Pete's Black Arrow

[stillp]

Time I started another model! Originally intended to build one of the Airfix Red Arrows kits, but then came across this in the stash and thought why not one of the 111 squadron Black Arrows?
This boxing seems to date from 1964, but the tooling is earlier! I can't remember where or when I bought it, but probably a charity shop - £4.99.
Very brief instructions, but not many parts.

The decals are a bit yellowed.

The clear parts are a stand as well as the canopy:
That's going to be tricky to mask, as there is very little detail of the framing. Also looks as if it's been broken off the sprue.
The remaining pars have nice fine raised detail
Even the pilot is not the usual Airfix "Mr Blobby", but there's no cockpit detail at all, so I'll have to fir the pilot to hide the lack of instruments and controls!
More later.
Pete

 

[Waspie]

Nice, I liked the Hunter. The RN used them as target towing aircraft in the 80's/90's

I'll sit in on this one if I may. I'll prep the Magic Carpet Mk7.

 

[Mickc1440]

Great looking aircraft I’m in Pete

 

[Jim R]

Building an antique! Doesn't look too bad. Interesting to see how it turns out.

 

[boatman]

HI Pete yes i see the black arrows with the hunters at RAF COLTISHALL airshow back in the late 60's doin a beauttifull bomburst display before they changed to the blue diamons diplay team very good display they did then after that there was the big 16 with the E/E LIGHTNIGS display team what some great airshows they were an in them days they could fly over the crowds an i had this kit at about 11 yrs of age an i enjoyed biulding it
chris

 

[Tim Marlow]

Great stuff. The Hunter blue note when flying at speed is wonderful to behold
Boscombe down used to use one for spray pattern testing in my early days at Porton. It used to regularly dive down over our building to spray the hills behind. One day it came in so low I involuntarily ducked……gave the lads a bit of a laugh

 

[Lee Drennen]

I’ll hang around and see what you do with this Pete.

 

[Andy T]

I'm in. Always liked the look of the Hunter but I had to Google Black Arrows

 

[boatman]

I'm in. Always liked the look of the Hunter but I had to Google Black Arrows

WELL Andy they were the red arrows of the late 60's brillant display team an i enjoyed them immensely then they still with the hunters went to call themselves the blue diomonds again a great display team
chrisb

 

[stillp]

The fuselage has a lot of sink marks, so I've been busy with Mr Dissolved Putty


More sanding tomorrow I think. Luckily most of the sink marks aren't too near any moulded detail.
The kit includes some nicely moulded bombs, rockets and external fuel tanks, none of which will be used as they weren't carried on display aircraft. I believe the Aden cannon pod remained fitted though.
Does anyone have thoughts on the colours of bits that weren't black, i.e. the wheel wells and jet intakes? I think the intakes were black but not sure if the wheel bays were white or silver. The cockpit seems to be a mixture of black and dark grey, and the seat mostly black with a brown seat and headrest. The pilot should I think have a white helmet and an olive green flight suit, but I'm happy to be corrected.
Pete

 

[colin m]

Now this does look interesting. The Black Arrows isn't something I'm familiar with. Please tell me you are going to use the stand.

 

[colin m]

Wheels wells might be silver.

 

[stillp]

Please tell me you are going to use the stand.

Thinking of it Colin. The instructions state "IF STAND IS TO BE USED CUT AWAY WALL OF PLASTIC FROM STAND SLOT IN FUSELAGE UNDERSIDE" (yes, they do shout!) but they don't say where that 'stand slot' is! I think I can find it, but not sure. I want to have the gear down anyway, but I'd like to use that stand. It'll probably still need some nose weight - they recommend Plasticine, but don't say how much.
Many thanks for that photo, and I agree, that does look like silver on the u/c legs, but the bay door behind the nosewheel looks like Olive drab, as does the bay door in the port wing. Same in this photo from IWM:

Definitely silver on the survivor at Wattisham, (https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/hunter/survivor.php?id=3130 but that's been restored so the colour might not be original.
After a bit more Googling, I'm going with silver. The olive green appearance must just be a reflection.
Pete

 

[Jakko]

If you glue it to the stand, you almost certainly won’t need a nose weight.

 

[Waspie]

The fuselage has a lot of sink marks, so I've been busy with Mr Dissolved Putty
View attachment 491167

More sanding tomorrow I think. Luckily most of the sink marks aren't too near any moulded detail.
The kit includes some nicely moulded bombs, rockets and external fuel tanks, none of which will be used as they weren't carried on display aircraft. I believe the Aden cannon pod remained fitted though.
Does anyone have thoughts on the colours of bits that weren't black, i.e. the wheel wells and jet intakes? I think the intakes were black but not sure if the wheel bays were white or silver. The cockpit seems to be a mixture of black and dark grey, and the seat mostly black with a brown seat and headrest. The pilot should I think have a white helmet and an olive green flight suit, but I'm happy to be corrected.
Pete

Watching a video on YT this afternoon, the pilot had a white Mk1 helmet, that's the one that is essentially a shell which fits over a blue/grey fabric inner which housed the comms bits and connectors for the O2 mask. The pilot wore a RAF blue set of flying coveralls with Sqdn badges on arms and left breast. (Complete with blue shirt and cravat).
[Any pilot wearing cold weather/waterproof kit would have a grey two piece affair. The trouser and top had a rubber seal which were rolled together to form a seal. Horrible things they were. (Although useful in a survival situation!!)]

The MB ejection seat would be the standard seat as fitted to all aircraft of the same mark. So standard colours.

 

[stillp]

True Jakko, but it won't cost much to weight it and leave the stand removable.
Pete

 

[stillp]

Thanks Doug.
Pete

 

[stillp]

Gosh, I haven't updated this for nearly a month! I'm over the worst of the Covid but still very tired and have the attention span of a goldfish. I've managed to make a tiny bit of progress on the Hunter: pilot is in, although he doesn't fit the seat very well, and the seat doesn't fit the fuselage well, but I suppose considering the age of the kit it's acceptable.

I splashed a bit of aluminium paint on the landing gear legs and the bay before I remembered that I'll be adding weight to the bay. Also added some locating tabs to the lower edges of the fuselage halves - the upper edges have locating pins that seem to work well, but nothing on the bottom edge. When they've dried I hope I can get the fuselage together. The next job will be to try to mask the canopy, which won't be simple as it has almost no moulded framing so I'll have to wing it from photos.
I just realised the decals look as though they've been damp, so I need to give them a coat of Liquid Decal Film to strengthen them.

Pete

 

[adt70hk]

Living good Pete.

Hope the COVID wasn't too bad.

Andrew

 

[stillp]

Well, the fuse halves are sort-of joined.

This was like trying to glue a banana to a corkscrew! I had to use TET wherever the halves touched, and a lot of clamps. I've run a load of tuble glue on the inside of the join to strengthen it, as it's going to need a lot of sanding.
Pete