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Patrick Stephens Ltd
(in association with Airfix) Hawker Hurricane Reviewed by Hardback
Again this book is broken down into two
distinct sections, the first part delves into the often overlooked
reasons of design, that of the requirement by the AirMinistryfor an
eight gun day/night fighter. That Supermarine and Hawker arrived at
the same solution by different routes is only now apparent from the
design background of the companies and their aircraft designs. Hawker reached the end of the line with the Hurricane and it's a sad fact that most of the Hurricanes produced were scrapped before the wars end, obsolete in a world of rapidly expanding aviation evolution. Nevertheless it was the Hurricane that was available in sufficient numbers at a time vital to the survival of RAF fighter command and ensured the continued existence of a free and democratic Great Britain. The book is quite clear in stating that the Hurricane wasn't developed in the same sense as the Bf109 or its other contemporaries. Its basic design didn't allow major modification to the airframe and it was relatively minor increases in performance and the ability to be adapted to peripheral combat roles that ensured its continued use when in fact it was obsolete by the end of 1940. That maybe isn't quite fair to the Hurricane which was still a capable combat aircraft of rugged design and less susceptible to combat damage of the type that would be the end of some of its more thoroughbred contemporaries. (Perhaps its this 'purposefulness' of design which is attractive to modellers when mirrored against the 'fragile' looking Spitfire). All photographs in the book are mono images
and the monotone profile illustrations hark back to a time when colour
printing was just too damned expensive for an esoteric publication
such as a book on how to build a plastic aircraft kit! To be fair
also, the modelling magazines of the day didn't carry a lot of colour
and the profiles of illustrators such as Robin Algar were accepted
as the standard using letraset (remember this stuff?) mechanical tints
to illustrate camouflage variations. Detail wise, there are several good images of Hurricane 'innards' but again today's internet access means there is a wealth of 'free' reference material available. If anything, this publication serves to illustrate just how lucky we are to be modelling in this age. What is invaluable is the section on the Rolls-Royce Merlin and the photo's, illustrations and sectional drawings are great examples of the engineering draughtsman's skills. Part two deals with the kit and follows
the kits construction sequence with added detail or alterations called
out. This fourth book in the series departs from the previous titles
in that it is a bit more adventurous in adding detail. The tubular
steel fuselage frames are essential if you intend to open any of the
access panels on the kit that are not already removed by Airfix. Scale drawings are provided to build up
the entire fuselage framing, but interestingly none of the detail
such as the wooden formers or stringers are added. Also not included
is any detail of the fishplates used to bolt the tubing together.
In this scale these would be very evident and alternative references
are needed to really complete this area. Saying this, techniques needed to construct
the framework are described and from the photographs included, it's
apparent that a very complex looking detailed hurricane can be built
following Gerald Scarborough's constructions. He even goes as far
as making eighty of the oval Dsuz fasteners from sprue and plastic
strip, a task that would put all but the dedicated detailer off. Options
for converting the venerable Hurri are limited and it's either a MkI
or a MkII. Granted there are plenty of sub-variants such as Sea-hurricanes,
Canadian variants and even a two seater but in the main there is little
external difference between the types. A good thing? Well yes and no. Yes as it's relatively easy to produce
a whole rake of Hurricanes with small variations and no as the considerable
effort to convert the MkI to a longer nose MkII, isn't really evident
in the end result and would mean that the superb Merlin engine and
the associated details could not be used. But then how desperately
do you want/need a MkII in 1:24th scale? As in the previous review (Bf109
CA No.2) and from a purely personal point of view, I'd love
to see the series brought back to life and with the new releases in
1:24th scale by other manufacturers as well as Airfix's own in-house
conversions (Sea Harriers and MkVb Spitfire) of its existing superkits. These books are pure nostalgia, made all
the more enticing by the fact that the original kits are still around.
Unfortunately out of print for some years now, they are still to be
found on e-bay auctions and in second hand bookshops. Cover prices reflect the condition and the Spitfire and Bf109 editions (No.1 and 2) seem to be easier to find than the Mustang (No.3) and Hurricane (No.4) also reflected in price differences. Recommended for those with rose tinted
memories of what modelling used to be all about! © Tony Oliver 2004 |
Following
on from the previous three titles in this series of books supporting
the enormous Airfix superkits of 70's vintage, the Hurricane title
is no exception and has a similar tried and tested format.