I was sure that the Yaks were my last Arma Hobby kits for the time being but then this one turned up that I couldn't let pass...

Please leave room on the modelling table for the, tadam, Hurricane IIC! (Does it sound "tadam" when they beat the drum before the star enters in the English-speaking world? It does so in Sweden at least !)


I won't do a night intruder but still I like the box art!


Decals, and as usual a good and varied selection of subjects! Being an "Expert Set" (it really speaks my name...) there is also a set of masks and a small set of etch that didn't make it to the photo shoot !


Plastic for the Mk IIC...


...and as an interesting comparison, plastic from the earlier kit of the Mk I! As you can see this is an all new kit.


And finally, a nose comparison between the Mk I and the Mk IIc...


...where the longer nose of the IIc can be clearly seen! Further to the rear there are some minor differences between the marks but it is interesting to note that they fit perfectly together profile-wise!

This will be a perfect holiday project, stay tuned for more Christmas updates!



Magnus

Been busy doing some very traditional modelling chores: cleaning up parts!


Parts on sticks... I should give these a shot of primer but I think it'll have to wait until tomorrow!

I've noticed an interesting thing about the Hurricane over Western Europe: it was very much a Battle of Britain thing. The Mk II is common as a night intruder but I have gotten into my head that I want one in the Day Fighter Scheme of Dark Green/Medium Sea Grey/Ocean Grey. One of the options in the kit is for this scheme but there are almost no photos of operational Hurricane IIc:s in this scheme. Photos of black or desert camoed aircraft can be found in droves but very few of the ones I want to do. I finally found a photo online that shows six no 1 Squadron aircraft flying in echelon but that's about it!



Magnus

Things are moving forward with the rest of the family sleeping late during the holidays. I'm an early riser so usually I get an hour or two of hobby time before the rest of the family is awake!


More parts on sticks but now painted!


I will never complain about the Techmod-decals, they are up there among the best nowadays! Check that instrument panel, it was painted gloss black with two layers of decals on it.


Fuselage interior parts painted, washed and highlighted using the very passé method of drybrushing...


...using Humbrol paints that I bought earlier today. I gave away a whole box of these ten years ago after having converted to acrylics already in the 1990:s but lately I have felt that using Vallejo for drybrushing isn't ideal so I'm back to the enamels now!



Magnus

Magnus,

Looking really good. The interior looks really nice.
I'm hoping they'll follow this kit up with a IIa/b. A new tooled 12 gun Hurricane is needed.

That is a great looking kit Magnus, and you are making good progress so far. As always, the "parts on sticks" is a highlight for me, it reminds me so much of my bench most of the time! Cocktail sticks and alligator clips everywhere.

I will be following, enjoy the holiday season and keep the reports rolling in!

Cheers, D

Stephen! You're not alone, a friend of mine over at the IPMS Stockholm forum keeps banging on about a IId ! I don't know how much work either a conversion from the IIc would be to the a-, b- or d-configuration, or if a cross-kitting with the Arma Mk I would be possible. Having studied the Spitfire inside and out I now realise that I have no clue whatsoever about things Hurricane !

Damian! Whenever I put a part on a toothpick I think about you ! Happy Holidays!

Interior is now finished and it was a lot easier to complete than on the Hurricane I. The kits are of course based on the same CAD-data but there has been some slight tweaking and improvements apart from the more obvious differences between Mk I and II.


This is what goes into that fuselage.


Interior glued inside one of the fuselage halves...


...this was the tricky bit on the Mk I...


...that can be seen in the above photo! Note how separate framework on the fuselage sides has been done away with on the Mk II, easing assembly a lot for really no loss of visible detail. Photo from Christmas Eve last year by the way !


Preparing the wingtip lights...


...using clear sprue with a drilled-out "lightbulb" mounted using liberal amounts of superglue.



Magnus

Final assembly!




I'll leave it for a day or to to let the joints harden thoroughly, I can keep busy finishing the smaller parts while waiting!


Finally, as you can see in the above photo taken a few days before, there were cannon stubs. WERE is the word... I have removed them since I have ordered these:


Hispano Mk I...


...and Hispano Mk II. I ordered both for good measure, the one I don't use now might come in handy in the future!

Master from Poland makes them (together with loads of other stuff like this for all kinds of models, from armour to ships). I put in an order with Arma but they can be bought directly from Master as well. Problem is that they haven't been released yet but they promise in "the new year", I hope that means soon !



Magnus

Getting the wings and fuselage mated up is always a major step forward, and this one has gone together really well. I can't see any real issues on the wing roots or underside joins.

Great job on the wingtip lights as well, they polished up beautifully. Excellent alternative solution to the kit parts.

Looking forward to the exterior colour combo now!

Cheers, D

Magnus, that's fantastic work so far. The IP looks superb! I just have to imagine that it's 1/72 and I could sit in the corner and be ashamed of my own cockpits in 1/48 ....

Everything quiet on my workbench now as I spend the days around New Years Eve in Amsterdam. But my Kanonenjagdpanzer (in 1/35 .... ) will be finished soon after my return.

Damian, I was smiling when I read your comment. In Germany we call this stuff "Crocodile Clamps" (not Dundee .... )

Wishing you all a great New Years Eve Party!
Torsten

Hi,
better get "hurri" as another project is already waiting behind the corner for you.

No time for dust to gather on your work bench, Magnus!

And that FM2 looks like another winner from Arma

Friends! Thanks a lot ! And Torsten, thats krokodilklämmor in Swedish, probably shamelessly stolen from German like many other words in my language!

I have to admit that the Wildcat wasn't what I had hoped for but I am convinced that it will be another very nice model and I will of course get one ! And in their newsletter, Arma says they plan for four new kits next year, if that includes their continuing and confirmed work with their Hurricane family I don't know but there still might be room for a P-51B !

A minor update tonight, I have mostly spent time doing some minimal filling and sanding on the Hurricane itself but that doesn't make any good photos so here we go with some detail work!


Prop finished waiting for decals and basic weathering done on the exhausts, I'll let them dry before adding some metal powder to get a bit of metallic sheen to them.


I have also rebuilt the kit tailwheel to a Mk I configuration since the decal option I have chosen for some reason had an earlier type of tailwheel than the Mk II-type that you can see in the profile in the avatar.

I'll be away up north skiing during next week so not much progress but I promise to be back after that!



Magnus

So they're Alligators in English, and Crocodiles in German (and Swedish).
What's the difference between an Alligator and a Crocodile?




An Alligator sees you later, whereas a Crocodile sees you after a while.

I would be a lot more worried about them eating me than seeing me ! Thanks for the clarification Jessie !



Magnus

Well we have no Alligators here in Oz, only Crocs, so I suppose I should call them CrocClips!

Here's my AutoModeler version -


Jessie, Bill Haley would be proud!

Cheers, Beers and Happy New Years!

D

My final before-skiing-update!


Final result of the exhausts, I brushed them using steel powder and ended up with this. I'm quite pleased with myself !


After some final polishing it's ready for primer.


The filled area where the wing meets the fuselage is probably avoidable, I pressed the rear of the wing too hard when I glued it . If I do another one (I likely will ) I'll add some kind of support in the fuselage so that the wing has something to rest on and won't go too far inwards.


Masked! I'll go and shake a Tamiya Fine White rattlecan now!



Magnus

Rattlecan has done its magic ! And I managed to sneak in another post before going skiing...


There is some very nice raised detail on the wings. I primed the airframe to check how it looked and decided to tone it down a bit using sanding pads.


Remember these? From another time modelling-wise but still very useful! I'll keep the windscreen from the model but will use the vacform part to do the canopy in the open position.


And then, as whenever possible, I add a Quickboost gunsight for my small-scale pilot's benefit!



Magnus

Enjoy the skiing Magnus: you've banked plenty of quality work and definitely earnt the break

I was back yesterday and after a week of fresh air and sun I really felt the need for the smell of stale thinner and artificial lighting !


Windscreen glued and carefully masked, the Falcon canopy just laid loosely on the fuselage as a test.


And after some painting. As usual, blending clear parts is both difficult and delicate. I'll let the paint dry and do some more careful filling and sanding before progressing further. One further advantage of using the Falcon canopy for the finished model is that one can use the original kit canopy as a mask.



Magnus

Looking good. Did you cut the canopy masks or was it a pre-cut set from Eduard. Always dread that job on a Hurricane.

Stephen! The masks came with the kit but were of course intended for the kit part so they didn't fit the Falcon canopy. In the kit, there are however two different canopies (one closed and one that is a bit splayed to fit over the fuselage in the open position) with masks for both so for the side panes I used two masks, overlapping to get the right height. I think that I could have done the same operation with thin tape strips though, cutting them in the corners and filling in the centers with Micro Mask.



Magnus

Magnus;

nearly missed this thread after my holidays, but I am happy to be back in time and adjust my chair to enjoy Your build. Very nice work so far.

Oliver

I've missed that smell too Magnus, after also being away for a week on vacation! Time to get back to work on my Hurricane methinks!

Meanwhile, yours is coming along nicely!

Sorry for keeping you waiting, I've been a bit busy with other stuff lately so progress has been slow. Anyway, major markings are on now, I need to mask these and apply a further layer of primer before committing to the camouflage.








A set of absolutely delicious Hispano cannon, courtesy of Master! I haven't yet decided how to handle the stubs, if I should attach them to the wing before painting or paint them separately and install them afterwards. Leaning towards mounting them beforehand though!



Magnus