COBI Hawker Hurricane Mk.1 Set 5866

COBI's Hawker Hurricane Mk. 1 is a 1:48 model built from 138 blocks, 20.5 cm long with a 25.5 cm wingspan, in the colours of North Africa and the Mediterranean in 1940. The wheels rotate and all markings are printed.

The bulge under the nose

Desert Hurricanes carry a large fairing beneath the nose that European ones do not. It is an air filter, and it was necessary because sand destroys aero engines.

Fine desert dust drawn into a carburettor acts as grinding paste. Without a filter, a Merlin in North Africa could be worn out in a few hours of running — and most of the damage happened on the ground, taxiing through the dust thrown up by the aircraft in front.

The Vokes filter solved it and cost around 30 km/h in top speed, plus a noticeable loss of climb. Pilots hated it and several squadrons made their own slimmer versions in the field. It is a good illustration of what fighting in a desert actually involves: the enemy was a real problem, and so was the ground.

In the COBI range

Set 5728 is the Hurricane Mk. I at 1:32 in the markings of Josef František, and set 5762 the Polish 302 Squadron aircraft.

Specifications

Pieces: 138 · Scale: 1:48
Model dimensions: 20.5 × 25.5 × 9 cm (8.1 × 10.0 × 3.5 in)