¹⁄32

Silver Wings Hawker Hart Review Build

When I decided to review the new Silver Wings 1/32 Hawker Hart, I thought about what kind of review I could do. I then remembered that the reviews I found most helpful were the ones in the old “Military Aircraft (later Model) Preview” magazine.

I liked that the models were unpainted, so that nothing was hidden by a nice paint job, and you could really see how everything fit. In retrospect, those reviews could have almost been considered a building guide as they also provided guidance and tips for the best way to assemble the model.

I then decided that if I were to do a kit review, I wanted to emulate that style of review. What follows is my attempt to do so.

Silver Wing’s 1/32 Hawker Hart is only their seventh 1/32 resin model kit, although based on the quality, one would think they had been at this for many years. Silver Wings has earned a reputation as one of the top producers of resin kits in general, and has become the undisputed leader in interwar aircraft models. As a fan of aircraft of this era, I was most pleased to learn of the release of this icon British interwar aircraft.

One of the fastest, and best looking, biplanes of its day, the Hart was so fast when it entered service that the fighters in service at the time could not catch it. The successful mutation of the basic design into a family of aircraft (Hart, Hart (India), Hart (Special) Hart Fighter, Demon, Osprey, Audax, Hardy, Hind, Hector, as well as the Swedish B4 attests to the excellent design of the basic airframe.

Note that the kit only provides parts to build the “original” Hart, and the builder will need to source their own modified parts to do any of the other family members. References on the Hart are surprisingly few and far between, but the most well known is likely the recent Mushroom Models Publications book “Hawker Hart Family” written by Alex Crawford.

For information and photos of the parts, please visit the Silver Wings website