US Naval Ordnance Test Center China Lake Hawker Sea Hawk-Completed

[AeroplaneDriver]

Posting an update here on my "In the Navy" GB entry. 

As we all are well aware the US Navy ordered almost 130 Hawker Sea Hawks in 1954 after a series of catastrophic structural failures led to the grounding of the USN Banshee fleet.  The Sea Hawk was only ever seen as a stop-gap measure for the USN and it's service life as a front line fighter was very brief, at 28 months.  In spite of its limited life in the fleet the Sea Hawk lived on in Navy service into the 1960s as a weapons testing platform at the Naval Ordnance Test Station at China Lake, where a total of 14 Sea Hawks were used.





Decaling should get underway tomorrow.  It will be built with wings folded thanks mainly to Mr Trumpeter's challenging fit at the wing fold. 

[sandiego89]

Ohh, The China Lake colors are great.

[Scooterman]

Wholey Carp!

[Captain Canada]

Sweet !

[AeroplaneDriver]

She's done...US Naval Ordnance Test Center Hawker F12-W Se Hawk, 1958 ASM-N-7 Bullup missile trials aircraft. 

Following a series of catastrophic structural failures during carrier landings the US grounded the F2H Banshee fleet in early 1954.  By this point the Banshee was soldiering on as a stopgap until more capable fighters such as the Cougar, Skyray, Skyhawk were brought into the fleet.  But even as a stopgap fighter the sudden loss left a gap that the USN was uncomfortable tolerating.  With US manufacturers already operating close to capacity the Navy looked overseas for a short-term solution.  One up and coming Pentagon Naval Staff Officer had served an exchange tour with the Royal Navy in 1952 and had been involved in developmental testing of the Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk.  Impressed with the potential of the aircraft he made a compelling case for the Sea Hawk as the Navy's solution. 

In late 1954 the USN placed an order for 128 Sea Hawks, to be designated in US service as the F12-W SeaHawk.    US SeaHawks were based on the Mk.100 version ordered that same year for the West German Navy.  The first example was delivered in eight months, and the aircraft went to sea aboard the USS Midway in November 1955.  While popular with pilots, the SeaHawk lagged in performance compared with the new generation of fleet fighters arriving in great numbers, and the type's short front-line service life ended in January 1958, with only 94 of the original 128 order delivered.  Five SeaHawks were lost in accidents (with no loss of life), 45 airframes were sold to Brazil, 26 converted to target drones, and the remaining 18 assigned to the Naval Ordnance Test Station at China Lake in the Mojave Desert to serve as trials aircraft. 

This example served at China Lake from April 1958 until the type was completely retired from US service in 1967.  It holds the distinction of being the final SeaHawk to launch from an aircraft carrier, and after a long period in storage was refurbished and displayed at the Naval Museum of Armament and Technology at China Lake. It is depicted here as it appeared in 1958 during trials for the AGM-12 (then ASM-N-7) Bullpup missile.

More pics to come later in the week probably.  I have to admit this is not a kit I loved.  The fuselage assembly was straight forward enough but the wing join at the fold took a lot of work, some even after (I thought) final painting was complete and decals were on.   The flaps/speedbrakes are designed to be built in the open position and modeling them close took a lot of patience. 

I definitely learned some lessons I'll apply if I build another.  Mostly built OOB with an AIRES MB. MK.4 seat replacing the pathetic kit effort, an old spare pylon from an F-16 and a Bullpup from one of Mr Hasegawa's boxes of things that should have come with a kit in the first place. 

Not my best work for sure, but I'm very happy with how it looks on the shelf.  She's a good 5-footer! 

[Old Wombat]

Not your best work?

Then why do I feel so inadequate?

Excellent work, in my opinion!

[comrade harps]

Neat, bright and asymmetric!

[Dizzyfugu]

That's looking very good! 

[Scotaidh]

What Senior Marsupial said ... Very nice work, sir!   

[Rheged]

I like this very much, and the backstory makes it even better!!

[NARSES2]

I like that, she certainly suits that colour scheme 

[The Rat]

Suhweeeeet! 

[TomZ]

That looks very good indeed!

TomZ

[Glenn Gilbertson]

That looks very smart - the colours really suit it!

[Doug K]

Really nice, it's amazing how well it suits those colours