DONE @p.3 +++ 1:72 Hawker Sea Fury F. Mk. XII; FAA, Pacific TO, 1945

Dizzyfugu · August 03, 2018, 11:13:44 AM

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JT622)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Dizzyfugu · August 04, 2018, 05:42:59 AM

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

NARSES2 · August 05, 2018, 01:09:37 AM

Without the nose it looks a bit Thunderbolt (P-47) ish for some reason to these old eyes.

Whatever, it looks great

The Wooksta! · August 05, 2018, 02:34:40 AM

Leave the bombs off if you're carrying rockets. RAF and FAA doctrine dictates that they're never carried together because the delivery of the weapons is different.

Dizzyfugu · August 06, 2018, 12:00:05 AM

Here it is, a 1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945.

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Hawker Fury was an evolutionary successor to the successful Hawker Typhoon and Tempest fighters and fighter-bombers. The Fury's design process was initiated in September 1942 by Sydney Camm, one of Hawker's foremost aircraft designers, to meet the Royal Air Force's requirement for a lightweight Tempest Mk.II replacement. The fuselage was broadly similar in form to that of the Tempest, but was a fully monocoque structure, while the cockpit level was higher, affording the pilot better all-round visibility.

The project was formalized in May 1943, which required a high rate of climb of not less than 4,500 ft/min (23 m/s) from ground level to 20,000 feet (6,096 m), good fighting maneuverability and a maximum speed of at least 450 mph (724 km/h) at 22,000 feet (6,705 m). The armament was to be four 20mm Hispano V cannon with a total capacity of 600 rounds, plus the capability of carrying two bombs each up to 1,000 pounds (454 kg).
In April 1943, Hawker had also received Specification N.7/43 from the Admiralty, who sought a navalized version of the developing aircraft. In response, Sidney Camm proposed the consolidation of both service's requirements under Specification F.2/43, with the alterations required for naval operations issued on a supplemental basis. Around 1944, the aircraft project finally received its name; the Royal Air Force's version becoming known as the Fury and the Fleet Air Arm's version as the Sea Fury.

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A total of six prototypes were ordered; two were to be powered by Rolls-Royce Griffon engines, two with Centaurus XXIIs, one with a Centaurus XII and a final one as a test structure. Hawker used the internal designations P.1019 and P.1020 respectively for the Griffon and Centaurus versions, while P.1018 was also used for a Fury prototype with a Napier Sabre IV. The first Fury to fly, on 1 September 1944, was NX798 with a Centaurus XII with rigid engine mounts, powering a Rotol four-blade propeller. Second on 27 November 1944 was LA610, which had a Griffon 85 and a Rotol six-blade contra-rotating propeller.

With the end of the Second World War in Europe in sight, the RAF began cancelling many aircraft orders. Thus, the RAF's order for the Fury was cancelled, but development of the type was continued as the Sea Fury. The rationale behind this was the fact that many of the Navy's carrier fighters were either Lend-Lease Chance-Vought Corsair or Grumman Hellcat aircraft and thus to be returned, or, in the case of the Supermarine Seafire, had considerable drawbacks as naval aircraft such as narrow undercarriages. The Admiralty opted to procure the Sea Fury as the successor to these aircraft instead of purchasing the lend-lease aircraft outright.

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The first Sea Fury prototype first flew at Langley, Berkshire, on 21 February 1945, powered by a Centaurus XII engine. This prototype had a "stinger"-type tailhook for arrested carrier landings, but lacked folding wings for storage. The second prototype flew on 12 October 1945 and it was powered by a Bristol Centaurus XV that turned a new, five-bladed Rotol propeller and did feature folding wings. A third prototype was powered by a Griffon 85 with a chin radiator and drove a six blade contraprop, similar to LA610 from 1944. Specification N.7/43 was modified to N.22/43, now representing an order for 200 aircraft.
Both engine variants showed virtually identical performance. While the Centaurus-powered Sea Fury had more power and was slightly lighter than the Griffon-powered variant, the latter had better aerodynamics and, thanks to the contra-rotating propeller, better low-speed handling characteristics.

In order to expand production of the new naval fighter as quickly as possible, Sea Fury variants with different engines were produced at different factories: 100 were to be built as F Mk. X, powered by the Centaurus engine, at Boulton-Paul's Wolverhampton factory, and another 100, powered now by a Griffon 130 with a two-stage, three-speed supercharger and fuel injection, were to be built as F Mk. XII at Hawker's Dunsfold factory.

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Things did not unfold smoothly, though: the manufacturing agreement with Boulton-Paul was ended in early 1945 and all work on the Centaurus-powered Sea Fury transferred to Hawker Aircraft's facilities at Kingston. As a consequence, production of the F Mk. X was delayed and only the Griffon-powered F Mk. XII made it to frontline units until summer 1945, but, in fact, only a mere 50 aircraft left Dunsfold until the end of hostilities, all of them were immediately transferred to the FAA's Pacific theatre of operations. The first twelve airframes went on board of the newly built HMS Pioneer, a Colossus class aircraft carrier, which set sails for Australia in May 1945 and then operated along the Northern coast of New-Guinea. In the vicinity of Manus Island the Sea Furies were operated by NAS 1834, replacing Corsair II and IV fighters, and they were the only machines of this type to become involved in aerial combat and CAS missions. In August 1945 the machines were transferred to HMS Indomitable; based on this carrier, they supported the liberation of Hong Kong, arriving after a landing party from HMCS Prince Robert had taken the Japanese surrender. These were among the last combat missions of the war.

The Sea Fury Mk. X came too late for any frontline involvement. In fact, the first machine of this variant eventually first flew on 31 January 1946, and immediately upon completion of the first three airframes, the flight testing program began at Kingston. It was soon discovered that the early Centaurus engine suffered frequent crankshaft failure due to a poorly designed lubrication system, which led to incidents of the engine seizing while in mid-flight. The problem was resolved when Bristol's improved Centaurus 18 engine replaced the earlier engine variant, but this further hampered the program.

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

From the Griffon-powered Sea Fury F Mk. XII, only 92 aircraft from the initial N.22/43 order batch of 100 were actually produced, and they did not serve long in front line units. One factor was the high-powered Griffon engine, which was prone to failure and its liquid-coolant system was not free from trouble, either. On the other side, the technically less complicated Centaurus-powered Sea Fury F. Mk. X became available in 1947 and it showed more development and also export potential, so that the Mk. XII was retired from Royal Navy units until 1949. Some of the aircraft were stored, though, and eventually handed over or sold to friendly nations.
Altogether, the Sea Fury was produced with some 875 aircraft built (number varies by source)—including prototypes and 61 two-seat T.20 trainers. Sea Furies also served in Korea and they were the last front-line piston-engine aircraft operated by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm.

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

General characteristics:
Crew: One
Length: 37 ft 3 in (11.37 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 4 ¾ in (11.69 m)
Height: 15 ft 101⁄2 in (4.84 m)
Wing area: 280 ft2 (26.01 m²)
Empty weight: 9,325 lb (4,233 kg)
Loaded weight: 12,510 lb (5,680 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 14,760 lb (6,700 kg)

Powerplant:
1× Rolls Royce Griffon 130 liquid-cooled V-12 engine; maximum output of 2,420 hp (1,805 kW) at 5,000 ft (1,524 m)

Performance:
Maximum speed: 460 mph (400 knots, 740 km/h) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Range: 700 mi (609 nmi, 1,126 km) with internal fuel;
1,040 mi (904 nmi, 1,674 km) with two 90 gal. drop tanks
Service ceiling: 35,800 ft (10,910 m)
Rate of climb: 4,320 ft/min (21.9 m/s)

Armament:
4× 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano Mk V cannon in the outer wings with 150 RPG
Up to 12× 3 in (76.2 mm) unguided rockets and/or bombs or drop tanks
for an ordnance of 2,000 lb (907 kg)

1:72 Hawker P.1019 "Sea Fury" Mk. XII, aircraft "125-P (s/n JZ670)" of the Fleet Air Arm 1832 NAS; HMS Pioneer, Admiralty Islands, July 1945 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Knightflyer · August 06, 2018, 12:17:43 AM

As always, an excellent finished product!

zenrat · August 06, 2018, 03:21:13 AM

Great job Dizz.

Doug K · August 06, 2018, 05:52:39 AM

Excellent!

NARSES2 · August 06, 2018, 07:50:39 AM

That's just fantastic

Old Wombat · August 06, 2018, 08:31:49 AM

Ugly! Great concept & build but Urg-lee!

nighthunter · August 06, 2018, 11:23:27 AM

Quote from: Old Wombat on August 06, 2018, 08:31:49 AM
Ugly! Great concept & build but Urg-lee!

I second this, lol

Dizzyfugu · August 08, 2018, 05:49:56 AM

Thank you, everyone. Yes, this one has the appeal of a car accident on a neighboring lane: you cannot turn the eyes off of it, but then you are happy when you got past it. ;-)

Now let's move to submission #6, an original project for the early jet age.

Captain Canada · January 09, 2020, 05:51:55 AM

Very cool. Makes for kind of an ugly bird, but she sure looks formidable ! Love the paint scheme and markings.