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Hurricane Mk.IIc (Expert Set) 70035 1:72 Arma Hobby Although somewhat less glamorous than the Supermarine Spitfire, it was the Hawker Hurricane that proved to be the backbone of the UK's air defences during the summer of 1940. Designed in 1935, the Hurricane was relatively advanced compared to other fighters in service at that point. It featured a fully enclosed cockpit, retractable undercarriage, eight .303 inch machine guns, a powerful liquid-cooled V12 engine and, most importantly, a cantilever monoplane. Despite its modern appearance, the design and manufacturing techniques were thoroughly conventional. This proved useful when it came to manufacture because the aircraft was easy to produce, repair and maintain. The Hurricane's first kill was achieved on 21st October 1939 when 46 Sqn found and attacked a squadron of Heinkel He115s over the North Sea. The Mk.IIC was a much improved version, armed with four 20mm cannon and equipped with the Rolls Royce Merlin XX engine, capable of developing almost 1,500hp. These aircraft were generally used for ground attack and night fighting duties as, despite the improvements, it couldn't quite compete with the best the Luftwaffe had to offer. Arma Hobby hail from Warsaw, Poland. Although a relatively new name to the hobby, I've been mightily impressed with their products and in particular the way they manage to combine fine detail with ease of assembly. The moulded plastic parts are as well-made as anything I've seen from the big names in the hobby, with crisp panel lines and a finesse of finish that really helps their kits to stand out. This makes for appealing kits that you really want to build as soon as you handle the plastic. As this is an Expert Set, you get extra decal options, paint masks and a small fret of brass parts too. The decals look excellent and the full-colour instructions are equally impressive. Although this kit follows on from Arma Hobby's earlier Hurricane Mk.I, as the kit is presented on a single frame of parts it is to all intents and purposes an entirely new model. Construction starts with the wing and the main landing gear wheel well. This is assembled and sandwiched between the surfaces of the single span upper and lower wing. With the wings assembled, construction moves on to the cockpit. Some of the parts, such as the rudder pedal and control column, are added onto the floor that is moulded as part of the upper wing, while the remaining parts including the instrument panel, seat and structural framework are sandwiched between the fuselage halves. The small fret of photo etched parts comes into play at this juncture, providing the seat harnesses, instrument panel, compass and throttle control. Once the fuselage halves have been joined, the previously assembled main wing can then be added, along with the vertical and horizontal tail. The rudder is a solid part, while the elevators are moulded separately. The tail wheel and main wheels can now be added. Flat spots are moulded in place on the main wheels, and as this is part of Arma Hobby's 'Expert Set' range, pre-cut paint masks are provided for all of the wheels. Once the landing gear doors have been added, the radiator and carburettor intake can be assembled. Again the photo etch comes into play, providing parts for the latter as well as the landing lights, exhaust flame shields and pilot's footstep. The tropical air filter for HV560 can also be added at this stage. Last but not least, the four 20mm cannon barrels, the propeller and spinner and the aerial mast can be added, as well as the two-part canopy for which masks are provided. The decal options include: Hurricane Mk IIc, BE500/LK-A, 87 Squadron RAF, Spring 1942, flown by Squadron Leader Denis Smallwood. This aircraft is finished in overall black; Hurricane Mk IIc, BE500/LK-A, 87 Squadron RAF, Operation Jubilee, Dieppe Raid, 19 August 1942, flown by Squadron Leader Denis Smallwood and Flight Sergeant Henryk Józef Trybulec. This aircraft is finished in Dark Green and Ocean Grey over black; Hurricane Mk IIc, Z3899/JX-W, 1 Squadron RAF, November 1941. This aircraft is finished in Dark Green and Ocean Grey over Medium Sea Grey; and Hurricane Mk IIc trop, HV560/FT-Z, 43 Squadron RAF, Maison Blanche, Algieria, December, 1942, flown by Squadron Leader Michael "Micky" Rook. This aircraft is finished in Dark Green and Dark Earth over Sky Blue. The decals are superbly printed and a full set of stencils is included. Conclusion I'm always glad to see an Arma Hobby kit in my review boxes as, in my experience they really kit the sweet spot between detail and buildability. The care and attention they take with the design and production of each model is a key feature of their kits, and this is no exception. The amount and quality of detail on offer is easily on a par with their competitors, but the kit is not over-engineered and should be easy to build as a result. The decal options are excellent too. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Welcome to Chocksaway’s plastic shelf-filler model builds for 2016. (Yes, I'm still here.) A funny old year - I lost the modelling mojo for most of it and had to do some rapid builds to support the club's display at SMW, now we - West Middlesex Scale Model Club - have returned to the IPMS fold. Onwards and upwards then .... First up, a pair of Hurricanes using the new Airfix kit. The first is a fabric-winged Hurricane Mk.I, flown by Sqn Ldr John "Downwind" Gillan, 111 Sqn RAF, on 10 February 1938 when he managed an average speed of over 400 MPH for his Edinburgh to Northolt flight (Airfix 1/72nd). And this is another: Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, VY.G (serial unknown), 85 Squadron, RAF, Lille-Seclin, May 1940 (Airfix, 1/72). A further step back in time now to WW1. Here's a Sopwith Pup, B2192, as flown by Captains Foote and Balfour of the Gosport School of Special Flying, circa 1917. (Flashback, 1/48th). There's some dispute over the stripe colours - I went with the black and white option. Continuing the WW1 theme, this is the Fokker D.V flown by Theodor Osterkamp in 1918. (Eduard Weekend Edition, 1/48th) And now the well-worn joke about a pair of old Fokkers: a Fokker Dr.I (serial unknown) flown by Staffelfuhrer August Raben, Jasta 18, 1918 (Revell 1/48th). And this is Fokker Dr.I, 546/17 from Jasta 11 in early 1918 (Eduard Weekend Edition, 1/48th). And now back to something more modern, though the plastic probably isn't. This is the Lockheed-Martin X-35B protoype (Panda Models, 1/48th). So far, so good. At this point in the year my mojo disappeared. To get it back - some 6 months later - I re-visited one of my favourite genres. At this point, I should say this ... WARNING - The rest of this thread contains images that some model makers may find offensive. Withdraw now, to save elevating your blood pressure and having to wipe spittle from your keyboard and display. Please note that no resin or photo-etch was harmed in the making of the following models. Any similarities to the real aircraft are entirely coincidental. ... .... ..... ...... Now for some Eggstreme modelling .... Grumman F-14B Tomcat - "Thief of Baghdad" (BuNo not known), VF-24 "Fighting Renegades" based at NAS Fallon, 1991. McDonnell Douglas RF-4E Phantom, 35+76, AKG 52, West German Air Force, Tiger Meet scheme, 1984-85. Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor (Block 40), AF 10-4195 (Pre-delivery scheme - mint and chocolate egg) Kawasaki T-4, 15-5666, 6 Hikotai, Tsuiki Airbase 50th Anniversary special markings, JASDF Grumman A-6A Intruder, 151816 / NL-406, VA-65 “Tigers”, June 1966 Lockheed P-38 Lightning F-5B, 4268213, GIR 2/33, Free French Air Force, Bastia, Corsica, 1944 Boeing 747-100, N479EV / 979, Evergreen International Aviation, 2009. Lockheed-Martin F-16 Block30D, 86-0305, 18th Aggressor Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska, November 2007. [Thanks Julien - see, I did finally get to use the decals!] Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero - BI-12, ATAIU-SEA, Tebrau AB, Malaya, 1946 F-47D Thunderbolt - 473, Cuban Army Air Force, 1956. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse ... The "Flying EGGSTEAD" (Exhaust Gas Generated System: Thrust; Elevation; Attitude; Direction) made by Bristol Engines. Not to be confused with the Rolls-Royce TMR (Thrust Measurement Rig). And my only Harrier build of the year (I know, shock horror!) ... Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1, XV741, 1(F) Squadron, RAF from the Daily Mail Transatlantic Air Race in May 1969. Lift-off from St. Pancras, New York bound. McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle, AF 79-041, 173rd Fighter Wing, Air National Guard, Kingsley Field, Klamath Falls, Oregon. Two from the 100 Hours "Soccer" War ... North American F-51D Mustang - #407, Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña, (FAS)), July 1969. Chance Vought Corsair F-4U 5N, FAH-609 flown by Major Soto, Fuerza Aerea Hondureña, July 1969. Continuing the Central American theme ... North American Mustang F-51D, #312 - Fuerza Aerea Guatemalteca (FAG) Aerobatic Team. Yes, it was meant to be similar to the USAF Thunderbirds scheme. A6M2-N Rufe, R-106, 5th Kikutai, Kiska, Aleutian Islands, September 1942. Ducks from the fridge door, in case you're wondering. And finally ... Shenyang Aircraft Corporation J-15 "Flying Shark", #556, People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). And here's how they all came together with my previous eggplane builds at SMW 2016 - for those of you who forgot to stop and have a look ... Happy Modelling New Year. PS - if you have been affected by any of the images seen in this thread, please go here or here

I have a few doubts about the correct markings for this aircraft. The close-up photographs appear to show it had an Aluminium underside, but other examples with close serials appear to have been in the black/white scheme. This is no problem - go with the photos. But should the roundels be the A1/A1/A of the earliest examples or the B/B/nil of period with the black/white undersides? I seem to recall that earlier postings provided codes for this aircraft in BoB service: had I found these it might have been easier to use that scheme but with my choice of underside "Sky"...

The arrival of the Airfix Mk.I lead me to haul out my Sword and AZ examples for comparison. Both give camouflage schemes. Are either (both or neither) of the kit schemes accurate? I gather these did vary, is there a good single reference source for Yugoslav Mk.Is? I have examples in a number of different books but am wary.