1:144 Hawker Sea Fury Weapon Set

Hawker Sea Fury weapon set in 1:144 scale

An accessory set from the manufacturer Mark I for a model of the British Hawker Sea Fury carrier fighter in the small 1:144 scale. This is not an airplane kit, but a set of external stores with which you equip the model. It suits modelers who want to build the Sea Fury in combat configuration rather than as a clean machine with no load.

The real subject

The Hawker Sea Fury was the last piston-engine fighter of the Fleet Air Arm and at the same time one of the fastest production aircraft with a piston engine of all. It was powered by the Bristol Centaurus radial engine, and the machine came about on the basis of experience with the land-based Hawker Tempest and Fury line. It entered service only after the Second World War and made its name in the Korean War, where it worked mainly in the role of attacking ground targets. External stores under the wing served for that, carrying unguided rockets and bombs, while the onboard armament was built into the wing. The Sea Fury served with other navies as well, and in civilian hands it still appears at air races today.

Building tips

In 1:144 scale the parts are very small, so work with tweezers, a sharp knife and over a light surface. Try the external stores dry first and mark the exact positions of the racks on the wing, so that the armament sits symmetrically on the left and the right. It is practical to paint the parts before separating them from the sprue or the casting block and to touch them up only after installation. For the joints of small parts, cyanoacrylate glue applied with the tip of a toothpick works well, so that it does not run over. Finally, a thin wash helps to bring out detail, which is easily lost at this scale.

Who the set is for

• Builders of models in 1:144 scale who want the Sea Fury in combat configuration
• Anyone interested in post-war carrier aviation and the Korean War
• Modelers used to working with small parts
• Collectors of British naval fighters