Airfix (PM) 1/72 Hawker Sea Fury FB.11

AIRFIX (PM) 1:72 HAWKER SEA FURY FB.11

Reviewer: Kenneth Parsons (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 29 August 2008
Addendum supplied by Ian Skinner

Kit Details:

The Airfix Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 (number A02045) is a reboxing of the PM Sea Fury kit. The Airfix version comes with a much higher quality decal sheet and retails for Ł4.99 (approx. $10).

Aircraft History:

The Hawker Sea Fury was one of the last generation of piston-engined fighters, just too late to see service in WW2. Developed as a lightweight version of the Tempest, it stayed in service well into the 1950s with the Royal Navy in both single seat and T.20 two seat trainer versions. It served well beyond that date with other air forces. In its original form, the Sea Fury was powered by a 2,500h.p. Centaurus sleeve valve engine driving a large 5-bladed propeller.

Although obsolescent by that time, it flew with distinction in the ground attack role in the Korean War, operating off light fleet carriers. One Sea Fury pilot famously even shot down a Mig 15 on the way back from his target. It was a rugged aircraft, well able to withstand the rigours of frequent carrier landings – its reliability flying combat missions off these small carriers sailing off the Korean coast for weeks on end, often in poor weather, was outstanding.

The Sea Fury saw service with the navies of the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and in its land-based version, with Iraq, Pakistan, Burma, Egypt and Cuba. Indeed, a Sea Fury of Castro’s air force played a pivotal role in defeating the Bay of Pigs invasion, successfully attacking the Houston, a key ship of the invasion fleet and forcing it to beach itself . This war also saw some of the last all-piston engine air combats with Sea Fury pitted against B-26 Invader. A significant number of Sea Furies continue in the air today, strong contenders in the Unlimited class at the Reno Air Races. These aircraft are heavily modified and Sir Sidney Camm would probably have difficulty recognising these direct descendents from his classic design.

The Kit:

The kit is moulded in a grey plastic with very little flash. There are just over 40 pieces. It comes with underwing stores in the form of two drop tanks and four rockets – there are holes marked for you to open up in the wings if you use them.

Detail is decidedly sparse in places. The undercarriage wells are very shallow, with a peculiar “waffle” grid pattern in them. There is little cockpit detail, although the limited size of the opening and the relatively thick clear canopy combine to ensure that little detail would be seen anyway. The seat sits too low within it – deck landings would be very hazardous indeed if this was an accurate representation of the real thing1 There is no engine detail at all, but the large spinner covers the space. There is no attempt to show detail such as the slide for the cockpit canopy, the stub exhausts or radio aerial. Undercarriage doors are just flat pieces of plastic with the right outline; undercarriage legs are rods of plastic, the right shape but with no detail, although the actual wheels are better. Aeroclub do produce a replacement undercarriage set. The kit’s propeller blades are slightly too dainty to have delivered two and a half thousand horsepower; again aftermarket replacements are available.

Instructions:

Instructions are in the form of an 8-stage series of exploded diagrams.

Construction:

The kit goes together reasonably well. The joint of the wings to the fuselage leaves decided gap at the wing roots and on the underside, although they are easy enough to fill. The fit of the cockpit canopy is not good, and care needs to be taken to get the undercarriage to sit at the right angle. How much work you put in to remedy the kit’s shortcomings is a matter of taste. The major problem is probably the wheel wells, where a complete rebuild is the only real answer.

Decals:

The decal sheet is very good indeed, by far and away the best part of the kit and far superior to the original PM offering – the decals make it work paying the extra for the Airfix boxing compared with the cheaper PM version. The comprehensive sheet provides a mass of stencilling and detail. It offers two versions of the standard Royal Navy extra dark sea grey over sky camouflage scheme, one with the earlier grey fuselage sides and the other with sky sides and Korean war black and white identification stripes. The decal sheet provides a good representation of these stripes and used with care and some decal solution, they can alleviate the need for a lot of masking tape painting them yourself.

Paint references are to the Humbrol range.

Accuracy:

The basic shape is pretty accurate, the kit being let down when it comes down to details. The underwing stores provided are suspect in terms of accuracy. The panel lines are recessed and not overdone.

Overall Recommendation:

This is fairly basic kit that provides a reasonable representation of this very attractive design. Nevertheless, its deficiencies probably mean that many modellers would find it worthwhile paying extra for better offerings from other manufacturers. Perhaps the key information is that Trumpeter have recently issued a modern Sea Fury kit, albeit at a higher price, which achieves a much higher standard of accuracy.

The PM range includes two seater versions, obviously very closely related to this single seat kit and of the same quality. This opens up the possibility of RN versions in silver with yellow stripes and red overall German target tug conversions. PM also do a kit of the Iraq trainer version, with two separate canopies one behind the other. High Planes have produced a wide range of American racer conversions, some with P&W engines, most with clipped wings and all in bright colour schemes. An interesting shelf of Sea Furies can result.

Addendum supplied by Ian Skinner:

Just to add to Kevin Parsons' review of this model: The seat is indeed far too low: adding a booster of plastic card underneath to raise its height is definitely a good idea. Of the Aeroclub aftermarket sets: ABV102, which provides a cockpit fairing is a definite must as is ABV106 which provides a vastly improved undercarriage. The Kit cockpit canopy, whilst of the correct length, when compared with plans in "The Aeroplane" May 2008 (these need to be blown up to 1.72) is too narrow- Aeroclub canopy Co43 will certainly improve the look of your model, although it is somewhat problematic to fit it into the fuselage. Don't bother with the Aeroclub propeller ABP121; although slightly wider at the root than the kit prop, I found the difference to be invisible to the naked eye.

Buying all this aftermarket stuff pushes the price closer to that of the Trumpeter kit; which in the UK at least is more than double the price. The small intake on the front of the starboard wing needs to be opened out; check your references if modelling other examples of this aircraft, as some earlier aircraft had a circular intake as opposed to the square one of the kit's subject.

The kit actually contains three schemes- one for WJ232 aboard HMS Ocean in 1952 and a choice of modelling VR930 at two stages in her life: The official kit choice which shows her in her current scheme with the Royal Naval Historic Flight and using the same scheme, you can depict her aboard HMS Majestic in 1948: If depicting the latter scheme, decal no 7 should not be used. Otherwise the two are identical.

If you are modelling the 2008 scheme, you will need to add blade ariels under the fuselage just aft of the wings and on the port wing just inboard of the national insignia. "Aeroplane" September 2007 is a superb reference for this and I show my model posed in front of a phot of the actual aircraft. I enjoyed building this as it enables the use of some old fashioned modelling skills

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