Manuel Magrinho has built the Hurricane Mk IIc as one of a series of models of the Portuguese Aviation aircraft. The Model Kit was built “out of the box” using the national insignia of that country. See photos of the model, read the article and do not hestitate to comment!
Arma Hobby Hurricane IIc in Portuguese markings
For long, I am quite found of the Hurricane and her history in Portuguese skies. When looking for a quality 1:72 Hurricane IIc to tell that story, I found the “Arma Hobby” kits, full of detail and quality, so I went for it.
The kit is presented in a box that allows you to make a couple of versions, with an alternative to open or closed canopy and, depending on the “Expert” or “Standard” edition with or without photo-etched parts for the interior of the cockpit and some masks. In the standard edition the seat belts are from decals and the masks are done by yourself using the templates from the instruction sheet.
The plastic is very good, the detail is crisp, and the engineering of the kit is also good. However, some pieces are connected to the sprue in a less convenient place and could be an inch to the side without compromising the mould, making it easier for the modeler.
The decals also look very good, although I only used common stencils because the national marks were either painted or from another set.
Building and painting
The building of this kit is quite easy and straightforward and very pleasant, and throughout the painting I found a lot of detail in the model, more common in 1:48 than in 1:72.
The build started by the cockpit, which is quite nice and detailed with no major problems.
After assembling the fuselage, wings, stabilizers, and so on, I masked the canopy (used the closed one for painting) and proceed for the funny part (painting ?).
As the kit has so much detail and does not need any filler, I just cleaned it with some IPA and skipped primer (as usual). The painting was, as I usually do, with Mr. Hobby over some pre-shading.
Following my habit of starting by the lighter colour, I painted the wheel wells and then the lighter gray on the rest of the underside.
On top, after applying the camouflage colours, I went on painting the white roundels base to the Christ Crosses on both side of the wings as well as the band on the fuselage near the tail.
Having the paint job done, it was time for the first layer of gloss coat to support the decals, followed by another one to seal them.
Painting and decaling was complemented with panel liner and some oils. A small amount of dust and some chipping was also applied, especially in the wheels and around the cockpit.
I tried to reproduce the level of weathering as seen in the photographs of the time, i.e., quite low.
After all the major painting, it was time to fix the propeller, wheels, guns, antenna wire and apply some matt coat.
Due to the pandemic times we are living, I run out of my usual matt clear (Mr Hobby) so had to use Hataka (orange line).
Last, and to conclude, was time to fix the other canopy (the open one), navigation, position and head lights. I painted their location beforehand in silver and gave a touch of colour for the navigation ones. Headlights received a touch of silver from inside the clear part to simulate the lamp.
Some of them as the one on the tail had to be done with a tiny drop of PVA glue.
And that’s it!
Well, no…
Looking at some photos I noticed that the model doesn’t had the rear-view mirror, so I scratched one 😀
It was a quick and enjoyable build, hope you like it.
Cheers,
Manuel
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