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

[Dizzyfugu]

It's still early, but I'll put this one on rails: inspired by knightflyer's recent Sea Fury Mk. X in late WWII FAA colors (check this: http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,45485.0.html), I decided to add "something similar" to the GB since I found an Airfix Sea Fury (well, it's the PM Model kit, after all...) kit in my stash. It will also carry FAA colors and markings, since I think that the aircraft look great with them, but I'll add a personal twist and build the overlooked Mk. XII with a Griffon engine, which, due to delivery problems with the Centaurus, preceded the better known Mk. X.

It will be built along the lines of one of the Fury prototypes, LA610:



The engine will be exchanged for a resin power egg for an Avro Lincoln (looks like a perfect match!), and the contraprop will come from a Special Hobby late Spitfire kit. 

[rickshaw]

Twasn't the Fleet Air Arm not part of the Royal Air Force in 1945?

[Knightflyer]

Twasn't the Fleet Air Arm not part of the Royal Air Force in 1945?

I'd asked a similar question, but 'The Moderator' okayed it 

Yup, FAA any period. I'm not getting into the argument of which dates would be applicable as the exact ones can be difficult to pin down especially if you start look for the dates the new regulations came into force rather then the dates they were passed by whoever ??

I was sure I'd posted that FAA was ok somewhere ?

Ah knew I wasn't going mad, or madder then is normal for me anyway  . Second post from bottom of page http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,45381.15.html

Only because I've ideas for another two of those PM/Airfix Sea Furies! 

[rickshaw]

Fair enough.  Just checking...

[Dizzyfugu]

Valid point and question - but thankfully the rules for this GB are rather liberal, what I appreciate. Otherwise, the Marlin would not have materialzed as GB submission, too.

[The Wooksta!]

Few tips for the PM kit:

The bulkhead location in the cockpit is wrong, like much of the kit!  Move it forward until it lines up with a vertical panel line outside the cockpit.  The fuselage top decking should carry on up to the bulkead, a la Tempest and Spitfire low backs.  Aeroclub did a replacement section along with a vacform canopy, but these are long gone.

Thin the wing trailing edges as they are REALLY thick!  You'll have to fill the aileron line at one point because top and bottom don't line up and then rescribe in the correct location.

Wheels are best replaced with a set from a Heller Tempest.  Ditto the laughable eggs that are supposedly the drop tanks.  All the Sea Fury kits give you are the large ones which I think are the ferry tanks and I've yet to see a photo of them in use.

[kitnut617]

It will be built along the lines of one of the Fury prototypes, LA610:



The engine will be exchanged for a resin power egg for an Avro Lincoln (looks like a perfect match!), and the contraprop will come from a Special Hobby late Spitfire kit. 

This will be good to see. I suggest though you use a prop from a Shackleton, Spitfire props are too small in diameter.

I started one some years ago, it got as far as this below. We had a house move and it got packed away with all the other projects I had started, but I've never dug it back out of the box again (too many other ideas keep popping up).

You'll find that the old Frog Shackleton nacelle nose part fits the Fury cowling very well as the pic shows. You just have to change the carb intake arrangement. I found that the Lincoln power-egg was too small in diameter which are for Merlin engines (I've got a set of Paragon Merlin 85 nacelles which is why I know)

[The Wooksta!]

I suspect that the Paragon ones are wrong - compared to the old DB ones (henceforth Flightpath and they've been cloned by others such as Blackbird) they look undernourished and the front looks wrong.  Wouldn't be the first time he made a mistake - his Mosquito tropical intakes are too flat, for a start.

If you're going down the "use Shatipuss" engines, use the ones from the Airfix or Revell Shacks.  Looks to be an easier cut and shut than the Frog/PM route that Bob's done.

[Dizzyfugu]

I am not certain who's the manufacturer of my Merlin power eggs, but first diameter tests made me enthusistic since they seem to fit perfectly on the PM Model kit's fuselage. I'll check the propeller blades, but since this arrangement will have six blades instead of the Fury's standard of five, a slightly smaller diameter is IMHO O.K. and not too obvious.

Initially I also thought about using the OOB Centaurus and use a four-blade Tempest propeller, but the potentially easy implantation of the resin Merlin made me drop that idea quickly. We'll see what becomes of it. 

[kitnut617]

I forgot about the DB/Flightpath set I had, Lee maybe right here.

Paragon Merlin 85 (Lancaster), note the radiator face is different. About 18.5mm diameter



DB/Flightpath Merlin 85 (Lincoln) About 19.25mm diameter



My Griffon nacelle (Fury) About 20.25mm diameter (PM Sea Fury cowling diameter)



And I have a Martin Higgs set somewhere too --

[The Wooksta!]

Post a pic of the engine and I *might* be able to ID it.

[Dizzyfugu]

I think it's a set from Red Roo, which features four Merlins - it's available with shrouded and unshrouded exhausts (different molds, not option parts, and in my case the unshrouded variant):



I'll check the diameter!

[Dizzyfugu]

Here's my specimen - compared with the engines above, it seems to be the widest: ~1.9cm diameter! And I matched it with the Centaurus cowling's rear end, they look very similar.

Red Roo Merlin power egg vs. Centaurus by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Red Roo Merlin power egg vs. Centaurus by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Red Roo Merlin power egg vs. Centaurus by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[kitnut617]

Go for it Dizzy --- spinner might be a bit small in diameter though ---

Here's another pic of LA610, I've got a head on view somewhere but I can't find it at the moment --

[crudebuteffective]

may i just borrow/adjust  a line from another member

any aircraft can be improved by fitting contraprops