Unusual Battle of Britain Hurricane

[Britflyer]

Nearing the end of a Battle of Britain fighters collection in 1/48, I picked up Airfix’s new tool Hurricane but could only get hold of the Tropical version. The kit allows you to build a Mk.1 but needed custom decals so bought an Xtradecals sheet.

 

I chose VY-R from 85 Squadron as seen during the early phases of the Battle of Britain. Xtradecals had the scheme wrong and upon doing some research, the underside Sky colour should extend up the engine cowling further than usual, as well as up the wing leading edges. After consulting the internet greybeards and doing some colour sampling myself in greyscale, it appears the spinner should be red with white stripes rather than black with light green. In any case, I made both but the red is the correct one IMHO. The IWM photo is slightly later in August 1940 when the squadron codes and main roundel had been made thicker whereas the ones used were on 85 Sqn aircraft until early July.

 

The new tool Airfix Hurri is a lovely kit in most respects and goes together well enough, it’s just a shame about having to add the rivets myself. If Eduard can do it so well and cheaply, why can’t Airfix and Tamiya?

 

 

Video build here:

--www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VSjDotV87A--

[woody37]

You've done a cracking job on it, love your paintwork and subtle weathering

 

[GRK]

Very nice, I’ll be doing the Airfix MkI 1:48 for my next build so this has provided plenty of inspiration. Your shading along all the rivet lines is spot on- is this pre shading or oils?

[Booty003]

That is a beautiful Hurricane.  I love the effect that you have achieved with the paintwork - very smart indeed.

 

All 3 together look very special.

[F-32]

Beautiful work, it really looks the part

[Britflyer]

1 hour ago, GRK said:

Very nice, I’ll be doing the Airfix MkI 1:48 for my next build so this has provided plenty of inspiration. Your shading along all the rivet lines is spot on- is this pre shading or oils?

Thanks GRK, I'm sure you'll enjoy it as it's a lovely kit... The shading was done with a flat coat of base colour followed by heavy post-shading with black, followed by a lightened base colour highlight of all panels. Also did an oil panel line wash and gentle oil weathering after decals. The youtube vid link in the original post provides some photo stills in sequence if you're interested in the process 🙂

[HansReggelsen]

Now that's pretty, that is! 

If I were to imagine how I would build a Hurricane, this is what I would want it to look like! 

 

Cheers 

Hans J

 

 

[Spitfire31]

Great looking Hurricane.

 

And you have conclusively proved that when it comes to weathering, a little goes a long way.

 

Excellent modelling.

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

[Steve 1602]

That’s really well executed and you’ve chosen a very striking marking scheme. I really like it!

[Harry Lime]

Superbly subtle and realistic weathering. That is a cracking good bit of modelling!

 

Mark.

[At Sea]

Nicely researched and beautifully executed!

[Wulfman]

Lovely build and finish on the Hurricane, great stuff !

 

Wulfman

[janneman36]

Love your build and like the subtle wheathering..

One question though, are the anti dazzle shades on the side in front of the cockpit not fitted in the period of your build?

 

 

cheers, Jan

[Troy Smith]

4 hours ago, Britflyer said:

The kit allows you to build a Mk.1 but needed custom decals so bought an Xtradecals sheet.

 

I chose VY-R from 85 Squadron as seen during the early phases of the Battle of Britain. Xtradecals had the scheme wrong and upon doing some research, the underside Sky colour should extend up the engine cowling further than usual, as well as up the wing leading edges. After consulting the internet greybeards and doing some colour sampling myself in greyscale, it appears the spinner should be red with white stripes rather than black with light green. In any case, I made both but the red is the correct one IMHO. The IWM photo is slightly later in August 1940 when the squadron codes and main roundel had been made thicker whereas the ones used were on 85 Sqn aircraft until early July.

It's not. 

ALL the photos of VY-R are from the same photo session, at castle Camps in July 1940.   

there are 28 photos VY-R here,  including the two above,  all from the same session 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/144949377@N05/albums/72157704898371932

This has to be the best documented Hurricane of it's era. 

 

A load more 85 in the link.  Also check the 17 Sq album in the link,  most of those are from this time as well.

 

P2923 was lost 18 August 1940

http://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/176716

 

It may have got the underwing roundels by then,  these were only reintroduced in early Aug 1940, I doubt it.  They are also way to far inboard. 

 

this October 1940 image of 85 Sq shows at least 3 roundel sizes. 

85 Squadron 111 by Сергей Кривицкий, on Flickr

 

the factory standard is seen on the lead aircraft of the 2nd vic, the others are MU or field applied.

 

A couple of little point, the upperwing  roundels are a shade to far outboard.  There is a formula, roundel centre 1/3 of span in from tip, span from centreline

Hurricane 40 ft = 480 inch, /2, =240 inch, /3 = 80 inch from tip. 

This was a standard formula for wing roundel placement.

wing tip lights were clear covers over coloured bulbs.

 

Xtradecal are notorious for not quite getting thing right,  the marking you bought are a case in point, with the wrong width Sq codes, lack of the in field Sky repaint, and 'black with  green bands' spinner.

There was a thread here started by an Xtradecal designer, for 75th Anniversary BoB sheets,  I had to draw lines on a photo to convince him that he was in error of a detail point.  Another member has said the same thing, and the small but blinkin' errors on other sheets have been commented in other threads as well

 

Model looks  great  .  

[Fredrikc]

I really like the ”wave” spray pattern on the Upper wing edges - nice!

[Vulcanicity]

Terrific Hurricane -as others have said finished and weathered to perfection

3 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

Xtradecal are notorious for not quite getting thing right, 

Roundel sizes seem to be a pretty common issue. I can think of at least three builds where a little research has led me to replace upperwing roundels from an Xtradecal set with better-sized examples from stock sheets

[dnl42]

Excellent work! 

[RJBud1]

Superb!

[Vinnie]

What a great looking Hurricane. Well done.

[spitfire]

Great looking Hurricane, looks great with the Defiant and Spitfire.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[10PT]

Beautiful. Particularly admire the paint job.

[Paulaero]

Excellent finish, I have one of these to start with a Spit for the 80th Anniversary . A classic example of pick a particular airframe at a particular time and build it to as it was then as any machine that needed repairs at the height of the battle would have been done to what was quickly to hand. I love to see combat worn A/C that have had panels replaced from other machines and areas locally repainted.

 

Very nicely done and love the trio picture  

[Gordon J]

I can only echo all the complimentary comments above. A beautifully finished Hurricane.

 

And Spitfire.

 

And Defiant.

 

I have the AIrfix Hurricane and Defiant in my stash and after seeing this I have a strong feeling they will both be coming out soon.

[Buzby061]

Cracking build. The finished effect is very convincing. 
 

Pete

[RMCS]

Fantastic