BASIC BUILD
HURRICANE Mk.I
BASIC BUILD
HURRICANE Mk.Ihttp://www.airfi xmodelworld.com 45After all the parts were painted
and weathered, the cockpit was
assembled; this was a fiddly
process, due to the small parts
and their delicacy. Notably, the
interior tubular framework was a
particular challenge as the contact
points were vague. The upper wing
doubled as the cockpit floor, to
which were added the foot rests,
rudder pedals and control column- these all located positively,
although pedals and the control
column did appear somewhat
clunky compared with the finesse
of other components.
Quality engineering
The wing/fuselage join was
very good – just a hint of filler
was needed on the underside
of the rear airframe, which isn’t
uncommon for parts with such a
flat profile. After gluing, the model
was left for at least 72 hours to
minimise the risk of sink marks,
but this wasn’t entirely successful
as one seam became noticeable
during later painting. A smear of
filler was applied to the offending
area and, when dry, this was
sanded gently, before touch-ups
were applied to the paintwork.The tailplane was a single-piece
item with a separate single
elevator, which could be attached
(should the modeller wish) with
the control surfaces deflected
slightly. A one-part vertical
fin/rudder combination then
slotted on top – a novel solution
to replicating the Hurricane’s
empennages. Just a minor
widening of the locating slot was
required to achieve a snug fit,
although a small amount of Deluxe
Materials’ Perfect Putty (www.
deluxematerials.co.uk) was used to
fair the join.The underside parts were then
married, before being added to
the fuselage; again, the fit was
precise, with just small amounts
of Mr. Surface used to fair in the
joins. Lastly, the windscreen
and canopy were addressed;
disappointingly these were both
overly thick, although they were
commendably clear. Filler was
used to fair the former into the
fuselage, while modellers wanting
an open canopy may opt for either
a vac-formed replacement or (as
conducted on the ‘Expert’ kit) it
could be sanded for a thinnerAfter all the parts were painted
and weathered, the cockpit was
assembled; this was a fiddly
process, due to the small partsQuality engineering
The wing/fuselage join was
very good – just a hint of filler
was needed on the undersideThe tailplane was a single-piece
item with a separate single
elevator, which could be attached
(should the modeller wish) withThe underside parts were then
married, before being added to
the fuselage; again, the fit was
precise, with just small amounts With the wings together, the floor was secured, ready
for the fuselage to be mated; note the clear landing
lights in the leading edges. Arma Hobby adopted an unusual, but innovative,
approach for the airframe engineering,
which fitted together neatly. A dark wash accentuated the moulded detail in the cockpit, after which the various
sub-assemblies were attached to the fuselage halves. A smear of Mr. Surfacer was applied to the wing/fuselage seam for peace of mind,
although it wasn’t strictly necessary.“DESPITE THE SMALL
SCALE, THE COCKPIT
WASSURPRISINGLY BUSY”