that the Fury had been moved from the civil to the military side of Almaza AB and that the aircraft had been impounded by the Egyptian authorities who turned it over to the REAF. It was given code '701' and become an REAF fighter. On 4th June 1948 this aircraft scored the first REAF air combat victory shooting down an Israeli Fairchild Argus.

Anyways, enough waffling, on with some pics

..this is roughly where I am at after 15 months on one £29.99 kit...

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..and a potted history..

 

..my company airscale makes aircraft cockpit details - so start with my favorite part..

 

 

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..made an engine by making master parts & casting in resin, also opened up the firewall area..

 

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..undercarriage bay - lots of bits & bobs...

 

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..lots of scribing & riveting..

 

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..tailfeathers from brass - I find it easier to work and good for panels with raised detail..

 

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.wing corrections...

 

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..first time vacforming & made a new canopy..

 

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..cast 90 gal wing tanks & pylons from masters...

 

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..and this is where I am up to - undercarriage doors...

 

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..sorry for huge post, but didn't want to just show over a year's work in a few pics :D

 

TTFN

Peter @ airscale

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for the warm welcome guys!

 

 

I'd love to hear more about working with brass...is that brass sheet? How thick?

 

 

Doogs - thanks for the question - I have added a tutorial as it's a method I would love to see more people try and it really is easy..

 

Tutorial here

 

For those that know me from elsewhere - I am like a bad fart and will follow you around :ph34r: ..

 

TTFN

Peter

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I said so elsewhere but ... man, I'm glad you've signed up here.  Your scratch building skills are as unreal as your Airscale products.  Brilliant stuff and tutorials as well, can't get better than that can it?

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very kind - thanks Grant - don't know what took me so long actually :(  - very glad I joined
 
so - on to todays activities...
 
started to make the main undercarriage doors - as can be seen in the pic below there are actually a bunch of complex shapes and some raised rivet detail.. note the curvature at the front where it matches the fairing coming back from the circular engine area, and the 'V' shaped cut-out in the middle..
 
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..got the basic outline marked out on 0.03 brass..
 
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..cut out two sets of outer door panels..
 
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..riveted them and made a former to start bending in the curved shape - this is just a curved bit of thick plastic card stuck to an old bit of perspex. I taped the door shape down and used a rod to roll into the former to impart the shape..
 
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..made up the pair..
 
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..made inner cores from thick card and more brass shim - this is before cutting out the 'V' shape and adding shaping parts the 'blow' the inner panel out a bit...
 
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..I have nearly finished one of them...
 
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..also my PE turned up today - as usual PPD have done an excellent job - sorry they won't be for sale under airscale, they are just for this build. I have the lower wing vents, cowling fasteners, cowling liners and a bunch of brackets & rivet strips that will come in handy in the future...
 
 
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..I was amazed to see when uploading the photo that even the screw heads are visible on the vents - most impressed  :respect:
 
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hope to get some of this fitted soon, so until next time folks..
 
TTFN
Peter

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  • 2 weeks later...

a little more done..

..now I have the PE set I designed it was time to start using it - the under wing cooling vents used to look like this (I made these..)...
 
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..pulled them off and roughly rebated where they will sit so the louvre slots don't sit on solid plastic...
 
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..painted the rebates matt black and annealed, shaped & primed the new vents...
 
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..also added the cowling fasteners.. - think they look ok but I can't get them any thinner
 
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...also made up the open fasteners to finish off the cowling panel - it was quite satisfying using home made PE :)
 
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..I also added the two rings around the engine, I think these came out well and I could not think of any other way to get the tiny square holes that are where the cowling panels would fasten to. Had a little dry fit with the other panels to see how it was coming together..
 
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..the front windshield looked ok from my home made vacformer, so thought I would start on it - if nothing else I can practice the processes involved...
 
..first up the cockpit frame - this is thick sheet brass - marked it out and scored the inner cut-out (always remove inner shapes / holes first as the part still has strength..)... after scoring, careful repeated bending and you get a nice clean break...
 
made the inner edge in the same way and CA'd together
 
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..added fastener and structural details...
 
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..started making the exterior framing from wine bottle foil - it has a couple of benefits - it's silver already, it's black on the reverse face, and can be easily cut / shaped / worked...
 
very, very carefully used capillary action of liquid CA to fix by touching a tiny drop at each end - worked out pretty strong and clean...
 
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...adding more - the wine foil is Faustino Vll, a rather nice Rioja..
 
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..and the finished windshield - it will be tidied up properly when I get round to fixing it (after the landing gear is on..)...
 
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..and dry fitted...
 
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...until next time folks...
 
TTFN
Peter

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  • 3 months later...

so, the old girl is back smile.png

 

..a few friendly nudges over on LSP got me started where I left off on the Sea Fury back in November - basically it needs paint...

 

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..anyone who has followed this build will know how terrified of painting I am so I guess the next few weeks are going to be some of those 'kill or cure' moments..

 

..I have just started using alclad and I have to say I think it is pretty forgiving to a bad painter, so I am building up experience and practice before doing the airframe itself..

 

..I started with some of the sub-components - cowl panels, gear & doors and the canopy...

 

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..thankfully nothing ruined

 

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..I masked the legs and added some steel to the aluminium colour to try and get some contrast...

 

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..gave the parts a going over with Flory dark wash - very easy to use and effective...

 

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..will add more weathering later - the inside of the cowl panels will have quite distinctive burn marks from the diamond shapes on each cylinder head..

 

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..canopy needs the inside weathering (and a good clean..)...

 

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..doors will need angled oil streaks from crap spilling out of the engine - anyone know how you do that?

 

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...I think the legs may be a different colour if you look hard enough..

 

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..nearly finished.. it was only when I looked at these while posting I realised I was a bit too keen to paint as I forgot I hadn't done the brake lines yet... doh

 

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..good to be back in the groove on this build... :D

 

TTFN

Peter

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He's heee-ere . . .

 

Aaahh, nertz.   :rolleyes:

 

I came here for a rest from all the mad tomfoolery at 'the other place', Peter. Now you show up!!

 

But I kid.  ;)

Nice to have you here, Pete. Yours is actually one of the builds I follow avidly, especially for your use of brass. Now I can simply stay in LSM. It's encouraging to see more 'masters' set up here now.

Score!

 

I have a fair bit of brass shim that I'd like to start using, to supplement the 0.007" litho sheet I normally use. My big  Revell F4U-1D in FAA is crying out for the treatment you're giving your Fury.

 

Welcome, willkommen, bienvenue.

 

Regards

 

Ross

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thank you chaps - very kind of you to drop in and leave me some encouragement :D

 

woohooo - today is the day!

 

finally, 18 months after starting this build it has been painted - I have been beside myself with worry thinking I would balls it up, but I am pleased to say it seems to have worked out ok m0152.gif

 

..I masked up all the bits that needed protecting with tamiya tape and tinfoil around the exhausts so as not to have the tape damage the paint & weathering finish...

 

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..then after a final wipe down and a lot of surface prep I coloured it in using alclad white aluminium - great stuff to use and very forgiving when the village idiot is doing the painting....

 

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...need to calm down, settle down, and have a look at the masks I had made ages ago to start on the final finish - luckily there is just a cheatline and the registration...

 

..I am off for a long lie down and a cigar...

 

TTFN

Peter

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thanks for the encouragement Cees smile.png

 

..well, what a weekend - I think it has gone pretty well considering last week I was terrified of painting, and now I feel like I am getting the better of it (a bit...)..

 

..we have stripes!

 

..I masked everything up and am pleased to say the alclad held out perfectly - the only bit that didn't was on the brass panels over the exhausts... I must have forgotten to prime these...

 

..no matter, I think I can sort them out..

 

..anyways, here it is all masked - and I mean all...

 

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..after a coat of paint - I darkened tamiya red a bit, mixed it 1:2 with thinners and sprayed very lightly - the first coat went a very fetching metallic pink...

 

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..also did the cowling panels...

 

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..I think they came out pretty good and am very happy I didn't have any disasters...

 

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...and some porno shots just for me to enjoy...

 

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..well that's it - a fear conquered and now well on the way to the finish - this is the first ever airbrush paint job I have ever done after getting back into modelling in 2010 and is also the 1,000th WIP picture so quite a high in the little old airscale household yahoo.gif

 

..until next time folks...

 

TTFN

Peter

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Spektackiller!

 

Paint on means into the home stretch. And that's a rat purdy scheme.

 

Though it covers up all that beautiful brass your efforts enhance the whole kit.

 

There's s/thing cathartic in a protracted episode of 'bashing.

 

yiC

 

Rossky

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  • 2 weeks later...

wow thank you guys - you all say such nice things :)

...so, the Fury finally has an identity - now it has the registration marks on. I had some ad astra masks made about a year ago and they are totally amazing - easy to use and spot on for dimensions..

..this is the underwing half of G-AKRY...

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..and the best bit... peeling off the mask...

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..turned out nicely - a testament to ad astra...

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..and the other side...

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..same process with the fuselage - here the extra masking has been removed just leaving the vinyl one...

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..happy with this too

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..I tried some Vallejo Satin on a test model but had uneven finishes so I tried thinning alclad satin kote with mr colour levelling thinners and it went on easily and nice and smooth..

..so, bit between the teeth off I went to ruin my model...

...actually, it turned out pretty good - I sprayed it all over having masked some parts and left it to dry. Then it was covered in flory dark dirt wash and left again...

..after a while i took a damp cloth and cleaned as much off as I could, hoping really to just accentuate the panel lines & rivets..

..put it together for a little photoshoot and this is where I am at...

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..next step is to try and do some light weathering - I have a lot to learn (again..) so better see if I can find anything on youtube..

..until next time

TTFN
Peter

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