Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I finished

The first one for 2018 (yes I did start it last year but...). Not a quick build as the wing roots on my example were a shocking fit but altogether it looks the part and it's quite nicely detailed. Aftermarket goodies were limited to an Eduard Zoom set for the interior, HGW seatbelts and Eduard 'Brassin' wheels and exhausts and it was painted with Mr Hobby acrylics.
One thing I would do next time is to just paint the roundels on the upper wing rather than use the decals as it would have been easier but apart from that and the few issues I had I quite enjoyed the build.
So here ya go, Hawker Hurricane Mk I R4118 UP-W from 605 sqn, Royal Air Force;

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I

After putting the decals on I had a slight problem with the upper wing roundels in that a raised detail on the wing prevented the decals bedding down and I had to slice them with a scalpel. This left noticeable marks on the decals so after a think I ordered some masking film and when it arrived I used the measurements taken previously and cut out the roundels with a compass cutter.
The next problem was actually matching the paint to the decals so after some experimenting I mixed Tamiya XF-17 Sea Blue with XF-8 Blue and XF-1 Black until it matched (to my eye at least) the roundels. The areas were sprayed and it looked a very near match but then I sprayed some Alclad Aqua Gloss to seal the paint and the rest of the decals and it looked perfect!

I'm very pleased with that! The next job is to paint the fin leading edge red then I can start weathering the model and hopefully I'll have it finished by Christmas...although I'm not saying WHICH Christmas. :o)

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I

YAY I got the stickers on tonight;

I need to sort out a couple of areas where the decals haven't sat down properly and paint the fin leading edge red, trying to match the decal. Speaking of which I *was* going to actually paint the red segment completely but instead I cut the white strip out of the decal.
This will not be any masterpiece to say the least but I'll be happy just to get it done and off the bench.
By the way try calling decals *stickers* at a model show and see how long it is before you get thrown out :o)

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I

The masking tape finally came off the model today and although it needs touching up in a couple of places I'm quite pleased with it;

I photocopied the painting instructions and adjusted the size (it was 88% I think) to match the models dimensions. Masking tape was laid onto a sheet of styrene and the print out laid out on top then using a scalpel I cut around the camouflage pattern, making sure I had cut through the tape.
This worked more or less for the wings but near-as-dammit worked for the fuselage. After touching up the areas needed I'll get a coat of gloss varnish on it ready for the decalling.

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I

After me raving about the Vallejo Surface Primer a week or so ago I've had an issue with it in that trying to rub down the joints that needed filling, the primer has just peeled off;

It's as though there is no 'bite' to the primer whatsoever. I've since received some advice as to where I might have gone wrong (applying it too thickly instead of thinner coats, not letting it cure for a long enough period) so I will reserve judgement and experiment further on an test piece.
In the meantime I washed it all off using IPA (Iso Propyl Alcohol) and will go back to the Games Workshop rattle cans for now. I have to use white as the areas for the national markings will be masked off prior to painting as dark paints will only show through the decals.
Also the primer had to be removed as I'm not sure what reaction would occur between the Vallejo and putting the Games Workshop stuff over the top (probably a bad one knowing my luck).
Bugger.......

Edit;

After cleaning up the wing root joint again the model was sprayed with Games Workshop Corax White (which isn't white, more an off-white for some reason) and this time it's worked;

Now I can get on with applying masks for where the national markings will be and painting the thing. Finally!

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I

The build is now complete and the model needs a clean before applying the primer coat. Before the main gear was painted I added the brake lines using copper wire and small strips of masking tape to represent the fasteners that hold the brake lines to the door. The wheels are Eduard Brassin items.

Although you can get pre-cut canopy masks, for simple framing like the Hurricane it's just as quick to do it yourself using Tamiya masking tape, a cocktail stick (to define the tape around the frame), a fresh scalpel blade and a steady hand. Care is needed as I have rescribed canopy framing before now...oops!

Once the transparencies were masked the windscreen was fixed into place using G-S Hypo Cement. This stuff is mainly used by jewellers for repairs but it's great for model canopies as unlike superglue it doesn't fog plus I find it stronger that PVA type glues such as Krystal Kleer. You can eliminate the fogging of clear parts by dipping them in Johnsons Kleer and leaving them to dry however I'm going off the stuff personally.

The wingtip navigation lights were drilled into then drops of Tamiya clear red (for port) and green (for starboard) were put in to simulate the coloured light as the covers were clear.

 

All I need to do now is mask off the wheelbays, cockpit and windscreen, clean it down and get some primer on to see if I really have made a good job of those wingroots.

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I

The wing roots are all filled, sanded and polished and just need some primer spraying on the model to highlight any poor joins;

I was hoping to avoid destroying the raised detail around the carburettor intake but to get a good joint it was unavoidable. To replace it I drilled holes then inserted short pieces of 0.75mm styrene rod that had the ends drilled out with a 0.4mm bit;

The panel lines were also restored by scribing new ones using electrical tape as a guide, liquid glue was then run into the lines to remove the swarf;

The radiator got some TLC next and although Airfix have you glue this to the underside I found it far easier to glue it together first as the joint needs cleaning up when set, also the panel lines were rescribed as per the method mentioned above. The radiator flap was fixed into place but I realised that the ends of the radiator fairing should match the end of the flap;

The ends were squared off, strips of styrene were glued into place and when set sanded to shape;

Actuator rods were added to the inside of the flap and the braces replaced with styrene rod, I also found that if you scraped some plastic away from the top of the radiator housing the fit was much better to the underside;

The radiator will be left separate for painting as it will be tricky to mask the radiator faces front and back plus now I've got it to fit nicely there shouldn't be a gap all around it (I hope!).
It is coming together slowly as the undercarriage is next to sort out and once that is done I can get some primer on it;

Before priming I will fix the windscreen in place and landing light covers as no doubt these will give me problems and will require filling and polishing. I *may* glue a chunk of clear plastic into the wingtips for the navigation lights and polish them to shape as kit items rarely fit without putting up a fight.

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I

I removed the masking tape that was holding the model together and it looked like this;

The leading edges and roots look much better now. The gaps at the back where the sections were removed were filled and for this I used Milliput as you can smooth it out with water and it saves destroying any surface detail;

When the Milliput has set I still need to clean the joints but it's much better than when I first started. The joint between the nose and lower wing is greatly improved too and with a bit of luck all the joints will disappear under a coat of paint....I hope....

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I

A couple of days ago I fitted the lower wing to the fuselage then the upper wings after some good advice from a modelling buddy and left it to set. Now I had heard that the wing roots could be a poor fit on some Airfix kits but not on others so guess who has the kit with the dodgy wing roots?

Now it might be my fault OR it could be a fault with the moulding but after my experiences with the Airfix Dakota wing roots my money would be on the moulding process. To me it *looks* like there has been some slight shrinkage around the curves of the inner lower wing, maybe being due to the part coming out of the tool too early (I saw this a lot in my time at a plastics factory).
Anyway this problem needs addressing so after a think and a cup of tea I decided to hack out a section either side of the lower wing;

These sections will be glued back in flush with the leading edges, at least this way the gap will be at the back and easier to fill without destroying any surface detail (that's the plan anyway).
This also gave me the opportunity to reset the joint between the lower wing and nose as there was a noticeable mismatch between the two, hopefully it will now be flush;

A bit of a setback but with a bit of luck I will be able to make the joints disappear, anyway this HAS to be better than what I started with.

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I

The cockpit is now painted so I was able to glue the fuselage together. When dry it will be filled and cleaned up before the lower wing with the cockpit assembly is fitted;

The seat belts are by HGW and they do look good however it is VERY easy to split them in two when threading them through the buckles and bending them to the contours of the seat. Next time I'll use two layers of masking tape cut into strips and then paint them, that way I won't have to try and colour match the belts like I did with these in places.

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk 1

I sprayed the cockpit green/grey today using Tamiya XF-71 however I put some light grey and a lot of white in the mix as straight out of the jar the colour is too dark for RAF aircraft;

I probably could have gone even lighter as pin washes will darken the base colour but I'm happy with it. I'll get on with the detail painting later, add the seat belts and apply a pin wash then I can get the fuselage glued together.

Airfix Hurricane Mk I

After priming the interior with Vallejo Surface Primer I tried another new product from them for the cockpit, floor and wheel wells, this time it was their Metal Colour (77-701 aluminium).
Again I tried this on my test piece and straightaway it looked very promising so I sprayed it on the Hurricane. This stuff does not require any thinning as it will spray straight from the bottle and it covers very well, the only downside for me is that the tip of the needle clogged quite quickly but that's always been an issue with me and acrylics. Next time I'll use acrylic retardant to see if that helps, anyway here's what I got with using the paint;

The next job will be to mask off the fuselage framing and cockpit sides as these, the rear bulkhead and seat will be sprayed with Tamiya XF-71 Interior Green/Grey. When completely painted I will be fitting some HGW Model seat belts then the whole cockpit will be weathered with washes and dry brushing.

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane Mk I

I've added some more details to the cockpit, I just need to add the rudder pedals and I can get it painted. Although Eduard supply seatbelts in the Zoom set I've ordered some from HGW as these are actually made of fabric and will conform to the seat better, etch belts are too stiff (unless you anneal them over an open flame first);

I could go wild with the detail but for what you will be able to see I think there's enough in there. I did want to keep the floor and cockpit sides separate for painting but due to the way Airfix have designed it I had to glue it all together.