¹⁄32

Silver Wings Hawker Hart Review Build

Fuselage Assembly

Fuselage assembly is straightforward and should not present any issues. My sample did have some slight warping inward on the bottom of the fuselage around the cutout for the bomb aimer. Fortunately, being resin, simply pouring some hot water on it and then bending back into shape worked fine. If at the end of the previous step, your cockpit subassembly ended up with a slight twist, you should still be able to fit it correctly in the fuselage following the directions below.

■ Install the exhausts into the fuselage, note that they are “handed” so that each goes into its proper place. (see photo 13).
■ Test fit the air intakes (“L” shaped parts that go on top of the fuselage), but do not glue them into position.
■ Attach the MG breech assembly to the fuselage side, and attach the PE charging handle and attach the ammo drums (photo 14) Although not noted in the instructions, each ammo drum should have a PE handle (PE20) installed.
■ Install the firewall bulkhead to one fuselage half, and test fit the opposite half to ensure proper alignment.
■ At this point you can test fit your assembled cockpit into the fuselage. You may see that it fits so well that you can simply glue the fuselage together and it will be in the proper position. However, if it does not fit well, then separate the fuselage halves, and attach the cockpit to one side, using the locator tabs provided. Let set, and then attach to the opposite side, while gluing the fuselage together. You may need to prod or poke it with a toothpick to get it into the proper position.
■ Once the fuselage glue has set, you can clean up any seams by sanding. My sample had a bit of a seam along the bottom (top was perfect), however the superglue I used to join the fuselage filled it nicely. Once complete, you can attach the air intakes; PE hand holds (PE8); and the MG barrel. You may wish to use one of the fine Master brass barrels instead of the supplied part for a crisper look.
■ The kit provides PE fabric stitching, which I have attached to my model. However, you may wish to skip this step as I have only seen one photo (of a museum airframe) where it appears you can see this stitching. However, should you wish to add it, you can use the provided stitching, which should look very nice after a coat of primer. As an alternative, both Archer transfers and HGW offer alternative, easy to use, stitching as well.
■ You can attach the sliding bomb-aimers door to the bottom of the fuselage in either the open or closed position.
■ Attach the tailskid and rudder post cap at this point.
■ At this point, using the resin part of the gun sight tube, I marked the locations for two holes for the attachment points and drilled them out. After a successful test fit, I removed the tube and attached the PE beads and sight. I then set this part aside until final assembly. You can attach it at this point, as getting it in with the wing in place might be tricky, but I was more concerned about damaging it when fitting the heavy upper wing.
■ I cut out the windscreen PE and acetate part and bent the PE part into the correct shape. Note that the tabs on the lower side panels should be angled downward slightly to help get a better fit. Once I was happy with the PE fit, I lightly scored the acetate piece with a hobby knife on the two lines where it needs to bend to help it bend and stay in position. I recommend dry fitting the acetate, and then when you are satisfied, attach only the PE part to the fuselage, and attach the acetate piece after final painting.
■ Lastly, you can attach the film window on the starboard side (or you can wait until after final painting) and the pilot’s headrest behind the seat. Do not attach the venturi tube, gun sight mechanism or windscreen at this point, as they may be damaged when attaching the other major airframe components.

Landing Gear

The landing gear, although it looks delicate, is surprisingly strong – which it must be as the completed model weighs about 250 grams (or just over ½ lb). As the instructions are not clear on how to assemble the components, I consulted my references and discovered that the main struts attach at the front of the axel tube, and the supporting struts attach at the upper-rear of the axel tube.

■ First, make sure that your axel tube has any cooper wire sticking out of the ends removed, so that it is flush with the resin wheel attachment point.
■ Using a #66 (.033) drill bit, drill out the main gear strut attachment points on both sides of the fuselage. Test fit your main gear struts (do not trim any of the copper wire from the top side as it will give added strength to the gear assembly). Next, using the same drill bit, widen the outermost slot on the front edge on each side of the axel tube, making sure to keep the holes aligned. Test fit the axel tube to the test fitted main gear struts.
■ On the bottom of the fuselage, there are two indentations that appear to be for the ends of the support struts. Unfortunately, these indents will not allow the supporting strut to fit properly. Again, using the #66 drill bit, drill a hole 4mm in front of the indent and at an angle towards the test fitted main gear strut and axel tube. Test fit the support strut and repeat for the opposite side (see photo 15) and be sure the brake lines are on the side facing away from the fuselage.
■ If everything fits and is aligned correctly, you can glue the landing gear in place. See photo 16.
■ Test fit the main wheels and admire your work (photo 17 and 18).