Darren's 1/4 scale Hurricane

Darren has now built a 1/4 scale Hurricane from the Mick Reeves wood pack. This is quite a challenging build as Mick only supplies the basic wood pack and a set of plans blown up from his 1/4.5 scale model. The builder is left to develop all the other parts, moldings, and fittings.

The model is fitted with a scale undercarriage which has involved the redesign of the wing joining assembly and retract mounts to accommodate the scale linkages.

The model is powered by a Klom 155cc inline twin 4 stroke completely hidden in the cowling with a baffled ducted cooling system to keep the engine cool and a custom made in cowl silencer exiting through the scale exhaust pipes.

Joining of the wing panels to the centre section

Attaching the spar webbing and strengthening before sheeting the bottom of the wings.

Adding stringers to the fuselage and working on the cockpit area.

Starting on the cockpit area

Checking the fit of the tailplane

Aligning the fin and rudder

Cowling made with the "lost foam" method. Foam carved to shape and then glass cloth laid up over the foam to the required thickness and then the foam removed.

Blank for the spinner turned from foam readfy for finishing before creating a mould for the finished item which will be made from carbon fibre

Out in the sunshine for the first time to check the fit of the cowling

Canopy frame made from fibreglass and covered with lithoplate.

First parts to be covered. Diatex 1000 from Skycraft is being used. Covering is attached lightly to the structure with Balsloc and then doped

Tailwheel assembley hand made from aluminium.

Pinking tapes are added in all the scale locations prior to building up the coats of dope to seal the Diatex

Rear part of the fuselage was covered next

Framed up model out in the sunshine for the first time

Close up of the pinking tapes on the fuselage

Working on the scale undercarriage. Notice the home made molded radiator intake

Detail photo showing the elevator servo in the tailplane with concealed linkage

Home made cowling and spinner trial fitted

Access hatch on the nose and detailed cockpit windscreen

Cast resin exhaust stacks and cowl scale detail

More colour being added

Starting the painting process

Starting on a scale instrument panel for the cockpit.

Almost completed model being displayed for the first time as the LMA show at Gaydon. Still some details to add and installation to complete

Silencer wrapped in heat insulation cloth to protect the cowling. Exhaust is directed out of the rear scale exhaust stacks.

All LMA over 25kg test flights have now been completed and the model performs very well and has a real presence in the air and on the ground.

Some pictures of the Hurricane in its natural environment.