Italeri 1/48 BAE Hawk T Mk.65/65A - 'Saudi Hawks Demonstration Team'

This model came about as the result of a specific request from one of my customers and thanks to a modelling friend I was able to obtain a partially assembled kit at a very reasonable price. Unfortunately the kit didn't contain the smoke pod - which is now included in the later Red Arrows release and HobbyBoss kits - and trying to modify the gun-pod or one of the drop tanks to create this was not an option, as they are both the wrong shape and length and therefore the decision was made not to include this on the model.

A significant improvement over the kit supplied parts was the addition of a Wolfpack BAE Hawk T1 cockpit set (WP48142), as it is far more detailed overall and includes a beautifully moulded pair of ejection seats. However, it did require a bit of work to install but it was well worth it in the end. With the cockpit dealt with the rest of the kit went together without any problems and some of the changes that needed to be made to the kit were as follows;

• New upper fuselage APU exhaust outlet added from plastic tube.
• Starboard fuselage aft exhaust outlet shortened and reshaped.
• Starboard fuselage aft underside sensor fairing added.
• Port and starboard fuselage aft smoke system fairings and pipes added.
• All fuselage vent/drain holes drilled out. 
• Additional port and starboard inboard wing fences added.
• Wing flaps modified to correct configuration.
• Additional nose mounted retractable taxi light added.
• Additional aerials added.
• Fuselage AOT probe added.
• Pitot tube replaced with Master Model AM48-038.

With assembly and modifications  completed I was then able to mask the windscreen and canopy (Eduard EX260) and finally move onto the painting. The model was first sprayed with a coat of Tamiya Fine Surface Primer White, followed by several light coats of Gunze Gloss White (H1). Once dry I then applied the custom made Frisket masks, supplied by Taylor made decals, over the gloss white and although these covered the major areas, some masking still needed to be done with Aizu and Tamiya tape. I then applied several light coats of Gunze Bright Green (H26) and followed this up several days later with a coat of Future, in preparation for the application of the decals.

 

For all of the major markings I used the ones supplied by Taylor made decals with the remainder coming from the kit supplied decal sheet, all of which went on without any problems. Some washes were then applied to the undercarriage legs, various air vents and APU exhaust and limited to these areas as the aircraft always appear to be maintained in a pristine condition. At this stage the model looked far to glossy according to my references - and to my liking - and I wanted to tone it down to a more authentic looking scale finish. I achieved this by mixing some Vallejo Gloss and Satin Varnish until the desired sheen was obtained and this was then spayed onto the model. The windscreen and canopy masks were then removed and the final bits added to the model in preparation for its delivery to the customer, who was both delighted and impressed with the finished product.