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John Healy
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1/48 Hawker Hurricane IID.

August 30, 2022 · in Aviation · · 31 · 1.1K

This is the kit that first appeared in 1988. I pulled this from the stash to work on while I awaited delivery of parts for my Dora Wings Vengeance. I have a soft spot for these Hobbycraft kits. They were doing subjects that nobody else did 30 years ago and most are fairly decent models even today. This one lacks a high level of detail and some of the shapes are questionable, but it can look good on your shelf with a bit of care.

I shoe horned a cockpit from a wrecked Hasegawa into this one. I also used that kit's accurate tail wheel and rear view mirror. The seatbelts are from Eduard and I made the gunsight bead from scrap brass. The antenna is EZ Line. Note that if you do one of these, the 40mm guns have the (red) dust covers molded on them. The barrels were smooth, without flash suppressors or muzzle brakes.

Paints are Xtracolor Dark Green and Dark Earth over Light Mediterranean Blue. I faded the top side colors by spraying lightened versions of the green and earth over the first coats which were straight from the tin.

The decals are for a 5 Sq. plane in India in 1944. These particular decals came from a Model Alliance sheet that was printed by Cartograf.

Another one done for my CBI collection. Happy modeling!

Reader reactions:
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14 additional images. Click to enlarge.


31 responses

  1. Great looking Hurricane! Nice to see a CBI Hurricane.

    • Thanks, Robert. Most guys do the IId in desert colors. A number were diverted to SEAC who found them useful for attacking Japanese river traffic and bunkers.

  2. This is a really neat build John- well done. Love the scheme you chose and the extra care you put into the small details. The salvaged cockpit looks great!

  3. very nice paintwork!

  4. Great result John. I agree the old Hobbycraft kits that they got right were pretty good. I'm currently working on a HC French Hawk 75 with a lot of aftermarket and modifications added.

    • Thanks, Dale. The Twin Wasp Hawks are some of my favorite HC kits. I just did a French one a couple of months ago. I wish they didn’t screw up the cowl/fuselage on the Cyclone powered Hawks.

  5. Looks good! Love the CBI scheme and markings. Nicely done!

  6. Very nice, John (@j-healy). I just read an article about this plane being used as a tank-buster in North Africa. I plan to build one soon. Well done.

  7. You really did shoe horn that cockpit in there! Looks terrific and worth all that effort. Cockpit glazing came out very nice and clean and crystal clear. And just the right amount of weathering on the wings and elsewhere. Yes, very nice, John @j-Healy.

  8. Very nice Burma Hurricane! Great use of an older kit, and it looks fantastic.

  9. Excellent result, John @j-healy
    Great performance on the painting and weathering.
    Those heavily armoured Hurricanes are a please to look at, especially when build like yours.

  10. You did a fantastic job on this old HC kit, John! Really nice to see oldies like this built at such a high sndard!

    • Thanks, Spiros. My view is that if it was good enough to spend the $8.98 that the price tag on the box says I spent, it’s good enough to build, LOL!

  11. Well done, John. I like the SEA roundels painted over the standard markings on the upper wing.

  12. Looks like you got a well deserved hit with this Hurricane, John.

  13. Nice job on your Hurricane, you made a great looking Mk.IID and love the scheme!

  14. Beautifully done, John.

  15. @j-healy, Man, that looks great John! 👍 I've always had a soft spot for those Hobbycraft kits, and you are so right about their airplane choices. Your canopy looks much better than the one on my HC Hurricane. And that cockpit really makes a difference too, well done dude! 🍻

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