Arma Hobby 70044 - 1:72 Hurricane Mk II b trop - Model Kit

Hawker Hurricane Mk IIb Trop fighter aircraft plastic model kit in 1:72 scale

Sand, dust and a large filter under the nose – everyday life for the Hurricanes shipped from Britain to the Middle East and Asia. Arma Hobby 70044 reproduces the Mk IIb in tropical configuration, armed with twelve 7.7 mm machine guns, in 1:72 scale.

The model uses the tooling developed by Arma Hobby for its Hurricane Mk II family. The sprues carry very fine surface texture, including the fabric-covered rear fuselage and control surfaces, while the Vokes dust filter gives the aircraft its distinctive profile.

Techmod decals cover two desert marking options. The first is BE400/Z of No. 318 Polish Squadron, operating from landing ground LG Wilhelma in Palestine during exercise Virile in October 1943. The second is Z5659/WK-C of No. 135 Sqn RAF at Mingaladon in Burma in February 1942 – the aircraft of P/O William John "Jack" Storey. The instructions include a template for cutting your own canopy masks.

What's in the box:

• Plastic sprues
• Clear sprue
• Vokes tropical filter
• Mk IIb wings with twelve machine guns
• Techmod decals for two marking options
• Instructions including a template for cutting your own canopy masks

Kit specifications:

• Scale: 1:72
• Catalogue number: 70044
• Manufacturer: Arma Hobby
• Assembled model length: approx. 137 mm
• Wingspan: approx. 169 mm
• Skill level: beginner/intermediate (small parts, small scale)

Please note: glue, paints and modelling tools are not included. The model requires assembly.

Building the model:

The parts count is modest and the assembly sequence clear, so the kit also suits modellers starting out with 1:72 aircraft. The finest components – gun barrels, undercarriage legs and the pitot tube – need the most care. We suggest finishing the cockpit before joining the fuselage halves. The Vokes filter is worth fitting carefully under the nose, as it is the feature that most defines the tropical silhouette; canopy masks can be cut from masking tape using the template in the instructions.

Both options call for the desert scheme – Dark Earth and Middle Stone uppersurfaces over Azure Blue. We recommend applying decals over a gloss coat to limit silvering, and finishing the model with satin varnish. Aircraft flying from landing grounds quickly lost the freshness of their paint, so lightly worn panel edges and a subtle pigment dusting around the undercarriage and lower fuselage suit them well. To take the detail further you may consider aftermarket accessories available separately, such as turned metal barrels or a metal pitot tube.

Tools you will need:

• Sprue cutters for removing parts from the sprues
• Modelling knife or scalpel
• Files and sanding sticks for cleaning up gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Precision modelling tweezers for the small parts
• Brushes in various sizes, optionally an airbrush
• Model paints (acrylic or enamel)
• Gloss varnish before decalling and satin varnish for the final finish
• Panel line wash to bring out the surface detail

About the aircraft – Hawker Hurricane Mk IIb Trop:

The Hurricane entered service in 1937 as the RAF's first monoplane fighter with retractable undercarriage and an enclosed cockpit. Its tubular fuselage with fabric covering proved a major asset outside Europe – damage was repaired in the field, often with minimal workshop support. The Mk II with the Rolls-Royce Merlin XX of around 1280 hp reached the Middle East as early as 1941.

The Mk IIb featured a wing with twelve 7.7 mm Browning machine guns plus hardpoints for bombs and additional fuel tanks. For work in hot, dusty conditions a large Vokes dust filter was fitted under the nose to protect the engine from sand thrown up on landing grounds. It cost a little top speed but markedly extended engine life.

Tropicalised machines fought in Egypt, Libya and Palestine, as well as in the Far East – over Burma and India. Polish units in the Mediterranean and Middle East flew this version, among them No. 318 Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron. In Burma the Hurricane was among the first fighters to stand against Japanese air power and remained in the front line until the end of the war.

Original aircraft specifications (Hawker Hurricane Mk IIb Trop):

• Length: 9.84 m
• Wingspan: 12.19 m
• Height: approx. 4.0 m
• Wing area: approx. 23.9 m²
• Empty weight: approx. 2600 kg
• Loaded weight: approx. 3480 kg
• Crew: 1
• Powerplant: Rolls-Royce Merlin XX inline engine of approx. 1280 hp
• Maximum speed: approx. 540 km/h (slightly lower with the tropical filter)
• Service ceiling: approx. 11,000 m
• Range: approx. 970 km, approx. 1480 km with underwing fuel tanks
• Armament: 12 x 7.7 mm Browning machine guns
• Special equipment: Vokes dust filter under the nose

About the manufacturer – Arma Hobby:

Behind the Arma Hobby name stands a Polish plastic model manufacturer from Warsaw, active under this brand since 2016. It previously traded as Attack Squadron and specialised in resin accessories for aircraft kits. The whole process – from CAD design and scanning of surviving airframes to cutting the moulds – takes place in Poland. The kits stand out for their very fine airframe surface detail, subtle rivet lines and panel lines, and thin trailing edges. Well-detailed transparencies and high-quality decals round out the package. The catalogue covers 1:72 and 1:48 scales, with particular emphasis on Polish aviation – PZL P.7a, PZL P.11c, TS-11 Iskra – and on Allied aircraft of the Second World War. Arma Hobby releases have won recognition in industry awards on several occasions, among them a Model of the Year title at the Nuremberg fair. The company also develops the idea of adding 3D-printed parts to its boxings and of providing files for home 3D printing.