Airfix 1/48 Hawker Hurricane Mk I Tropical Fighter Kit

The rugged and reliable Hawker Hurricane was arguably the most important fighter aircraft available to the Royal Air Force at the beginning of the Second World War. Easier to produce and more forgiving to fly than the more glamorous Spitfire, many of these tough, partly fabric covered monoplane fighters went with the British Expeditionary Force to France in 1939, and once the German blitzkrieg began the following spring they carried out a valiant defense against the numerically superior Luftwaffe. Although slower than the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and with a less destructive armament, the Hurricane was able to turn tighter and absorb considerable punishment.

During the Battle of Britain later that year the Hurricane was available in much greater numbers than any other fighter, and was tasked primarily with attacking German bombers. Many of the RAF’s aces, including Robert Stanford-Tuck, Douglas Bader and -later- Pat Pattle gained considerable scores while flying Hurricanes and it proved decisive in securing eventual victory for the RAF.

After the Battle of Britain Hurricanes were used across the world, from the Middle East to Northern Russia and also board aircraft carriers as the Sea Hurricane. Early RAF operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa saw small numbers of Hurricane Mk.I fighters pitted against vastly superior numbers of Regia Aeronautica aircraft. They proved to be more than a match for anything the Italians could hurl at them, but the arrival of battle hardened Luftwaffe fighters in 1941 saw a change in fortunes. Many of the Hurricanes were ‘tropicalized’ and arrived with the chin mounted Vokes carburetor dust filter, which significantly altered the profile of the Hawker fighter.