INCOMING: HURRICANE MOVIE AND AIRFIX SEA HURRICANE

DRAMA IN THE SKIES and on the ground both feature in this upcoming movie. That's good, as the Hawker Hurricane deserves a share of the limelight usually reserved for its elegant sibling fighter, the Supermarine Spitfire.

WORLD WAR II 1:72 SCALE SOVIET FIGHTERS IN AIRFIX CLUB 2013 TRIPLE PACK

SMN REPORT 
It’s that time of the year again, when Airfix introduces its latest Club-only kit edition. And the 2013 Airfix Club kit is called ‘Under the Red Star’ but instead of featuring a single subject, there are three 1:72 scale fighters, all in the same box.

INCOMING - MORE NEW-TOOL DIECAST AIRCRAFT FROM CORGI

SMN report:

We noted the big new 1:72 scale Short Stirling heavy bomber earlier this week, and now here’s a pair of smaller aircraft to the same scale, a Hawker Hart inter-war period biplane, and a Hawker Hurricane from World War II. Both releases look interesting enough, the Hart looking especially attractive, with fine interplane rigging a highly appealing feature.

ITALERI 1:48 SCALE HURRICANE MK I

SMN report:

Is there room for another Hawker Hurricane kit? There are certainly plenty of them around, but this new-tool Italeri kit looks worthwhile, even if it does face stiff competition, not least from Hasegawa’s kit to the same scale.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN MEMORIAL KITS AND BOOK FROM AIRFIX

SMN report
70 years ago, the skies over Britain formed the backdrop for the greatest aerial combat offensive ever known, as attacking Luftwaffe forces locked in conflict with Royal Air Force defenders. On August 23, after several weeks of the campaign, Hermann Commander-in-Chief Hermann Goring ordered his forces to bombard British fighter airfields, the first of a wave of heavy attacks over the next two weeks, during which some airfields were hit several times over.

Targeting fighter bases must have seemed like a good move to Goring, but it was difficult to knock out a grass airfield for more than a few hours at a time, and many historians agree that had the Luftwaffe concentrated on reducing radar defences to rubble, the Battle of Britain might have turned out differently. In any event, by late October 1940, the Luftwaffe had taken a beating and withdrew plans for further major air assaults.

Thousands of aircraft in the air
But the Battle of Britain lives on as one of the defining conflicts of World War II, and the aircraft that took part (more than 4500 machines were fielded by the two air forces) remain as popular as ever with kit manufacturers. So it’s no surprise to see the local-hero Airfix company releasing some special Battle of Britain products this month.

Airfix Hurricane and Bf110
Airfix has released a Hawker Hurricane Mk 1, the most numerous British fighter of the Battle of Britain, even if its rather workmanlike looks and performance never earned it the acclaim of the beautiful Spitfire. It’s a nice kit though, to 1:72 scale, and comes with a choice of two decal marking sets. Matching the ‘Hurri’ is a German Messerschmitt Bf110 twin-engine heavy fighter, again to 1:72 scale and also with a choice of markings. The real Bf110 was no match in a dogfight with a determined Hurricane or Spitfire pilot, who could both out-turn and out-shoot it - after heavy losses, the Messerschmitt was withdrawn from front-line service over Britain. Both kits look attractive in the now common and highly attractive kit-box art style.

Battle of Britain book
Also released this month is a handsome book, the ‘Special limited edition’ Their Finest Hour: Aircraft of the Battle of Britain by John G. Bentley. It’s a thoroughly decent work, with 80 landscape-format (wide, instead of tall) pages that cover the subject well, with a special emphasis on featuring relevant Airfix kits. The book is well-priced too, with a UK price of just £6.99 GBP ($10.85 USD).
  
Visit Airfix here.

View Airfix kits here, though don’t be surprised if some Battle of Britain-class steam locomotive kits have crept in too - that’s search engines for you! Hmmm... (thinks), those BoB streamliner locos were handsome beasts, so we should look at some BoB models soon.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1  Airfix 1:72 scale Hurricane.
2  Airfix Bf110 box art.
3  The Bf110 builds into a neat and tidy 1:72 scale model.
4  The Airfix book makes a fine memento for those interested in this period of aviation combat history.

THE MODELZONE EXPANDS

David Jefferis reports
Here’s some interesting information for British model fans - the ModelZone chain is adding new outlets to its already extensive number of stores. The new expansion will cover Birmingham, Ipswich, Leicester and Glasgow, with more to come. It’s an encouraging sign that points the way to a good future for the hobby.

Wide range at ModelZone
ModelZone markets a wide array of miniatures, from plastic kits and model trains to sci-fi collectibles and slot-car racers. There isn’t a vast range in any particular genre, but the sheer variety means that there is a tasty ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ flavour to these stores, and it’s almost impossible to leave without purchasing something pleasing. An exploration is highly recommended!

Airfix Fighter Collection
Among products available at the moment is the Airfix 1:72 scale ‘Fighter Collection’ set, featuring five World War II aircraft: four Spitfires of various types, plus a Hawker Hurricane and a big stand. As you can see from the pic, the finished group looks pretty impressive. As is normal with these Airfix gift sets, you also get pots of paint, though how useful these are to serious model makers is another issue - at least they might come in handy for the touch-up collection.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1  ModelZone logo.
2  Airfix Fighter Collection box.
3  The five-aircraft set, mounted on a very neat included stand.

Visit the Fighter Collection at ModelZone here:

You can view a selection of other Spitfires here.