Hobbyboss Hawker Hurricane 2c

I'm still working to catch up with the various completions that have occurred since I returned to active modelling (ie post surgery) in early 2016. To date I have completed 21 in the aircraft series and 6 in the ordnance series. Plus I've at least started my very first vehicle/armor model. I'm going to have to scare up a 1:72 ship somewhere (maybe one of the Revell subs?) to complete the set.

Today's completion is another Hurricane. This is the Hobbyboss model, which as others have noted has a somewhat emaciated and pointed nose. You don't really notice it until you stick it spinner-to-spinner with a better rendition. Still, as most know, my main focus in modelling is on the paint scheme and markings, so when I realized I had two unfinished Hurricanes in the stash that were "easy assembly" types, that seemed the perfect thing to work on while easing back into the hobby after 18 months off.

Whatever the accuracy quotient, the Hobby Boss kits are very buildable. Not too many parts, most of which fit very well (you might need a touch of filler where the fuselage and wing comes together) so the major remaining drama usually comes about during painting. I believe the majority of painting was done before I replaced my aged airbrush with a new example, so there were some moments of intemperate language involved.

Since I have built a large number of  Hurricanes, markings are always a consideration. I've gone through most of the unusual paint schemes, including PR variants and racers. Much of my concentration lately has been on foreign users. Turkish, Japanese, Portugese, Russian, and (still to come) a Belgian ragwing. I've been using the Sky Models decal sheet, among others, so the field is still fairly ripe for additional models. Just having different codes on a bog-standard green-and-brown (or desert markings) Hurricane doesn't generally do it for me. I need some sort of unusual markings, like foreign examples or nose art or maybe some unusual colors, to hold my interest during the entire process. The next one might be a captured German example.

This particular model is from Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa in 1942. The Allies were rather concerned about French resistance to a British attack, so a number of UK types were painted in American markings to provide at least a veneer that this was a primarily American operation. This Hurricane was one of these.

This is completed aircraft #453 (#19 for the year), finished in March of 2016.