Hawker P.1081 "Harpy" in RAAF service

[pwagner]

The Hawker P.1081 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_P.1081 ) first flew in 1950, and the RAAF actually ordered 75 of them to replace the Vampire, assigning it the designation A86. However, this order was later cancelled and the Avon Sabre developed instead, while the P.1081 was eventually developed into the Hawker Hunter.....

...but what if the order hadn't been cancelled? What if the P.1081 was developed the same was as the Sabre?

Named the Hawker Harpy, the new fighter was made under licence by CAC with a locally made Avon engine, and armed with four 30mm Aden canons. By time the first planes were delivered in 1953, it was too late to take part in the Korean conflict, but given the heavy losses inflicted on RAAF Meteors by Mig 15s, the Harpy was optimised as an air superiority fighter, eventually acquiring Sidewinders.

Harpys were sent to Vietnam early on to escort RAAF Canberra bombers and provide close support for Australian troops, but in early encounters with North Vietnamese Migs, it emerged that the Harpy was ideally suited to take on the nimble Communist fighters. With roughly the performance of a Mig 19, the Harpy could out-turn even the Mig 17 with it's huge wing area, and the four mighty Adens made short work of anything that got in it's way. Soon the Harpys found themselves being tasked to hunt down and destroy the Vietnamese Migs, leaving the US forces free to engage ground targets. By the time North Vietnam capitulated under withering US bombing, the RAAF fighters had accounted for 87 enemy fighters, for the loss of only 4 of their own in air-to-air combat, although another half a dozen were lost to accidents and SAMs. The kill ratio of over 20:1 surpassed even the Sabre's dominance of the Mig 15, and is considered one of the main reasons South Vietnam, backed by Western allies, won the war.

Of course, as far as I could tell, nobody makes a P.1081 - so I had mash an Airfix Seahawk and Hunter together (not easy, as it turns out they are totally different diameters) but the finished product turned out quite nice! So here it is in Vietnam-era camo!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34860818@N06/5302732670/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34860818@N06/5302731430/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34860818@N06/5302730470/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34860818@N06/5302134843/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34860818@N06/5302728280/sizes/l/in/photostream/

And here it is on patrol above the jungles of Vietnam (well, my vege patch....)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34860818@N06/5302139245/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34860818@N06/5302735684/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34860818@N06/5302140147/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34860818@N06/5302736552/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Paul

[Cobra]

Awesome Job has a bit of a 'Thunderbirds' feel to it! Really Looks cool & you did a Top Notch Job on the Paint & Decals! Keep up the Great Work :cheers:Dan

[rickshaw]

Of course, as far as I could tell, nobody makes a P.1081

Heritage Aviation in the UK does:

http://www.heritageaviationmodelsltd.com/hawker-p1052--1081-643-p.asp

[pwagner]

O well too late

[ChernayaAkula]

What a beauty!  Jolly nice job on both the kit-bash and the paint work!

[PR19_Kit]

Didn't Maintrack do a P1081 way back when?

(I thought I had one, but can't find it, so perhaps they didn't after all.....  )

[pyro-manic]

Lovely build! I think your version is actually more attractive than the real thing!

[kitnut617]

Didn't Maintrack do a P1081 way back when?

(I thought I had one, but can't find it, so perhaps they didn't after all.....  )

Yes Kit they did, under the Project-X brand, kit# PX008.  They also did the P.1052 under that brand and under ProtoJets they did the P.1040/1072.  I think Whirlybird has all these moulds now.

[The Wooksta!]

Looking at the Heritage one, I strongly suspect that it's a rehashed Maintrack Protojets one.  

Maintrack did both the 1052 and the 1081 in the Project X vacform range and they were very rough and basic.  In 2001, both were redone under the Protojets banner in resin and shared similar parts (I bought two of each).  When Maintrack packed in, everything was sold to Whirlybird.


I had a recipe somewhere for a 1081 using the Frog/Novo Seahawk and Hunter F1.

[John Howling Mouse]

Your model looks great, Paul.  That's a really captivating scheme!   

[Howard of Effingham]

gorgeous model paul!

neat camo scheme too.

could you post the details of the colors you used?