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First Look Review
148
Hawker Sea Fury FB.II
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Boxtop

by: Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]

In what must be one of the least predictable developments in recent years, Trumpeter have virtually cornered the market with their kits of postwar naval aircraft. Following the resounding success of their 1/72 scale Hawker Sea Fury, it was only a matter of time before they released it in 1/48 scale too and the kit duly landed on the UK shelves last week.

Packed in a tough conventional box adorned by a pair of Korean War Sea Furies, the kit comprises:

81 x pale grey styrene parts
8 x clear styrene parts
Decals for 2 x aircraft

As you'd hope with a new mainstream kit, the moulding is clean with no sign of flash or sink marks. Ejector pin marks have been kept pretty much out of harm's way. The surface finish features some neatly engraved panel lines, but also sees the return of Trumpeter's "demon riveter". Although nothing like as heavy handed as on some of their earlier kits, the embossed rivets are still exaggerated - the full-sized Sea Fury being quite a clean flush-riveted airframe (although, maybe not quite as clean as we might believe, because it does have also some areas of raised rivets that, ironically, aren't depicted in the kit).

Compared to scaled up MAP plans (Note: I should point out that I'm always a little wary of relying on plans scaled-up on domestic systems), the kit compares very well and certainly looks like a Sea Fury. The one part that does look really wrong is the spinner, which seems too long and pointed. The kit can be built with folded wings and the fit of the major parts is fine and the kit looks set fair to be a straightforward build.

A few details
Detail-wise, Trumpeter's Sea Fury is a little basic for 1/48 scale - in fact, there's an overall impression that it's scaled-up from its small-scale predecessor. The cockpit is very simple and the pilot's seat distinctly undersized. No harness is provided.

The main wheel well has some decent detail, as do the undercarriage legs. The wheel hubs are very basic, though, and the wheels themselves seem rather thick. The wheel doors have nice structural details, but the tailwheel really does look like a straight scale-up from the smaller kit.

There's no engine provided, so it's odd that the kit contains separate cowling panels. Maybe the designers planned to include an engine at some point in the kit's development - whatever, it's an open invitation for the inevitable aftermarket sets. A nice touch is hollowed out exhausts.

Underwing stores include a set of 6 x 60lb rockets, plus a pair of drop tanks. The latter look absolutely enormous at first glance, but comparing them with the MAP plans shows they aren't as oversized as you'd imagine when compared with 90 gallon tanks (45 gallon tanks were also commonly fitted, which might explain the initial shock). That said, they do seem a bit bulbous and the streamlined fairing doesn't quite match.

The clear parts are nicely done and the canopy can be displayed open. Capturing the blown profile of the original has required a 2-part mould, so there's a (rather heavy) seam-line that needs polishing way - but that's a small price to pay for an accurate profile. Purists can always go for the Aeroclub or Falcon/Squadron vacuform canopies, which are thin and crystal clear and, obviously, have no seam-line to remove.

Instructions and decals
The assembly diagrams are clearly drawn and there's little scope to go wrong in what is, essentially, a simple kit. Colour matches are provided for Gunze Sangyo paints.

Decals are provided for a pair of aircraft. No details are provided for either, but they are:

A. s/n VX691 flown off HMS Theseus in Korean War era camouflage with identification stripes.
B. s/n VW238 painted in the earlier solid Extra Dark Sea Grey topsides scheme.

A 4-view painting and decal guide is included for the first scheme (a single profile for the latter) and one point to watch out for is that the serial under the port wing is shown reversed - it should read from the front.

The decals are well printed and are thin and glossy. The Korean War stripes are included, although many modellers may prefer to paint them. The serials for VX691 are quite chunky and are shown fully-obscured by the stripes under one wing - lacking a photo reference for the particular aircraft, I can't say if that's correct or not.

Conclusion
I was really looking forward to this kit, but I must admit to slightly mixed feeling. Yes, it measures up pretty well and is certainly an improvement over the old Hobbycraft kit, but it does feel over-simplified in places and I'm afraid to say my unavoidable feeling is that it's overpriced at £25 (especially when compared with Trumpeter's neat little MiG 3 which is half the price...). Nevertheless, I'm sure the kit will still sell well, because the Sea Fury is such a favourite and there's bound to be a plethora of aftermarket accessories to correct the spinner and cockpit and add detail where needed.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.
SUMMARY
Highs: Cleanly moulded. Basically accurate in outline. Well printed decals.
Lows: Odd shaped spinner. The detail is a bit heavy in places. Overall, rather simplified for the price.
Verdict: While a big improvement over the old Hobbycraft kit, Trumpeter's quarterscale Sea Fury feels too much like a scaled-up version of their existing 1/72 scale kit. It's nice, but I expected more - particularly for the money... Against that, it's a Sea Fury!
Percentage Rating
80%
  Scale: 1:48
  Mfg. ID: 02844
  Suggested Retail: £24.99
  PUBLISHED: Jun 27, 2008
  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

Hi, Regarding the Sea Fury, my first impression was - have the woodpeckers been at the airframe. I have seen a few real Sea Furies and they certainly don't look as agricultural as this model. But, then I'm not a heavy rivet fan so maybe I'm prejudiced here. Secondly, it does seem to be somewhat underdetailed does it not. In a way I felt slightly cheated by the entire package. I felt that their Seahawk and Wyverns were better. Also the 2 marking options seem somewhat bland - Cuban, Iraqui options come to mind At the end of the day, it is however better than the Hobbycraft offering which I have too. But, I will enjoy it, no doubt. Tony
JUN 28, 2008 - 08:24 AM
I totally agree with you Rowan, I recieved my kit a week or so ago and although I love it you are absolutely correct on the rivets and cockpit detail. I'm glad you've said about the tanks as I looked at them and thought they were deffo wrong. I had a look around various books and didn't see any looking as big but you've put my mind at rest a bit. On the stripes covering the number, I have a pic at home of the aircraft with the codes on full display. H
JUN 30, 2008 - 05:34 AM
Thanks for the great review.
JUL 06, 2008 - 12:35 PM
   
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Photos
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  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Parts_1
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Parts_2
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Parts_3
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Clear
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Decals
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Colours
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Surface
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Tub
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Instruments
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Cowl
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Prop
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Spinner
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Exhausts
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Wheelwell
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Maingear
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Mainwheel
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Gear_Cover
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Tailwheel
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Rockets
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Drop_Tank
  • Trum_Sea_Fury_Canopy_Seam
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