1/72 Pioneer 2 Sea Fury

Gallery Article by Mack Main on Oct 26 2017

 

      

In the summer of 1945 it looked as if the weapon to end the war in the Pacific was far from being ready. So instead of going through with a bloody invasion, Allied forces agreed to drive the Japanese out of mainland Asia then proceed to keep them penned up on the Japanese islands until the nuclear weapons could be readied and used. Unfortunately for the Allies the Japanese had somewhat of a resurgence in weapons development. Leading the way for the new Japanese Air Force was the Nakajima Kikka, a twin jet based off the Messerschmitt 262. The new jet was running rings around the Allies, mainly the carrier groups that were equipped with Hellcats and Corsairs. The US Navy needed something to counter this threat and needed it quick. The newer version Corsairs were slow in coming and the Bearcat and Tigercat were going through some major growing pains. Navy staff were soon informed by their British counterparts that a Royal Navy carrier, which had recently joined the blockade of Japan, was equipped with a new fighter. Not only that, it was doing quite well for itself against the Kikka.

Almost 30mph faster then the Kikka, the new Sea Fury proved to be a menace to the Japanese in the air and on the ground. The Americans immediately asked for as many Sea Furies as possible to regain the upper hand in the air. HMS Unicorn sailed from the Middle East with a full complement of planes. The crew spent the ferry journey painting the planes in USN dark blue. Once in action, the Sea Fury soon wrestled control of the sky firmly back in the hands of the Allies. More ship loads of Sea Furies came in and by the end of the war nearly 300 Sea Furies had served on board American carriers. Not to be outdone by its long time rival, the Army Air Force also took delivery of a number of Sea Furies as well (second article coming regarding these). After hostilities ended, most of planes were returned to the British. A few were kept on for tests and then sold in the civilian market but at least one was kept for museum display. It can be seen today in the Naval museum in Pensacola, a tribute to one of the most important stopgaps in World War 2.

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My model shows a Sea Fury in the later part of 1945, yet to be assigned a squadron, hence the question mark.

I picked up a pair of Pioneer 2 Sea Fury kits at a swap meet. The decals looked beyond help and went straight to the garbage, a shame considering there was a Canadian version included. That left me with the opportunity to explore several "what-if" options before I settled on this version. To get around the rather sparse cockpit, I simply painted the inside of the canopy with grey paint. I've done this to most kits that are limited in the cockpit category. Other then that the build was straight forward. I airbrushed Tamiya Sea Blue and hand brushed on a coat of Future before I added the decals. Those came from a Heller Hellcat I built years back. The question marks on the tail came from a race car. Once the decals were settled in I brushed on 2 more coats of Future and called it a day.

Although this Sea Fury should have fuel tanks and probably some ordnance underwing, there's just something about a "clean" Fury I love. How many planes can look just as fast on the ground as in the air?

I'll be back with the second "what-if" Sea Fury soon. 

Mack Main

Photos and text © by Mack Main