Sea Hurricane Mk.IB

Arma Hobby, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Graham Carter

This is another iteration of the widely acclaimed ARMA Hurricane Mk I, this time as the shipboard version with tail hook and exhaust flame covers. This version is the Mk Ib with the eight .303 machine guns, and there was a Mk Ic variant with the four 20mm cannons that appeared on the Mk IIc heavy fighter. This will probably follow as the company has already produced a nightfighter variant with the longer fuselage.

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Thumbnail panels:

The kit has been praised for its accuracy with a nice interior, beautifully rendered panel lines, excellent fabric fuselage details, the correct break in the dorsal area where the metal cockpit area meets the fabric covered rear fuselage and the definite narrowing of the rear fuselage under the tailplane. What’s not to like about it?

This new edition of the kit comes in the standard flimsy end-opening box with a fine illustration of Z7153 landing on board. Besides the lovely plastic parts it includes a sheet of canopy masks and two vinyl panels that go on the ends of the flaps beside the radiator housing.

A gorgeous set of 3D-printed grey resin parts are supplied for the rear ventral fuselage to cater for the arrestor hook, two different exhausts types (earlier round ones and the later fish-tail styles), an oil ‘catcher’ that went behind the propeller spinner to direct oil away from the canopy, headrest, catapult spools and the flame covers.

This is cleverly produced in a pyramidal form that reduces the number of support columns associated with 3D-printing.

While the location of the vinyl panels is indicated on the third page of the instructions, there is no diagram of the mask positions.

Clear instructions are given to remove the lower parts of the rear fuselage by cutting along the grooves inside each fuselage half so that the resin tail-hook section can be attached.

The canopy comes in two forms so that it can be represented closed or open with the latter slightly wider to fit over the rear fuselage - clever!!

The instructions give colour call-outs in each stage and a paint table at the start covers all colours by name and FS number ( where necessary) for Hataka, AK, Lifecolor, AMMO, Humbrol, Vallejo and Tamiya. Humbrol are the only enamels listed.

Marking Options

Decals choices number five in total and are covered in full colour four-view drawings at the rear of the twelve-page A5 stapled instruction booklet.

They appear to be well printed with minimal carrier film and excellent register and density.

The five choices are:-

1. Z7153, ‘F’ of 801 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) on HMS Eagle , Operation Pedestal in August 1942 in standard Temperate Sea Scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey /Dark Slate Grey over Sky with a yellow fin and leading edges, and early roundels on fuselage and under wings,

2. V6695, ‘K’ of 801 NAS on HMS Eagle , Operation Pedestal in August 1942 in standard Temperate Sea Scheme with a yellow fin only, and later roundels on fuselage and under wings,

3. AF953, ‘A’, of 802 NAS on HMS Avenger, summer 1942 in standard Temperate Sea Scheme with no yellow, and later roundels on fuselage and under wings,

4. V7506 ‘7T’ of 885 NAS on HMS Victorious, Operation Pedestal in August 1942 in standard Temperate Sea Scheme with a yellow fin and leading edges, a sky tail band and later roundels on fuselage and under wings, and 

5. Z4849 ‘7G’, V7506 ‘7T’ of 880 NAS on HMS Indomitable, Operation Pedestal in August 1942 in standard Temperate Sea Scheme with a yellow fin and leading edges, a sky tail band and later roundels on fuselage and under wings, flown by Sub Lt Hugh Popham.

This is a reasonable range of choices given the fairly standardised schemes these aeroplanes were painted.

This is an exceptional base kit and the additional parts will enable any modeller to produce a great little model of the “‘Urricane wiv an’ook” as they were referred to by Cockney aircrew. This one comes highly recommended. Get one while you can!

Thanks to Arma Hobby for the sample

Review Text Copyright © 2022 by Graham Carter
Images Copyright © 2022 by Brett Green
Page Created 15 December, 2022
Last updated 15 December, 2022

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