Hurricane MkII Z2346

[GrahamB]

Hello,

 

does anyone know what variant the Hurricane MkII Z2346 may have been? I found out that it was one of 50 in the 5th production block by Hawker but not what sub-type (IIA, IIB etc). I'd like to model this airframe as it was used for camouflage trials, seeking a good high-altitude blue (as per a recent article in SAM by Paul Lucas on the development of Deep Sky. It may have gone directly to the trials unit A&AEE in early 1941 (late February?) straight from the production line (first delivery of the batch was 14 Jan 1941).

Any pointers gratefully received.

Cheers,

GrahamB

[Troy Smith]

Hmm, @Graham Boak  may well know, or can look it up,  as he has the Air Britain books.

 

My guess would be a Mk.IIA,   simply as anything else,  IIB or IIC would be go to a front  line unit, a IIA having the same armament as Mk.I would be most likely to be 'spareable'

 

Heh heh....  I just had a hunch... bingo.   IIA

 

 

 

Ortho film note dark yellow ring,  but a very uniform upper surface, which maybe the film stock or.....

 

HTH

T

 

 

[tango98]

Graham,

 

She was used in a number of trials and according to my copies of A&AEE files, Z2346 was a Mk IIA Series 2.
 

HTH

Cheers

 

Dave

Edited August 9, 2017 by tango98

[GrahamB]

Very many thanks guys - this forum certainly does the business. The photo is excellent and appears to show a lot of overpainting/repainting on the fuselage (but what colours?). The Paul Lucas-mentioned scheme is the one where Z2346 was given a lightened  (10%) Azure Blue under the starboard wing with darkened (10%) Azure Blue under the port wing; these paints were sent to A&AEE on 18th Feb. 1941.

 

Now to track down a MkII 1/48 kit - I think Hasegawa is the only game in town (or perhaps a Revell re-box).

Cheers

GrahamB

 

P.S. Having looked at this image I reckon the yellow on the fuselage roundel has been roughly overpainted - not an orthochrome effect. The effect overall seems to be of slightly paler patches over a darker background. This could tie in with 1941 upper-surface trials with greys and greens as outlined in Paul Lucas' On Target  Special No. 2 Britain Alone  (pages  63-65).

Edited August 9, 2017 by GrahamB
corrected % values

[Troy Smith]

8 hours ago, GrahamB said:

Now to track down a MkII 1/48 kit - I think Hasegawa is the only game in town (or perhaps a Revell re-box).

 

Hasegawa did twenty four different boxings!

http://modelingmadness.com/splfeat/kr/has48b.htm

 

You want a boxing with the Mk.II nose and the A/B wing.  which are "IIb trop ", "Eagle Squadron" or "Croix de Lorraine"(which has both noses)

 

As you are in  NZ, I'd look at some of the  Far  East online shops.

 

 

8 hours ago, GrahamB said:

P.S. Having looked at this image I reckon the yellow on the fuselage roundel has been roughly overpainted - not an orthochrome effec

 Prop tips are  not showing up,  so I think it's pre-colour  trials, and just in standard TLS

 

HTH

T

[GrahamB]

Thanks Troy - especially for the Hasegawa hint. I wasn't sure about the Croix de Lorraine kit with its MkI/MkII designation. I see that the Hasegawa 1/48 MkIIb is a future  (repeat) release on Hannant's site. I'll take the advice about the camouflage on the photo but it does look odd and the markings blue is not especially diminished as one would expect in orthochrome re the red.

Cheers

Graham

 

 

 

[Graham Boak]

The precise appearance of colours on ortho film (or any other) will vary according to the filter. and perhaps the incident light.  If you look at the fin flash, the red is  a darker shade than the blue, and you can see the pattern of Dark Green on the nose and upper cowling.   I agree with Troy that this is in the standard scheme, and the yellow of the outer ring and prop tips has just been lost in the overall dark effect.  In which case the apparent overpainting is probably just handling marks on the original.