Airfix’s new-tool Hurricane Mk. I
proved a resounding success when it was released in the spring of 2015. Now, nearly two years later, CMK have released a wide range of resin upgrade sets that could well give the kit a renewed place in the modelling spotlight.

The selection includes a pair of simple Quick & Easy Line drop in replacements for the original Airfix parts, and a quintet of more elaborate sets that completely overhaul or replace areas of the kit:

Q48 265 - Exhausts (Triple Ejector Type) - 4,80 €
Nice and simple, the new exhausts simply replace the styrene parts with no modification to the kit required. They’re slightly hollowed out and feature delicate surface detail - all you need to do is remove them from their small casting block and you’re ready to go.

Q48 266 - Seat With Harness - 4,80 €
Similarly, the seat will slot into the Airfix cockpit with minimal fuss, but you’ll need to be a bit careful separating the delicate seat (the walls of the pan are close to scale thickness) from the substantial casting block. The seat features an excellent harness cast integrally that will repay careful painting to pick out the fine detail.

4352 - Cockpit Set - 10,30 €
The same seat is included in this more elaborate set that replaces a lot of the original Airfix “office”. There are 13 resin parts, plus a printed film for the instruments. You’ll need to modify the kit’s side and floor frames ready for new resin details that also include rudder pedals and heel boards, a two-piece control column that can be posed to match offset control surfaces, a trim wheel, compass etc., plus a new control panel. This is cast with flashed-over holes in the bezels which you need to open up before applying the printed film to the reverse side. This method may seem slightly “old school” compared with some of today’s etched panels, but the litho-style instruments are pin-sharp and look very effective in position.

4353 - Control Surfaces Set - 13,80 €
The kit’s trailing edges are rather heavy, so CMK’s new control surfaces save a lot of work thinning them down. The fabric effect is nice and subtle, and a nice touch is the inclusion of new stabilisers ready to accept the resin elevators without modification.

4354 - Port Wing Armament Set - 12,80 €
Airfix give the option to display the Hurricane’s armament, so CMK have provided a replacement gun bay for the port wing. 22 cleanly cast parts will give a worthwhile boost in terms of detail. The new gun bay has a casting block on the back, so you’ll check the wing halves close around it and probably sand it down before gluing it in place.

4355 - Reserve Fuel Tank Set - 12,80 €
This rather unusual set will look very effective for refuelling / servicing scenes. It needs most in terms of surgery of any of the sets, as you’ll have to cut away the panel ahead of the kit’s windscreen. Once that’s down, the 7-part set provides the new fuel tank, a piece representing the rear of the Merlin engine to fill the otherwise open void, and an instrument panel - this, importantly, also depicting the back of it. Unlike the panel in the cockpit set, this one has no film for the instruments themselves, but I imagine you could combine the two with a bit of careful sanding.

4352 - Main Undercarriage Set - 12,80 €
This 11-piece set replaces the main wheel well and the undercarriage doors. The well is cast so that the reverse side of the roof forms the floor of the cockpit and is nicely detailed with a separate compressed air bottle and pipework. The main undercarriage doors look good with added brake lines, but one of the smaller auxiliary doors didn’t survive the journey. This was the only part damaged in any of the sets and luckily shouldn’t be too hard to replace from styrene sheet.

Each of the sets comes with a simple but effective sheet of instructions. The main sets also include basic painting instructions to get you started.

Conclusion

These days it’s common for aftermarket upgrade sets to appear pretty much simultaneously with new releases, such is the level of co-operation between manufacturers, so it’s quite a surprise to see CMK’s resin sets appear nearly two years after the Airfix kit. They are no less welcome though, and in fact come as a timely reminder of just what a fine kit it is, and the new sets should form the basis of some very impressively detailed Hurricanes in the months ahead.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.