The Kit

This is another of the 1/144 aircraft for Zvezda’s “Art of Tactic” game system. As such, it’s designed to be robust enough to stand up to handling and repeated abuse. It also means that some of the delightful little details and add-ons you find on other 1/144 fighter kits aren’t there. The kit is only 8 parts plus the stand, and it’s designed to be a snap-together kit. OK, but the horizontal stabs won’t take much handling, and I recommend glue.

Assembly

This was really easy. The single-piece fuselage snaps onto the single-piece wing, the horizontal stabilizers snap into place and immediately fall out, the prop assembly presses onto the pin, the solid canopy presses onto a pin, and the landing gear press into place. I did the painting before putting the prop, gear and canopy on.

Paint and Markings

The instructions weren’t much help on the paint scheme, but it took me almost 15 minutes to find the Battle of France paint scheme for a Hurricane on the internet and print it. I used masking tape and Tamiya tape, which I cut into curved sections. I painted the brown first, then masked and painted the green. Another mask for the underside, and it was quickly done. The box art depicts the aircraft, but the decal sheet doesn’t have the personal marking shown on the box. I applied Future, let it dry for about a half hour, then applied decals. While waiting for the Future, I painted the prop and landing gear.

The decals were perfectly serviceable, coming off the backing cleanly and sticking to the aircraft surface as soon as I blotted them with a tissue. While they were still wet, they could be moved around, then they stuck when I blotted them. Another coat of Future, and then acryl flat. The decals look painted on.

Finishing Touches

I replaced the antenna (which I broke off while attempting to insert the horizontal stabs) with a piece of straight pin, added the canopy, put on the prop and landing gear, and it was finished. The stand is nice, but a little tall, and I’d be afraid to display the model on it. It’s probably very useful for the game, though I’d consider adding some weight to the base to make it more stable.

Overall Evaluation

Recommended. The model is great for its intended purpose, and there are still a lot of modelers out there who have to consider price. I think this would be a wonderful addition to a Battle of Britain airfield diorama, or a display of RAF WW2 fighters.

Thanks to Dragon USA and Zvezda for providing an interesting model. And thanks to IPMS/USA and Steve Collins for allowing me to build it.