Airfix Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk.Ib 1:48 – build review

Full Review with Dean Large (September 2018)
Here Now In Box Review

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A note from Geoff C…
I’m really pleased to be able to welcome back Dean L to SMN and what a job he’s done with this recently released Airfix Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk.Ib. Love his photography too of his finished project and I’m keen to find out how he got on, as I’m sure you are too :)

Here’s a quick look at Dean’s finished Sea Hurricane:

Over to you Dean…

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Well that was a long break… I did a build way back in 2010 when Geoff first started this magazine, and I haven’t found the time to build anything for him since. Not any more though, and I’m getting back into the swing of things with a Sea Hurricane in 1:48 from Airfix.

No doubt you’ll have read the in-box review Geoff did when it first came out, so I won’t bore you with a repeat. I have to say though that after a diet of Tamiya, Hasegawa and so forth recently, this is my first attempt at something from ‘new’ Airfix. The style of the instructions has changed since my last go, and I’m in two minds about whether I like this dumbing down of the plans… each illustrated step seems to add but a single piece to the ensemble – come on Mr Airfix, I can handle more than that in one bite! However, I do like the method of highlighting in red the previously added part so you can see exactly where it’s meant to go.

Anyway, despite the two choices of markings offered in the box, I decided to go for the airworthy IIb operated by the Shuttleworth Collection people, partly because it had a bit of yellow on the fin to add a splash of colour, partly because there are so many reference photos to be found, and partly because I’m lazy and as a warbird, it won’t need to be too heavily weathered. See? There is madness in my method…

Read on…