1/48 Hobbycraft Hawker Fury prototype

Gallery Article by Robert-Jan Willekens on Nov 11 2003

Armistice Day...Remembrance Day...Veterans Day

 

The presentation of a FW 190A-3 to the RAF on june 23, 1942, which landed at RAF Pembrey by mistake, had a profound influence on fighter-design thinking in the UK. As a result this ended up into RAF specification F.2/43, to build and develop a "light-weight fighter" designed around the Bristol Centaurus 18-cylinder 2.400 hp radial engine. Light-weight, indeed! Parallel to this RAF specification ran a similar one for the Royal Navy; N.7/43, which prompted chief designer Sydney Camm of Hawker's to suggest that the same design could meet the requirements of both specifications. So the Fury and its naval version, the Sea Fury, was born. This model portrays the first Centaurus-powered land-based version, the Fury, first flown on 

September 1, 1944, from Martlesham Heath airfield, UK

 

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My model is the Hobbycraft Sea Fury, with minor modifications to the tail area where the hook used to be. The guns were replaced by miniature tubing; and the undercarriage strengthened by some more brass tubing and such. Then came the fun part: Yellow. It's Humbrol's trusty Trainer Yellow, and the top colours were also from Humbrol. 

Decals come from the many spares I have; the wheels are from True Details.

Robert-Jan Willekens

      

Photos and text © by Robert-Jan Willekens