'Jumbo' Gracie's Hurricane - FINISHED

[maltadefender]

It's been a while since I decided to do this one, and the decals have been sitting impatiently for some weeks. Now I've got the kit and am chomping at the bit to get on with things... even with two as-yet unfinished Night Fighter GB entries glaring moodily at me.

My chosen subject for the build is Hurricane Mk.I R2689, US-Z, flown by Flt Lt E.J. ‘Jumbo’ Gracie of 56 Squadron, based at North Weald through August 1940.

History

This particular aircraft was totalled on 30th August 1940 after Gracie scored his seventh kill of the battle, a He-111. Gracie attempted to nurse the old girl home to North Weald, but the engine seized and he had to make an emergency landing in a field near Halstead. In the ensuing crash the Hurricane was burnt out and Gracie suffered a broken neck – although this went undiagnosed for 48 hours.

Gracie was a pugnacious, no-nonsense sort of a bloke, who could often terrify less experienced pilots under his command. Although his eyesight wasn’t brilliant he would press home his attacks ruthlessly, often at close range. The last flight of R2689 marked the effective end of his part in the Battle of Britain, but Gracie was awarded the DFC on October 1st 1940 and went on to become one of the most inspired fighter leaders in the defence of Malta, scoring another six kills.

This in itself must have made a refreshing change from attempting to make the P-39 a viable proposition over France, as he had been doing in late 1941, but more important than his achievements as a pilot was his lead role in ensuring that the crucial third delivery of Spitfires to the island in May 1942 went ahead with none of the disasters that had met previous attempts.

Gracie was C.O. of 126 squadron and ultimately became station commander of the principal fighter airfield at Takali. Another famous Gracie moment was to come when he erected a gibbet at the Takali gate after it was discovered that some of the locals had stolen one of the dwindling number of available parachutes. Gracie’s response was to build the gibbet and put up notices that theft would be met with summary execution, although this backfired somewhat when The Times of Malta got wind of it and word got back to London – an unrepentant Gracie was forced to pull down his new toy but the message had got through to any light-fingered Maltese and no more disappearing equipment was noted.

After Malta, Gracie ended up flying Mosquitoes suppressing German night fighters in defence of the RAF bombing campaign until he was shot down and killed on February 15 1944.

Model

I’ve got the 1/48 Airfix Hurricane and a set of AeroMaster decals to put on it. Originally I’d intended to build the aircraft sitting on the deck with the pilot figure in the pose of lowering himself into the cockpit by holding on to the mirror. However, the old Airfix kit only comes with a one-piece canopy so instead I’m going to build her in my preferred ‘wheels-up and looking for trouble’ mode.

Decoration

Paint will be Xtracolor with a hairy stick to apply it. A light dusting of primer should help get a reasonable finish and some judicious weathering will, I hope, mask any major problems!

There is some debate over the actual colours used on R2689 – as with almost every Hurricane! I’ve seen her represented with Sky, blue and Medium Sea Grey undersides and with her spinner in Sky, blue and white. Unique to Gracie’s aircraft was a pair of horizontal bars across the fin flash, denoting flight leader, which have also been variously described as being Sky, white and blue.

I’m going to build my model as per the AeroMaster decal sheet with Sky undersides, using the tail flash with its Sky Blue horizontal bars on it. The spinner will however be Sky Blue, as it is reportedly the colour used by Gracie, Percy Weaver and Geoffrey Page as ‘blue flight’ during August. From looking at the decals I think that pre-war Azure Blue will be the way to go, although possibly the later Azure would better match the stripes on the decal.

That’s something for me to chew on in the weeks ahead. Now it’s just waiting to get started and hoping that I can get the bulk of the paint on reasonably with a brush!

Edited September 1, 2010 by maltadefender

[AnonymousDFB1]

Hmm, this will be one to watch.

[daz greenwood]

I'll be watching this too, as I love Hurricane's.

[maltadefender]

Thanks, guys.

Now having got myself all excited about a light blue spinner, a colour photograph has been unearthed of 56 Squadron in the Battle. 'Jumbo' is on the far left of the picture... and I guess that'll be a Sky spinner, then!

[daz greenwood]

That looks like a Sky spinner to me (or it could be Eau de Nil?)

[maltadefender]

I'll play safe with Sky... also I like it and seldom get the chance to use it!!

[maltadefender]

I've found Jumbo a playmate in my reserve stash, so now it's going to be a two-kit display. In case I'm in any danger of finishing early I can always try scratchbuilding tracer rounds!!

[Troy Smith]

Thanks, guys.

Now having got myself all excited about a light blue spinner, a colour photograph has been unearthed of 56 Squadron in the Battle. 'Jumbo' is on the far left of the picture... and I guess that'll be a Sky spinner, then!

Hi Niel

I not sure that pic is BoB era, as the spinner is the later type Rotol, which I think came right at the end of the battle, as did the sky spinner/tailband. As it's a LIFE photo you might want to find when this was published.

Meanwhile i have seen a clip of film on TV recently of 56 sq Hurricanes taking off and they certainly had the blunt Rotol spinners and they were a light colour. (one to look for in the inevitable documentaries that will be on, I think i saw it one youtube as well)

The specified colour for prop spinners was black, though early on in the BoB there were examples of coloured spinners, funnily enough I just made a posting about this, here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.p...st&p=563823

Hurricanes sq with coloured spinners were 56 sq, 17 sq (sky) and 85sq.(light or flight colours) JX-B of 1sq had two coloured bands on it's spinner later.

I think this practice of coloured spinners was soon stopped from above and by august what you see is black until the introduction of sky, I'm not at home so can't look up that date.

257 sq had coloured spinner tips in november 1940 after the sky spinner/band /black wing came in as shown in famous pics.

HTH

T

[maltadefender]

Hi Troy,

It's pin the tail on the donkey time! Agreed that the vast majority of squadrons were uniform black but there were those exceptions you listed. Also in the recent FlyPast BoB tribute edition there's a profile for a red, white and blue tricolor spinner on a 601 Squadron Hurri (with a red and white lightning flash down the fuselage!).

The light-coloured spinners at 85 Squadron threw me, although I gather that they flew with grey undersides which were often oversprayed up to halfway up the cowling. Also 'Ginger' Neil records that red section at 249 Squadron flew with red spinners, which he later reinstated in Malta - when 'Laddie' Lucas got there in January 1942 the first thing he did was to repaint the surviving aircraft's spinner black to avoid drawing unwelcome attention to himself!

As far as the light-coloured 56 Squadron spinners go, they were certainly light coloured as you say - and that this was fairly uniform across the squadron, most likely Sky. There's also anecdotal evidence that blue section (led by Gracie) was flying with blue spinners when Geoffrey Page was shot down in flames on August 12. At the moment I'm walking a cautious line down the middle and going for the Sky spinner with the blue section leader's stripes across the fin flash, but may yet go for blue.

Decisions, decisions!!

[maltadefender]

And they’re off!

Firstly my apologies for not getting the sprue shots exactly as required... I got carried away with painting! So then, on to what’s going on.

This is going to be a two-plane display using the Airfix 1/48 Hurricane as ‘Jumbo’ Gracie’s mount, with a 1/72 Revell Messerschmitt Bf109 E depicting the aircraft of Lt. Walter Blume of 3/JG 26. Blume was shot down and made POW on August 18, which puts him in the right timeline for Gracie’s Hurricane. They will be displayed on an Airfix ‘Dogfight Doubles’ stand, which is being donated by the Ju88/Hurricane Mk.IIB set – I like the idea of the change in perspective making what I hope will be a realistic 1:1 look.

Here are the box shots of the component kits:

The decals for Blume’s Messerschmitt are from Techmod. I always like the unsullied blue/splinter camouflage better than the ones that have been embellished with more patches, splashes or stripes of green over the blue - plus I don't have an airbrush so my life is made a lot easier!! Add in my lucky number 13 and the fact that, like Gracie, JG26 would go on to have a pivotal role in Malta and I think it makes a great companion for my ‘star’ Hurricane.

Here are the sprue shots after I started painting. The Messerschmitt was simply sanded, filled and washed before applying the posh Revell enamel blue – I got a a six-pack of Luftwaffe colours for £7.99 that are in a satin finish better suited to applying decals than their standard matt paints.

One thing I have noticed is the totally lousy quality of the canopy parts. There’s flash that seems to be more solid than the actual parts, plus enormous great chunks missing. Hopefully some sanding and trimming will minimise the problem but I guess that’s what you get for £3.99 these days!

The Hurricane was sanded, washed and given a light dusting of Halfords grey plastic primer. I find that Xtracolor paints lack bite on the plastic without priming them first, but am delighted with how smoothly the Sky went on with the old hairy stick once she was prepped.

And that’s as far as Day 1 took me. I’m balancing this little lot with work, an ill wife, finishing my Night Fighter GB entries and looking after my stepdaughter – so progress may be slow this week!

[maltadefender]

Illustration of the shabby Messerschmitt canopy parts!

[maltadefender]

OK I've surrendered to temptation! Spinner has been repainted using a random pot of Molak Enamel Plus 'Sea Blue' which is a dead ringer for the blue on the tail flash decal. According to three sources, Geoffrey Page's 'Little Willie' wore a pale blue spinner as did the other two in his section and I'm a sucker for pale blue on anything... especially Cameron Diaz!

It's a nice shade, previously used on the nose stripe of Mike Hawthorn's Vanwall. Here's Cameron's take on the colour...

Edited August 2, 2010 by maltadefender

[maltadefender]

Progress report:

So far it's been a busy day with the hairy stick. Here's the Hurricane with its new blue nose:

And here's the Messerschmitt:

[rowmk9]

Those are both coming on handsomely. That 109 canopy is enough to make a modeller weep! still, the rest of the plane is coming on well, I like the yellow identity markings on the wing tips and tail surfaces. I also like Cameron Diaz's take on the blue. ALOT. nuff said

Rowan

[maltadefender]

Thanks a lot Rowan. I'm glad you like how they're coming along although you're straightening 1/72 rudder bars and I'm trying to get the brush marks off... I've got a long way to go to get to that standard!!

Looking forward to seeing all of these come on (and getting the paint off my fingers!)

[AnonymousDFB1]

Good work, you paint before assembly?

[maltadefender]

Good work, you paint before assembly?

Thanks Mish. Yes I've decided to go back to doing it this way like I did as a kid. The Malta Hurricane build taught me that it's easier to get the lines as crisp as the brush allows when there aren't lots of wings and pitots in the way! It's how my Dad taught me to do things way back when - if I get an airbrush at some stage I'll experiment but hopefully it'll work out with this pair.

[AnonymousDFB1]

Ah Okay, I didn't realise you painted with a hairy stick, nice work.

[maltadefender]

Been jiggling the models about with various ideas for stands. My first idea to use the Dogfight Doubles stand doesn't pan out - you don't get the right sense of perspective from it... just looks like two different scale models on sticks.

I've got some ideas, some two mill brass tube and some wood...

...and a spare stand with a 1/72 Hurricane Mk.I and Spitfire Mk.I for a possible mini-entry!

[maltadefender]

OK one £2.99 corner shelf and a pot of 'Forget-Me-Not Blue' woodstain later and a home-made display stand is taking shape.

Going to be tricky to seat the aircraft on their new stands - the Messerschmitt less so because the tube fits snug under the pilot's seat and hopefully the weight of the nose will pull her into the diving attitude I want but the Hurricane needs to be in a climbing turn. I think a Milliputt holder inside the fuselage before the final build should do the trick. Hopefully when it's all done it'll look like 'Jumbo' is reefing round for a full deflection shot... photos on the morrow.

As for the little build: it's on. A 1/72 Hurricane I of 310 Squadron accompanied by a 1/72 Spitfire Ia of 19 Squadron climbing hard out of Duxford.

I'm calling one 'Honour the Threat' and the other 'Czech + Mate'

Edited August 14, 2010 by maltadefender

[maltadefender]

Trial fit of the Messerschmitt in its diving position seems to be working out OK...

The base is less bright and lary in real life!!

[maltadefender]

Milliputt holder for the Hurricane's display stand is in place - splurged it into the corners in the hope of a bit more 'bite' after looking at the photo!

And shoved another 2mm tube in to make the right size hole for the display, angling it over as much as the play in the hole allows...

Now it's time to finish re-sanding the dodgy seams, touching up the paint and finishing the build!!

[maltadefender]

Here's how 'Jumbo' ended the day...

[Mark M]

cool looks good

[maltadefender]

cool looks good

Thanks Mark. I've got Elgar's Enigma running round my head and I'm thinking about a third double-build which means it's time for bed!