Hobby 2000 72030 - 1:72 Hawker Hurricane Mk.Ia Late - British Aces 1940

Plastic model kit of the British Hawker Hurricane Mk.Ia fighter in 1:72 scale

The late-production Hurricane Mk.I was the aircraft with metal-covered wings, a three-blade variable-pitch propeller and an armoured windscreen – the standard in which the type fought through the climax of the Battle of Britain. Hurricanes outnumbered every other fighter in RAF squadrons and accounted for the majority of the victories in the summer and autumn of 1940.

Hobby 2000 72030 is based on Hasegawa sprues, complemented by a new sheet of waterslide decals printed by Cartograf, self-adhesive masks for the glazing and rubber tyres. The three marking options are devoted to British aces of 1940: P3395 "Wasp" of Sgt Arthur V. "Taffy" Clowes of No. 1 Sqn, V7467 of S/Ldr Douglas Bader of No. 242 Sqn and P2798 "Figaro The Cat" of Flt Lt Ian "Widge" Gleed of No. 87 Sqn.

What you will find in the box:

• Plastic sprues with airframe, cockpit and undercarriage parts
• Clear parts for the canopy glazing
• Rubber tyres
• Self-adhesive masks for the glazing
• Waterslide decal sheet printed by Cartograf covering three marking options
• Illustrated assembly instructions

Model specifications:

• Scale: 1:72
• Catalogue number: 72030
• Manufacturer: Hobby 2000
• Length of the finished model: approx. 137 mm
• Wingspan of the finished model: approx. 169 mm
• Skill level: beginner/intermediate

Please note: the kit does not include glue, paints or modelling tools. The model is intended for self-assembly.

Building the model:

The kit is small and built from a sensible number of parts, so less experienced modellers will handle it comfortably. It is worth painting the cockpit before the fuselage halves are joined, as access becomes very limited afterwards. The standard interior colour for British fighters of this period is RAF Interior Green. The included self-adhesive masks noticeably shorten the work on the multi-panel canopy, and the rubber tyres allow the undercarriage to be finished quickly.

All three options wear the classic 1940 Fighter Command scheme: Dark Earth and Dark Green upper surfaces over Sky undersides. The highlight is the pilots' personal emblems – Clowes's wasp and Gleed's cat – which look best over a carefully polished gloss coat that reduces the risk of decal silvering. A satin varnish makes a suitable final finish. To raise the level of detail you may wish to consider a turned metal pitot tube or a seat belt set, available separately in our shop.

Tools you will need:

• Modelling nippers for removing parts from the sprues
• Modelling knife or scalpel
• Files and sanding paper for cleaning up gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Precision modelling tweezers
• Brushes in various sizes or an airbrush
• Modelling paints (acrylic or enamel)
• Gloss varnish for the decals and satin varnish for the final finish
• Decal setting solution to help the decals conform to the detail
• Modelling wash to emphasise the detail and panel lines

About the aircraft – Hawker Hurricane Mk.I:

The Hawker Hurricane was the RAF's first monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear and an armament of eight machine guns. Sydney Camm's team combined modern aerodynamics with proven, traditional structure: the forward fuselage was built around a steel tube frame covered with fabric, which simplified production and field repairs. The prototype flew in November 1935 and the type reached front-line squadrons at the end of 1937.

Late-production examples from 1940 differed from the first series aircraft in several important respects. The fabric wing covering was replaced by metal skinning, the two-blade fixed-pitch propeller gave way to a three-blade variable-pitch unit, and an armoured windscreen and armour plate behind the pilot's seat were added. Together these changes significantly improved both performance and the pilot's chances of surviving combat.

In the summer and autumn of 1940 the Hurricane formed the backbone of Britain's air defence. It was a steady gun platform, absorbed battle damage well and returned to the line quickly, and its ease of servicing mattered enormously at the operational tempo of that summer. Pilots whose names entered RAF history flew the type – among them Douglas Bader, who commanded No. 242 Sqn despite having lost both legs in a pre-war accident, and Ian Gleed and Arthur Clowes, known for the colourful personal emblems painted on their aircraft.

Original aircraft specifications (Hawker Hurricane Mk.I):

• Length: 9.84 m
• Wingspan: 12.19 m
• Height: 4.0 m
• Empty weight: approx. 2,300 kg
• Take-off weight: approx. 3,000 kg
• Crew: 1
• Powerplant: Rolls-Royce Merlin III inline engine of approx. 1,030 hp
• Maximum speed: approx. 520 km/h
• Service ceiling: approx. 10,500 m
• Range: approx. 970 km
• Armament: 8 x 7.7 mm Browning machine guns in the wings
• Production: from 1937, over 14,000 aircraft of all versions

About the manufacturer – Hobby 2000:

Hobby 2000 is a Polish model company based in Katowice that builds its range around its own themed releases of plastic kits. Each box contains sprues from an established manufacturer – in this case Hasegawa sprues – combined with the company's own artwork, illustrated assembly instructions and a new decal sheet. The waterslide decals for the brand's kits are printed by Cartograf of Italy, valued in the industry for their thin carrier film and accurate colour registration. Most of the aircraft releases also include self-adhesive masks for the glazing, which makes painting the canopy frames considerably easier. Hobby 2000 selects its subjects around specific campaigns, units and pilots, and Polish themes appear regularly in the catalogue. Print runs are limited, so once a release sells out it rarely returns. For the modeller this means access to proven tooling in a boxing with carefully researched markings that are often hard to find elsewhere.