So there I was sitting in domestic bliss. The oldest kid banished to bed early for a bad grade on the report card, the yougest in bed ready for the last day of school tomorrow, the wife in the bedroom wrapping prezzies, and me on the couch watching 'Gray's Anatomy' making nice progress on my nice little OOB Hunter. No cutting, no putty, minimal sanding.
Then...I hear the voice. Faint at first, then louder, it calls from the spare parts box. I pry the lid off the tupperware container full of little bits of styrene looking for the voice. There it is. A 1/48 Strike Eagle drop tank.
"Look at me." it whispers.
"Look at my curves. Wouldn't my nose make a superb Hunter radome..." it continued.
I put the lid back on and ignored the voice. Back to cleaing up the near-perfect seams on the Hunter.
"Look at me..." again it says.
"I'd make a lovely radome..."
Like Poe's unnamed murderer I can't stand the sound from beneath that plastic lid. I tear into the box and out comes the razor saw. A few swift strokes later the tank is dismembered. Surely this won't fit, I tell myself. I can get this over and move on with my lovely little OOB Hunter with its clean seams and no putty.
Carefully I match the tank section to the Hunter, begging for a nasty, ragged step, or an unfortunate angle. Anything that would let me leave this diversion and get back to my lovely little OOB Hunter with its clean seams and no putty.
SON OF A B****!!!!
It fits perfectly.
"See". It mocks my despair.
"What a lovely radome I make". I can hear the delight in its voice.
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So my friends... do I give in to the temptation, or stay the course with my lovely little OOB Hunter with its perfect seams and no putty?
In all fairness, this mod would not need any putty, it fits so well. This nose also looks virtually identical to the pic I have of a P1109A. I'm actually thinking it might look very nice in Lightning green/silver streaking into a low German overcast with a pair of Red Tops on the wings.
Any opinions?
The nose looks very good. I say go for it. I find very hard to ignore the voice (or voices as it applies to me) as well. ;)
Eddie
I think it looks nice. And if it fits well, go for it. Just be careful gluing as to not introduce a funky seam. That makes me want to put a new nose on my Airfix FGA.9. Keep us posted.
Jon
Sure....go ahead, Nick, toss it back into the spares box. I triple dog dare ya.....then be prepared to spend the next two weeks at home listening to it calling !
With that said, it looks way to right to pass on ! Obviously you gotta go for it !
:wub:
The voice won out.
The radome is fitted, and as predicted no putty was needed. I dab of gap filling super glue made it all come together. The seam on the tank even works perfectly. If anyone ever wants to puta radar nose on a RoG Hunter, well get yourself a drop tank from a Revell 1/48 Strike Eagle and you're in business!
So now my entire build plan is in disarray, since I was planning on a Vietnam CAS machine with bombs/napalm and Matra RPs.
Now I have all these new possibilites. I'm torn between:
1. Mid-late 1960s RAFG interceptor with an AI.23 radar operating alongside Lightnings. Colors would be the the Lightning's green uppers with the normal Hunter silver lower surfaces. Weapons fit would be 2 x Red Top AAM
2. Early-mid 80s point defence interceptor. Similar to the Hawk, but more capable with a Blue Fox radar from the SHAR1. Colors would be two-tone gray like contemporary Lightnings. Weapons fit would be 4 x AIM-9L on twin launch rails.
3. Early 90s point defence interceptor. The Cold War continues, and the RAF seek to supplement the Tornado interceptor force as the Phantoms retire due to fatigue. BAe offers to rebuild low-time Hunter airframes with the Blue Vixen radar and re-engine them with low time Speys from the Phantoms (minus the 'burner). The smaller engine offers the same thrust, but is more fuel efficient and allows for greater internal fuel carriage. Colors would be low-viz gray, but something different from the Tornado scheme. Weapons would be 2 x AMRAAM + 2 x AIM-9M. This Hunter F.14 would serve well into the 21st century.
Geez.....tough call. I like the 60s idea, but I'd rather see it in camo like the Phantoms. Please.
:D
QuoteGeez.....tough call. I like the 60s idea, but I'd rather see it in camo like the Phantoms. Please.
:D
I dunno man. Every Hunter you see has RAF camo it seems. I'm kinda leaning towards a gray one. I have nothing against a gray warplane, I just get tired of seeing it on every single F-Xteen, Typoon, Tornado, etc. I'd kinda like to see a Hunter in a modern air-defence scheme. (Guess I'd have to dig through the spares box for a Mk.10 seat too though)
How about an Air Defense version for Chile.
Would look nice in one of their camo schemes...
One of the things that I love about whif modeling is the way a build changes along the way. Surely it must get dull for every model to be built to match the box art with no discovery along the way.
What started only 6 hours ago as a stock Hunter in RAF Vietnam service is now evolving into what BAe would call Hunter 2000.
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Since this pic I've fitted a HUD. Unfortunately the fork in the road cam after the fuselage was assembled, so I cant redo the panel with a nice big MFD, but since it's all in black it's not too visible anyway. I will be trading the lovely kit seat for a Mk.10.
Phil-much as I'd love an intricate camo, I'm on a tight time budget on this build, so it's gonna be done the quick way. Plus I dont have any Chilean markings in the stash. Still, it's an interesting idea... What if the Hunters Chile received from the UK after the Falklands didnt end up as spare parts, but were rebuilt and upgraded..?
Quote3. Early 90s point defence interceptor. The Cold War continues, and the RAF seek to supplement the Tornado interceptor force as the Phantoms retire due to fatigue. BAe offers to rebuild low-time Hunter airframes with the Blue Vixen radar and re-engine them with low time Speys from the Phantoms (minus the 'burner). The smaller engine offers the same thrust, but is more fuel efficient and allows for greater internal fuel carriage. Colors would be low-viz gray, but something different from the Tornado scheme. Weapons would be 2 x AMRAAM + 2 x AIM-9M. This Hunter F.14 would serve well into the 21st century.
Go for this one, gooo!!! :party:
Well as they say, 'in for a penny, in for a pound'. I've decided to go with the fully modified mid-late 90s model. This has been in the back of my mind all day after reading an article on the Flightglobal.com website about Hawker Hunter Aviation, a company in England operating 12 low time Hunters on defence contracts doing things like target simulation, radar calibration, trials, etc. Seeing a pic of a Hunter with a current RAF Z**** registration got me wondering how long the Hunter could have served on the front line if upgraded enough. After all A-4s served for decades, as has the B-52, and the Nimrod MRA.4 is a rebuild of an very old airframe.
So...the upgrades so far:
Blue Vixen radar
Shortened tailpipe for the Spey engine
One-piece windscreen (sanding center panel frame away was the point of no return)
It's getting very late so that will be all for tonight. Tomorrow I'll post more updates.
I happen to have some pretty nice 74 Sqn decals for the Hawk, so now I'm thinking a black-spined Tiger Squadron machine with a pair or AMRAAMs might look nice.
Ok, No Chile today :(
If you are thinking 2000, going to need some upgraded ECM stuff and flare/chaff pods etc.
It's certainly 'evolved' in the last couple of posts, Nick.... Looking forward to following this one.
Ian
I don't think you want a Spey, even the small ones are rather larger than the Avon and require significantly larger inlets. A better approach would be re-engining with a RB.199, EJ200, or F404/412(RM12)/414. You get a bit of improvement in thrust with a much better fuel consumption and reliability. The airframe looks to be too far along now, but adding the CFE-proposed three-foot extension at the nose/main fuselage joint would've been nice, too.
Where do you get your ideas from?? This one is a brilliant one.
QuoteI happen to have some pretty nice 74 Sqn decals for the Hawk, so now I'm thinking a black-spined Tiger Squadron machine with a pair or AMRAAMs might look nice.
spot on! :wub:
QuoteI don't think you want a Spey, even the small ones are rather larger than the Avon and require significantly larger inlets. A better approach would be re-engining with a RB.199, EJ200, or F404/412(RM12)/414. You get a bit of improvement in thrust with a much better fuel consumption and reliability. The airframe looks to be too far along now, but adding the CFE-proposed three-foot extension at the nose/main fuselage joint would've been nice, too.
Thanks for the info Evan!
I went with the Spey because I found a reference that said it was a possible engine for the CFE Hunter. I couldnt find dimensions for the Avon, but hte numbers I found for the dry Spey looked like it would work (97 inches long, 32 inch dia). I thought about the intake issue, but just from looking at pics it didnt really seem that the AMX had much more intake area.
I did think about the fuselage extension, but stopped myself since that was a bit too much 'mission creep'. My intention for this build was quick, easy, with little or no PSR.
If the RB.199 is a more feasible option, then I'm happy with that. It fits the timeline perfectly!
Slow start today due to some electrical problems in the house. The electrician is gone now and tells me it is something with the power company, not the house. So now I'm waiting for the power company, who may or may not show up. Oh well...for now the power is fine, so modeling can continue.
I'm diggin through the parts box for some lumps and bumps. I dont want to add too much and spoil the shape, but a couple of ECM bumps and chaff/flare dispensers will bring it into the 90s.
I'm hoping to shoot a coat of paint in the next couple of hours, then I'll post more pics.
Just one pic tonight, but I've made decent progress today. Major construction is complete, and the first colour is on. Landing gear is painted and the weapons fit is coming together nicely.
I found a little dealie in the spare parts box on an Italeri F-104A sprue. It is basically two pylons joined by contoured crosspieces. The contour fits the belly of hte Hunter perfectly, so with the addition of a couple of missile rails from an Italeri Harrier GR.5 the Hunter gets a pair of AMRAAMs on the belly.
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This should finish up nicely tomorrow or early Sunday.
QuoteQuoteI don't think you want a Spey, even the small ones are rather larger than the Avon and require significantly larger inlets. A better approach would be re-engining with a RB.199, EJ200, or F404/412(RM12)/414. You get a bit of improvement in thrust with a much better fuel consumption and reliability. The airframe looks to be too far along now, but adding the CFE-proposed three-foot extension at the nose/main fuselage joint would've been nice, too.
Thanks for the info Evan!
I went with the Spey because I found a reference that said it was a possible engine for the CFE Hunter. I couldnt find dimensions for the Avon, but hte numbers I found for the dry Spey looked like it would work (97 inches long, 32 inch dia). I thought about the intake issue, but just from looking at pics it didnt really seem that the AMX had much more intake area.
I did think about the fuselage extension, but stopped myself since that was a bit too much 'mission creep'. My intention for this build was quick, easy, with little or no PSR.
If the RB.199 is a more feasible option, then I'm happy with that. It fits the timeline perfectly!
Ah, okay - those dimensions work for a dry Spey. I was thinking of one with afterburning, that gets a rather larger envelope diameter. For the 1960s or 1970s, that's a valid option, beyond that point in time, I'd go with a RB.199 or, a bit later, an EJ-200. Both are smaller and lighter than the Spey for the same thrust.
Regarding that CFE extension, the Matchbox kit has the fuselage break at precisely the right spot to add that in quite easily; I'm going to have to do one; I'll likely fit a radar nose at the same time.
Painting is done and a Future coat is drying, so decals are next. Here is a last picture before the final reveal.
As mentioned earlier it will be a 74 Sqn machine with a Tiger on the tail. I know a lot of us dont like grays, but I like seeing it on something different like this.
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Wow, AD! I didn't think it was possible, but that new nose looks even better with the contrasting gray paint on it. I can't wait to see her all buttoned up and on her feet. Thank you again for sharing.
Jon
Yeah, I've always liked the idea of a Hunter in air defence greys, like you mention it looks different on a Hunter. In my eyes although the Hunter saw good service as a strike aircraft, it was a born fighter & it would have been nice to see it finish it's days in that role.
QuoteYou can't fit a Spey without making the intakes bigger and that's far too late now. De Havilland looked at doing a Spey engined Sea Vicxen and had problems with enlarging the intakes due to the wingspars. One of the later 301 series Avons fitted to the Saudi Lightnings may be a better bet.
Nice though.
Thanks Lee.
Surely the Sea Vixen needed bigger intakes since each intake feeds one engine though. With both intakes feeding a single engine might the intake area be enough?
Looking again at the AMX, its intakes do look a bit bigger than the Hunter, but not
that big.
I'd really like to be able to stay with the Spey, since the RB.199's dry thrust is a bit on the low side, and the EJ200 is a bit later than the model's timeframe, but I really want a turbofan in it.
If all else fails I can always
say it has bigger intakes and slap some covers on them! :D
QuoteI know a lot of us dont like grays
Nothing wrong with grays...especially when they're done with black !
:wub:
Looking good, Aeroman....love the twin AMRAAM launcher !
:cheers:
Well it took a little longer than I planned, but my updated and upgraded Hunter is done after four days.
The quick and dirty backstory:
After the 1989 Soviet coup, and the resulting death of Mikhail Gorbachev crushed hopes for an end to the Cold War, Britain found herself in need of additional air defence hardware. Though useful in theory the Sidewinder-armed Hawk T.1A fleet were of little practical value outside of an actual war situation, and with increasing demands on the Tornado F.3 fleet BAe stepped forward offering to upgrade a number of low time Hunter airframes for the RAF.
With the serving head of the RAF a former Hunter man the offer was jumped at. The resulting Hunter F.15 was powered by an uprated dry version of the Turbo Union RB.199 engine, delivering 11,400lb thrust, and had the Sea Harrier FA.2's highly capable Sea Vixen radar. Other updates included a frameless windshield, Martin-Baker MK.10 seat, updated cockpit displays and avionics, an APU, improved braking, an inflight refueling probe, increased internal fuel, and the ability to carry either a fuel tank or a twin missile rail on the centerline.
The Hunter F.15 entered service with RAF Germany in late 1994, with 29 Sqn at Gutersloh. RAF Leeming was the next base for the new Hunter, with 74 Sqn converting from the Phantom F.3 in 1995. To mark the return to Hunter operations XG204 (the new Hunters retained their original registration numbers) was painted with a black tail and spine with the famous Tiger Squadron markings.
As an interceptor the Hunter F.15 normally carried 2 AIM-9M Sidewinders and 2 AIM-120B AMRAAM missiles along with either 100 or 230 gal external fuel tanks. The four ADEN cannon were retained, though in normal operation only two were loaded, with 150 rouds each.
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Four days for that?! That looks damned good. I honestly didn't think a pointy nosed hunter would look that good but you've come up with something fantastic! :jawdrop: I love the colors. :wub:
Man, that's truly an awesome result! I love the look of this machine very much!!!
Thats top notch! REally cool! I lke hunters! :wub:
Somehow you've mad a gorgeous looking aircraft lok even better - stunning job :wub:
I wonder what a certain Mr McEvoy would think of it
Chris
:thumbsup: :cheers: :thumbsup: :bow:
just about sums it up. Happy Holidays. :drink:
Love it! :wub: The camo & nose really create a different look for the Hunter, good job & only four days too! :thumbsup:
Oh yeah ! Now that is one good looking aeroplane ! With the new nose and paint that Hunter sure looks the part of a modern a/c. Like Chris said....you took a beauty and somehow made her look even better ! And the weapons combo is perfect.
Awesome job, Nick !
:wub:
Feck.
Me.
Running.
:jawdrop:
:wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:
very nice! the jaw dropping smiley seems inadequate here..... ^_^
Brilliant, simple as that :cheers:
Ian
Bloody MARVELOUS!!! Once again, I didn't think it was at all possible to improve on what you had, and you proved me wrong again. With the markings and the weathering....just wow. That last photo captures it perfectly. You just need to add the ladder from a Hasegawa 1/72 F-20 so your pilot can get in quick on an air raid.
Jon
Holy Crap!! WOW!
Sultry. B)
Mmm, very impressive.
Chapeau! Love the belly missiles... a navel addition.
Top notch! :D :D
QuoteBloody MARVELOUS!!! Once again, I didn't think it was at all possible to improve on what you had, and you proved me wrong again. With the markings and the weathering....just wow. That last photo captures it perfectly. You just need to add the ladder from a Hasegawa 1/72 F-20 so your pilot can get in quick on an air raid.
Jon
My plan was to scratchbuild a proper Hunter ladder, but time got away from me. I'll work on that after Christmas.
Thanks for the comments guys! Cant wait to get an FGA.9 in the stash, maybe then I'll get my RAF Vietnam machine built.
I like the backstory, I am amazed by the model - magnificent. well done!
:salute:
Four days? I'm taking my ball and going home. That's superb. :wub:
QuoteFeck.
Me.
Running.
:jawdrop:
:wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:
I couldn't have put that better, that's terrific :thumbsup:
Original time estimate - 2 days
Actual time for completion - 4 days
Explaination - updated air frame to meet new requirements is unexceptable at this time. Not only cost overrun for construction but increased costs for new avionics, engine, radar, missiles, etc, etc.
However, based on coolness factor of completed build all is forgiven B)
She came out looking awesome AD.
Are you sure you don't have another Eagle fuel tank laying around? This would look equally cool in Chilean greys sitting next to a new F-16 on the ramp.
QuoteOriginal time estimate - 2 days
Actual time for completion - 4 days
Explaination - updated air frame to meet new requirements is unexceptable at this time. Not only cost overrun for construction but increased costs for new avionics, engine, radar, missiles, etc, etc.
However, based on coolness factor of completed build all is forgiven B)
She came out looking awesome AD.
Are you sure you don't have another Eagle fuel tank laying around? This would look equally cool in Chilean greys sitting next to a new F-16 on the ramp.
But just think Phil, if it had been a real UK military project I would finish it around 2011, at a cost of $3,905. :lol:
I do actually have another Eagle tank in the spares box...maybe one of these days Chile will get a Hunter interceptor.
Or Canada...
Or Belgium...
Or France...
Or Ireland...
Or Japan..
Or..
:lol:
a stunning job in such a short time :wub:
where's the 'complete dripping awe' smilie when you need it?.
Stunning build. :bow:
Greg
You are my inspiration to move faster in my builds. Very eye catching work!
Eddie
I could see a P.1083 getting a dogtooth leading edge at some point. Wasn't there a Mirage III upgrade that added a dogtooth to the leading edge? Or was that the Kfir? In any case, Lee, I'd say it's not at all improbable.
That is simply awesome.
Daryl J.
:jawdrop: BLOODY GORGEOUS!!! :jawdrop:
That's quite the inspiration, there.
Beautiful model. Love Hunters (bloody have to finish the 1/32 supersonic version I stashed away a few years ago).
AD, I took the liberty of merging your original build thread with this thread to give some continuity since there were WIP images in the original thread.
BTW, your WHIF is most excellent.
Nasty looking piece of hardware there, love it! :wub:
QuoteThanks for the comments guys! Cant wait to get an FGA.9 in the stash, maybe then I'll get my RAF Vietnam machine built.
Pwomise ?????? :thumbsup:
Ian
QuoteQuoteThanks for the comments guys! Cant wait to get an FGA.9 in the stash, maybe then I'll get my RAF Vietnam machine built.
Pwomise ?????? :thumbsup:
Ian
I 'pwomise' I'll eventually build one Ian!
I actually started thinking about doing a USAF Vietnam machine with my 1/48 Academy FGA.9. From what I understand the two biggest problems (among many minor ones) are the undersize wheels, and 1/72 scale seat. I was thinking a wheels-up inflight build with the ESCAPAC seat left over from my Hase RN A-4 would solve those problems. Plus I have more USAF Vietnam era decals in 1/48 that 1/72....
THe RAF Vietnam bird will be a 1/72 Revell kit though...I promise (for now!!) :D
High quality modeling and whiffing :wub: :wub: :wub: :bow:
What everyone else says - stunning model :wub: :wub: and amazement at the speed of the build :o Great work :cheers:
:jawdrop:
Awesome job mate!!!! 4 days god I wish I could get results like that in 4 days.