1:48 Hawker Hurricane Mk I

A cockpit under a framed hood

In the summer of 1940 the Hurricane was the most numerous fighter of the British defenses and shot down more opponents than any other type of that battle. In terms of design it stood between two epochs: its fuselage was still a tubular truss and largely fabric-covered, while the powerplant and the armament already belonged to a new generation. The cockpit of the first mark carries a similar compromise; its hood slides back on guide rails and is divided by thick longitudinal as well as transverse frames.

The framing decides the procedure

It is precisely that number of frames that makes masking a lengthy part of the build. Behind the sliding section comes the fixed glazing of the decking behind the headrest, which has an outline of its own and against which hand-cut tape is laid worst of all the areas. Pre-cut film sits on every pane in one piece, holds to the bend without lifting at the edges and comes away after spraying without leaving a step or a residue of adhesive behind.

Contents and intended use

Inside waits covering of the outer panes and with it a separate sheet through which you apply the cockade as well as the stripes in paint instead of a decal. Nothing is covered from the inside. The cut follows the plastic of the Hasegawa company; the parts of the aircraft itself you obtain elsewhere.

Recommended procedure

It proves best to varnish the inside of the cockpit first, then to seat the covering and to spray the frames in the same shade the surrounding skin will carry. The vinyl takes several thin coats without soaking under the edge. The markings come in turn only after the base color of the fuselage has dried, so that the spraying has a smooth base under it.