Classic Airframes 1/48 scale Hawker Sea Hawk

Kit: No. 465
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Classic Airframes, P.O. Box 577580, Chicago, IL 60657-7580, 773-883-8888, www.classicairframes.com
Price: $55
Comments: Multimedia, 87 parts (48 injection-molded, 20 resin, 16 photoetched, 3 printed film), decals
Pros: Excellent resin cockpit and wheel-well detail, fine engraved panel lines, well-printed decals
Cons: Poor fit of cockpit tub in fuselage, decals translucent

Classic Airframes continues its recent focus on classic jets with the Hawker Sea Hawk, a 1950s-era British Fleet Air Arm attack jet. Two versions have been released - the FGA.6 and the Mk.101 export model with a different tailfin. The decal sheet features markings for three Royal Navy Sea Hawks and one Dutch Navy aircraft. I just had to do the bright yellow-and-black-striped Suez Canal bird shown on the box top.

As with most multimedia kits, this one has beautiful resin parts to detail the interior, including a massive main-gear bay that encompasses the entire center section of the model. It and the resin intakes fit perfectly to the injection-molded fuselage.

I could not remove enough material from the resin cockpit tub to allow the fuselage to close around it. I could have sanded the inside of the plastic fuselage halves but instead chose to fill and sand the fuselage gaps. I had to trim the rear of the cockpit fairing and the canopy to allow them to fit together. I couldn't figure out how to fold the ejection-seat foot stirrups, so I left them off.

Be sure to use the cockpit insert as a guide when placing the resin sidewalls. I added a little more than the recommended 10g of weight to the nose to be safe. The cannon troughs are too shallow, and I left the photoetched intake grilles and splitter plate until just before painting so they wouldn't be damaged. Check the fit of the exhaust panels A8 and A27 - the instructions show them reversed.

Detail parts are included to allow the option of folding the wings. I chose to keep the wings extended, but I test-fitted the fold details and found excellent fit of the resin parts, and good fit for the photoetched parts. I left the drop tanks off because they appeared to foul the fit of the landing gear if mounted in the location molded into the kit. Also, photos show prominent markings on the drop tanks which aren't included on the decal sheet.

After cleaning up and rescribing a few of the fine recessed panel lines, I painted my Sea Hawk with out-of-production Floquil sky and extra dark sea gray. After applying a gloss coat, I added the decals. I was impressed by the fit of the yellow-and-black stripe decals, especially the fuselage stripes that follow the complex shape of the exhausts. The white portions of the roundels are translucent.

Though construction can be troublesome, the end result is a great looking model. Beginners should practice on something simpler, but be sure to grab one of these now for building later when skills improve. I spent 25 satisfying hours on mine.

- Chuck Davis