Hasegawa 1/72 Hurricane IIB "Red Star"

The Hurricane IIB was quite similar to the IIA. A few were fitted with racks allowing them to carry two 250 lb (110 kg) or two 500 lb (230 kg) bombs. This lowered the top speed of the Hurricane to 301 mph (484 km/h), but by this point mixed sweeps of Hurricanes carrying bombs, protected by a screen of fighter Hurricanes were not uncommon. The same racks allowed the Hurricane to carry two 45 imp gal (200 L) drop tanks instead of the bombs, nearly doubling the Hurricane's fuel load.

Hurricane Mk.IIA Series 2 was equipped with a new and slightly longer propeller spinner, and four additional wing-mounted .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns; for a total of 12 guns. The first aircraft were built in February 1941 and were renamed Mk.IIB in April 1941. A total of 3,050 IIBs built to November 1942, 1,883 by Hawker, 867 by Gloster Aircraft Company and 300 by the Austin Aero Company.

For use in North Africa the Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIB (and other variants) were tropicalised. They were fitted with Vokes and Rolls-Royce engine dust filters and the pilots were issued with a desert survival kit, including a bottle of water behind the cockpit. For more on the Hurricane, please visit the link at the end of the preview.

For the longest time, Hasegawa's Hurricanes were the best you could get in this scale. They are still very nice kits, but have been superceded in the detail department by those released by Arma Hobby. One benefit of the Hasegawa kits is that they are fairly inexpensive and are basic kits that are not very fiddly.

It has an adequate three piece cockpit that will be mostly hidden under a one piece canopy. The kit has a separate nose to take care of other variants and has exhaust that can be installed after painting. The wings are the usual one piece lower with two upper halves. All of the wing gun openings are molded closed so will have to be opened prior to completing the wings.

When the wings are done, those, the nose, and tailplanes can be attached. Landing gear is well done and can also be attached after painting. For this kit, the molded on tail wheel is cut away and a replacement installed. There are also two lower cowling options, one with a sand filter, depending on which plane you are building. The prop has separate blades and includes a poly cap so it can be pressed on after painting.

Instructions are well drawn and provide Gunze paint references. The box art plane is in dark earth/dark green with sky undersides. The other option is dark green/dark sea grey over medium sea grey. Decals are nicely done and provide decals for the instrument panel.

Like most Hasegawa kits, this one makes into a very nice model. It is an uncomplex build that will not have you tearing out your hair in frustration over tiny bits. It is also a pretty good model for the newer builder who has a few kits under their belt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hurricane

July 2023

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