The decision to build this was made easier by having two pairs of Sweet Hurricanes in the stash, a kit that our highly respected forum member and master modeller Roberto Masukawa once described as “… the best 1/144 kit on the market”. Not sure whether that's quite the case, but it's pretty damned good and so, following the trials of dealing with Minicraft and Zvezda, you can see why I've headed this way, can’t you?
One of my Sweet boxings contained two kits of the Mk I with decals for several Hurricane aces, including Gleed.
In keeping with early Sweet releases, one kit is moulded in a pale grey plastic, the other in clear plastic. Not quite sure why, as I've never seen someone do a "see-through" completion of one of these kits, though I'm sure some whiz will be tempted. Interestingly, there are two canopies and four clear landing light covers on the clear sprue and, predictably, the same are replicated on the grey sprue, too. I have seen the latter with windows painted black on completions used for wargaming ... seems a waste to me but each to their own.
As you can see on page 2 of the Destructions, all of the paint schemes in the kit follow the standard RAF Dark Earth/Dark Green/Sky Type S combination. However, following the Battle of Britain, Gleed's 87 Squadron was for a time assigned to nightfighter duties. In line with common RAF practice, this necessitated repainting the aircraft night black, often accompanied by a dull red or blue spinner. Serial letters initially remained sky; it wasn't until later that most aircraft deployed in after dark roles got their characteristic dull red serials. As Squadron Leader, Gleed got to add a little extra to his Hurricane in the way of additional dull red patterning on the engine cowling itself.
Note the rudder, clearly a replacement from a day fighter with its Dark Earth/Dark Green camo still in place. Later profiles of the same aircraft show the rudder in black, complete with large Wing Commander stripes, the rank Gleed was promoted to in November 1941. Gleed shot down 20 enemy aircraft. He was killed in action on 16 April 1943, aged just 26. A restored Hurricane that used to fly at airshows in the UK was painted thus. Sadly, at the Shoreham Airshow in 2007, the aircraft crashed, killing the pilot. I suspect this video depicts the said Hurricane prior to the accident. In a terrible coincidence, another Hawker aircraft, a restored Hunter T7 flying at the same event earlier this year crashed onto the nearby A27, killing 11 people.
A close inspection of the Sweet decal sheet showed that, with the exception of the WingCo's stripes (which I'm sure I can create if I so choose to model the later scheme), all other markings were present and correct, including little Figaro. Oddly enough, whilst the decal sheet has all of the various personal emblems of the five aces represented, the instruction sheet only shows positioning for two, one on Clowes aircraft, the other on Stanford-Tucks' plane. With all in place, my build commenced and I can concur with others who've raved about Sweet kits ... the surface detailing is beautiful and the fit of parts an absolute delight.
Filler? What's that? Oh, I know ... it's the stuff you use bucketloads of for kits from Minicraft, Amodel, etc. Now I will need to create a cockpit floor and control column; early Sweet kits only included the seat moulded integrally into each fuselage half. Easy enough.
Just before I bid all adieu (it's after 1am and I've got a job to go to in the morning), some clued-up members might recall that F-Toys did an all-black Hurricane with the serial LK-A in its Wing Kit Collection 9 ...
- Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc BE500.JPG (8.06 KiB) Viewed 6737 times
OK, this is NOT the same plane. For starters, it is a Mk IIc and not a Mk I. Secondly, Gleed's mount was P2798 (not visible on his aircraft); the F-Toys' replica is coded BE500. Thirdly, the Mk IIc was flown by Squadron Leader Dennis Smallwood who took over command of 87 Sqn when Gleed was promoted. Smallwood's own personal emblem, a scroll with the words "United Provinces Cawnpore" (like Bombay, Cawnpore recently reverted to its Indian name of Kanpur), is replicated on the F-Toy's offering, on the port side of the aircraft under the canopy. Fourthly, and very obviously, the squadron and individual aircraft codes are swapped around (A-LK to LK-A), as per changes in RAF directives. So there!
