Airfix 1/48 Hurricane 1 - old tool (available now)

[Rabbit Leader]

All,

Just noticed the good old Hurricane Mk. 1 (1980 mould - I think) was available on the Airfix website.

I had this kit as a 12 year old and recall it being quite nice, although a little chunky in places.

Decal options on the box do not seem to match the Paint and Accessories guide as mentioned in the Airfix link below.

To all those Hurricane fans - is this kit still an accurate build. Any noticable flaws that need mentioning?

One thing is for sure - the boxart onlone should move it off the shelves.

Cheers .. Dave.

http://www.airfix.com/airfix-products/classic-kits/aircraft/a04102-hawker-hurricane-mki-a04102/?searchguid=201341101833&resultspage=&sortorder=

[Troy Smith]

HI Dave

1979 actually.... this has been discussed recently, more precisely the Romanian markings.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234935658-striking-new-boxing-of-the-airfix-148th-hurricane-mki/

The kit is basic, but what there is pretty good, depends how much of an anorak you are.... _{[see below]}

The seam in the wheel well bugged me back THEN, it's not easy to fix.

It has raised panel lines, and is tricky to rescribe with the fabric panels. The wheels are a bit basic, as a re mots of the details.

Thinning of the wheel well outer edges is recommenced to get a decent dihedral on the outer panels.

The seam in the wheel well bugged me back THEN [eg 1979] , it's not easy to fix.

_{[current anoraking with the Bentley plans reveals it's 3 scale inches too long in the rear fuselage and a little narrow in the main body of the fuselage around the cockpit, about 2mm ...but you should see my snag list on the new mould Italeri kit....]}

With a little care it will make a fine shelf model, but a lot of work to bring it up to a really decent model. That Airfix are charging 14.99 for it is taking the mick, but then lots of their old tat gets prices as their new mould items, for the same cash you can get the new Spitfire PR XIX, which really is worth the cash.

For a fiver it's a worth the bother. At least Airfix kit can usually be picked up at 2/3rd retail if you wait...

I'm waiting to see if the Romanian decals are good. That option should have a 5 spoke wheel BTW [see linked thread]

Sorry, bit rambling reply, hope this answers your questions though Dave

HTH

T

[cheeley]

Adam Tooby's artwork is really stunning. Have a look at his website - ( On a related note, it annoys me when people dismiss CG artwork as somehow not being 'real', or inferior to the traditional methods.)

http://www.adamtoobystudio.co.uk/gallery_index.html

Chris

[Brad]

Why bother reissuing these old, tired, clapped out models. Especially when you can get the infanetly better Hasegawa kit for a few bucks less and the new Italeri kit for a few bucks more. Someone please put these old models out of their misery.

[chadders]

Why bother reissuing these old, tired, clapped out models. Especially when you can get the infanetly better Hasegawa kit for a few bucks less and the new Italeri kit for a few bucks more. Someone please put these old models out of their misery.

Because they sell in sufficient numbers to make a profit. Airfix knows its market, and many returning modellers recall Airfix (Matchbox, Frog etc) from their youth, and in alot of cases wouldn't have heard of Italeri or Hasegawa (just look at some of the posts of the Airfix FB page). The Airfix brand is a safe bet for the new or returning modeller. When I worked in a model shop, we would hear Dads say to their kids "I built that as a kid, I'll help you" or "Ive never heard of Hasegawa/Italeri/Dragon/Revell/ (delete as appropriate), lets get the Airfix one". Just because we know of the different Manufacturers, returning modellers don't. Thats the Airfix trump card

[Brad]

It's not much of a trump card reissuing kits that are well past their use by date in the hopes you will get a few extra sales out of it by flogging it to kids and people returning to the hobby who don't know any better. At best they will build a few of those, find websites like this then realise there are now models on the market that are far superior or at worst, they have a terrible time building it, are unhappy with the result and drop the hobby once again. I think it far better Airfix continue with their current range of new mold 1/72 and 1/48 kits that are reasonably priced and have much better fit and detail. You are more likely to keep old customers and encourage new ones to buy your range if you offer some value and quality for money rather than, as I said, flogging off the same old tired models that have had their day.

As a side note, when you worked in the hobby shop and use to hear dads say that to their kid, did you every step into say, look, that kit is not the best for a beginner, perhaps you should try this model (insert a good brand), it's a better model? You might actually encourage customers to stick with the hobby and sell a better models that might cost a few bucks more.

[Black Knight]

When I helped in a model shop I did help buyers of all ages. Many new to the modelling just wanted a simple kit, few parts, that they could assemble in an afternoon or evening. They liked the older Airfix kits because they had fewer parts, especially the smaller fiddly ones. If it looked like a Spitfire/Hurricane/Hawk/Harrier thats all they wanted. We offered an 'after sales' service to the customers. After being introduced to simple kits they went on to the more complicated ones. Given the choices of the better kits the customers still went for the Airfix kits.

We had this Hurricane in stock, but kept selling out of it. It was very popular.

Not all modellers are dedicated to accuracy [or not], the vast majority want a simple 'craft' thing to do in their spare time. Thy do not care that there is no cockpit detail. They just build a kit oob, then put it on a shelf near the TV where the family can see it and admire it.

Sorry I've gone off topic rather, and waffled.

[Rabbit Leader]

Why bother reissuing these old, tired, clapped out models. Especially when you can get the infanetly better Hasegawa kit for a few bucks less and the new Italeri kit for a few bucks more. Someone please put these old models out of their misery.

Brad, thanks for the feedback. Would be over the moon to get a Hasegawa Mk.1, however from what I hear and search, this is pretty hard to come by these days. Do you know where I can grab one?.

Cheers... Dave, Brisbane.

[Brad]

Hasegawa ones are a little harder to find. I'd go for the Italeri one actually, you can get them off ebay for about 35 bucks landing in AUS.

[Paul J]

Something in the detail that is missing and not mentioned much in rating this quite nice kit, is the lack of empty shell chutes to the wing undersides!! Its a case of accurately locating the positions of these and adding thme somehow. The easiset way ro represent thses is by suitably cut down decal stripes. Not perfect but effective enough to the casual observer.

[Work In Progress]

Why bother reissuing these old, tired, clapped out models. Especially when you can get the infanetly better Hasegawa kit for a few bucks less

No you can't. The Hasegawa Hurricane I has been out of production for years, unlike the II. Perhaps one day they will re-issue it but who knows? It regularly sells on eBay for £35 to £45.

And the Airfix kit, despite its simplicity, is basically accurate. It avoids several of the errors which plague the Italeri kit, as listed here:

http://www.britmodeller.net/forums/index.php?/topic/234912548-my-first-build-log/page-6#entry1104593

There *are* several kits that Airfix flogged well past any sensible date, and that were frankly an embarrassment. The 1/72 Defiant, dH.88 Comet racer and Gladiator and the old Gnat and Typhoon are just a few that spring to mind. Replacing the real horrors with new tooling, as they have with the Gladiator, Gnat and Typhoon, and introducing their completely new subjects, must rightly be a higher priority than replacing a kit like the 1/48 Hurri I, when it is pretty accurate, the moulds are still in good condition, and it goes together easily for the main target market.

Edited April 11, 2013 by Work In Progress

[chadders]

As a side note, when you worked in the hobby shop and use to hear dads say that to their kid, did you every step into say, look, that kit is not the best for a beginner, perhaps you should try this model (insert a good brand), it's a better model? You might actually encourage customers to stick with the hobby and sell a better models that might cost a few bucks more.

In a word, NO!! After working in retail for 30 years you tend to listen to what the customer wants, and if they want a simple kit, only a man with no scruples is going to sell them a more expensive kit, with twice the parts and more cost, and put them off the hobby because the kit was too complicated. Think back to the kits you started on, not what your building now. It's pocket money modelling, not disposable income modelling

[Work In Progress]

I frequently help people who are making early steps in modelling towards kits that are likely to go well for them.

The important things for a newcomer are motivation and success. That boils down to a) whether or not they like the subject matter, and whether or not they will be able to complete the kit successfully. So, in the UK at least, that means there is good business in kits which are of famous types, especially those often seen in popular films and at airshows, which are basically the right shape, which fit together easily and have decent decal sheets that don;t explode on contact with water or turn themselves inside out.

Some (not all) Airfix kits are ideal for this purpose, as are some (not all) Revell, Monogram, Hasegawa and Tamiya. All manufacturers have kits which are best left to experienced hands. Sometimes those are old dogs, sometimes they are new fiddly ones. You;d have to be crazy to point a 10 year old at the recent 1/48 Eduard Bf110, for example, superb kit though it is for the advanced modeller. You'd also be crazy to point a 10 year old at a 1/72 Airfix Ju88.

The best Hurricane for a newcomer is actually the 1/48 Pegasus kit -

http://www.hyperscale.com/2009/reviews/kits/pegasus8411reviewbg_1.htm

- though they are not that easy to find in the UK, and in the absence of that the Airfix is a decent option.

[Brad]

45 quid!? Never seen them go for that, but if the case that's way too much even with some supposed faults in the Italeri kit, it's still better than the Airfix one.

Just because a kit has more parts doesn't mean it's more complicated. I'm currently building Tamiya's IL-2 in 1/48 and even though it would have far more parts than an old Airfix kit, a newbie could put this thing together without a problem in the world. More part's doesn't always mean the model is harder to build. Less parts is also no guarentee of a good build either.

[Paul J]

Regardless of the current cost of the Airfix Hurricane in 1/48th, the kit is still worthy as has been mentioned with the bare essentials of making a good model from it and of course, now, more readily available than the Japanese offerings. You can model it to your own differing levels of skill and a pleasing end result.

[Jas]

I prefer the Airfix Hurricane. Why? It's readily available, and with a modicum of basic modelling skills, makes into a really nice kit. For me, the Hasegawa kit is too rare and expensive, and I find the gun insert problems on the Italeri kit unacceptable for a modern kit. Mind you, I like a challenge so it may explain things lol!

[Rabbit Leader]

Funnily enough, I probably wouldn't have bothered asking this question a week ago, however I found a couple of half baked 1/72 Airfix Spitfire 1's in a box and decided to clean them up a bit. These are the original 1979 moulds with raised panel lines. I am finding these a welcome change from rescribing lost panel lines after construction and at a distance the smooth finish is probably more akin to a scale finish anyway. Best of all they also look the part and are quite a lot of fun. It will be hard to display these with Airfix's new 1/72 "deep panel lined" Spits.

I was hoping that the 48 Hurricane may just be one of those classic kits that is rather basic, however accurate in shape and looks.

Cheers and thanks or continuing this thread. .. Dave

Edited April 11, 2013 by Rabbit Leader

[stevej60]

Just seen the new boxing in store,excellent artwork and choice of decals,I love this kit despite its shortcomings,Now I am a big fan of"new" Airfix

but it cannot understand the logic of tooling the Gloster Javelin rather than a new hurricane in 1/48.you can bet it will sell around the £35-£45

mark as opposed to say £18-£20 for the hurricane.

I,m sure the javelin will be up there with the vixen in quality and sell Well so good luck Airfix.

[Work In Progress]

You've just answered your own question. The new Javelin will sell well, and the old Hurricane will continue to sell well.