1:48 Hurricane MkIIB

A wing with twelve barrels

The Hurricane Mk IIB received a stronger Merlin XX engine and above all a new weapon fit: twelve 7.7 mm machine guns distributed between both halves of the wing. The fire was dense, but against the strengthening armor of the opponent it lost effect, and the version therefore remained interesting rather for attacks on ground targets and for service in peripheral theaters. Some of the machines were consequently given racks under the wing for bombs or drop tanks.

From British roundels to red stars

This type appeared in unusual places. A British wing sent to the north of Russia flew from a muddy airfield near Murmansk and its machines kept their original finish, only with a star added. The following deliveries were already handed over to Soviet regiments, which oversprayed the British roundels and added a white tactical number on the fin or on the fuselage. Elsewhere the same type patrolled the desert in North Africa with sand camouflage and a broad filter under the nose; further machines served over Burma. One aircraft could thus carry three entirely different systems of markings within a year.

Working with a stencil step by step

The glazing is masked first, because under a silver or metallic layer any scratches would stand out. The piece is laid on a dry surface, pressed down with a soft wooden stick and only then sprayed. The inner set is especially useful when a modeler leaves the cockpit slid back. The insignia stencils are used only over dried camouflage. On machines from the north a winter overspray is applied over them, and it has to cure thoroughly before the next coat.