Sea Hurricane Mk.IIc

Arma Hobby, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The RAF aircraft census as of end February 1943 reports 50 Sea Hurricane I built, 378 converted, 36 out of an order for 60 Sea Hurricane IIC built.

A further 29 mark I, 52 IIB and 30 IIC were with the Admiralty.

RAF census as of end June 1944 reports 50 Sea Hurricane I built, 378 converted, 60 Sea Hurricane IIC built. A further 19 mark I, 51 IIB and 76 IIC were with the Admiralty.

The Sea Hurrican Mk.IIc version was equipped with catapult spools, an arrester hook and full naval avionics.

60 were built by Hawker between November 1942 and May 1943. Around another 50 mark IIBs were converted, with most receiving C wings.

The Merlin XX engine on the Sea Hurricane generated 1,460 hp at 6,250 ft (1,900 m) and 1,435 hp at 11,000 ft (3,400 m).

Top speed was 322 mph (518 km/h) at 13,500 ft (4,100 m) and 342 mph (550 km/h) at 22,000 ft (6,700 m).

Arma Hobby launched a 1/48 scale Hurricane family. in July 2023. Their debut offering was a1/48 scale Hurricane Mk.IIc, quickly followed by a Mk.IIc Trop. Most recently they expanded their Hurricane family with a 1/48 scale Mk.IIb.

Arma Hobby has now added a Sea Hurricane Mk.IIc to their lineup.

The kit comprises 120 parts in grey plastic, nine 3d printed resin parts, 13 parts in clear plastic, self-adhesive canopy masks and markings for three aircraft.

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Apart from the three new marking options, this boxing adds nine lovely 3d resin parts.

The 3d resin parts are thoughtfully and securely packed into the corner of the stout cardboard box to minimise the danger of damage.

You will need to take extra care when removing the 3d printed parts.

Two of the 3d printed resin parts are for the lower rear fuselage and the arrestor hook specific to the Sea Hurricane.

Once the 3d printed parts have been freed from their cage, no cutting or additional preparation is required. The kit's lower rear fuselage is moulded as a separate part so installation should be a drop-fit.

The remaining 3d printed parts are detail upgrades. The pilot's seat features harness straps printed in place.

Arma has also supplied 3d printed resin exhausts and Hispano gun barrels.

The plastic parts are identical to the Mk.IIc and Mk.IIc Trop kits

The grey plastic parts are delivered on three sprues. Moulding quality is excellent, with no flash, flaws or visible moulding imperfections on my sample.

The parts are moulded with a satin finish. Surface textures are just gorgeous. Arma Hobby has mixed an impressive combination of recesed panel lines, super-subtle recessed rivets, raised fastener heads and other structural details. These are all subtle and consistent. The overall effect is crisp and varied.

The interior of the major fuselage and wing parts are festooned with circles of raised ejector pins but they do not interfere with fit, nor do they intrude in any way on the outside surfaces of the parts.

The fabric texture on the rear fuselage and tail surfaces are particularly subtle and impressive.

The fuselage is supplied as left and right halves with the fin and the lower rear fuselage supplied as separate parts.

Some details are moulded directly to the inside of the fuselage and onto the wing. These are supplemented by a plastic framework, the "bottomless" floor with foot rests, rudder pedals, control column and more.

The decal sheet supplies harness straps and instrument dials for the cockpit.

The instrument panel is moulded with raised and recessed detail. It looks great. I think I'll be carefully painting and dry-brushing mine with individual dials inside the bezels.

For those who don't like detail painting, Arma has also provided a decal overlay for the instrument panel. Decals for the cockpit sidewall, compass and a few individual dials are also included.

The upper and lower wings are both moulded as full span.

Wheel wells are highly detailed including raised lettering. Main wheels are two pieces each in injection moulded plastic. Wheels are flattened and subtly bulged.

A Rotol propeller assembly and spinner are included.

The radiator faces feature super fine mesh detail moulded onto the plastic parts.

Two different styles of cannon barrels are included, as is an optional Vokes tropical filter, wing-mounted drop tanks, alternative styles of exhaust, lower fuselage inserts, spinners and more.

The canopy is quite clear and offers separate parts for the windscreen and the sliding section. Two sliding sections are included - one for the closed position and a wider one to display the canopy open and show off all that lovely detail.

Clear landing lights for the wing leading edges are included too.

Wing tip navigation lights are also supplied.

Self-adhesive masks for the canopy and the wheels are included,

Instructions are supplied in a 12 page stapled A4-sized booklet. Assembly is described over 37 steps using clear diagrams. An errata sheet is also supplied.

The kit is packed into a stout brown carboard box with a thinner cardboard lid featuring attractive box art. This is a big improvement over earlier releases with flimsy side-opening boxes.

Thanks Arma!

Marking Options

Three marking options are included. Each of the marking options gets a dedicated page with both side views plus upper and lower plan views.

Colour callouts are provided for FS numbers and a good selection of model paint numbers including Hakata, AK, Lifecolor, AMMO, Humbrol, Vallejo and Tamiya.

The marking options are:

1. Sea Hurricane Mk IIc - 835 Squadron, HMS Nairana, pilot Sub Lt. A.R. Burgham, June 1944

2. Sea Hurricane Mk X - 804 Squadron, HMS Dasher, operation Torch, late 1942 r

3. Sea Hurricane Mk IIc – 825 Squadron, HMS Vindex, early 1944

Decals are printed by Techmod. They are glossy, colours are well saturated and everything is in perfect register.

Arma Hobby's 1/48 scale Sea Hurricane Mk.IIc continues the legacy of their Hurrucane family with excellent surface textures, moulding quality, detail and inclusions.

This is another beauty from Arma Hobby.

Highly Recommended.

*Historical text adapted froim Wikipedia

Thanks to Arma Hobby for the sample

Review and Images Text Copyright © 2024 by Brett Green
Page Created 1 May, 2024
Last updated 1 May, 2024

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