Turkish Hurricanes (Hurricanes over Anatolia)

TigerHead Decals, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

Iliad Decals' 1/48 scale ANG Mustangs is available online from Squadron.com

Hawker Hurricanes were operated by the Turkish Air Force between 1939 and 1947, for much of this time alongside Spitfires and Fw 190s.  According to TigerHead Decals, a total of 164 Hurricanes were used before being replaced by P-47D Thunderbolts.  Detailed information about the Hurricane’s Turkish service isn’t plentiful; it seems that the first Mk.Is received may have been a diverted Polish order from Hawker’s initial production block (raising the possibility that some Turkish Hurricanes may have had fabric-covered wings).  Approximately 35 Mk.Is were delivered, followed from 1942 onwards by 38 Mk. IIBs and 91 Mk.IICs; at least some of the latter came from RAF Maintenance Units in the Middle East. 

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TigerHead’s 1/48 decal release “Hurricanes over Anatolia” provides markings for a representative selection of these aircraft – two Mk.Is, one Mk.IIB and one Mk.IIC.  Details are as follows:

• Hurricane Mk.I, ‘2705’.  Both this and the following machine (both metal-winged) were camouflaged in Dark Earth and Dark Green over what appears to a combination of Sky and black.  The latter colour is suggested rather than named in the scrap view of the lower port wing that is provided in TigerHead’s otherwise good painting and marking guide.  Given the range of black and white/black and Sky undersurface patterns applied to RAF Hurricanes during the time frame in which Turkey’s aircraft were manufactured, illustrations of the entire undersurface of ‘2705’ and ‘2710’ would have been useful.  Both aircraft carried national insignia on their upper and lower wings, and had red rudders overpainted with a white star and crescent.  The identification number ‘2705’ was painted in white on both sides of the fuselage and may have been an abbreviation of the original RAF serial.

• Hurricane Mk.I, ‘2710’.  This aircraft appears to have been almost identical to ‘2705’, apart from its different camouflage pattern and black rather than white identification number. 

• Hurricane Mk.IIB, ‘4222’.  Another Dark Earth and Dark Green Hurricane, this time with all-Sky undersurfaces and a Sky rather than black spinner.  The serial number was bi-coloured, with the first two numerals black and the last two white.  National markings were worn on the upper and lower wings.

• Hurricane Mk.IIC, ‘HV608’.  Almost certainly one of the ex-RAF machines supplied from the Middle East, ‘HV608’ carried its original RAF serial and was finished in Dark Earth and Middle Stone over Azure Blue.  The spinner was white and the only national identifier was the white star and crescent on the red rudder; unlike the previous aircraft, there were no red and white squares on the wings.

TigerHead’s full colour, downloadable painting and marking guide is minimalist but effective.  Each subject has a page of its own, and is illustrated by a port or starboard profile, an overhead view, and the lower wing scrap views mentioned earlier.  Paint colours are called out through swatches on the bottom of each page, and decal identity and placement is clearly indicated.  What isn’t included but would have been welcome is information about each of the featured aircraft, such as the units to which they were attached; as presented by TigerHead, the machines are interesting but somewhat anonymous.

The decals appear to be of the same high standard I’ve seen on other TigerHead releases, with crisp printing and good colour demarcation between the red and white of the national insignia.  There is (out of necessity) a fair bit of carrier film on some of the identification numbers, which will need to be applied over a very glossy surface to avoid silvering.

This release is essential for anyone interested in either 1/48 Hurricanes or Turkish military aircraft.  More details about the featured machines would have been useful, but this minor shortcoming is more than compensated for by TigerHead’s interesting choice of subjects and high quality decals.  Highly recommended. 

Thanks to TigerHead Decals for the review samples.

Text and Images Copyright © 2014 by Brad Fallen
This Page Created on 21 February, 2014
Last updated 21 February, 2014

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