Come see my IIc at sea.
Are you tired of this one yet?
This is my interpretation of the ubiquitous 'Nicki,' a Sea Hurricane Mk.IIc that served aboard the escort carrier HMS Nairana during '44. Its colors and composition, or at least its squadron, has been the subject of mostly scholarly debate ever since (as I've been told) Airfix kitted it, made it popular, and an armchair warrior put forth a misleading color profile. Ever since, as with other spheres of media in humanity's influence, it has been used as reference and misled many into scandalous, inaccurate displays of 'art' and attempts at true-canon historical miniature.
Here at Koppos Inc, however, he strive for true, unblemished, researched and picturesque snapshots of what was and what probably things were like. Probably. If we don't hit the mark, we come damn close.
In all seriousness, I don't claim the Throne Of the Ideal. This is merely my best guesswork based on the work and sufferings of other people. From what I've read and can see out of all the Nairana Hurricanes, Nicki had her canopies oversprayed in white, a thin patch left on her upper cowl, and in a photo I had to subscribe to a British online magazine to get, D-Day stripes under her wings. Nairana operated near Gibraltar during June 1944, and Nicki probably had the stripes applied at this time, when she was wrecked on the ship's barriers. I made the guess here that she also had the stripes as regulation required on her rear fuselage, though there are no photos to document this. From other photos of Nairana Hurricanes, It is also noticeable (at least for me) that the white was sprayed underneath the leading edges of the wing, on the gear doors, and underneath the horizontal stabilizers.
The kit itself is the Hasegawa 1/48. At first I was annoyed by the release of the Arma mid project, but I have come to appreciate the 'reserved' detail of the Hasegawa. To bring this kit up to par, however, I had to add a few things. Quickboost supplied the fishtail exhaust and corrected headrest shape. Eduard supplied Steel Sutton harnesses. Ultracast gave the wheels. Rob Taurus supplied the vacuform canopy (this didn't fit. I have since bought Falcon's canopy for the Airfix kit. This fits better for Hasegawa Hurricanes.) This was also my first time using brass gun barrels, these are done by Master Model, and they are amazing, looks fantastic and was fun to work with. The decals are Xtradecals, as I have learned Hasegawa decals are flawed. I added a few things of my own: copper wire brake lines and grab handles on the canopy. Underneath that white finish is an entire FAA camouflage paint scheme, for that authentic look... here at Koppos Inc, we cut no corners and miss no opportunity to waste time.
I'm happy to not have to stare at this anymore. It seems like my models take longer and longer. Expect something small and simple next time.
Thanks for looking.
Wow another eye-popper from the North. The white overspray job looks great. Question-why did they do that? They weren't flying over snow. You're right the cannons are well done, exhaust stains perfect.
It's not wasted time if you are having fun.
Impressive result, Kyle @kopperhed
The paintwork and weathering is fantastic and it is definitely a correct representation of the real one.
Even though it took quite a lot of your time, it is definitely worth the result.
Fantastic job, Kyle!
Love the final result!
Kyle a smart, tight and clean build. In looking at the photo's of Nicki's crash I think this is the first time where a modeler can leave a center seam running down the circumference of a tire. The Hasegawa Hurricane can still hold water when comes to making kits. It needs a little TLC, the end result is rich with detail, a good catch with the tail wheel being off center, and just enough weathering to make things interesting. The kit looks natural as if it where about to go on the deck.
Two thumbs up. Smashed the AWESOME button.
Beautiful! Really eye catching- top notch build. Thanks for sharing your work!
Very nice Kyle - "Nicki" as she looked a week after my take on her. The CVEs were operating in the Western Approaches during Overlord to block U-boats going for the invasion fleet.
Nice work on the old Hasegawa kit.
Well done Kyle, I wondered how you got an open canopy for this kit, now I know. She looks really good, Koppos Inc is producing some fine looking product these days.
Great write-up supporting the lovely model, thanks for sharing.
Well done and a great write-up.
Beauty
Well done, Kyle (@kopperhed). Hurricanes are my favorite, especially in a cool paint scheme like this. I know what you mean about models taking longer. I was supposed to have more time to build after I retired, but it hasn't worked out that way.
Excellent work, Kyle.
Wow - that looks great in that scheme. Well done!``
Like this very much, well done.
Here at Fabian LLC, the models are taking longer and longer to build as well. Being retired, there's a tendency to take our time. We spend most of our time during assembly waiting for the paint to dry.
I dig it! Thanks for sharing.
Rod