Blackburn Skua Mk.II (Special Hobby)
Nicely moulded styrene, resin, and photoetch - nice work from Special Hobby!
I built the cockpit by assembling each piece into the fuselage half. Alignment was easier this way.
My own mix of British Interior Green from Gunze paints. It matches Model Master quite well.
The center section between the pilot and rear gunner held two fuel tanks. Hope they were self-sealing!
Looking from the rear, past the fuel tanks and towards the front. Fuel tanks were typically painted aluminum to help keep them cool.
Starboard side controls and instruments.
Restored cockpit section from a Skua recovered from a lake in Norway. Notice the height of the control column.
Cockpit is finished!
I think the British seat belts were still a linen colour in 1939...not blue yet.
The brass fuel tank fill necks contact the fuselage sidewalls.
After a lot of discussion on Britmodeller, it was decided that the object next to the gunner's seat is a fire extinguisher.
Fuselage is together with hardly any filler at all.
Just a little bit of good old Mr. Surfacer.
Nice fit to the wing roots.
18 exhaust pipes added to resin engine. Photoetch stays are very delicate!
You can see the triangular engine stays and two air scoops in this photo.
Wreckage of a Skua engine in a museum.
I bought this cool vacuform machine.
Main gear should be perpendicular to the ground - had to fix mine!
Engine starting to look like a Perseus.
Landing gear legs are perpendicular to the ground.
Special Hobby forgot to include the oil cooler vents (top of forward fuselage).
Added from some leftover styrene (it even matched the grey colour of the plastic).
Masking 1:72 scale canopies is the bane of humanity!
The engine gearbox is nearly flush with the collector ring.
But it might protrude just a little bit.
To exactly locate the engine, you have to remove resin from the pour stub (behind the engine in this picture).
Intake located on bottom of fuselage.
Cowling attached to hide all of the engine detail! 🙂
Need to add the sight before I close up the cockpit.
Optical sight and oxygen bottle added.
Aluminum paint! Finally! Now we mask off the collector ring and exhaust.
Stainless steel for the collector ring.
Gunze H86 Red Madder for the wingtips.
Dull Aluminum for the fabric control surfaces.
Next up we'll add a coat of Future and then the transfers.
Stickers!
This is how Special Hobby would have you paint and decal L2887.
The problem is - it's wrong! The fin stripes were actually blue/white/blue.
And the wingtips were either not painted, or the red was just at the tips. Ugh.
We can get rid of the red - just paint some blue over the top of it!
And while we're at it, make the wingtips aluminum again!
Now we can get to work on the rest of this beast.
The kit doesn't provide any ordnance, we'll have to go to the spares box for that.
The crutch was used to swing the bomb clear of the prop during dive bombing.
The two air inlets at the top of the engine direct air to the oil cooler.
Prop is ready! The spinner is Alclad Chrome to simulate highly polished metal.
Landing gear covers, tires, crutch, bomb, and arresting hook installed.
Wingtip navigation lights added, along with antenna. The Skua is finished!
Collector ring is Alclad Stainless Steel with pastel weathering.
Comments
23 8 January 2014, 02:39
Bill GilmanOf course, once I build this guy I will have to get a Roc to go along with it! 🙂
8 January 2014, 02:50
Bill GilmanThe colour is wrong in those photos of the cockpit - I must have had a setting wrong, probably white balance. The interior green in the photo does not match what's on the model! I'll fix that for the next batch. In the meantime, I've added some historical photos.
8 January 2014, 03:21
BThis'll be cool. I'm in 😄 I have a special hobby P-59,I've never built a special hobby kit. Are they nice?
8 January 2014, 03:37
Bill GilmanI made some progress on the Skua today as well. The cockpit is finished! I've added some pictures to document this monumental event. 🙂
20 January 2014, 02:14
Bill GilmanHey mates! Just for giggles I did some work on the Skua tonight. Unlike some Special Hobby kits, the fuselage and wings went together with hardly any filler at all. Just a bit of Mr Surfacer. The wing roots in particular fit very well. I also started the resin engine, adding eighteen exhaust pipes which will feed into the collector ring at the front of the cowl. The engine stays are made from very delicate photoetch. I think those will only be handled when absolutely necessary!
26 February 2014, 03:57
Alan RushReally interesting build, Bill. The work on the cockpit looks great and looking forward to the exterior finish.
27 February 2014, 03:15
Bill GilmanHa! Almost done - you funny guy! I have to finish writing my Manifesto for work first....no modeling for me today. 🙁
27 February 2014, 03:19
Bill GilmanI bought this cool vacuform machine from China (see post 17). I paid $50 - I see that MicroMark is now selling it in the States for $150. I think I got a deal. Now I need something to vacuform - maybe the Skua canopy, so I can open it up! 🙂
27 February 2014, 03:21
Bill GilmanSome more work on the Skua. First, a problem created by me (not unusual!). When I assembled the main landing gear, it had this curious backward rake. The drawing on the front page of the instructions showed the gear to be perpendicular to the bottom of the wing, so I modified the kit's gear to be like that.
Then I found photos online that verified what I had originally built - the gear should be perpendicular to the ground. Special Hobby engineered the kit right, but included a drawing that is wrong. So I had to take off the gear and change it back to what it was to begin with.
I also did some work on the resin engine. It's starting to look the part. Today I'll be be masking the canopy, which I've decided to leave in one piece. New photos uploaded. Cheers!
8 March 2014, 16:15
Bill GilmanSpecial Hobby left out the oil cooler vents - and I thought this was going to be an OOB build. Ha! I guess I'll be making the vents out of some styrene stock...
9 March 2014, 01:32
Philip De KeyserHow did I mis this 🙁 great job Bill, the cockpit looks great, looking forward to the next steps 👍
9 March 2014, 10:08
Bill GilmanThanks, Philip! I've added a couple more photos, we're slowly getting close to painting. If only work wouldn't give me so much, er, work to do! And on a weekend, too! 🙁
9 March 2014, 20:27
Stefan SchneiderAnd again a great job! Don't worry Bill. Work will be over soon for sure and then you can return to the WORKbench 😉
10 March 2014, 09:50
Bill GilmanHi mates! I made some slow progress on the Skua over the weekend. I mounted the engine and added the very delicate PE stays - that was the most fun I've had since an ear drum puncture at a Doors concert in 1968! The cowling is on and I have to admit that it looks just like a Sea Fury! Well, OK, maybe not. Check out the photos.
Since then, I added the optical sight, closed up the cockpit by adding the canopy, and did my best to smooth the canopy into the fuselage. Devilishly hard, there are very strange curves and transitions there. I'm afraid it may not look as good as it should. But in any event, I then primed the fuselage, micro-meshed her down, and painted some Aluminum! I'll add those photos tonight. Cheers!
17 March 2014, 19:10
Roland SachsenhoferHello Bill, will be following this with great interest...
Interesting subject and wonderful build so far- my expactations are high! 🙂
17 March 2014, 19:49
Dirk HeyerWell Well, Bill!
You have chosen an interesting project.
Excuse me Bill, but your intention to built an OOB model with Special Hobby must be a bad joke.😉
Otherwise I`m truly surprised about the fine detailed Peseus XII resin engine in that scale! Looks fine, but sadly later hidden?
Would be great if you could inform me/us about your expieriences with the vacu machine?
Could you drop me a link via PM?
I`m looking for a machine like this for a long time.
17 March 2014, 21:09
Bill GilmanHa! I thought it was a good joke! Actually, it's been a good build so far. Just the typical short run issues, like having to figure out where to attach the parts. At least you can see the front of the engine with the cowling on. My next project is an F7F Tigercat, and both engines will be uncovered so you can see everything! I'll send you a PM about the vacuform machine. Cheers!
18 March 2014, 16:12
Hunter CumminsI love this
now I want one
good thing there is a model show this saturday
ill be on the hunt
19 March 2014, 23:53
Bill GilmanHey Hunter, did you find one at the model show?
Mates, I finally painted the Skua. I used Alclad Dark Aluminum for the silver finish, Stainless Steel for the collector ring, and Dull Aluminum for the control surfaces. I know that these early Skuas were not left natural metal (other than the collector ring), but were painted with a silver lacquer. I chose Alclad because it has no appreciable grain, and looks nice and smooth. Most silver paints look too grainy for me, especially in 1:72 scale. The final model will get a coat of satin sheen to remove much of the natural metal look. Cheers!
23 March 2014, 00:29
james johnsonA question here Bill, I don't know if you recall, but previously I asked you about the process of applying the Alclad Aluminum. My source (Alclad, I think) indicated that the aircraft should first be primed with Alclad Black Primer & Microfiller #309.
You went on to indicate that this primer is then sanded (sounds counter intuitive to me) then hit with the Aluminum enamel?..
I see none of this here. Am I missing something?
Please help!! I have a Mustang in the wings that I've been dying to try a metallic finish on.
Thanks,
WF
23 March 2014, 01:11
Bill GilmanI primed the Skua with Alclad Grey Primer & Microfiller #302, and then dry sanded it with #2000 grit paper. The sanding is necessary because the Grey Primer is not glossy, it's flat. Sanding with #2000 makes it very smooth, but not fully polished. I believe you should always prime the plastic before spraying Alclad (which is a lacquer) to ensure it adheres well, and doesn't attack the plastic. Some plastics will "craze" if painted directly with lacquer.
In my opinion, the Alclad glossy black primer #309 (which you don't sand, your intuition is safe!) is only necessary when you want a natural metal finish that is VERY shiny, like chrome, highly polished aluminum, or their prismatic colours. Complete instructions for Alclad are here:
alclad2.com/how-to/
Other modellers do things differently, I'm sure. There is more than one way to skin a cat, as they say. 🙂
23 March 2014, 01:24
james johnsonThanks Bill!; as you may recall, I hate sanding.....it's my second greatest fault!
Now I can get to that Mustang I've been blowing off!
23 March 2014, 01:28
Alan RushHi Bill. Thanks for your steps in using Alclad. Have bottles of black primer and polished aluminum and the kits to put them on, but haven't done it yet. The Skua looks great and the finish on different surfaces turned out very nicely. You are right that the canopy doesn't add to appearances, but you may not even notice with the job you have done. Nice.
23 March 2014, 02:30
Roland SachsenhoferGreat work Bill! Thank you for the pictures and the words on Alclad...
23 March 2014, 07:35
Bill GilmanI forgot the guns in the wings - Ich bin ein dumm Kopf! Now I must think of a way to fake it - thank goodness this is 1:72. You can get away with a lot of fake things in this scale! 🙂
23 March 2014, 19:04
Hunter CumminsPut them in hahaah
then go over them and mask off the other parts lol
I still want this kit
can you find one some where ??
23 March 2014, 19:29
Christian MeyerhoffHi Bill! Since I watched Your Liberator I think nothing will go wrong with any kit build by you. You will make it and it will look perfect! 🙂
23 March 2014, 20:03
Bill GilmanHunter: Sprue Brothers have them in stock:
store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/sph72217.htm
store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/sph72140.htm
Pavla (Octopus) also make a 1:72 kit but it is not recommended. Special Hobby also make these two versions in 1:48 scale.
Christian: It's all a ruse - the projects only look perfect because I never post any photos on-line of the huge mistakes I make! Which I make all the time! 🙂
23 March 2014, 20:40
Bill GilmanArghh...looks like those nice red wingtips may need to come off. I think the Special Hobby instructions are wrong. 803 Squadron did not use coloured wingtips. I also think the fin decal is wrong, and the box art is right. The box art show the fin colours as blue/white/blue (from the top) and the decal is blue/white/red. Ah, the joys of building a Special Hobby kit!
23 March 2014, 21:38
Bill GilmanWell, if you manage to get a copy, don't do what I did and follow the instructions! The more I dig into this, the more I will have to change the markings. Fun, fun, fun...until Daddy takes the T-bird away! 🙂
23 March 2014, 22:18
John BolligBill I have the old frog kit and I have a couple of the novo reboxing. I can actually say that it is not a bad kit
24 March 2014, 00:21
Bill GilmanI've always found the Frog kits to be quite good for their time. Some of them have better shape accuracy than more modern kits. I've never built their Skua though.
The Special Hobby kit is pretty nice, but as you can see there are some questions about the markings. I've bounced this off the guys over at Britmodeller, and the answer is not clear. Technically, the fin stripes should be red, since this plane is the second flight leader, but there should not be any painted wingtips. But a well-respected treatise on the FAA states that the fin stripes were blue, which is probably why they're shown that way on the box art. Sooner or later I'll have to make a decision so I can finish the build! 🙂
24 March 2014, 01:14
Bill GilmanHey, John - if you have the "old" old Frog kit of the Skua - the one shown at the top of this page as a Penguin kit - it's worth some serious coin. Just don't build it!
freespace.virgin.net..e_blackburn_skua.htm
24 March 2014, 18:33
Bill GilmanHi mates, I've uploaded four new photos that show the kit as Special Hobby would have you paint and decal it. However, after conversing with some researchers in the UK who know their Skuas, the fin stripes on L2887/A7F should be blue/white/blue, and the wingtips were either not painted at all or at most had just the tips painted, not the entire dihedral area. In other words, it should look like the box art, and not the instructions!
What to do, what to do...how about we fire up the old airbrush again? 🙂 🙂 🙂
25 March 2014, 01:05
Jermaine HoskinIt looks to me that you have pulled off another flawless paint finish again. I'm very impressed with the work.
25 March 2014, 23:03
Bill GilmanNew Skua photos - I did some touch up on the paint, making the fin stripes all blue, and removing the red wingtips. This was based on the best advice I could get from the Skua experts I consulted. One of the photos of L2887/A7F seems to show that the "painted wingtip" is really just a shadow due to the dihedral of the outer wing section.
I also added a panel line wash and sprayed Floquil flat as a top coat. Remember, the Skua was painted aluminum lacquer at this point, and was not natural metal. The Floquil flat gives a nice satin sheen, and when used over Alclad it looks like aluminum lacquer. Not too much left to do! 🙂
8 April 2014, 15:22
Roland SachsenhoferMost impressive! I love that neat and satin look- hard to believe it´s 1:72!
8 April 2014, 15:49
Bernhard SchrockBill I think you constructed an shrinking machine and shrunk an original Skua🙂
8 April 2014, 18:05
Burkhard DGood to see some airplane posts after all those tank posts in the past days 😄
Bill - amazing how you turn even a Skua into a beauty 👍👍👍
9 April 2014, 14:14
Bill GilmanThanks mates!
Burkhard - it's a Skua? I thought it was a Sea Fury! 🙂 🙂 🙂
9 April 2014, 16:31
Bill GilmanHi mates - it's been a while since I posted, but I can report that the Skua is finished. I've posted a bunch of new pictures to show the finished model. I think it came out OK.
Now for the toughest part about finishing a model - picking a new one from the stash to work on! 🙂
8 May 2014, 23:14
BAwesome job!! How about this next: Avro Vulcan B Mk2 XH558 Vulc..he Sky (Airfix A50097, 1:72)
8 May 2014, 23:37
Bill GilmanOh no! Not that one! I can't do that one, they don't give you enough paint in those little cups. Pick another one! 🙂
9 May 2014, 01:29
Clifford KeeslerYea F-89!!! Wish they still made them in 1/48, maybe Revell/Monogram will re-release it in 1/48 it was a great kit.
9 May 2014, 01:56
Holger KranichHow about this one for your next project, Uncle?
No, not 109;)!
Lockheed F-104C Starfighter (Revell 04302, 1:72)
9 May 2014, 09:48
Burkhard DI'd love to see the TSR.2 or the Meteor F.3 - I think the latter has nice representations of the engines included. You'd certainly turn it into a stunner. 🙂
10 May 2014, 05:23
Lionel MarcoI have a look at your stash: I now understand why you have problems to choose a kit: too many interesting boxes!
If i may, what about a british twin engine bomber: There's a few seldom seen kit that would be interesting ( HP O/400, Whitley, Hampden, Heyford to name a few...)
10 May 2014, 06:20
Bill GilmanThanks, everyone! And thanks also for the kit suggestions - I've been in a "propeller" mood lately, but all of your choices look very good. What I should do is finish one of the kits that I have started, either the F7F Tigercat or the F8U Crusader. Most likely it will be the Tigercat. 🙂
10 May 2014, 13:55
Urban GardiniI like the Crusader but one doesn't see the Tigercat often so go with that n' then the Crusader.
10 May 2014, 13:57
Christian KellerHello Bill, built superb, looks absolutely fantastic. I have this model also as a kit, and now I know how it can look 😉 Greets from switzerland
12 May 2014, 04:27
Dirk HeyerAdditional I would like to say, the Jeff Bridges Miniature, representing the big Lebowsky impressed me totally.
I think I`ve seen this movie five times or more.
Hey Bill, now I`ve discovered the secrets about your high skills and your serenity!!
Must be a lot of White Russians and Joints!!!! LOL
12 May 2014, 13:58
Vitor CostaThis is one of the ugliest aircraft ever, but once again Bill make it looks good!
Congratulations for another beautiful work!
12 May 2014, 14:01
Bill GilmanThe Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh. I sure hope he makes the finals. 🙂 🙂 🙂
12 May 2014, 21:07
Bill GilmanMine doesn't talk, but if he did he'd say "That Skua really ties the room together." I bought it at Universal Studios in California many years ago.
13 May 2014, 01:59
Gareth Windsoryou've done a great job on this little beauty. There is a great documentary that runs in the Fleet Air Arm museum with the wreckage that you have in the picture.
12 November 2015, 22:06
Bill GilmanThanks, mates! Wow, you guys must be digging deep to find these old albums. Scalemates Archaeology! 🙂
16 November 2015, 18:53
Bill GilmanThanks Mark. A bit of a fugly aeroplane but someone has to stick up for here! 🙂
29 June 2021, 01:28
Ben MI heard special hobby kits can be kind of rough but it looks like this one has good fit
29 June 2021, 02:13
Mark KBill: I am very grateful to you for posting all the construction photos, as I am planning to build this kit - though I doubt I can equal your work!
29 June 2021, 04:23
OlivierIn the old days Frog made one but although I tried to find it everywhere I never succeeded. I am happy to see this Czech brand offers one now.
Very good job you did by the way. Any chance of a Roc ?
29 June 2021, 09:37
Bill GilmanThanks mates!
@Olivier - I have the Special Hobby Roc in my stash, so there is a good chance. First I must finish my PB4Y-2.
29 June 2021, 12:44
Bill GilmanThanks guys. I love it when an old thread like this gets rediscovered! 🙂
29 June 2021, 19:01
Album info
I'm working on this little baby while I'm in-between steps on the PB4Y-1 Libby. You know, the Skua would almost look elegant if the canopy wasn't there! But I have to build one of these, as it was a Skua that scored the first aerial victory for the Fleet Air Arm in WWII.
