I was impressed when I saw the H-1 Racer at the Air and Space Museum in 1980 and when the kit was released in 2006, I had to build it. I also got to see an exact replica of it fly at an airshow and was impressed with its speed and cool looks. Unfortunately, in 2003 the aircraft crashed, and the owner/builder Jim Wright was killed. The cause was a failed propeller counterweight.

Howard Hughs had the H-1 built in 1935 to break speed records. It flew 352.39 mph breaking the landplane speed record and flew from Los Angeles to New York in 7 1/2 hours at 322 mph breaking Hugh’s own transcontinental speed record. The H-1 was powered with a P&W R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior tuned to make 1000 HP. It was faster than all military aircraft at that time. There were only 2 built a long wing and a short wing version for specific speed trials.

The kit is a typical low volume production. It is nicely molded resin, white metal and vacu-formed canopy. The instructions are a simple exploded view and 4-views.

The model was started in 2007 and then put on the shelf of doom as the radial engine would not fit inside the cowling. I re-started the model recently and disassembled the cylinders from the case making them shorter to fit inside the cowling. The engine was painted engine gray with aluminum cylinders and given a black wash. The prop was painted Alclad II Polished Aluminum and red on the backside of the blades.

The vacu-formed canopy by now had turned a root beer color and was useless. Not wanting to stop again, I cut the rear section of a Bearcat canopy to fit the fuselage. Most photos of the H-1 on the ground show the rolltop type canopy enclosures rolled into the fuselage sides.

The resin parts were washed to remove mold release and pin holes filled. Music wire pins were attached to the wings and stabilizers to attach into drilled holes in the fuselage making a strong bond.

2 pitot tubes were made from thin music wire and 6 exhaust stacks were made from aluminum tubing and fitted to the correct positions.

The aluminum painted wheels were masked with Tamiya tape punched out with a punch and die and the tires painted flat black. All the resin parts were attached with super glue and carefully aligned.

The rudder and elevators were painted with Tamiya TS-30 Silver Leaf and masked. The fuselage was painted with Alclad II Polished Aluminum over Alclad gloss black primer. The wings were painted with Tamiya TS-15 Blue. The kit decals were applied and when dry the model was washed to remove any residue. I incorrectly painted the wheel wells aluminum instead of the correct natural wood color. Of course, I saw the correct color image after the model was built!

The H-1 was built in a total of 34 hours over a period spanning 18 years, and I am pleased with the final result. It was a challenge to build correctly but perseverance paid off and it looks good in the display cabinet.

Online articles and images.

H Davis Gandees

10 June 2025

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