I'm going to give this Airfix kit a try, in fact it will be the first of the new Airfix kits I'm going to build. I bought this kit at the Indianapolis show and it's boxed as a Mk Ib Sea Hurricane. However, after checking over the parts guess what's in the box. Why everything you need to build a Mk I Trop. Nice plastic, really nice cockpit detail. fabric services look good and you have the option of an open or closed cockpit. Next up is acquiring some desert decals and maybe some AM wheels.So here we go.

5 attached images. Click to enlarge.

A great addition to the Group Build, Tom. Welcome aboard.

I have heard nothing but good things about the Airfix Hurricanes in 1/48. They clearly supplant the Hasegawa kits in accuracy, detail and ease of construction. Trust Airfix to get it right. I still have their 1/24 Mark l and it is a beauty in spite of being ancient.

The Hurricane IB Trop has some exciting marking options, including the machines sneakily disguised to look like Italian fighters when seen in the rear view mirror. The camo is sometimes said to have been used in Malta, but was used widely used and photo-documented for Hurricanes flying out of Tobruk and Alexandria.

@tom-bebout - read this review I did at Modeling Madness of doing the kit as a Mk. I trop. It's a good "map to the minefield." The Airfix kit is superb.

https://modelingmadness.com/review/allies/cleaver/gb/tch1t.htm

Got some bench time in and made some progress on the Hurri. The cockpit is nicely detailed but to mention the parts are fiddly is an understatement. Take your time, test fit because they are small, it's soft plastic and can be easy to break. Trying to get frame/cage to align is not for the faint of heart. For the IP I used the kit decal which is pretty nice and settled down well with Micro Sol. I cut thru the armour plate and attached an Edward PE set for the belts. Lastly I used a home made brown wash to highlight some of the details. The rest should be easy, from the category of famous last words.

4 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Love your work, too, my friend @tom-bebout. Excellent home made weathering!

Going with Free French marking

Thanks for that info on the wash, Tom. May I ask if you painted the cockpit color first in acrylic or enamel? I use an oil wash over Tamiya acrylic because I don't want to burn through it with anything that might be an acrylic solvent, like dilute acrylic paint. I think sometimes I am over-cautious and I don't really like the smell of oils paints anyway. Dilute Future plus acrylic paint might be a nice alternative.

Looking forward to those Free French marking, BTW. That will be our first French subject in the GB.

Cockpit looks great, Tom (@tom-bebout). I have this kit lurking somewhere, so I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the build. Good info on the wash, I need to put it in my bag of tricks.