Hawker Hunter FGA9

[Mickc1440]

Thanks to Summer unexpectedly arriving it has become too hot to spray paint out in my garage, brush painting isn’t any better as my desk is in full sun so the paint dries on the brush before reaching the model I wanted a little project so I dug this one out. It’s been sat staring at me for an age now and is an aviation favourite of mine. I’m going to try and model this one wheels up if I can find a way to do it.
Here are the sprue and box pics plus a little bit of AM stuff.

[scottie3158]

Mick,
If you need any reference pics I have a few of a Hunter parked just up the road from me.

[Mickc1440]

Mick,
If you need any reference pics I have a few of a Hunter parked just up the road from me.

Cheers Scottie very kind

[Jim R]

Hi Mick
One of the most successful aircraft ever built. Just checked a vague memory I had on Wikipedia - the Hunter was not retired from the Lebanese Air Force until 2014!! Now that's a long service career :tongue-out3:
Jim

Lebanese Air Force
The Lebanese Air Force operated Hawker Hunters from 1958 to 2014. A Lebanese Hunter shot down an Israeli jet over Kfirmishki in the early 1960s; its pilot was captured by the Lebanese Armed Forces.[100] One Hunter was shot down on the first day of the Six-Day War by the Israeli Air Force. They were used infrequently during the Lebanese Civil War,[101] and eventually fell out of usage and went into storage during the 1980s.[102]

In August 2007, the Lebanese Armed Forces planned to put its Hunters back into service following the 2007 Lebanon conflict, to deal with Fatah al-Islam militants in the Nahr el-Bared camp north of Tripoli.[103] The programme was delayed by lack of spare parts for the aircraft, such as cartridges for the Martin-Baker ejection seats.[104] On 12 November 2008, 50 years after its original introduction, the Lebanese Air Force returned four of its eight Hunters to service with 2nd Squadron, based at Rayak AB: one two-seater and three single-seaters. Military exercises were conducted with Hunters, such as those that took place on 12 July 2010.[104][105] The Hunters were retired from service during 2014.[106]

[Mickc1440]

That’s definitely a testament to British engineering

[Airborne01]

That’s definitely a testament to British engineering

... and a beautiful looking aeroplane!

[Tim Marlow]

Absolutely love the blue note these made at speed. Used to get regularly buzzed by one of these at work when Boscombe down was droptesting over the Porton down ranges in the late eighties……looking forward to this one!

[colin m]

Good choice Mick. Thinking about it, I've never built a Hunter.

[JR]

I'm in Mick.

[papa 695]

Just pulled up my seat.

[Mickc1440]

Still waiting on a few bits so have made a start on the cockpit and some other sub assemblies. I’m including a replacement ejector seat but I’m worried about fit issues with it as it’s larger than the kit one, I will make it fit

[Mickc1440]

As I thought the replacement seat has caused issues but I’d already decided this is going to be a wheels up model complete with pilot. Part of the floor was removed to let the seat sit lower then fitted the cockpit tub slightly lower in the body. Bit of alteration to the bulkhead and it’s in and the seat now fits, who’ll notice . I’ve modified the parts for the undercarriage doors and fitted those closed. The fuselage is now buttoned up so plenty of sanding to get rid of the join.

[scottie3158]

Mick,
looks good.

[Jim R]

Hi Mick
Glad the seat and pilot now fit. We see far fewer in flight models than those on the ground. Easier not to have to fit wheels and fragile landing gear but fixing an in flight position requires some thought.
Jim

[papa 695]

Coming along nicely Mick, and a great fix with the seat.