Kit: Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIc Scale: 1:72 Maker: Academy (Sth. Korea) Purchased: Models and Hobbies 4U, Nunawading, VIC, AUSTRALIA Price: $AU10.50 (Approx $US7.55, GBP4.40)
The box: Ridgid cardboard two-piece box with large cover art and clear photos of completed kit detail on sides.
Packing: Heat sealed cellophane. Decals in small cellophane bag for protection
Instructions: fold-out single sheet, clear print on crisp white. No references to specific paint manufacturer's numbers, otherwise clear and concise. 2 painting options.
Molding: Clean, crisp, sharp outlines. engraved panel lines. Very clear detail. No flash. No ejector pins.
Assembly: Near perfect (99.9%) fit. clean joins, all holes pre deilled etc. everything lines up and goes together. Unusual mounting of propeller causes minor problems when painting. Canopy supplied in 2 parts but can't be mounted open due to size and shape being too narrow to fit over molded slide rails behind cockpit. (Pity, as cockpit detail is good and deserves to be shown)
Detail: Cockpit tub has floor with molded rudder pedals. Dashboard has slightly raised details suitable for hand painting, but sadly mounts out of view. Detailed and accurate control stick. Moulded gunsight. excellent canopy panel lines on crystal clear plastic. Landing lights supplied as clear plastic. M/G moulding clear with good detail. Very good detail in wheel wells.
Decals: Clear, well printed. However, very thick, slow to release and brittle. Wouldn't settle into detail even with Mr. Mark Softer.
Overall: Despite the small drawback of the propeller mounting causing some problems with painting, this is an outstanding kit in this scale for detail, quality of molding, ease of assembly and produces a great finished product. I'd recommend 3rd party decals for this to avoid stress and have them set better.
Rating: Assembly 10/10 Surface Detail 9/10 Cockpit detail 8/10 Decals 5/10
Overall out-of-box modeling experience: 8.5/10 (decals drag it down) Would like to see colour references.
Highly recommendable, would definitely try another kit of this brand.
-- _________________ Norman Lever Melbourne, Australia _________________