Airfix 1/72 Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIc (A02096)

[mac1677 2,598]

Hi troops,

I have managed to squeeze in another build 😁 

 

On the evening of 4th May 1942, Czech pilot Lt. Karel Miroslav Kuttelwascher, of 1 Sqn RAF, was flying "Night Reaper" from RAF Tangmere on an night intruder mission, on this sortie he managed to shoot down 3 Heinkel He-111's over St.Andre airfield, France:

Thanks for looking in 😊

Edited November 19, 2021 by mac1677
Better pictures added

[Gorby 11,600]

Very nice, but bigger photos would be good. Even the Flickr photos are quite small.

[mac1677 2,598]

Cheers 👍

 

42 minutes ago, Gorby said:

bigger photos would be good. Even the Flickr photos are quite small.

I have changed the pictures, any better?

[Gorby 11,600]

2 minutes ago, mac1677 said:

Cheers 👍

 

I have changed the pictures, any better?

Much better - thanks Chris.

[Grunhertz 15,449]

Lovely build chris

[mac1677 2,598]

Cheers buddy 🙂

[BlackMike Models 8,840]

I knew you weren't finished for the year! Very nice Hurricane too. I am no expert (I should just stop there) on WW2 RAF stuff so it comes as a surprise to find out that Hurricanes were still soldiering on in Europe in 1942. I just assumed that they would have all been replaced in the fighter role in this neck of the woods by the other thing by then. Was the Hurricane better suited to night operations because it was a more rugged design (wide track U/C etc)?

Duncan B

[DC3 3,041]

21 hours ago, mac1677 said:

Cheers 👍

 

I have changed the pictures, any better?

Still a bit small don't you think?

[mac1677 2,598]

Cheers Duncan 👍 I am guessing the Hurricanes were used at night because there was less fighter opposition, and as you say were more rugged.

 

22 minutes ago, BlackMike Models said:

I knew you weren't finished for the year!

I am afraid the situation is out of my control, so there maybe a few more builds to come 😋

 

9 minutes ago, DC3 said:

Still a bit small don't you think?

I am not changing them again 😜

[Gorby 11,600]

14 minutes ago, DC3 said:

Still a bit small don't you think?

If you click on them it takes you to reasonably sized pics on Flickr.

[Walrus 9,303]

2 hours ago, BlackMike Models said:

I knew you weren't finished for the year! Very nice Hurricane too. I am no expert (I should just stop there) on WW2 RAF stuff so it comes as a surprise to find out that Hurricanes were still soldiering on in Europe in 1942. I just assumed that they would have all been replaced in the fighter role in this neck of the woods by the other thing by then. Was the Hurricane better suited to night operations because it was a more rugged design (wide track U/C etc)?

Duncan B

The Hurricane was still being used as a fighter in the Med, Afrika and far east, and also as Sea Hurricanes, but afaik only as a night fighter when based in home theatre.
I would have to check dates for 1942 as a night fighter, which may have stopped by 1942, when its night role would have been the more offensive intruder missions. 
Daytime ops would have been as a Hurribomber taking part in Rhubarbs and Rodeos

The wide track and rugged nature of the Hurricane would have been an advantage for rough landings.
It's not just that the landing gear is widely spaced, but is part of a solid "box" 

 

[Grunhertz 15,449]

Hurricanes were used for the dieppe raid in 1942 which was August? In the bomber and ground attack role 

[Miggers 6,311]

On 20/11/2021 at 08:42, BlackMike Models said:

Was the Hurricane better suited to night operations because it was a more rugged design (wide track U/C etc)?

Better gun platform and heavier fire power( 4x20mm Hispano's vs 2x20mm Hispano's and 4x Browning .303's).

When flying such ops as night intruder,i.e,lurking near enemy bomber bases,waiting for the flare path to

illuminate and expose your target,4 20mm's gives you far more chance of a kill on the first firing pass.

[Miggers 6,311]

Nice take on the BBMF's take of Kut's Hurricane Chris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_Kuttelwascher#/media/File:Hurricane_mkiic_of_the_bbmf_arp.jpg

The original "Night Reaper" was BE581,Frog's old kit has them in it.

Are the decals from an Airfix BBMF set or aftermarket?

Either way they've worked well.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Miggers

[mac1677 2,598]

They are from the Airfix BBMF set and are clearly the wrong serial number 🙃 Need to check references a bit more often me thinks 😄

[Paul Brown 5,792]

36 minutes ago, mac1677 said:

They are from the Airfix BBMF set and are clearly the wrong serial number 🙃 Need to check references a bit more often me thinks 😄

It's not wrong for the BBMF!  

I think all the BBMF aircraft retain their original serial numbers, regardless of what scheme they might be wearing (a legal requirement? I'm not up on air law these days). 

[Hutch6390 941]

That's a lovely job, and in 1/72, too - the finish is terrific!

[Walrus 9,303]

What is wrong for the BBMF Hurricane painted as Night Reaper is the aerial 
PZ865 has the aerial mast perpendicular to the slope of the fuselage spine rather than the to the datum, as per the artwork on the Frog baggie 



I've no idea why that airframe has the mast set at that angle.
AFAIK all of the other BBMF Hurris have the masts set at the correct angle.

Could be that airframe was inherited by the BBMF like this and they chose to leave it that way
The jaunty angle of the mast appears on other WW2 schemes applied to PZ865 by the BBMF, but more recent iterations show that the mast has been reset to the standard angle.


Just found this of the aircraft in its post war civvie racing colours with an upright mast 


Another photo of PZ865 this livery show the mast had been removed.


At one point a whip aerial had been installed


Can't help thinking, looking at the last photo, that someone reinstalled a mast at the same angle as the whip aerial. 

TL;DR  blah blah unimportant minor details blah blah  

Edited November 21, 2021 by Walrus

[Miggers 6,311]

20 hours ago, Paul Brown said:

I think all the BBMF aircraft retain their original serial numbers, regardless of what scheme they might be wearing

They do indeed,they're technically serving aircraft on the RAF's inventory and so retain their original

serial numbers.

Even if they were allocated a civvy registration at some time in the lives,they reverted back to their service

serials when taken back onto the service inventory,PZ865 originally,then G-AMAU whilst back at Hawker's 

post war,then back to PZ865 when she was gifted to the fledgling BBMF being a case in point.

Spitfire Vb AB910 being another,post war she was G-AISU and owned by Allen Wheeler.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Miggers

[Mish 3,482]

Great build as always Mac, I like it.           

[mac1677 2,598]

Cheers Mish 👍