1:48 Hurricane Mk.IIC Trop - canopy masks (double sided) for Arma Hobby

The tropical Hurricane with a filter under the nose

Double-sided stencils for the glazing of the Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIC fighter in tropical form, 1:48 scale. The set is cut for the Arma Hobby kit, which matters on this type: the manufacturer also makes masks for the Hurricane Mk.IIC without the tropical designation, and the frames differ between individual moldings.

Why the Hurricane stood up to the desert better

The fuselage of the Hurricane consists of a welded steel tube framework, covered with fabric at the rear. In the field conditions of North Africa a structure like that was far easier to repair than an all-metal shell, even without workshop facilities. The Mk.IIC version carried four 20 mm cannons in the wing and a Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engine with a two-speed supercharger. The tropical form added a bulky dust filter under the nose, which cost a little speed but markedly extended the life of the engine over sandy terrain. Machines in this form served over Egypt, Libya, Malta and on the Burmese front.

A cockpit made up of three parts

The glazing consists of a fixed windscreen with a flat armored pane in the middle, a sliding middle section and a fixed rear window behind the pilot. The frames are wide and on the sliding section are visible from both sides, so the double-sided form pays off more than on machines with a thin bubble canopy. Fit the inner pieces before the fuselage is closed and the outer ones only after the interior is finished.

Who the set suits

• Builders of desert machines of the Royal Air Force
• Those who build a model with the middle section slid back
• Modelers bothered by a clear frame showing through from inside
• Those interested in aircraft of the North African and Burmese fronts