MMP Books Hawker Hurricane

MMP books has been doing many of their monographs in larger, hardback versions and this is one of those. The benefit of the larger A4 format is that the photos and the profiles are larger and many of us prefer hardback books. major upgrades of some of its earlier books and this is one of them.

This edition is the second one and is revised from the first. It starts with a history of the aircraft from the initial prototypes to the final production version, the Hurricane IV. For some, the history of the Hurricane is fairly well known, but for others the way the plane came to be produced is a fascinating story in and of itself.

At the time, the RAF did not have a monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit. Biplanes with open cockpits and fixed landing gear were the norm and indeed, the initial studies of what was to become the Hurricane did have fixed gear. Construction of the aircraft was like with the biplanes consisting of a very strong steel tubing fuselage with the front covered in metal and the rear parts of it fabric. This fabric fuselage design lasted until the end of production and was actually a good thing as bullets simply passed through without doing any damage. Initially the outer wing panels were fabric as well, but designed in an intriguing way where fabric sections were slotted into the wing spars, resulting in a very taut presentation.

To say the least, the aircraft was fairly easy to construct and left considerable room for various weapons in the wings as well as space for larger and more powerful engines. The uninitiated might think that the Spitfire won the Battle of Britain, but it was the Hurricane which was available in greater numbers, was easier to repair and strong enough to handle attacking German bombers. This ease of maintenance and repair made it perfect for places like North Africa and Burma where conditions were more primitive. It was also widely exported.

MMP provides an excellent look at all the different variations of the airframe through its fairly long production run. This consists of not only sections on each mark, but also use by other air forces. The extensive number of scale drawings helps the reader see how the Hurricane evolved.

In addition to the great historical and variant section, there is an extensive details section. Thanks to the use of period drawings as well as great photos of extant airframes, we are provided the sort of detail that both modelers and enthusiasts are seeking. This is further enhanced by period detail images and sections from tech manuals. The good selection large color profiles is another bonus.

In all, this makes for one of the most comprehensive looks at the Hurricane as you'll find anywhere. It is a book that enthusiasts and modelers alike need to have in their library and one that I can highly recommend.

September 2017

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Many thanks to Mushroom Model Publications for providing the review copy. It can also be found at Casemate in the US and Platypus in Australia.

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