Rapid Hudson

[mumbles]

To blow out the cobwebs and unwind after the saga that was my Macchi build, I am going old school and having some fun.

In 1981 we were living in Rotorua, and 5 year old me saw a doco on TV where someone was holding a model of a swing-wing jet, with working wings. Naturally I was fascinated by this, and Dad must have been in a generous mood, so off to the model shop we went to get me one.

Somehow, having set out to get a variable geometry superjet, we came home with Airfix's Hudson. Go figure .

Anyway, it was rapidly assembled and painted, and probably lasted all of six months before complete destruction at either my or miy sisters hands. It certainly didn't move with us to Lower Hutt in 1983. However, pieces of it (undercarriage leg, canopy, pilots seat) did survive and remained in my possession for some time. If I can find them they will be incorporated into the next Hudson.

I've had a soft spot for the Airfix Hudson ever since, and picked up a couple a little while ago. While one will be as good as I feel like making it, I decided the other was to replicate the original 1981 model, in essence making a model of a model and having some fun ;D I
t won't be completely accurate, as in 1981 it was moulded in silver plastic, rather than the pleasant light grey of the now.



Rules to keep to the original:
1)No detail painting. Camouflage scheme only. Maybe props (can't remember if they were painted or not) as well.
2)No sanding, filling, fettling or otherwise normal assembly practices. Technique only to be employed if a part absolutely will not fit.
3)No preshading, countershading, weathering, gloss coating, matt coating.
4)No detailing or accesorising.
5)Must be brush painted with humbrol enamels. Maximum of two coats allowed.

Simple .

Really this is an excuse just to have some good clean fun with a model, and expunge some accuracy fatigue.

Wings and empennage assembled. Working ailerons? Check!Working retractable undercarriage? Check! Visible seams? Check!

Interior assembled and ready to close up. Turret rotates...

Final assembly is amazingly rapid when you aren't sighting everything for alignment. I tried to get away without using tape, but the old moulds aren't what they used to be.


Start painting in a couple of hours I reckon

[Bruce]

I had one like that when I was younger too, using a similar rapid build technique! good for a bit of fun.

[mumbles]

Right, thats the underside painted. What gap?


And first coat of the topside. This really is the ugliest modelling I have done for years.



Loads of fun though !

[flyjoe180]

Brings back memories My first was a Hurricane, and like you I have fond memories of it. The smell of Humbrol enamel paint and Airfix glue...

[Bruce]

But will it have the amazing peeling and disintegrating decals? the early 80's NZ releases used NZ printed decals which were absolute crap... My Hudson from that era was missing fueslage codes and top wing roundels for years for that reason....

[kiwichappers]

Such good clean fun.

[mumbles]

In a meteoric rate of modelling progress not seen in my house since the early nineties....

Two coats of brown on, starting on the green

First coat of green on. The windows are surprisingly easy to paint around. Notice the paint happily running down the seam.


Two other rules come to mind:

Use the same brush for everything and no retouching

[Dave Homewood]

I bought two built up already at seperate garage sales as a kid. One I painted silver as the pre-owner had begun to do that. The other was already in a blue and green camouflage. The kit was rubbish even then, which is why I never bought a new one.

I wish Tamiya or Hasegawa would do a nice 1/48 model of the Hudson. Classic Airframes' one is ok but too much of a challenge to most modellers, which is why mine's still in its box.

Are you getting some practice in for when the bairn comes Sam?

[Bruce]

So have you got it finished yet? you should have been able to get 3 or 4 done in the time this ones taken....

Or have you suffered an anxiety attack due to mental discomfort bought on by the build technique.....

[mumbles]

Jul 22, 2008 22:57:43 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Are you getting some practice in for when the bairn comes Sam?

Yeah, think so.

[mumbles]

Jul 24, 2008 16:39:13 GMT 12 Bruce said:

So have you got it finished yet? you should have been able to get 3 or 4 done in the time this ones taken....

Or have you suffered an anxiety attack due to mental discomfort bought on by the build technique.....

Try as I might I just can't not do some things. The demarcations are all reasonably neat and tidy, and most of the brush strokes point in the same direction......There also isn't any glue spilt anywhere

As for the time, I wasn't quite as busy with places to be 25 years ago.... ;D

[Dave Homewood]

The main problem is, unlike 25 years ago, you can't buy double happies for the big finale these days.

[smithy]

Jul 24, 2008 18:05:35 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

The main problem is, unlike 25 years ago, you can't buy double happies for the big finale these days.

Haha! I used to do the same. I remember blowing up a Dornier that way whilst waving a Airfix 1/72 Spitfire around doing victory rolls.

I'm enjoying this Mumbles, in fact so much I think I might do the same some time with an old Airfix favourite.

[mumbles]

Well if you're wondering I finished this on Saturday, but have only got around to posting about it now

Painting all done on Thursday night


And glazing and decalling done on Saturday while waiting for the rugby to start



Box to shelf in under a week. Time invested: about 2 and a half hours for the whole thing. Would have been faster if I had used acrylics and hadn't had to let each coat of paint dry overnight.

Apart from being out of register, grainy and missing bits of colour, the decals were excellent. Went down snugly over detail onto a matt surface quite happily, with little or no silvering.

Right then, now to do it properly with the second Airfix Hudson I have in the stash. Anyone know if Falcon or Squadron do a replacement canopy?

The RNZAF decals in this release I am saving for the Italeri one I also have in the queue, although having bought two I now have a spare set if anyone wants them.

[Dave Homewood]

That turned out all right in the end. Well done.

[kiwichappers]

Great stuff this Mumbles. I have taken the liberty of hijacking the idea for a build night at our model club. If it runs I will post the results.
Clearvax set 30 has a canopy set for the Airfix Hudson.