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Ramon R. Lomeli
49 articles

Airfix SAAF Hawker Fury, 1/48 scale

May 5, 2015 · in Aviation · · 34 · 4.1K

Hello all! I finished this one this past January. Built OOB with the addition of EZ line for the rigging. Model Master enamel paints shot through my SOTAR 20/20 airbrush. Dressed in South African Air Force markings as used in Ethiopia during the early stages of WW2. Thanks for viewing!

-Ramon

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13  Awesome

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34 responses

  1. Nicely done Ramon.
    A very nice finish and good rigging sir.
    Well done.

  2. Absolutely...what Simon said.

  3. Beautiful. I may have to try that ezy line stuff. Do you have to drill holes into the wings etc? Love your work.

    • thanks Paul! it wasnt as easy as i was expecting, but i think most of my problems were fat fingers and slow-drying CA glue. i would do it again though, but i would just get fast setting ca instead. yes, you drill a small hole and stick it in, then add a drop of (fast drying) ca glue, then repeat on the other side. even a twist of a sharp hobby knife tip would give you enough anchor, and its elastic so it survives even if you bump it. good stuff!

      • Is ezy line like cloth thread in or nylon in terms of surface? I usually use nylon since it's so slick it doesn't hang onto dust, but have been wanting to try ezy line due to the stretchiness.

        • Hi Greg! i am not sure what exactly it is made of, but it is very very stretchy. i could push the forward-most line in the wing to touch the one furthest back and it all springs back in place. its still kind of too soon to say, but it does not appear to attract dust too much either!

  4. Brilliant job Ramon. Well done.

  5. Great build Ramon! Like the SAAF markings on this old bird! The Fury did not last long in SAAF service and was soon replaced by the Hawker Hurricane that was a vast improvement over the Fury. Many SAAF fighter pilots in the East African theatre of operations and in North Africa had cut their teeth on the Fury! You definitely brought out the best in this kit! Well done!

  6. Something you don't see all the time-Nicely done all around!

    • Thanks Erich! this was my first biplane and i have new found respect for anyone who builds them - my first rigging job too and it was a learning experience!

  7. That looks great! I picked up two of those kits with the idea of making a Nimrod from them. I think I will use one of the sets of SAAF decals on an old Impact Fury that still lurks in the stash. Thanks for the inspiration!

  8. Very nice build! The South African Air Force flew operations up through East Africa, North Africa and ended the war in northern Italy. It operated every Allied aircraft type, except the P47 and P38 and concerning heavy bombers, operated only the B24 Liberator. A SAAF 60 Sqn PRU Mosquito operating out of northern Italy is reputed to have taken the first aerial photos of Auschwitz concentration camp, albeit not deliberately. Interestingly, it was the only Commonwealth Air Force that retained it's separate identity (orange centres to roundels/orange on fin flashes, instead of red) and uniform, during the war. The SAAF retained army type rank structure, Captains, Majors, Lt Colonels, instead of RAF style rank structure.

    • Thanks James! i tried to research and find images of the SAAF during ww2, but my search was not very successful. in the end , i just took an educated guess about the pilot's uniform, but most of him is inside the cockpit. to my uneducated eye, i suppose he looks the part!

  9. Ramon, where did the SAAF decals come from?

  10. Ramon,
    I add my compliments on a beautifully built Fury. Excellent

  11. The few of the "old scholl 48:s" that Airfix had (Bf-109F, Spit Vb, Hurricane and this "oddity" πŸ™‚ ) can be build into really attractive models, this one proves it if nothing else! I don't think I have ever seen it build before!

    Regards

    Magnus

    • Thanks Magnus! I think that sometimes its good to revisit the old school kits and get back to the basics. They are usually cheaper and one can do just as well to scratch build some detail rather than spending triple the price on a kit, and then still need to buy aftermarket to make it look nice. Anyways, i see all of my flaws in this build but i am still grateful for all the nice compliments! πŸ™‚

  12. Cracking Fury, Ramon. Well done, Great paint job and rigging !

  13. I can't see any flaws from where I'm sitting, Ramon. Good job on this "old" kit, and I like the outdoors photographs as well.

  14. A very neat and tidy build on such an old kit, well done.
    (I wish Airfix would revisit the Hawker Hart family with some new tooling).

  15. Really good work Ramon, well done.

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