Hawker Hurricane Mark 1

What better place to start than with the aircraft that formed the main strength of Fighter Command up until as late as 1941, the Hawker Hurricane. By 7 August 1940 2309 Hurricanes had been delivered and were equipping 32 Squadrons, while the 1383 Spitfires equipped 18 and a half. Best known during the Battle as a bomber-destroyer, the Hurricane was a steady gun-platform with a devastating cone of fire; no other monoplane fighter of the time had a better turning radius, although the Me 109e enjoyed considerably higher all-round performance.

The Airfix kit depicts Hurricane DT-A, the aircraft of Squadron Leader RR Stanford-Tuck DSO, DFC who finished the War as Britiains second highest-scoring ace in the Western European theatre with 29 "kills". In 1940, Stanford-Tuck was the C.O. of 257 Squadron.

I have made up this kit a few times and it goes together neatly and with a minimum of fuss needing little more than some filler around the wing-roots. The kit has, I am assured by Airfix Magazine Guide No. 25 (Modelling World War 2 fighters) a few minor issues with accuracy, mostly in the depth of the fuselage "hump" behind the cockpit and in the shape of the propellers' spinner. I'll let the buyer make his or her own decisions. To me it looks right and is a sturdy kit of a fine little aircraft.

I am building this series of aircraft as wargames models, so I am painting over the canopies and other odments of glassware a la the "Rapid Fire" school of military modelling. These will be functional pieces rather than display models.

This decision made, assembly goes rapidly, as the wings and fuselage are glued together and set aside. I run a line of masking tape from wing-tip to wing-tip to pull the wings up, minimise the wing-root gaps and to eastablish a dihedral. this is left overnight to dry. This morning I attached the tail-planes and left them to set all day. I've also detatched and cleaned up the propeller compoments, but won't attach them until they are painted.

I've a decision to make, here, too.

Wheels up or down?

Down means the aircraft can be used with one of the RAF vehicle sets I have squirrelled away, up has more dakka-dakka-dakka factor.

I've also purchased a Fairey Fulmar which I'm cleaning up ready to start assembly as soon as the Hurricane is complete. I have a weakness for the Fleet Air Arm misbegotten carrier-borne types the Navy started the War with. Who would think of using a fighter based on the Fairey Battle..! Still, I suppose that figures an amount of foresight that's unrealistic.