While there are many candidates
for the (60-odd year old ) title, "Ultimate
Piston Fighter" (meaning a operational,
production aircraft ) , the Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, the
Hawker Sea Fury, North American P-51H Mustang, and Supermarine Spitfire Mk.22-24
being among the many popular contenders, there is quite a
number who would nominate the deHavilland Hornet (and Sea Hornet ),
with justifiable reason. It was the fastest piston aircraft ever operated
by the Armed forces of Great Britain (the Supermarine Spiteful was
NOT an operational aircraft, and was built for testing in very limited
numbers, as was the Goodyear F-2G Super Corsair, Dornier Do.335 Pheil, and
Republic XP-47J , and XP-72 Thunderbolts ), as
a matter of fact, it replaced one contender, the Spitfire Mk. 22-24, in
R.A.F. service. It was probably only second behind the P-51H in
terms of raw speed. It was certainly the fastest climbing piston fighter in
British service, as well, being second only to the Bearcat in this regard (both
having much superior initial climb rates than any jet fighter for years to
come). It also competed with the Grumman product in terms of
harmony of controls, and for the sheer joy of flying (many
of the last piston fighters were not as popular with experienced pilots, as the
earlier marks,...the F4U-5, P-51H, Bf-109G-K, and Griffon powered Spitfires, notibly
so...the Bearcat, & Hornet, while derived from the earlier Hellcat, &
Mosquito, were totally new designs).
The Hornet
served the Royal Air Force in front line duty well into the 50s, being
withdrawn from service in 1955, (and sadly) with all
examples being scrapped.
The Classic Airframes Hornet, and Sea
Hornet kits were put on the market early this decade and are (delightfully)
still in production (unlike most of CA's offerings which have truly been
"limited run"). Like all Classic Airframes
kits, it is mixed media (low pressure injection styrene, resin, with
vacuformed clear parts), without alignment
pins, or slots, and is better left to experienced modelers (or
modelers who will be 'experienced' some day). The kit
comes with two vertical stab-rudders, which allows you to build either the early
F.1 model (without dorsal fin, although many F.1s were
retrofitted with the dorsal), or the later F.3. I strongly
suggest the "Warpaint Series No. 19 , de Havilland Hornet" by
Tony Butler as the best (and nearly ONLY) printed
reference source (although there is some good information
online). I also purchased Xtradecal's sheet #XD42-48 to have
a broader selection of markings. I decided to build PX293 (coded QV-A), as it appeared while serving as the mount of No. 65
Sqaudron's C.O. at R.A.F. Church Fenton, Yorkshire during 1950. I
found three curious contradictions in my reference concerning this aircraft. Xtradecals'
instructions refer to it as a F.Mk.1 (obviously with the dorsal
retrofit ) , while Warpaint No.19 calls it an F.Mk.3 ,
and states that PX293 was at Church Fenton from 1951-52. The other
contraction being the color line of the PRU Blue on the fuselage underside.
Warpaint's profile art shows it as a straight line from wing trailing edge
to tail cone, while Xtradecal's shows it to swoop up under the horizonal
tail. I subjectively decided I liked the latter, and painted so, as there were
no photos to settle the matter. Interestingly, on page 32 of WP-19 there is
a photo of PX-293 about to be scrapped in 1955. However, it is in the later Dk.
Green, Dk. Sea Gray, with PRU Blue underside scheme.
Click on
images below to see larger images
I built the kit
pretty much out of box with a few exceptions. Firstly, I elected to
use True Details' resin Sea Fury wheels. I believe ( although not
100% sure ) the wheel, brake and tire (tyre,
in British ) assembly was interchangable with that of the Sea
Fury, which would have certainly have simplified parts inventory on Royal Navy
carriers. At any rate, the TD pieces are exactly the same wheel style, diameter, and
width, only with a nice tread, and wheel brake venting on the inside (plus
they just look prettier) . I drilled my own
alignment holes for fuselage, wing halves, and guides for the
horizontal stabs using needle bits for pins. I also used brass tube for wing
spars, articulated the rudder and elevator using copper wire for hinges. A
P-51 gunsight was thinned down & added to an otherwise beautifully detailed
resin cockpit (which paints up nicely, and drops in place
without undue filing, and fitting). I thinned, and
twisted the prop blades to match reference photos, and as the props are
"handed" (from the rear, the port engine rotates
clockwise, & the starboard engine rotates counter...inward from the top of
the arc), I found it useful to color code each blade with a drop
of paint on it's base...red for port, green for starboard. Although you are
probably brighter than I am, and have no need of such "crutches",
I found it saved me undue confusion. The 20 mm shell ejection chutes were also
opened. I used stainless wire for the rather long whip antenna, &
jeweler's solder for the brake lines. One area of concern is the forward rake of
the main gear struts. CA doesn't really provide a stop or pin for getting the
proper angle. Judging from every available photo, and 3 view drawing, the
angle is fairly severe (forward swept). I found butting
the gear leg almost to the front of the wheel well opening to look just
about right. All paint was Testors Model Master. Although challenging (as
all "limited run" kits tend to be) , I found it to be a
fun build of one of the most graceful of airplanes (aeroplanes).
Hopefully Classic Airframes will continue to keep these beauties on the market.
However if the D.H. Hornet appeals to you, I'd put one in my personal inventory
tomorrow, even if you judge your skills presently inadequate for the
build. I would hate to wake up and find them gone, & if you're an
older modeler (like me), you know exactly how
that feels...
Prez
Click on
image below to see larger image
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