The can opener: Hawker Hurricane MKIID, Hobbycraft 1:48

Hi All,

This is my attempt to make a decent Hurricane MKIID from the venerable Hobbycraft kit I bought on evilbay – how appropriate - from Canada 🙂 . I always liked the Hurricane „Fury without the second wing” look (originate3d from Sidney Camm's elegant biplanes) and its interesting „transitional” type construction. Beside this I love the cartoonish look of the early tank hunters – oversized guns on relatively small airframes so the MKIID is one of my favourite (as the G-2 Stuka, the HS-129 or the Ju88P). When I decided I want a big gun Hurri on my shelf I realized that the Hasegawa (a natural choice) version became OOP and collectable – therefore rare and expensive. I was offered one that time for nearly 70USD so I decided to bite the bullet and try to make something from an older (cheaper) kit. I didn't know much about the Hobbycraft one but I saw some decent builds on the internet and I heard that the kit includes the gun pods so I jumped in. Well, my enthusiasm lessened some degree as I opened the box but this is a model kit and I'm a modeller right? We have practically an old Airfix Hurricane (with the wrong wing dihedral and fuselage spine also) with heavily engraved surfaces. The box says that it can be made as a IIC or IID but the details are mixed somehow (ie. IIC wings but MKI tailwheel and some other small imperfections). I see these old kits as a „white canvas” so I can make experiments and alterations without the risk of ruining some expensive kit. The interior is close to nil so I scrathbuild one from streched sprues and plasticard. For the IP and consoles I used Eduard's PE set designed for the Hasegawa kit. I remade the wheel bay also as kit's is oversimplified and this part is the main cause of the wings wrong dihedral. I filled the trenches ont he wings and rescribed the whole thing. The Hurricane really needs the rivets and the dzus fasteners to look right so I riveted all surfaces with RB tools riveter (a great stuff IMHO) and sharpened hypodermic needles. With some creativity I can manage to make the wing dihedral right so I can move to the tail surfaces. I cut them apart and make the hinges also. This was a tedious work but they are quite oversimplified OOP and I like these parts deflected to a more natural position on a model. The next was making the guns: I wanted to add some interesting (or focal) point to the model so I decided that one of the guns will be "naked" (without the covers). I used hypodermic needles, an old ballpen ans some plastic card. I altered the covered gun too because the kit part a bit undersized. The guns were handed so the used cartridge ejector chutes directed inwards on both side - You have to cut out the chutes naturally. The canopy also new as the original hasen't got the separation line between the windshield and the moving part of the canopy. I vacformed several new and cut them apart and used the best two parts 🙂 - simple, eh? I used the kit propeller as I haven't got better and the HC prop is not so bad for a Rotol one (except the big sinkholes on the separated propblades and the fact that there's no any positive location point to attaching the blades). I used a BrenGun wheel set, the set includes the correct MKII tailwheel also. The kit decals are practically useless they are aout of register and the colors are... funny. I bought a BlackBird decal set (Hurricanes over the desert) because it includes a IID markings (JV+Z). Originnally I wanted to model the "Honest John" but I didn't find the particular Aeromaster set at that time. I found several discussions about the 6sqn JV+Z and as I see there are several "final" opinion exist about the color of the "Z" or spinner (balck or red?) and even about the starboard side. finally I opted for the BlackBird Decals choose (red "Z" and spinner) and I reversed the markings on the starboard side (as You can see that on the recently restored MKIIC with hypotethic 6sqn markings). I used Gunze's MR and Hobby color range for the RAF desert camouflage. I recently use a multy layer technic for the paintwork. I practically make pre shading between each (very thin) layer. At the final stage I even used very fine sandpaper. It is similar to Karoly Bera's excellent multi layering technic but I simply too lazy for stippling and sanding between all layers and I like making these effects solely with airbrush. I used some artist oils and pastels at the final stage too. All in all it was a fun project but next time when I feel the urgent need to build a Hurricane I will wait for a Hasegawa to appear. Hope You like it and all C&C are welcome as usual.

Cheers, Gabor - See You on the weekend on the Moson Model Show 🙂

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