1/48 Falcon Hawker Seahawk FGA-4

Gallery Article by Darius Aibara on Dec 6 2003

 

Along with Dynavector, Falcon of New Zealand produce some of the finest vac-formed kits around and their kit of the Hawker Seahawk is no exception.  Well detailed fuselage/wings, cockpit tub, and intake trunking are moulded in relatively thin plastic with white metal undercarriage, ejection seat and tailhook parts.  Two vac-formed canopies and a reasonable decal sheet complete the components. 

 

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I separated the vac parts from the backing sheets and sanded them using wet-n-dry paper over a glass sheet (in my case an old refrigerator shelf). 
The parts fit together quite well but filler was needed around the joints.  Spares box plastic tubing was used to represent the jet exhausts.

After priming I sprayed the kit undersides Halfords "Lada White" which sort of approximates to the sky finish and then brush painted the extra dark sea grey upper surface colour.  The Falcon decals were used to represent an FGA-4 of 806 Sqn FAA aboard HMS Albion in 1959.

Darius Aibara

      

Photos and text © by Darius Aibara