Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 Airfix 1/48 part-1

Introduction
I started a new project. As always, I made drawings before the construntion. The outline shape of the kit is very accurate except for the windscreen and canopy. Because the kit was designed by 3D scan. However, the windscreen of the kit is rather small, and the slide hood is not reproduced the bubble shape cross section. So I scratchbuilt windscreen and hood. During the constrution, I purchased a LCD 3D printer. Some parts such as the landing gear, wheel and tire were made by the 3D printer.
Side view drawings
First of all, I made three view drawings as usual. The Airfix's kit is designed by 3D scanned data, so its basic dimensions and outlines are accurate. So, my drawings are based on drawings in the kit's instruction. However, the shape of the spinner and canopy is different from that of the actual aircraft. I corrected its shape by photos of actual aircraft. And also, the thrust line of the kit instruction is incorrect. Although it is not explicit, the horizontal line of the instruction is considered as the thrust line. The correct thrust line is described in the side view figure of the Sea Fury official maintenance manual. The angle of the difference is about 0.4 БЛ.

The outline shape of my drawing is verified by the photograph of the actual aircraft as well.
The station diagram of this aircraft is unknown, so the total length of my sideview drawings is adjusted to the kit's total length. According to references, there are a few different description as for the total length such as 34'7 "and 34'8" (with out the tail hook).
Wing incidence angle: 2.5БЛ, horizontal stabilizer incidence : 1.5БЛ, Vertical fin offset : 0БЛ, Root chord : 2.72 m (described in the manual for the French airforce), propeller diameter : 12'9 ".
Rivet lines and fasteners are found by photos of actual aircraft.
The access panel at the top of the vertical fin seems to be only with the whip antenna. In that case, there are on the both sides.
The whip antenna seems to be only on the tail fin top at the beginning of production of FB.11. Then it moved to the rear fuselage top. This status is observed in the Korean war. And in the last stage, there are two antenna both on the fuselage and fin.
Retractable step on the port side of the cockpit is not interlocked with the flap but landing gear.

Comparison of kit and actual aircraft

Black lines indicates the actual aircraft(that is the same as my drawings). Red lines is kit (the copy of the kit instruction). The basic fuselage side shape is almost perfect.
The kit spinner is too roundish. I guess that the kit represents wrong restored aircraft. As for the windscreen, the rear end frame is inclined backward and the lower line of the side window is incorrect. The shape of the slide hood is also incorrect.
Panel lines are also mistaken here and there. The vertical division line of the cowl is different.

Top and bottom view drawings

Ribs of the inner wing (up to the dihedral break point) are perpendicular to the horizontal plane. On the other hand, ribs of the outer wing are perpendicular to the outer wing reference plane. In my top and bottom view drawings, each rib is drawn as the figure projected on the wing reference plane.
Despite the elliptical wing, the upper and lower lines are straight when looking from the front. This is different from the elliptical wing of the Spitfire. And the dihedral breaking poition is shaped as if the inner wing is cut verticaly and the outer wing is attached thereto.
The wing airfoil is Hawker High-speed Sectrion H/1414/37-5 (root), H/1410/37-5 (wing tip) and wing thickness ratio is 14.5% each according to the Hawker manual. , 10%. There is no wing-shaped coordinate data at hand, and it traces the folds of the photos.
There are three tear drop blisters on the upper surface of the aileron. The actuating rod of each aileron and elevator tab are only on the lower surface. The navigation light rearward the wingtip is found on some later aircraft. There is no light on the aircraft during the Korean War.
The location and shape of the two square access panels of the fuselage fuel tank are based on photos of the stored aircraft. Its existence can be seen even in the histrical photos.
There is a small retractable air intake below the windscreen in the restored aircraft, but it is unclear whether it is the original. The existence is not clear in the histrical photos of those days.
The upper panel of the fuselage fuel tank is a thick bulletproof plate. Therefore there is no rivet like Spitfire.
The horizontal fin looks similar to Tempest at first glance, but the span, chord, swept angle of leading and trailing edge, thickness, airfoil etc. are completely different.
The small circle near the wing root and rearward the main spar is the gear indicator rod. Also, a small circle near the folding line is a wing expansion indicator rod.

Comparison with the kit
Many portions are different when the kit wing is compared to the actual aircraft. I think that the wing is not 3D scanned well. I feel it is the same as Phantom FG.1. Kit is shown in red, actual aircraft is black. Sorry, the bottom view is omitted. In addition, the version of the actual aircraft (black) is a little old.

The shape of the wing tip and the position of the outer end rib (panel line) are different. Relatedly, the position of aileron is also different. The wing tip shape of my drawings is a trace of the actual aircraft photos, so it is highly acurate.
The inside gun blister of the actual aircraft is a little smaller than outside one. The kit is the same. And their positions seem to be slightly different. Furthermore, there is no square recess or square access panel on the inner wing upper side. Instead of them, there is a small tear drop blister on the actual aircraft.
The panel line on the below and forward the vertical fin is different. The kit is narrowing forward, but actual aircraft is spreading forward along with the stringer.
Kit's windscreen is rather narrow. When the convex frame mold is sanded, it will be narrowed further. The planar shape of the rear end of the slide hood is also different.
The panel lines around the main and rear spars also different. They have to be corrected when rivets are engraved. Because, the relationship of rivet lines does not match to panel lines.

Sea Fury front view

As fo the cross-sectional view, it is based on a kit that is 3D scanning of the actual aircraft. There is a photo of the rear fuselage cross-section of the actual aircraft, and I traced it to fit the size to the kit. Therefore, the accuracy may be sufficient. The side view showing the cross-sectional position is reduced by 50%.
The track is 12' according to the manual. The drawing matches the impression of the photo. The detailed view of the main landing gear is from 3D data of Fusion 360.
Since there is a step (gap) in the location of the fire wall, the sectional view here shows both. I drew the fuselage and wing panel lines so that they match the plan and side views (this is quite difficult).

This is an enlarged cross-sectional view. The rear fuselage is not symmetrical in the vertical direction. This cross-sectional shape is different from that of Typhoon and Tempest. The cowling is not a perfect cylinder but the rear is slightly thicker.

Analysis of the canopy
The canopy is the weak point of this kit, so I want to correct somewhat. Before moving my hand, I consider its shape.

First of all, the windscreen is unique. It can only be seen on this aircraft. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary front window frame, but when looking closely, there is no front frame. And when looking better, a plate-like window frame is sandwiched between the front and side glasses. It's hard to explain in words so look at photos.

The portion that looks like the front window frame is the plate-like frame locating inside the windscreen looked through the side glass. The reflection of the light shows that it is not the frame but the glass.

This is the view of the window frame looking foreward. Be careful with the plate-like window frame on both sides of the front window. They become somewhat narrowing rearward, and the bulletproof glass with the side cut diagonally may be set there.

The structure of this windscreen is the same as Typhoon (bubble top) and Tempest.

Next is the slide hood. The shape of its lower frame is also characteristic. Compared to the Spitfire, the outline of the rear half is completely different. Although following all images are existing restored aircraft, the shape is the same as original aircraft.

The bubble shape cross section seems to be a perfect sphere when viewed from the front. The kit lacks this lateral swelling at all.

The lower frame is a straight line in parallel. It is bent at the red arrow, and the rear half is also a straight line.

The folding of the frame is not simple, it is bent in the upper 1/3 in the first half (red). The second half is about lower 1/3 (blue).

Note the shape of the frame and the bubble-like swelling of the plexiglass, etc.

Construction
First of all, I construct the cockpit.

The instrument panel is from the kit. Kit decals are pasted. Future wax is painted.

Details of kit parts are rather poor.

Frames are depicted with plastic strips. Instruments are from the kit or scratched. The foot bar is glued rearward.

Knobs are depicted with CA glue and plastic powder. CA glue is put on the tip of a brass rod. Then the rod is dipped into powder. Cables are depicted with 0.3mm lead wire.

Coloring of knobs are fiction. The kit's control stick is located rearward the actual aircraft. But I do not correct.

The compass will be installed later.

Fuselage
Main parts are glued together with CA glue. Glueing line of liquid cement will be dented a few years later. So I use CA glue. Inner side of glueing portions is reinforced with plastid sheet.

Fuselage parts are glued. The wing spar is temporary fitted.

The kit original starboard part is bent.

The trailing edge is cut off and plastic sheet is glued.

The small window is depicted with clear sprue.

Natural metal portion will be depicted with aluminum sheet. So the surface is scraped by about 0.3mm (0.01") with a chisel.

The kit center part of the cowl is a little small. So 0.5mm (.02") plastic sheet is inserted between the upper and lower parts.

Wing
Wing parts are divided by the inner and outer wings to represent the wing folding. However, there are gun blisters near the folding line and sanding works may be troublesome. So I cut off blisters with their base, then plastic plate is glued and sanded. Blisters will be glued later.

This is the original starboard inner wing.

The blister portion is replaced with plastic material (the unnecessary gear cover part of the kit). The outer wing is glued and their surface is sanded to be flat.

The edge of the gear well is cut to be thin as step-like.

The front wall of the gear well integrated with the fire wall are glued first to the lower wing.

Flap portions are cut off. It is easier to cut the fillets together. Push pin marks of the gear well are filled with putty.

The navigation light window is replaced with the transparent plastic of the DVD case.

Aluminum work
In order to glue the wing parts, it is necessary to make the navigation light on the lower surface. As usual, cut the recessed aluminum plate and the transparent PVC plate with a 3mm (0.12") punch. The entire interior of the Sea Fury's airframe is painted in a unique color called Hawker Yellow. The impression of the photograph is like a mixture of C45 Sail Color anc C352 Zinc Chromate Yellow with 2 : 1.

The port side is amber, the starboard side is red and blue.

Also the inside wall is set behind the window.

0.2mm (.008") aluminum sheet is cut and bent. There are broken line on the upper and lower portions, and the middle part is a strong convex surface. Therefore, it is difficult to bend correctly.

I always use epoxy glue for aluminum sheet, but this is only one time so I use CA glue.

Small holes are drilled in the plastic part and CA glue is filled from inside.

The surface is sanded and roughly polished.

Wing (2)
After the navigation lights are made, the upper and lower parts of the inside and outside wing are glued. According to the official manual, the dihedral of the inner wing is 0БЛ and the outer wing is 5.5БЛ. Be care that fitting of the kit wing and fuselage is a little tight.

A strip of 1mm (.04") thick plastic sheet is glued on the front end of the flap. The gear well part is glued.

At first, joined outer and inner upper wing part is glued on the inner lower wing.

Then the outer lower wing part is glued. Shores of sprue are glued (yellow).

In order to keep the sharp break line, masking tape is pasted and then the surface is sanded.

Details
The ceiling of the flap storage is covered with panels and ribs are hidden. Actually, it has a slightly more complicated shape, and there is a dent in the rear part of the gun bay (the inner side of the top panel is exposed only here). But I do not represent it. The white plastic sheet on the inside flap bay is glued to prevent chippage of sharp trailing edges and to align the thickness seen from the back with the aileron. On the other hand, the inside of the flap itself is exposed rib.

Surfacer is filled in thick panel lines.

Plastic sheet is glued on the inside of the flap.

A template for the navigation light frame is made of plastic sheet. And the frame is engraved with a double needle.

The wing tip light is made of clear sprue. The cross sechiton is painted in Hawker Yellow.

The rudder and elevator are fixed with brass rods. The convex surface of the rudder is sanded to be flat.

The lower leading edge of the fin is sanded to be thin (pencil hatching).

Rivet lines

Rivets are engraved with beading tools. #1 needle (0.3mm) is mainly used.

Some panel lines on the fuselage are not match to rivet lines. So they are filled with CA glue and re-engraved.

The kit small window is not matched rivet lines as well. So the position is corrected.

90% of fuselage rivets are finished.

Slide hood
The kit's slide hood is not correct. So it is scratchbuilt.

The wood mold is made of chemical wood. The side view and front view shapes are carved at first. Then corners are trimmed.

The size and shape are checked with my drawings. The cross section shape is different from the kit part.

In order to check the shape, 0.5mm plastic sheet is heat formed.

Well, not so bad.

Cross section drawings of the canopy has been made. See its bubble shape and size.

The kit hood is not swelled.

Fuselage and wing glueing

There is a slight gap step between the wing and fuselage.

The wing surfaces is masked and fillets is sanded.

A dent occurs in the aluminum part. Because CA glue was not filled properly on the back side. So that aluminum part is cut out and replaced with plastic sheet.

The air filter inlet louver of the kit is incorrect. The kit is convex, but the actual aircraft is concave and the opening is on the front. But it is impossible to correct them by my hands.

Blisters are addee on the lower surface of the main wing fuel tank. 0.5mm plastic sheet is temporarily glued to the spruer for a handle. The center portion is filled with CA glue + plastic powder.

It is glued to the lower surface of the wing.

The windscreen base is added with 1.0mm plastic sheet. It is bent, glued and cut appropriately.

The opening is cut into the correct shape. The slide rail is also attached.

Fuel tank access panels are engraved. It is difficult to align the two squares. I failed to engrave them individually. They were filled with plastic sheet. This picture is Take 2. Two etching templates are fixed with Scotch tape.

Finished.

Slide hood
First, the wooden mold is sanded slightly smaller by the thickness of the clear part. Next step is heat pressing. This time, I use 1.0mm thick acrylic sheet. It is cut to a size of about 10cm square, and is heated about 5cm above the weakest flame of the kitchen gas grill. Acrylic sheet is pressed on the mold when it is soft enough. The mold is not needed to be polished smoothly at the moment. Instead of polishing, apply a thick layer of silicon grease (an alternative lip balm). I want to make it about 0.8mm thick, so I push acrylic sheet down a little bit hardly when it pressed on the mold.

Although acrylic sheet is thick with Г╢ cross section, it can be removed from the mold somehow by trimming carefully. When it was cut out, shapeed, and set on the fuselage, I felt that the latter half shape was not insufficient. So I correct the mold and heat press again.

This is the Take 2 canopy.

0.5mm plastic sheet is glued with CA glue as the bottom frame.

It is difficult to see because it is transparent, but 0.2mm plastic sheet is put on the fuselage, it is fixed with scotch tape, and the canopy clear part is glued on it.

0.2mm plastic sheet is shapen. It might be better to make the lower side straight on the rear half.

I plan to fix the wooden mold and heat press again. But before that, I'll scratchbild the windscreen. Because the kit windscreen is too small and the width of the front window is narrow.
Windscreen
This is a trial model of the windscreen. The bulletproof glass on the front is made of a DVD case. Side window is 0.4mm transparent plastic sheet. Cut out as shown in the development drawings, and cut each joint diagonally and paint it black with an oil-based marker pen. Gluing is so difficult. Parts will not be glued as they are. Therefore, the rear end of each window is glued temporarily onto the transparent plastic sheet. CA glue is applied to the joints between each window with a toothpick. Overflowed CA glue is sanded off with # 1200 paper.

Cut out and shape each window part. Mark the position of the frame on clear plastic sheet.

Each window is glued with thin liquid cement.

CA glue is polished out and the surface is polished. The cross section of the front wingdow looks black. It can be recognized by reflection of light.

The excess portion is cut out. Then the parts is set on the fuselage to check its size.

Canopy remake
The windscreen and slide hood is remade.

0.4mm plastic sheet is glued inside in advance. This is due to a margin when sanding the upper curve.

The rest of the procedure is the same.

The latter half of the plane shape is sanded to be more linearly sharpened so that the tail became sharp. Then 1.0mm acrylic sheet is heat pressed.

Left, the previous hood. Middle & right, new hoods. One is spare.

The hood is roughly cut out and temporarily placed on the body. The rear end of the windscreen is slightly wider. Pay attention to the sharpness of the rear edge of the hood.

In order to cut the rear end of the windscreen, plastic sheet is bent downward and is glued as a reinforcement.

0.5mm plastic sheet is glued with CA glue as the frame. The adhesive surface is painted black with an oil-based marker pen.

The frame is sanded and the edge is attached with 0.2mm plastic sheet on the rear half. The frame is painted in black to check the finishing condition. The windscreen is glued with thin liquid cement.

Details

This is the kit spinner before correction. The tip is roundish and the angle of the propeller hole is too steep. This kit part will be sanded with a hand router.

This is corrected spinner. See the pointed tip. Plastic sheet is glued on the edge of the hole. The assembly position of the kit spinner is about 1mm ahead of the correct position. The image is in the correct position.

Gun blisters which was cut out before are glued on the wing. Panel lines are engraved with the transparent plstic sheet template (can you see?). Rivets on the fuselage are engraved as well.

The cowling is glued and the step gap is sanded. This sanding work is a rather difficult, because the gluing line is in a concave bent line. Rivets are engraved after the correction. Fasteners on the fuel tank are done with a #3 beading tool.

The exhaust pipe is from the kit. The edges are thinned with a knife.

So finally I can see the whole shape.

The blister made of plastic sheet is added. Rivets on the radiator are engraved with a needle.

Three blisters are added as the aileron hinges. The shape of each blister will be finished after that.

The slide rail (0.3mm Б~ 2) and the seal (0.5mm) are added to the rearward the cockpit.

The rear end of the hood is cut in accordance with the rail.

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