Hotspur and Audax No4 Glider Training School 1942.

On seeing Planet Models GAL-48 Hotspur Mk.II at Hannats (https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/PLA21148) I decided a project was in order. My old man did a spell of this before being let loose on a Spitfire Squadron. He towed Hotspurs with Audaxes and Hectors mostly out of Kidlington (now Oxford Airport).I discovered a picture, in a 1993 copy of Scale Aircraft Modelling, of an aircraft he actually flew and is noted in his logbook.

The Hotspur was a training glider and used to get Parachute Regiments up to speed with flying and using gliders in preparation for their extensive use on D-Day and after. There is a fine front end of one at Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum along with an excellent Airborne Forces exhibition (https://www.dumfriesaviationmuseum.com/the-collection/airborne-forces/) .

It's an uncommon subject for a kit and as such is all resin/vaccform and relatively expensive. It was a tricky build and some not very nice bits show up in the photos, especially round the canopy and portholes.Haven't quite got rid of the centreline seam I see!

The Audax is a conversion from the AMG Hart with Albion Alloys 2mm brass tube for exhausts (the most obvious difference with the Hart along with a tailwheel.). I have built three of these AMG kits, one of which ended up in the bin. It's a tricky build but a very good kit. The instructions are atrocious, at one point having the top wing the wrong way round.Paints are all Tamiya acrylics thinned with isoprop alcohol. Standard RAF camouflage with trainer yellow bottom. From the contemporary pics. they seem to be overall camo uppers rather than the extensive yellow right up the sides seen in training units. What I don't know is whether the Audaxes etc. had the black stripes in the GTS units..

14 additional images. Click to enlarge.