1/72 Revell Hawker Hunter F56

No.2 Target Tug Unit "The Banners"

by Leonard Prakasam

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  Happy Republic Day 2009 

 

       The Hawker Hunter has been one of the longest serving aircraft with the Indian Air Force. First inducted in 1957, their numbers grew to 252 aircraft that were acquired from various sources and was standard equipment for six front line squadrons and an Operational Conversion Unit during the ’65 and ’71 wars with Pakistan. No. 20 Sqn., ‘The Lightenings’, based at the Kalaikunda Air base in West Bengal was the last squadron to operate the Hunters in the aerobatic display team, ”The Thunderbolts”. After they were disbanded, eight of the hunters were relegated to target tug flight assignments. With the onset of hostilities in Kargil in June of ’99, two Hunters were recalled for frontline service as they were suited for the high altitude ops but did not see any active sorties.

        The photo feature by Simon Watson on the Hawker Hunter’s last days with the IAF featured in http://Bharath-Rakshak.com was inspiration to model the Revell kit to represent one of the last eight Hunters to be flown by No.2 Target Tug Unit, “The Banners”. Aircraft A484 was delivered to the IAF in 1967 and was one of the original aircraft of the Thunderbolt aerobatic team.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

The build was pretty straight forward and the fit up was excellent. I assembled and painted the wings separately in order to get better results with the separation of the two tone camo and aluminum of the fuselage. 
Acrylic paints were used for the camo. The decals were self made and the numberings were dry transfer decals. The model was finally sealed with dull cote.

My next hunter will probably don the colors of “The Thunderbolts”….
Happy Republic Day 2009.

Leonard Prakasam

Photos and text © by Leonard Prakasam