|
|
HASEGAWA
1:72
HAWKER HURRICANE MK.I (FINNISH A.F.)
'INBOX Review'
Reviewer:
Hrvoje Šafhauzer (rec.models.scale)
- A Built up review of various Hasegawa Hurricane kits exist on this site - see the respective fully
built kit review index to locate review
The hurricane as such is well covered by many articles that can be easily found. Late production Mk.I were with metal covered wing, necessitating introduction of an auxiliary rear spar, enabling higher strength of the wings. Eventually, the Rotol wide-blade propellers were introduced for better usage of engine power, supplanting the DeHavilland ones.
At the beginning of 1940, and during "Phony War" stage in the West and in spite of urgent need for expanding RAF Fighter Command strength, a batch of 12 planes was sent to Finland to assist them during the Winter War with the USSR. It appears that these had metal-covered wings. These planes soldiered on in Finnish service until 1944, later joined by a Mk.IIb captured from the Soviets. The low number and problems with serviceability due to the lack of spare parts probably resulted in that they received less coverage about their service in Finland than some other historically "less successful" types, although the Finns had the ability to wrought out the best of seemingly obsolete or under-appreciated equipment. And with only 5 1/2 reported victories for 2 aircraft lost in Continuation War, the Hurricane scores looked bleak comparing with 101 to 5 of Fiat G.50 or 135 to 18 M.S.406 kill ratios. Their average flying hours were lower than most other Finnish fighters. And it would be interesting to find out about any encounters with British Lend-Lease supplied Mk.II Hurricanes flown by the Soviets!
I purchased this kit in a hobby/games shop in Zagreb, and to be honest I was attracted by two facts: 1- price reduced to acceptable one; 2- I needed a Hurricane for making a model of Yugoslav one-off conversion with DB-601 engine and Hasegawa kit layout is handy for that purpose. Kit is in a black-bordered box, with artwork over complete boxtop, different from standard white box covers, so I think this is one of the renown (and costly) Hasegawa limited editions.
The parts are finely engraved, naturally, and arranged in a several sprues, some doubled up, catering for multiple kitting options. The nose is separate, and provids for Mk.I. The propeller blades are separate and thanks to the small sprues layout four of them are provided for each DeHavilland and Rotol props – beats me why Hasegawa opted for something like this while saving in some other areas! This is followed by appropriate shorter and longer spinners with base, and there are three (yes THREE) pairs of exhausts, two Mk.II-related are not to be used. While the tailwheel is molded integrally with the port fuselage, a replacement one is provided and instructed to be used. Ventral radiator is two-peace affair on a separate small sprue. Between the parts not to be used are four 0.303 in machine gun barrels. The clear parts sprue comprises a single-piece canopy and two wing leading edge light covers. There are four poly-caps also, for enabling rotating propellers. There is no possibility for building this one with wheels-up without some surgery to main wheels and landing gear covers. Kit box side states 2008 as release year, but I think that the molds could be some 10 years old. And part count is stated for ones to be used only – as 39.
The instructions are typical Hasegawa fold-out affair, with assembly instructions on one side, and short history, painting and marking instructions and sprue diagram. Paints are given in Gunze Sangyo GSI Creos aqueous and Mr. Color ranges. Sometimes the instructions are confusing, like stating that a Rotol propeller shall be assembled while sprue diagram shows these parts shaded as "not for use". And some puttying requirements are skipped, but more on that below.
Kit dimensional accuracy is within a 1mm span-wise, and due to obvious reasons I can not comment on length accuracy, but on first look it appears all right.
Cockpit interior is bland – standard Hasegawa – with a flat instrument panel for placing a decal, and rudder pedals molded integrally with "floor" together with their rods. Seat is with no harnesses and is molded for a highly anorexic pilot, best to be replaced or trimmed and pilot placed over it to hide this fact. The rear fuselage ribbing is pretty overdone, looking like a corrugated metal sheet, so some sanding would be of benefit.
Wings are equipped with slots to be opened for machine guns – all twelve of them – since the wings are for Mk.IIb, including the appropriate engraved panels. And instructions are not stating to use putty and sand these panels out, as well as the applicable spent cases ejector ports in lower outer wings.
The kit instructions are duly stating cockpit interior colors and these for landing gear members and covers, but not for the bays.
Decals are provided for two aircraft, both in black-olive-light gray/"duck egg green" scheme. One is "black 1" from LeLv32 in October 1941 with bigger Finnish AF serial, and other one is "black 2" from 2/LeLv26 in Summer 1942, so having Continuation War yellow identification rear fuselage band and lower wingtip undersurfaces including 2/3 of the ailerons. Both planes are depicted with camouflage scheme broadly patterned by RAF ones, as well as the yellow noses.
The decal sheet is nicely printed, with blue swastikas printed separately, as well as white trimming for individual numbers. There are the serials, instrument panel decal, and two-part rear fuselage band. White is not the snow-bright one, this offering looks more realistic to me.
OK, this would be fun, since besides puttying Mk.IIb related panels and ejector ports and subduing rear fuselage ribbing I am expecting some work would be required to be performed while mating the nose to rest of the fuselage. So maybe this kit would not be for a complete novice.
On the other hand, I found out that the Academy 1/72 Hurricane Mk.IIc has exactly the same wing joint lines as Hasegawa, providing an interesting opportunity for crosskitting to get a Hurricane Mk.IIb easily, if the Revell kit is not available. Of course, using Academy radiator and landing gear would be preferable in that case.
On the Net, there is a review of different Hasegawa 1/72 Hurricane Mk.I boxing, "Battle of Britain", where there are no small sprues with DeHavilland propeller blades, Mk.II-type exhausts and Colt Browning barrels.
Review, as usual, courtesy of my valet.
1. STORIA DELL' AVIAZIONE, PROFILI DI AEREI MILITARI DELLA 2a GUERRA MONDIALE, Fratelli Fabri Editori, Milano, 1977;
2. The Complete Book of Fighters, William Green and Gordon Swarnborough;
3. The Encyclopedia of AIRCRAFT OF WWII, general editor Paul Eden;
4. Pentti Perttula's site "FAF in COLOR"site: http://www.sci.fi/%7Eambush/faf/fafincolor.html (with a lot of summarized data on Finnish Air Force);
and, lots of others…
SMAKR
Home | What's
New | Submissions
| Information
Requests | News
| Links | Reference
Corner | Site
Info
1/72 Reviews | 1/48
Reviews | INBOX Reviews
