Daniel Posted October 12, 2008 Posted October 12, 2008 Hi all, New here, and this will be my first publicised build (my next will be the Naval GB). So, I thought I'd give it a trial run with something a bit different, when I saw a Revell 1/144 Hawker Hunter kit for a few pounds. ...Well, I knew exactly what particular aircraft to base it on. This is a Hunter a have spent a little time looking at, so already had all the reference pictures, from my "walkarounds". By the way, my other hobby is scuba diving... (I'm the model in all but one picture, when I'm the photographer). This is her... I'll have to scratch build this hole... Won't matter if a don't get a perfect shine on the canopy... And I won't waste too much time on the cockpit either... The Revell kit is missing some detail here... I'll have to make some decals (be a first for me) No engine needed... When I finished this, I could have a go at this... Or this... Well, better start the build now, not sure if I'll finish it before Wednesday when I go away. Daniel
AnonymousFO98 Posted October 12, 2008 Posted October 12, 2008 Hi Daniel You forgot to mention which unfortunate air museum the hunter is based at- i know it's been a wet summer but cripes! didn't know it was that bad! Are you going to display the finished kit in a fish tank?
Daniel Posted October 12, 2008 Author Posted October 12, 2008 Hi DanielYou forgot to mention which unfortunate air museum the hunter is based at- i know it's been a wet summer but cripes! didn't know it was that bad! Are you going to display the finished kit in a fish tank? Based at a place called "Blue Lagoon" near the A1/M62. It's an inland diving site I use for testing new diving kit before taking it into the sea. They have a few bits and pieces around, this one is above water... Daniel.
JosephLalor Posted October 12, 2008 Posted October 12, 2008 Are there a couple of Hunters submerged there? There seems to be an RAF one and an RN one with a Yeovilton tailcode. Joseph
Daniel Posted October 13, 2008 Author Posted October 13, 2008 Are there a couple of Hunters submerged there? There seems to be an RAF one and an RN one with a Yeovilton tailcode.Joseph No, the submerged one is all the same plane, is there something odd about it? Daniel.
Wez Posted October 13, 2008 Posted October 13, 2008 No, the submerged one is all the same plane, is there something odd about it?Daniel. I think it's in the markings of the Defence Academy (or one of its predecessors) at Shrivenham. It was probably originally an RAF aircraft that had become a Maintenance airframe and allocated to Shrivenham but "parented" (owned and maintained), by RNAS Yeovilton - hence the VL tailcode. Hopefully somebody will be able to confirm. Wez
JosephLalor Posted October 13, 2008 Posted October 13, 2008 No, the submerged one is all the same plane, is there something odd about it?Daniel. Hi Daniel, It did occur to me that it might be an RAF aircraft with a two-letter tailcode that just happened to be 'VL', which I would ordinarily associate with RN aircraft, but I wasn't sure. Wez's comment about it being ex-RAF but RN maintained sounds plausible, to me at least. Joseph
Daniel Posted October 13, 2008 Author Posted October 13, 2008 Thanks all for the informative replies. I intended the build as nothing more than a bit of fun, thinking that £3 is what I would spend on a magazine, and the kit would keep me busy longer than a magazine. It is 1/144 so it'll only be 'representative', but you're all making me more interested, I may have to get a 1/72 kit, go back and take a few more pictures, and do a better job of it... Daniel. Hi Daniel,It did occur to me that it might be an RAF aircraft with a two-letter tailcode that just happened to be 'VL', which I would ordinarily associate with RN aircraft, but I wasn't sure. Wez's comment about it being ex-RAF but RN maintained sounds plausible, to me at least. Joseph
Dave T Posted October 13, 2008 Posted October 13, 2008 I think it's in the markings of the Defence Academy (or one of its predecessors) at Shrivenham. It was probably originally an RAF aircraft that had become a Maintenance airframe and allocated to Shrivenham but "parented" (owned and maintained), by RNAS Yeovilton - hence the VL tailcode.Hopefully somebody will be able to confirm. Wez The aircraft is an F.6 XJ639 / 8687M ex-Cranwell, 1 TWU, 229 OCU and 4 Sqdn. It's previous owner (as was the T.8C) was Hunter Flying at Exeter who eBayed them in 2006. It is fitted with the rear fuselage & fin of ex-FRADU T.8C XF358 hence the confusion. Cheers....... .
DamienB Posted October 13, 2008 Posted October 13, 2008 As Dave says - a composite airframe. The one above water (also a composite) was being returned to flight at one point too - shame to see that never progressed.
Dave Fleming Posted October 13, 2008 Posted October 13, 2008 I'm intruiged - what's the point of having the plane/tank/gun under water? Training value on how to behave around wrecks & underwater objects? Or are students/divers not told they are there and the fun is in finding them in murky water?
Giorgio N Posted October 13, 2008 Posted October 13, 2008 I'm intruiged - what's the point of having the plane/tank/gun under water? Training value on how to behave around wrecks & underwater objects? Or are students/divers not told they are there and the fun is in finding them in murky water? Whatever the reason might be, and I'm sure there's some good reason, seeing a hunter like that makes me a bit sad... Giorgio
Daniel Posted October 13, 2008 Author Posted October 13, 2008 Something to look at. I only use the place for training/testing of new kit, but plenty of people enjoy diving there just for the sake of diving there, I guess they'll be 50 - 100 divers a day on a busy weekend in the summer. There are several things there. There is a few other sites around the UK with planes/helicopters in them (Cesna's, Wessex's, Viscount Cockpit, Devon, BAE146, plus plenty of unidentified). There is a whole museum available only to those who dive... ...And sometimes it is most definetly NOT fun trying to find them once a few dozen students have been around them! Daniel. I'm intruiged - what's the point of having the plane/tank/gun under water? Training value on how to behave around wrecks & underwater objects? Or are students/divers not told they are there and the fun is in finding them in murky water?
Daniel Posted October 13, 2008 Author Posted October 13, 2008 Mmmm, guess I see both sides of it... If someone else had stumped up the money, they could have had them. Guess the other one is 'sadder' in that there was a project to make it airworthy, and now it is just sat there... The divers appreciate them, and pay their money to enter the lake and see the planes, it's business I guess. Daniel. Whatever the reason might be, and I'm sure there's some good reason, seeing a hunter like that makes me a bit sad...Giorgio
Dave Fleming Posted October 13, 2008 Posted October 13, 2008 (edited) I can see the attraction - it would certainly be more interesting than diving in an empty quarry! And it's better than them getting scrapped! Look forward to seeing your model! Edited October 13, 2008 by Dave Fleming
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