1:48 Hawker Hurricane Mk I

The Mk I: the machine that weathered the year 1940

The first production version of the Hurricane flew in 1937 and went into action with the Rolls-Royce Merlin III engine and eight Browning machine guns in the wings. The early examples had fabric-covered wings and a wooden two-blade propeller; during 1939 these were replaced by metal covering and an adjustable three-blade propeller, with which the machine finally got the rate of climb it needed. It was precisely in this form that it made up the majority of the British fighter squadrons during the Battle of Britain.

The sheet offers the markings of individual aircraft: squadron code letters, serial numbers and personal emblems, thanks to which a model can be built as a particular example with a traceable history. That tends to be more interesting than an anonymous machine, because for most of the aircraft marked here there are surviving records of the pilot and of how the service turned out.

Before applying them, treat the surface with a gloss varnish, so that no air gets under the motif. Cut as tightly around the printing as you can; every unnecessary millimeter of carrier film will betray itself after drying as a glossy outline. Smaller lettering is better taken with flat-jawed tweezers than with your fingers.

On richly colored camouflage it pays to check the coverage of the light letters; if the surface shows through, add a second piece over the first as soon as the lower one has dried.

Think the choice of scheme over before you start spraying. Machines from the spring of 1940 and from the autumn of the same year differ not only in their markings but also in the color of the undersurfaces and in the type of propeller, so the date you choose will affect the build before it ever comes to the decals. On the early examples, count on a different structure of the wing as well.