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ARMA Hobby has announced that their new 1/72 scale Hurricane Mk.1 Trop will be released in the next week or two

Coming soon! New 1/72 scale Hurricane Mk I Trop is expected in a week or two. Box includes RAF and RAAF markings. Check Australian marking options on the ARMA Hobby website.

ARMA Hobby has commissioned a look at the history of V7476: one of the subjects of this release
Although Royal Australian Air Force used Hawker Hurricane fighters during the Second World War only one aircraft of this type was delivered to Australia. It was Hawker Hurricane Mk.I Trop/V7476 and was shipped there in 1941, when this version was found obsolete and Hawker Hurricane Mk.II with Rolls Royce XX engine was replacing its older brother.
When V7476 reached Austraila it wore typical RAF camouflage from the beginning of the war. Upper surfaces were painted Dark Green and Dark Earth (in this case the B Pattern). Lower surfaces were painted Sky. According to available information there were no roundels on the lower wings. In the second half of 1942 it was repainted and the new scheme was, the most probably, Foliage Green and Earth Brown on upper surfaces and Sky Blue For many years it has been shown and described as painted Foliage Green but the RAAF General Aircraft Instruction No. C11from July 1942 required all operational aircraft being painted Foliage Green and Earth Brown. As at that time V7476 was in 1 Aircraft Depot implementing this instruction is logical. Although existing photos are not very clean they reveal demarcation lines between the two camouflage colours. What is interesting, during repainting the original camouflage B Pattern was changed to A Pattern. The Hurricane also received Australian national markings. As camouflage colour faded quickly under Australian sun. Sky Blue turned to almost white, also contrast of Foliage Green and Earth Brown faded (Brown faded less).
In September 1944 it came back to 1 Aircraft Depot where it stayed until the end of the year and probably was serviced and repainted according to new instruction from May 1944 which required all fighter planes wear no camouflage. Fabric parts were painted silver and paint from metal parts was removed, although according to the instruction appendix it should be painted Foliage Green.
There is one more interesting thing in this history. Unlike other aircraft sent to Australia during the war, Hawker Hurricane Mk.I Trop/V7476 never received Australian serial number. It kept its original serial number.

70021 - Hurricane Mk I Trop – 1/72

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