Airfix Hawker Sea Hawk
Discussion
Continuing the theme of late/post war Sidney Camm designed fighters, this is my next little project, the fairly ancient (1959) Airfix Hawker Sea Hawk.
Airfix usually badged the kit as the "Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk" - which is technically correct in that the bulk of the production was undertaken by Armstrong Whitworth's factory. AW was part of the Hawker Siddeley Group (as was Gloster - for that matter).
The kit is very, very basic. The only interior detail is a poor attempt at an ejection seat. At the time the kit was released, that would have been seen as a major item of detail as up to then, Airfix (and their big UK competitor, FROG) would have been more likely to have provided a solidly moulded cockpit with a pilot's head.
My plan is to remove the two seat locating lugs from the cockpit, kit out the interior cockpit with a more representative interior and use an Aeroclub white metal Martin Baker Mk II ejection seat (as fitted to the real aircraft). With a closed canopy, not a huge amount will be visible anyway.
Other areas that will need attention are the wheel wells - which need blanking off and the jet engine air intakes which lack the vertical guide vanes.
I might try to find some replacement main wheels as the kit versions are lacking in any detail.
I have a few options for markings from a Model Alliance decal sheet and an old Esci sheet so won't be reliant on the kit decals - which are yellowed and ancient.
Airfix usually badged the kit as the "Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk" - which is technically correct in that the bulk of the production was undertaken by Armstrong Whitworth's factory. AW was part of the Hawker Siddeley Group (as was Gloster - for that matter).
The kit is very, very basic. The only interior detail is a poor attempt at an ejection seat. At the time the kit was released, that would have been seen as a major item of detail as up to then, Airfix (and their big UK competitor, FROG) would have been more likely to have provided a solidly moulded cockpit with a pilot's head.
My plan is to remove the two seat locating lugs from the cockpit, kit out the interior cockpit with a more representative interior and use an Aeroclub white metal Martin Baker Mk II ejection seat (as fitted to the real aircraft). With a closed canopy, not a huge amount will be visible anyway.
Other areas that will need attention are the wheel wells - which need blanking off and the jet engine air intakes which lack the vertical guide vanes.
I might try to find some replacement main wheels as the kit versions are lacking in any detail.
I have a few options for markings from a Model Alliance decal sheet and an old Esci sheet so won't be reliant on the kit decals - which are yellowed and ancient.
Latest (slow) progress.
As can be seen, a fair amount of chopping, cutting, filling, drilling, sanding and enhancing has needed to be done.
The first picture shows where I have drilled the four cannon ports in the nose. There were completely missing from the kit. I have also scribed the cannon access panels as I had already sanded off the original raised and (incorrect) rivet detail.
Some rudimentary wheelwell detail has been added. In reality, the main wheelwells of the Seahawk were pretty messy - full of hydraulic lines and electric wiring.
Guide vanes have been added to the air intakes - completely missing from the kit.
The incorrect underwing pylons have also been removed.
The cockpit opening has been widened slightly in order to remove the overscale and unrealistic "shelf" that ran along the cockpit aperture as originally moulded (you can see this in the original pictures I posted at the start of the build.
I would like to do this model with folded wings, so I will soon start adding some wing fold detail from plastic card and wire.
As can be seen, a fair amount of chopping, cutting, filling, drilling, sanding and enhancing has needed to be done.
The first picture shows where I have drilled the four cannon ports in the nose. There were completely missing from the kit. I have also scribed the cannon access panels as I had already sanded off the original raised and (incorrect) rivet detail.
Some rudimentary wheelwell detail has been added. In reality, the main wheelwells of the Seahawk were pretty messy - full of hydraulic lines and electric wiring.
Guide vanes have been added to the air intakes - completely missing from the kit.
The incorrect underwing pylons have also been removed.
The cockpit opening has been widened slightly in order to remove the overscale and unrealistic "shelf" that ran along the cockpit aperture as originally moulded (you can see this in the original pictures I posted at the start of the build.
I would like to do this model with folded wings, so I will soon start adding some wing fold detail from plastic card and wire.
Edited by Eric Mc on Saturday 9th March 14:55
Plenty of opportunities left to cock it up. Apart from the rather pathetic wing fold on the Zero, I've never finished a carrier borne aeroplane with its wings properly folded, so this will be a bit of a challenge for me.
I have the much more modern Hobbyboss Seahawk in the stash and I might dig it out so that I can use the cockpit tub from that kit as a template for the one I'm going to have to scratch build for this one.
I have the much more modern Hobbyboss Seahawk in the stash and I might dig it out so that I can use the cockpit tub from that kit as a template for the one I'm going to have to scratch build for this one.
Well - I started on making the wing fold detail from plastic card but realised that to get a decent representation that way was too difficult (or beyond my skill levels - to be truthful). I therefore chickened out and ordered the Airwaves photo-etch Sea Hawk details set. This contains all the wing fold detail and cockpit interior. It is actually for the newer MPM kit but I am sure with a bit of tweaking and encouragement it will fit the old Airfix kit too.
The set arrived in this morning's post so hopefully work can resume over the next few days.
The set arrived in this morning's post so hopefully work can resume over the next few days.
Slow progress (as ever) but here is where the Seahawk project has got to so far.
I was not able to do much last week due to being involved in one of my theatrical productions so this weekend is the first chance I've had to have a good run at it. The other reason for the slow progress is the amount of extra work I am inflicting on what is essentially a basic and rather crude little model.
This pictures shows that I have finally managed to join the fuselage halves together. Inside the cockpit is an Airwaves photoetched set (most which won't be readily seen) and an Aeroclub white metal seat which will be fairly visible. The filler along the cockpit edge is there because with all the filing and sanding I realised I had cut away a little too much of the cockpit ledge on that side and it needs to be restored a bit.
The Seahawk had clear navigation lights in the wings so I have cut away that section from the wingtip and replaced the section with a piece of perspex (from a CD case). The shots show the perspex before and after sanding. The perspex is glued using 5 minute epoxy.
I was not able to do much last week due to being involved in one of my theatrical productions so this weekend is the first chance I've had to have a good run at it. The other reason for the slow progress is the amount of extra work I am inflicting on what is essentially a basic and rather crude little model.
This pictures shows that I have finally managed to join the fuselage halves together. Inside the cockpit is an Airwaves photoetched set (most which won't be readily seen) and an Aeroclub white metal seat which will be fairly visible. The filler along the cockpit edge is there because with all the filing and sanding I realised I had cut away a little too much of the cockpit ledge on that side and it needs to be restored a bit.
The Seahawk had clear navigation lights in the wings so I have cut away that section from the wingtip and replaced the section with a piece of perspex (from a CD case). The shots show the perspex before and after sanding. The perspex is glued using 5 minute epoxy.
Eric Mc said:
It was one of the earliest Airfix kits I ever made - probably around 1966 or so.
possibly quite a bit earlier EricI got wed in 66 and I had already built at least one well before then
( I think I still have a tall fin/rudder off the German version in an old drawer somewhere in my garage)
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