Starting Point: 1/48th Monogram Hurricane
- @PlaneThought41
- Jun 14
- 4 min read
As far as I can tell, it all started here, with my first model purchase and build of this 1/48th Monogram Hurricane. The kit was first released in 1964, although my kit was the 1975 boxing. I received a 1/48th Monogram Bf109 and B-17G as a Christmas gift in 1978 and excitedly began the planning for construction. At the time, no one could have imagined that my air force of 1/48th scale model aircraft would reach over 260 on display, with "a few more" in the stash, awaiting production.
Notable Kit Features:
These Monogram 60's era kits featured movable parts and were fairly basic
Good aircraft shape with nice raised surface rivets and ribbing detail
Engraved surfaces around aircraft control parts
Retractable landing gear
Optional Vokes filter
Parts for Mk.IIC or Mk.IID (sort of)
Basic seated pilot provided
Good fit of parts for the most part
Decent decals for 3 different aircraft from various theatres
Build Inspiration:
Early in high-school, I was getting interested in WWII aircraft and received a book on the subject as a gift as well as a couple of kits. I immediately dove in and started planning, purchasing a model magazine from a local shop to get some pointers on the craft (this was WAY before the Internet when we actually had to go to a library or purchase research material ;). I was excited to get started, but felt the B-17 was a bit much for a starter (especially looking at Sheperd Paine's leaflet included in the Monogram Fortress kit). The Bf109 had that German Splinter and mottling, so I went to my local hobby store for inspiration and a simpler build for my first try. On sale they had this 1/48th Monogram Hurricane ($3.95), which I deemed would be a good subject to cut my teeth on. There I had it, my first aircraft model kit purchase and it wouldn't be long before I has a stash.
Another thing that stood out to me in my research at the time, was that an airbrush would be an indispensable tool for achieving these camouflage finishes. (Note: effective camouflage can definitely be done with brushes as demonstrated by some amazing artists in this area, however I was already sold on this airbrush route.) I got enough funds from my limited savings to buy a basic Badger airbrush (Model 350?) for the task. It was a single-action, external mix, bottom draw-feed airbrush powered by a can of compressed air. The cans turned out to be expensive for my limited income, so I figured out a way to use an old tire to pump up and use this as my "compressed air". I certainly got a workout whenever I needed to airbrush anything!
Heads-Up Report:
Absolute minimal cockpit with decals for instruments
To obtain the C variant you had to drill out the cannon holes in the wing
The underside D version cannon mounting holes are however pre-drilled (go figure)
Fit has some gaps on the underside, however not bad overall (this kit was just glued together and painted, and most of the joins are barely noticeable)
Kit Additions / Modifications:
Built Out-of-the-Box
Finishing:
Surprisingly the finish on this Hurricane turned out pretty decent for a very early attempt. I did read up on airbrush techniques and went through the stages of practicing my craft on paper, before committing to a precious aircraft frame. As I recall, these were Testors enamel flat finish paints with the resulting Mineral Spirits clean-up, so a mask of sorts was purchased so as not to asphyxiate myself before I completed a model or two. I kept the lower wing and horizontal tails separate until after painting to reduce the amount of masking necessary on the undersides. The topside camouflage pattern was free-hand airbrushed on. The canopy frames were hand painted as were the propellers and hub. The kit decals were then laid down directly over the flat paint. To counter the carrier silvering, I trimmed very close to the edge on all the decals with the exception of the serial number (which would have been a bridge too far). Interestingly, at the time I was making up my own air force and therefore the squadron codes are whatever mix of letters happened to suite me at the time... I would later come around to build more historically accurate aircraft models, but I was having fun here. No sealer coat was used over the decals and somehow they managed to survive, pretty much intact, all these 45 years later!
The After-Build Report:
Surprisingly this 1/48th Monogram Hurricane kit can still produce a pretty decent looking display model. The fit and shape are essentially there, with few parts for a simple build. Not that it can compete with the modern kits, but it still has a place in bargain model making, as it is not a beast to deal with (like some other early Hurricane kits we know of;). Over time the 20mm cannons got lost in moves. The lost inner guns were replaced by the 40mm cannons however one of these has since been lost as well. This Hurricane model, along with my B-17 built shortly afterwards, are still in my display cases to serve as examples of my roots in the hobby and how I have progressed over the years. You don't need to go with the most elaborate kits with all the aftermarket goodies to enjoy the hobby, you just need a decent enough kit that doesn't fight you along your pathway. To me, it is better to build to your level of comfort, (or slightly beyond it at times) than to overextend yourself in complexities that suck all the fun out of a build (and risk a Shelf of Doom example). WWII single seat fighters are probably the best starting point for fledgling model makers or anyone looking for a relatively stress-free build.
Feel free to comment or ask any questions - Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers
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