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enamel to represent coloured

bulbs, before being secured to the

wings using PVA glue (once the

cemented wings had hardened).

Italeri have not been slow in

releasing alternative versions of

their Hurricane kit, including a Sea

Hurricane and a MK.IIc, and the

breakdown of the main airframe

components reflects the need for

adaptability in some areas. Two

such areas are the central sections

of each wing leading edge, which

come as separate inserts featuring

the machine gun apertures. The

apertures are nicely hollowed

out, but unfortunately the inserts

themselves are not the best fit, and

require some re-profiling and an

application of filler around their

edges to blend them into the wings.

The majority of parts were now

removed from the sprue frames

and cleaned up, and construction

started on various sub-assemblies,

including the engine and

undercarriage. The engine is basic

and doesn’t actually fit together

very well. Gaps are evident around

most of the main engine block

components, and some areas are

oddly devoid of detail altogether.

The engine firewall is also

oddly shaped, as it does not have

the same profile as the inner

fuselage to which it attaches, so

when fitted there is a gap around

its edge. If you intend to display the

engine, you will have to do some

extra work on it and the engine

bay to bring them up to scratch.

By this time, however, I had

already decided to close up the nose

• not because I was shying away
  from the extra work, but because
  I wanted to keep the Hurricane’s
  familiar profile intact, as this is the
  only Hurricane in my collection.
  Also, I had decided to use the
  fabulous Cartograph decal sheet
  and model McKnight’s aircraft,
  with its wonderful nose art, and
  this would have been lost if I had
  removed the engine panels.
  Having decided to close up the
  engine bay, I still needed to build
  and paint the engine, as it remains
  quite visible once the fuselage is
  closed, and there is no alternative
  way to attach the propeller and
  exhaust stacks other than gluing
  them to the completed engine.
  I chose to replace the kit
  exhausts with the superior
  Quickboost items, which feature
  hollowed out ends and which are an
  exact replacement for the kit parts.
  The propeller spinner also required
  a bit of extra work, as the back plate
  is a poor fit, leaving gaping holes
  around the protruding blades. I
  tidied these up with a bit of Milliput.
  The undercarriage is nicely
  represented, featuring delicately

detailed actuating arms and

legs, with only the slightest of

mould seams to remove. Another

nice feature is the inclusion of

weighted tyres and the option

of four- or five-spoke wheels.

All flight controls are moulded

separately, and at this time they

were removed from the sprue

frames, assembled, and cleaned

up. The elevators and ailerons

fit nicely into their respective

slots in the wings, and the

tailplanes can be easily posed or

left unglued. The rudder too can

be posed at an angle, and comes

with an integrally moulded (but

fragile) aerial stalk on its top.

To prevent the stalk from being

knocked off during construction,

I decided to drill a tiny hole down

through its centre and insert a short

length of Albion Alloys tubing.

This was a feat of microsurgery

at its most demanding, but it was

worth the eye and finger strain,

as it would give me a perfect

hole through which I could

thread an aerial wire at the end

of the build. A corresponding

hole was also carefully drilled

into the aerial mast.

I also chose to remove the

moulded-on tail light from the

rear of the rudder and drill a

small hole into its mounting,

into which I would later insert

a transparent lens made from

stretched clear sprue.

All sub-assemblies were now

set aside to harden and await

their turn in the spray shop.

THE EYE OF THE STORM:

ASSEMBLY AND PAINT

The painting process began with

an application of Alclad Grey

Primer, followed by a coat of Alclad

Aluminium over the completed

cockpit tub, wheels, undercarriage

and bay, and propeller blades.

The Aires cockpit went together

with little fuss and required just

the usual amount of patience where

the tiny, etched control levers and

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