The Hawker Hurricane is one of the first in a new line of "E-Z Snapz" 1/48 scale aircraft kits from Pegasus Hobbies. The "snap" description and inclusion of stickers and water-slide decals indicates Pegasus has young builders in mind.
But this kit isn't just for kids. The tan parts have recessed panel lines that look like those of late-production Mk.Is. The slightly pebbly surfaces improved with paint. The cockpit includes a good-looking seat, floor, joystick, and instrument panel. Noteworthy for a kit like this, the side walls feature molded stringers and controls, and the wheel well is detailed.
For simplicity and strength for playability, the main gear legs are molded with the well covers. The wheels are separate.
Easy instructions outline construction and include painting and decal diagrams for a single Battle of Britain fighter.
Note to young and old - wash the parts thoroughly with dish detergent and water to remove manufacturer's oils.
After airbrushing the cockpit parts Royal Air Force interior green, I picked out details with black, gray, and silver. The molded-on controls looked great after an artist's oil wash and dry-brushing.
From there, construction moved quickly. The cockpit fit well without glue. I pushed the fuselage halves together, using super glue to make the minimal seam disappear. The upper wings fit well to the single-piece lower wing; again, I used a little super glue to minimize the gap at the control edges. The horizontal stabilizers and trailing edges of the wings are thick, and a gap at the wing roots needed a little filler.
The painting diagram isn't particularly accurate for an RAF day fighter, but it's easy to find references for a correct paint scheme. I used Silly Putty to mask off the sharp-edged camouflage and airbrushed Model Master Acryl paints.
The decals went down OK over clear gloss. There is a rough edge to the carrier film; close trimming negates the problem. The decals responded well to Micro Sol. A wash of artist's oils defined panel lines, and a sealing coat of clear flat, final assembly, and pastel weathering finished the fighter.
The well-defined panel lines of the canopy make masking easy, but I had problems with paint peeling; I may not have sufficiently washed the part before I started.
This is no Hasegawa kit, but it builds into a fine representation of an early Hurricane with enough interior detail to add interest. Pegasus got the shapes right, including the bias of the vertical stabilizer (often missed in other kits).
If there's a kid you want to introduce to the hobby … or a friend is thinking about it … or you just need a break from resin, photoetched metal, and superdetailing … this kit will be fine for such occasions, producing a model sturdy enough to
vroom around the room (and haven't we all).
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