REVELL 1:72 SEA HURRICANE MK.IIC

 

Reviewer: Steve Papworth  (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted:  15 February 2002

Aircraft:   During World War II the Royal Navy took on charge some 600 Hurricanes and Sea Hurricanes.  Only 60 of these aircraft were built as Sea Hurricanes, a batch of Mk IIC’s with 4-cannon wings built by Hawker and delivered between December 1942 and May 1943.  All other Sea Hurricanes were conversions from Hurricanes that ran the gamut from almost newly-built airframes to well-worn veterans from Hawkers first batch delivered to the RAF in 1938/1939.   This kit builds up into one of the MkIIC’s  purpose built as Sea Hurricanes and equipped with the 1,280hp Rolls Royce Merlin XX engine.

The kit:    I must concur with Ralph Koziarski in his review of the Revell Hurricane Mk IIB kit, I have also had bad kits from Revell in the past but this one by Revell Germany surpasses previous Revell kits I have built in this scale.  The kit consists of 54 grey injection molded parts on two large and two small sprues.  A clear set of four parts makes the 2 piece canopy and landing lights.  The moldings are good with my example showing very little flash.  The parts can be removed from the sprues with a minimum of fuss and a light sand is all that is required to remove any excess.

The Instructions:    The instructions are a four A4 page document comprising 11 detailed steps and giving two colour schemes.

Construction:    The cockpit has basic detailing with seat, rudder pedals, control stick and instrument panel.  As with the MkIIB kit I would not advise spending too much detail here as it’s nearly impossible to see with the canopy closed.  I have not built the MkIIB kit yet as I already have the older Revell MkIIB, however from reading Ralph Koziarski’s review it is apparent that both the MkIIB and the Sea Hurricane IIC are the same kit with modifications to the fuselage and the inclusion of the arrestor hook being provided in this kit.  

The fit and shaping of the parts are generally very good with the exception of the starboard wing on my model requiring filling.  The arrestor hook mounts in a cut out under the rear fuselage.  The wheel wells are detailed and this model is fitted with a sturdy and accurate landing gear.  The radiator is also fully detailed which is a pleasant change from previous Revell and Airfix kits.  

Painting/Decals:        The decals provided with this kit enable the builder to model either a camouflaged version from No. 760 Naval Air Squadron, FAA, or a basically white version from No. 835 NAS.  The decals are of high quality with the exception of the tail markings one of which is not centred, requiring a quick fix from my parts box and the squadron insignia on the starboard side of the cockpit is blurred.  However; two of the great bugbears I’ve found with Revell Germany kits is 

  1. The colour scheme requires the mixing of paint in proportions an industrial chemist would be hard put to achieve and, 

  2. The inclusion of a large number of extremely small decals which are too small from me to apply and even if I could get them on I can’t read them anyway!  

The decals are accurate, I’ve checked them against photographs and drawing on the FAA web site (http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net).  

I built the 835 squadron version which although listed as white on the instructions was actually off-white.  In January 1944 the Squadron Commander, Commander Edgar Bibby DSO ordered the squadron machines painted white, contrary to the Admiralty standing direction, to camouflage the aircraft against the Atlantic clouds.  Humbrol Matt 28 came out nicely on my model. 

Versions:            As I mentioned previously the kit contains two small sprues.  These give the parts necessary for the arrestor hook and the four hispanio cannon which equipped the MkIIC.  And added surprise was parts 52 and 53 which are the intake for the desert and tropical Hurricanes!  Whilst these are of no use with this model they went into the parts box to be used on a desert ‘Hurribomber’ I intend to build later.  The ‘glare shields’ mentioned in Scott Hensleys addendum to the MkIIB review are also included on the main sprues which leads me to believe that this kit is a modification of the MkIIB kit.

Overall:            After completion I compared this model to the Revell MkII?  I built about 20 years ago.  In terms of accuracy and detail this kit beats the older Revell (English?) hands down.  The box lists the skill level as ‘3’ but could be assembled without much difficulty by a novice, it just depends on how much detail you want to go in to.   An interesting model of a relatively obscure aircraft.            

 

Note: the following related reviews links have not been updated since early 2000's - more kit reviews of this aircraft may now be on SMAKR, not reflected below.  Refer to the Index for other kits of this type.

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