Bush War...1/48 Hawker Hunter FGA.9, Rhodesian Airforce
17/2022
My dad´s next completion.
It´s a long way to Mukumbura...
Used the old Academy kit from 1997. It has its flaws and issues but overall not that bad. Wings to fuselage joints and air intakes needed some more filler and work. The cockpit is rather basic and the seat too small. Used cockpt sidewalls and seat from a True Details cockpit set. The landing gear and covers (and their mounts) are a bit fragile. The frontal front cover broke off twice. Although the Hawker main landing gear has a bit of an "O leg" character, Academy´s legs look a bit too much inwards, my dad didn´t change that.
The Academy kit only includes the 100mm rocket pods which the Rhodesian Airforce didn´t use. Took some suiting 68mm pods from the Airfix Hunter F.6 kit. Had an Xtradecal sheet and one from Fundekals. Used the Xtradecal ones because their size of the roundels did fit better to the Academy kit.
Model shows an aircraft of the RhAF in the early 70ies when all their aircraft still wore all ID and national markings which were all removed later on in the war. This aircraft had its number "1821" applied on the frontal front gear cover. Xtradecal provided no number, Fundekals only "821", so kept it off. The Rhodesian and later Zimbabwe Hunters had distinctive yellow stencils on each fuselage side of the cockpit, which aren´t provided by neither of the two sheets.
Painted with Tamiya XF-52 Flat Earth and XF-81 Dark Green (RAF).
The sliding canopy is too thick and narrow to display it open, so you should use a vacform one if you wanna do it open.
Maybe gonna build a new Rhodesian Hunter someday with the Airfix kit.
Build thread here
https://imodeler.com/groups/serving-under-another-flag/forum/topic/bush-war-1-48-hawker-hunter-fga-9-rhodesian-airforce/
Really nice build Reinhard! Close to my heritage as I served in the South African Defence Force (2 year national service) and I was stationed in Katima Mulilo on the Zambian border and very close to Rhodesian/Zimbabwean border for 13 months during 1980/81. A very volatile period in Southern African history and a grim dispute that dragged on way too long.
Thank you Rory!
I´ll try to convince my dad to build a Rhodesian Hunting Provost with the MikroMir kit...would be a rarely seen model in an even more rare scheme..and a nice addition to the Hunter.
A South African subject would be interesting too. Do you know, were the camouflaged SA Sabres still used in the Border War? Have some decals for that scheme.
Well done once again Spreitzhofer Family!
A fantastic result, a rarely seen scheme and a great build thread!
Thank you Spiros, as always 😉
Nice work on that, Reinhard. Bush war subjects always interest me. I did a Rhodesian Canberra in that scheme.
Thanks John!
Maybe another Rhodesian or also a South African subject will follow in the nearer future.
Great looking model, congrats!
Thank you Emmet!
Very beautiful, gorgeous matte camouflage!
Thanks Felix!
Initially the Rhodesian Hunters were more shiny in the beginning, turned then really flat during the Bush War. Used Gunze H20 for the final flat coat.
Excellent achievement on this Hunter, Reinhard @grimreaper
She looks great in Rhodesian scheme.
Thanks for sharing the progress in your build thread.
Thanks a lot John!
The Hunter is one of the best looking designs ever and really suits this colour scheme.
Yes, the Hunter is an elegant looking plane. Wanted something different than the usual DG/OG camo.
Your dad really got the most out of that deficient kit, with a superb result - a tribute to talent and skill and more talent over plastic.
Thanks a lot Tom!
Maybe gonna build an Airfix Hunter in the nearer future for comparison.
Excellent build, and a very cool scheme. Well done!
Thank you Greg!
Great looking Hunter. The RhAF always had cool roundels
Thanks Neil!
Yeah, something different