1:48 Hawker Hurricane Mk.I - Cockpit Door (for Arma Hobby Kits / 3D-Printed)

Eduard 1:48 Hawker Hurricane Mk.I — the cockpit door, 3D print (for the Arma Hobby kit)

This is NOT an aircraft kit. It is a detail part from Eduard — the hinged cockpit door for the Hawker Hurricane Mk.I in 1:48 scale, made by direct 3D printing and designed for the Arma Hobby plastic kit. The model itself is sold separately.

Why the door in particular

The Hurricane had a hinged door (a flap) in the left side of the cockpit through which the pilot climbed in — it is one of the most distinctive features of this aircraft. On the model it can be built open, and that is the main reason modelers buy this part: an open door lays the cockpit open to view, the model stops looking like a closed shell and comes across as alive, as if ready for boarding. Ideal for a diorama with a figure of the pilot or of the ground crew. A thin-walled door can moreover be rendered convincingly only by 3D printing — injection-molded plastic manages neither such a wall thickness nor edges this sharp.

The real subject

The Hawker Hurricane Mk.I was a British fighter and the mainstay of the RAF in the Battle of Britain — Hurricanes shot down more enemy aircraft at that time than the more famous Spitfires, because there were more of them in the squadrons. In its design it was an older concept: the fuselage had partly fabric covering over a metal frame, which incidentally meant that a fuselage shot through could be patched up quickly in the field. The Hurricane is also a strong subject for anyone who follows the Czechoslovak trace in the RAF: a number of Czechoslovak pilots served with the RAF and it was on Hurricanes that they claimed a large part of their victories in 1940.

Tips for working with 3D prints

The part cannot be glued with polystyrene cement — use cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) or epoxy. Before painting, wash the part in lukewarm water with a detergent so that residues of the print resin and of the cleaning fluid are removed; otherwise the paint will not hold and will flake off. Any cleaning up after cutting the part from the print supports should be done by wet sanding — dust from a 3D print is harmful to health and must not be inhaled. Cut the part off carefully: thin walls are fragile. With the cockpit open, count on the interior being visible — it is worth giving it some time.

Who the part is for

• builders of the Hurricane Mk.I in 1:48 from the Arma Hobby kit
• modelers who want the cockpit open and laid bare to view
• builders of dioramas with figures (the pilot boarding, the machine being serviced)
• anyone interested in aircraft with a Czechoslovak trace in the RAF

It is not an aircraft model but an accessory. The kit, glue and paints are not included in the package.