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First Look Review
148
Hawker Sea Hawk FGA. Mk.6
  • Trumpeter_SeaHawk_Boxtop

by: Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]

Trumpeter's 1/48 scale Hawker Sea Hawk has arrived in modelshops in the UK and first signs look very encouraging.

The kit arrives in a sturdy top openong box with 6 individually packed sprues containing:

104 x pale grey styrene parts
5 x clear styrene parts
2 x etched brass parts
Decals for 3 x colour schemes

The greatest cause for celebration must be that Trumpeter have retired their "Demon Riveter"! The Sea Hawk features neat scribed panel detail throughout (perhaps a little heavy, but it'll work very well for washes) and not a rivet in sight! On the downside, I found one or two shallow sink marks on the exterior where there's heavy moulding on the reverse side of the part, and the cannon ports are very shallow with no detail at all.

The airframe is broken down into front and rear halves; the forward fuselage and wing roots are split horizontally, while the tail is split vertically. The separate tail is on a sprue of its own - a sure sign of further versions to follow.

The kit features a reasonably detailed cockpit and wheelwells, the option for folded wings, dropped flaps and external stores consisting of 8 x rockets and a pair of drop tanks.

The canopy can be posed open and is nice and clear with well-defined frames.

The etched fret contains an instrument panel, complete with a film backing for the instrument faces, and a seat harness - although the later looks rather too thin for this scale.

Trumpeter have included a large, colourful decal sheet. The company's decals have earned a less than glowing reputation in the past, but these appear quite good, being thin and glossy with good registration. Colour schemes include the almost obligatory Suez Crisis schemes:

A. XE365, 171-B, 804 Sqn, HMS Bulwark, 1956
B. WV918, 230-Z-B, 810 Sqn, HMS Albion, 1956
C. WV824, 122-C, 801 Sqn, HMS Centaur, 1959

Watch out for a more detailed review soon.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.
SUMMARY
Highs: A popular subject that's long overdue for release as a mainstream kit. Cleanly moulded with simple construction.
Lows: Some sink marks and simplified details.
Verdict:
  Scale: 1:48
  Mfg. ID: 02826
  Suggested Retail: £19.99
  PUBLISHED: Apr 08, 2007
  NATIONALITY: United Kingdom
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 88.37%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 84.47%

About Rowan Baylis (Merlin)
FROM: NO REGIONAL SELECTED, UNITED KINGDOM

I've been modelling for about 40 years, on and off. While I'm happy to build anything, my interests lie primarily in 1/48 scale aircraft. I mostly concentrate on WW2 subjects, although I'm also interested in WW1, Golden Age aviation and the early Jet Age - and have even been known to build the occas...

Copyright ©2021 text by Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



Comments

Exciting new release. It looks very good - looking forward to a full build review. I might want to put this one on my shopping list when I am going to Shganghai in May. Not to be rude, but I have not seen the Eduard Sturmovick review - have I missed it somewhere? Thanks for your time and effort in keeping us updated.
APR 15, 2007 - 03:02 PM
Hi Jesper! Yes you've missed it. Rowan's (excellent) review is here Jean-Luc
APR 15, 2007 - 10:41 PM
   
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Photos
Click image to enlarge
  • Trumpeter_SeaHawk_Parts_1
  • Trumpeter_SeaHawk_Parts_2
  • Trumpeter_SeaHawk_Parts_3
  • Trumpeter_SeaHawk_Surface
  • Trumpeter_SeaHawk_Canopy
  • Trumpeter_SeaHawk_Etch
  • Trumpeter_SeaHawk_Colours
  • Trumpeter_SeaHawk_Decals
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