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Silver Wings Hawker Hart Review Build

Cockpit Assembly

This proved to be the most challenging aspect of building this kit, so once you’ve got this part completed, the rest is easy J. Unfortunately, the instructions are not very clear on the location of some of the interior components. It is also easy to get the sides misaligned with each other resulting in a twisted cockpit frame assembly. The good news is that most of the cockpit frame is not visible in the finished model, so even if you end up with some twist, you can still fit everything into the fuselage (which will help untwist it some) and it will look fine when finished. For best results, I recommend the following order of assembly (see photos 6 ~ 12):

1) Glue the floorboard to the frame assembly with the compass, the rear set of tabs on the bottom of the floorboard should go on the front side of the compass frame and let set. These parts should be 90 degrees to each other.
2) Begin assembly of the fuselage frame by attaching the two 22mm and one 20mm seat frame/cross-frames (with the seats), as the provided holes should ensure that your frame is aligned. Next, also attach the 21mm cross-frame that attaches under the oil tank support, as that frame also goes into holes provided in the frame. Visibly ensure your frame is aligned and let set.
3) Attach the cross-frame with the control column in its place (in line with the bumps on the outer sides of the frames), and then insert the floorboard/compass assembly from #2 above. Note that the front tab on the bottom of the floorboard should rest behind the cross-frame you attached in #3 above (see photo 6). The rod holding the control column should be just under the read of the floorboard. If you will be adding the aileron control wires (the ones that go up in a “V” from the vertical “wheel” behind the control column), attach them at this point. The ends can be glued to the behind the instrument panel once it is attached at the end of this step.
4) Attach the front 19mm and 18mm cross-frames to the frame. Check the frame alignment, and if good, insert and glue in the oil tank to the supports on each frame (see photo 7).
5) Attach the floor, ensuring that the hole is to the front, padding to the back (I installed my floor backwards and had to remove it later to correct this).
6) Attach the rear 14mm cross-frames, ensuring that both sides of the frames bend in the same amount. Once set, glue the shelf holding the two tanks into position.
7) Attach the camera into position, with the camera frame resting on top of the stubs on the fuselage side frames.
8) Attach the radio gear frame to the port side if you did not do so in the interior subassembly section above and attach the PE bulb (flare?) holder (PE21).
9) Attach the fuel tank, ensuring it is centered on the frame, and then attach the instrument panel. I put a couple small pieces of resin pour blocks on the frame to help hold the panel in place. At this time, you can run the aileron control cables up and attach them to the blocks (if you are installing them).
10) If you are installing the rudder and elevator control wires, do so now using the instructions to route them correctly. Note that these cables run on the outer side of both frames and should be mirror images of each other.

While this may seem complicated, you should be able to complete all these steps in 30 minutes or so. If you are worried about your ability to align your fuselage frames, another option is to line up both fuselage side frames, and either drill holes or notch the frames where the cross-frames should go while the two frames are aligned.

Other Subassemblies

In addition to the subassemblies needed to complete the cockpit, there are few others that can be completed as well.

■ The Pott’s oil cooler can be assembled using 1mm rod to hold the PE parts. I did not worry about the lengths of the rods, and just drilled the locating holes in the bottom of the fuselage all the way through so that I could position it as desired. I would recommend not using the PE spacers between the cooling “leaves”, as they are too thin and would instead punch some similar sized discs from 5 thou sheet styrene so that the “leaves” are spaced a bit more like the real thing. Note that some Hart (India)’s had Potts coolers with 9 “leaves” instead of 5, so if the airframe you are modeling has 9, you will need to make some additional “leaves” out of 10 thou sheet styrene to fill in between the PE ones.
■ The bomb racks and bombs can be assembled as a unit, and then attached to the lower wing once the model is completed (mine fit so well I could click them into the holes without glue) since it will be easier to place the serial number decals on the bottoms of the wings without them attached. I did note that some of my bombs were missing a section of one of the three fins. If your kit is the same, you can add the missing part using sheet styrene. Also be sure to note that the front and rear brackets are different, and that the wider bracket goes toward the front. You can leave the bombs off the racks until final assembly if you wish.
■ You can assemble the gunner’s scarf ring and MG at this point, or wait until the fuselage is assembled if you wish to test fit it before assembly. I am not sure about the site on the front of the gun, but it looks good there nonetheless.
■ If your model carried radio equipment, drill holes in the appropriate locations on the upper wings and rudder. Fabricate the attachment posts out of some styrene or metal rod, and install them at this point, or wait until you have painted and decaled your model.