Hawker Hurricanes around the world

[ModelingEdmontonian]

Other than minor touch ups, South Africa's (Arma Mk I) camo is complete. Exhaust stacks and tail wheel are also now affixed. Layer of Pledge applied to seal it all in before moving on to final touch ups and decal application. I'm pretty happy with the XF-52 DE and Vallejo DG compared to some of the other combinations I've tried.

 

[ModelingEdmontonian]

I should say thanks to @dogsbody for correcting me, as South Africa is my first Hurricane in this project to accurately have grey-green on the forward cockpit instead of black.

 

Decals are now on the underside. These are all the Arma decals, which are wonderful to work with.

 

 

Mostly done with decals up top, too, but a few more to go. I opted for the yellow "J" vs the grey--Arma provides both. I'll pretty much always choose bright colours when given the chance. I'm loving all the orange, too.

 

[ModelingEdmontonian]

South Africa now has all of her decals. The fin decals will need a bit of work to get them to wrap around the leading edge, but otherwise they're settling well.

 

[ModelingEdmontonian]

South Africa is on her legs!

 

 

She also has her pitot tube installed, some panel liner in her ejector slots, and some amber for her ID light. 

 

[ModelingEdmontonian]

With prop, gun sight, and antenna mast affixed, South Africa (Arma Mk I) is now just waiting for better weather to spray a matt coat. I will have to mask up the landing and nav lights prior to that, but I would rather do that just before I spray rather than have the masking sit on the wings indefinitely. -22 C with wind chill, at the moment... looks like things may improve next weekend.

 

[dogsbody]

15 hours ago, ModelingEdmontonian said:

With prop, gun sight, and antenna mast affixed, South Africa (Arma Mk I) is now just waiting for better weather to spray a matt coat. I will have to mask up the landing and nav lights prior to that, but I would rather do that just before I spray rather than have the masking sit on the wings indefinitely. -22 C with wind chill, at the moment... looks like things may improve next weekend.

 

Yeah, it's definitely not paint spraying weather in Alberta. It's -24 up here in McMurray.

 

 

 

Chris

[ModelingEdmontonian]

7 C yesterday--gorgeous for February around here! Sprayed the matt clear onto South Africa (Arma Mk I). I noticed after the first spray that a couple of decal spots needed a last dab of solvent, so out with the Mr Mark Super Strong to see what might be done. 

 

 

That did what I wanted it to, or at least I'm satisfied I won't get it any better, so she now has her matt clear top and bottom. I'll leave that to fully dry before pulling off the landing and nav light masking and finishing it all up. 

[ModelingEdmontonian]

South Africa (Arma Mk I) is all done (was a couple of days ago), but I haven't had a chance to take any photos of her in her completed state. With South Africa done, that ends Phase Two--the "other Allies and Non-Aligned"! So, I will also try to take a big group photo of all 11 of those and maybe all 20 of the Hurricanes that I've now completed--6 from Phase One; 11 from Phase Two; 1 (so far) from Phase Three; and the 2 "civilian interludes." That will be a tough photo, but I'll see what I can do!

 

Greece is still out there as a WIP. My wife had started it but I'm not optimistic she'll finish it, even though we do finally have the LM decals to complete her. I may build Greece at some point, but if so I may start from scratch with an Arma Mk IIc kit. My wife was using the Revell kit which is mediocre, and I'm not so sure about her paintwork, but we'll see and I'll figure that out. This is the Greek Hurricane we're trying to model with Blue-White-Blue roundels on the fuselage and fin flash on the tail, but standard RAF roundels on the wings.

 

 

Other than Greece, there are four more Phase Three ("Axis") Hurricanes to model--Germany, Italy, Romania, and Finland. None of these are started, but I do have some certainty as to the kits I will be using. Germany will be an Arma Mk 1;

 

 

Italy an Airfix Mk 1;

 

 

Romania an Airfix Mk I (rag wing captured from Yugoslavia);

 

 

and Finland will be an Arma Mk I, hopefully with skis!

 

 

I received the Kora resin pieces to do the skis yesterday. Look at the instructions!

 

 

And here is the baggie of resin. It includes not just the skis, but also a prop and spinner, and, a real bonus, some five spoke wheels! 

 

 

Honestly, I do not expect I will start on any new Hurricanes for a bit as I have a lot of other models on the go, but I am excited to model these!

[ModelingEdmontonian]

Here is South Africa all done. Not super happy with the lighting so may try RFI photos again, but at least I have evidence that she's complete!

 

[2996 Victor]

Twenty completed builds already - that's an amazing accomplishment! South Africa is looking very good indeed, if I may say so; looking forward to the RFI photos. The Axis Hurricanes are going to look excellent, especially Finland on skis! Good luck with the Kora instructions  

 

Cheers,

Mark

[marvinneko]

I got copies of the Profile publications for Hurricanes I and II. They have profiles for some different countries and I thought of you when I saw them. I haven't read your whole thread so sorry if you have these.

 

eg. prototype Hurricane is interesting. Captured Canadian one is cool. There's also a wild pinkish one for "gun calibration". India has an elephant and grey/black cammo. Palestine is all blue. 

 

If interested PM me and I can email the pdfs.

 

Edited February 10 by marvinneko

[dogsbody]

All the Profile Publications booklets can be found at Boxart Den.

 

https://boxartden.com/reference/gallery/index.php/Aircraft-Profiles

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[marvinneko]

1 hour ago, dogsbody said:

All the Profile Publications booklets can be found at Boxart Den.

 

https://boxartden.com/reference/gallery/index.php/Aircraft-Profiles

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

 

Great source.

 

Even more helpful images and captions in another doc on same site

 

https://boxartden.com/reference/gallery/index.php/Aircam-Aviation-Series/Hawker-Hurricane-Mk-I-IV

 

[Troy Smith]

16 hours ago, marvinneko said:

I got copies of the Profile publications for Hurricanes I and II. They have profiles for some different countries and I thought of you when I saw them. I haven't read your whole thread so sorry if you have these.

 

eg. prototype Hurricane is interesting. Captured Canadian one is cool. There's also a wild pinkish one for "gun calibration". India has an elephant and grey/black cammo. Palestine is all blue. 

 

If interested PM me and I can email the pdfs.

 

OK, you may have noticed my Sig line comment

"Never trust a profile without a photo"

These are one of the reasons.

About half of the profiles have no supporting photo. Not just the Hurricane ones either.

Some are believable  and they are known airframes , some are very dubious for a variety of reasons, the main one being BE581/JX-E in the scheme shown.  It has been copied so often it is "fact"  but subsequent research shows up many very unlikely aspects and one that is as stated in the caption and drawing, impossible.  (the black wing panel) 

EDIT this

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234976286-hurricane-mk-iic-flown-by-km-kuttlewascher/#elControls_1889582_menu

 

for a much better idea of BE581

http://armahobbynews.pl/en/blog/2020/10/13/karel-kutterwascher-the-most-effective-hurricane-night-fighter-pilot/

 

Various of these have been discussed at length on here. 

I'll edit in some links when I find them.  

 

To be fair, they were groundbreaking publications when originally published, but that was in the mid 1960's....  the text is usually OK, and have some good photos, but.... don't trust the profiles with a photo

 

PS

 

BP582 AK-W

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/29149-hurricane-ak-g-bp592-photo-needed/

Again, a much copied profile, and in various kits.    Hurricanes with mottled nose and leading edge are known, but not any Mk.IIC's

 

Red Elephant KZ352, whole thread worth a read,  especially for details of the profile of HV538 and how it gets every detail wrong

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235009172-riaf-hurricane-with-elephant-nose-art-did-it-exist/

 

orange radar calibration

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234972519-hurricane-mki-p2992-of-527-radar-calibration-sqn-red/

 

Fly models have used BE581, KZ352 and HV538 as per the profiles in their 1/32nd kits.   I have emailed them an told them this, as has Tony O Toole, but they have not taken up offers of help.

 

Edited February 10 by Troy Smith
additions

[ModelingEdmontonian]

19 hours ago, marvinneko said:

I got copies of the Profile publications for Hurricanes I and II. They have profiles for some different countries and I thought of you when I saw them. I haven't read your whole thread so sorry if you have these.

eg. prototype Hurricane is interesting. Captured Canadian one is cool. There's also a wild pinkish one for "gun calibration". India has an elephant and grey/black cammo. Palestine is all blue. 

If interested PM me and I can email the pdfs.

5 hours ago, marvinneko said:

Great source.

Even more helpful images and captions in another doc on same site

https://boxartden.com/reference/gallery/index.php/Aircam-Aviation-Series/Hawker-Hurricane-Mk-I-IV

Thanks, David. I was going to point out what @Troy Smith has in a more fulsome way than I ever could, i.e., that many of the profiles are unsupported by photographic evidence. But, the Profile publications still make for an interesting browse, and I have been inspired by them before. I've actually built many of the versions profiled in some form or another already. I've been very impressed with Arma's diligence in research so highly recommend their Hurricane kits and profiles. I think you would enjoy building an Arma kit too after your experience with the AZ Mk IId! For the most part, with a lot of help from @Troy Smith and others, I've managed to build up a Hurricane collection that is fairly historically accurate, although I've had to make specific assumptions here or there in terms of camo or spinner colours, etc., and there are certainly some kit inaccuracies I have not corrected on a number of my models. My work on this project has been much more focused on completing models in interesting and unique markings rather than perfecting skills or achieving perfect accuracy. Hopefully I've improved my skills with time, and I certainly have a greater appreciation for research than I did when I began! From your work on the AZ Mk IId I can tell you don't mind taking your time and striving for perfection on every detail, which is amazing and admirable, but takes patience (and skills!) I certainly lack!

[ModelingEdmontonian]

4 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

To be fair, they were groundbreaking publications when originally published, but that was in the mid 1960's....  the text is usually OK, and have some good photos, but.... don't trust the profiles with a photo

They're pretty much a piece of history now in-and-of-themselves! The profiles have a bit of a nostalgic feel to them, and actually they do have some very useful photos, too. 

 

4 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

 

Fly models have used BE581, KZ352 and HV538 as per the profiles in their 1/32nd kits.   I have emailed them an told them this, as has Tony O Toole, but they have not taken up offers of help.

Tragic. And of course some of these errors show up in their 1/72 kits, too. 

[ModelingEdmontonian]

Obviously won't be winning any photography awards, but here are Phase Two ("Other Allies and non-Aligned") group photos. From top left, we have: Ireland (Arma Mk I); Republic of Yugoslavia (AZ Mk IV); Turkey (Mistercraft Mk IIc); Portugal (Arma Mk IIc); Netherlands (Arma Mk IIb); Belgium (Airfix Mk I); Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Airfix Mk I); India (Smer Mk IIc); France (Fly Mk IIb); Soviet Union (AZ Mk IId); and South Africa (Arma Mk I).

 

[Troy Smith]

44 minutes ago, ModelingEdmontonian said:

They're pretty much a piece of history now in-and-of-themselves! The profiles have a bit of a nostalgic feel to them, and actually they do have some very useful photos, too

my 2nd aviation book was Aircraft In Profile volume 5, a bound set of various monographs, fortunately this included the Hurricane Mk.I,  which age 9,  circa 1975, as an model mad child,  I thought was absolutely amazing, and thought the profiles fantastic, with detail and colours,  as many others did as well.  I still have that book, though the dust jacket was lost long long ago.

So  I certainly I understand the nostalgia, and importance of the series, and I think later monographs in the series are better researched and are handy primers for more unusual types. 

You probably won't be surprised that my first aircraft book, age 8,  was The Hawker Hurricane by Francis K Mason, the 1962 edition that turned up in a box of books from the village jumble sale that mum got at the end of the day,  which I duly pounced on as "mine" ,  I had already gone for the Hurricane as favourite plane as the obvious stock answer was "Spitfire"  but this meant I actually knew a reasonable amount about the Hurricane then, like all the marks,  i even did my first conversion of an Airfix Mk,I/IIb kit into a IIC using the 40 mm cannon barrels, and model filler for the cannon spring and wing bulges, and hand painted codes, as a 1 Sq plane....

from a profile in the book though . 

Sadly one lost in time.  (I have a couple of boxes of built kits that did survive in various states from then )   

I can only think I knew about model filler and conversions  as there was a man in the village who was a proper modeller and he'd told me about  conversions and the like... he had an airbrush, and a real jeep, was happy to talk about models and was not condescending, and thinking about it, was the coolest adult I'd ever met. 

Talking about the Profiles, I lent him my proud possession of the Aircraft profiles, and he made a P-38 Lightning, using the Airfix P-38F kit, mentioning that it was covered in rivets and the profile states it's flush riveted,  and he's had to cut the wavy camo demarcation out of masking tape as he didn't have any Maskol. 

One other little fragment, he had a battered paperback of Catch -22 in the jeep, which he said just dip into when he was at loose end. 

I did have a search about online to see if he was still alive and in the area,  but didn't turn anything much up.  

 

And you wonder why I witter away on here.....

 

PS that group shot looks fantastic,  I'm jealous of the display..... great collection,  I'm happy to have helped smooth the path of research at points. 

 

[bissyboat]

Very nice Hurries and no doubt it will look great on skis.

[marvinneko]

@Troy Smith and @ModelingEdmontonian thank you both for the friendly correction and the links! Interesting to see the profile problem discussed in various instances. I got ahead of myself wanting to share something and ended up spreading misinformation . 

 

@ModelingEdmontonian amazing group photo. What an accomplishment! I hope you have some kind of display cases at home.

 

My reasons for modelling lead to my slow pace. It's less about seeking perfection and more about developing mindfulness for a spinning brain that otherwise drives my wife nuts  

 

 

[Peter2]

https://www.destinationsjourney.com/historical-military-photographs/hawker-hurricane-in-irish-service/#:~: has images of Irish Air Corps Hurricanes.

[ModelingEdmontonian]

17 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

my 2nd aviation book was Aircraft In Profile volume 5, a bound set of various monographs, fortunately this included the Hurricane Mk.I,  which age 9,  circa 1975, as an model mad child,  I thought was absolutely amazing, and thought the profiles fantastic, with detail and colours,  as many others did as well.  I still have that book, though the dust jacket was lost long long ago.

So  I certainly I understand the nostalgia, and importance of the series, and I think later monographs in the series are better researched and are handy primers for more unusual types. 

You probably won't be surprised that my first aircraft book, age 8,  was The Hawker Hurricane by Francis K Mason, the 1962 edition that turned up in a box of books from the village jumble sale that mum got at the end of the day,  which I duly pounced on as "mine" ,  I had already gone for the Hurricane as favourite plane as the obvious stock answer was "Spitfire"  but this meant I actually knew a reasonable amount about the Hurricane then, like all the marks,  i even did my first conversion of an Airfix Mk,I/IIb kit into a IIC using the 40 mm cannon barrels, and model filler for the cannon spring and wing bulges, and hand painted codes, as a 1 Sq plane....

from a profile in the book though . 

Sadly one lost in time.  (I have a couple of boxes of built kits that did survive in various states from then )   

I can only think I knew about model filler and conversions  as there was a man in the village who was a proper modeller and he'd told me about  conversions and the like... he had an airbrush, and a real jeep, was happy to talk about models and was not condescending, and thinking about it, was the coolest adult I'd ever met. 

Talking about the Profiles, I lent him my proud possession of the Aircraft profiles, and he made a P-38 Lightning, using the Airfix P-38F kit, mentioning that it was covered in rivets and the profile states it's flush riveted,  and he's had to cut the wavy camo demarcation out of masking tape as he didn't have any Maskol. 

One other little fragment, he had a battered paperback of Catch -22 in the jeep, which he said just dip into when he was at loose end. 

I did have a search about online to see if he was still alive and in the area,  but didn't turn anything much up.  

 

And you wonder why I witter away on here.....

What great reflections, @Troy Smith! When I modeled as a child "conversions," "model filler," "masking," and even "airbrush" were not in my vocabulary! (and this was the 1990s, by the way). I also did not know any adults who modeled, although my dad would occasionally show interest and talk about his experience modeling as a child ("I never painted canopies" )

 

17 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

PS that group shot looks fantastic,  I'm jealous of the display..... great collection,  I'm happy to have helped smooth the path of research at points. 

Cheers. Wish I could photograph them better, but it gives a sense of the number and diversity. I have some photos now of all of the Hurricanes and will post soon. 

 

17 hours ago, marvinneko said:

@Troy Smith and @ModelingEdmontonian thank you both for the friendly correction and the links! Interesting to see the profile problem discussed in various instances. I got ahead of myself wanting to share something and ended up spreading misinformation . 

No need to apologize, as far as I'm concerned! It's all a good conversation, and important for us to understand how the hobby and research has evolved over the decades!

 

17 hours ago, marvinneko said:

@ModelingEdmontonian amazing group photo. What an accomplishment! I hope you have some kind of display cases at home

Thanks! I really proper way to display them, and in fact I've had to throw away some of my other completed models to make room.

 

17 hours ago, marvinneko said:

My reasons for modelling lead to my slow pace. It's less about seeking perfection and more about developing mindfulness for a spinning brain that otherwise drives my wife nuts  

Fair enough! It is a hobby that I find great for my mental health, although my wife complains that it means I don't spend enough time with her!

[ModelingEdmontonian]

17 hours ago, Peter2 said:

https://www.destinationsjourney.com/historical-military-photographs/hawker-hurricane-in-irish-service/#:~: has images of Irish Air Corps Hurricanes.

I like this website, has lots of great photos of a variety of a/c in a variety of markings. Very useful for those of us keen to model the "non-standard" air forces.

 

17 hours ago, bissyboat said:

Very nice Hurries and no doubt it will look great on skis.

Thanks, @bissyboat! It will be a challenge, but I'm excited to try it.

[opus999]

I love the group photo!  What a terrific collection.  This is really an informative and entertaining thread.  I can't wait for the next phase -- I think the Hurricane will look pretty sharp in that Italian camo!

[ModelingEdmontonian]

Alright, here are the group photos with all 20 Hurricanes! Again, the photography is rough, but this is what 20 1/72 Hurricanes look like crammed on a coffee table outside on my porch!

 

 

Will be tough to identify all of them in order, but here are the a/c modeled in the order I completed them. 

1. Australia (Arma Mk I)
2. USA (Airfix Mk XII)
3. Argentina (AZ Mk IV)
4. Poland (AZ Mk I)
5. Iran (Legato Mk IIc)
6. Egypt (Arma Mk IIc)
7. Hawker's test plane G-AFKX (Airfix Mk I)
8. France (Fly Mk IIb)
9. Soviet Union (AZ Mk IId)
10. Belgium (Airfix Mk I)
11. Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Airfix Mk I)
12. Ireland (Arma Mk I)
13. Republic of Yugoslavia (AZ Mk IV)
14. Turkey (Mistercraft Mk IIc)
15. Netherlands (Arma Mk IIb)
16. India (Smer Mk IIc)
17. Japan (Arma Mk IIb)
18. Portugal (Arma Mk IIc)
19. Hawker's race plane G-AMAU (Revell Mk IIc)
20. South Africa (Arma Mk I)