Hawker Hurricane MKI: ... Come in Red Leader ...

I finally got the aviation bug back and cracked out this Airfix Hawker Hurricane MkI in 1:72nd scale. This blighter will provide my Desert Jock Column with much needed air support for my early war desert wargames.

This old kite is marked up for the 1939 deployment of No: 80(F) squadron more specifically for the bird flown by Flight Officer M.T.St. J Pattle. You can see in this shot my attempt at exhaust smearing down the fuselage.

I'm quite satisfied I've got the propeller blur right this time and used a thin oil wash of black/brown across the disc. I also hand painted the fuselage serial number and tail plane squadron insignia.

I paid more attention to surface detailing and marked up the panel lines and rivets with a graphite pencil before the final mat spray coat. I did refrain; however, from constructing an aerial wire. After all, it's only a wargaming model.

Well the last shot will be me very shortly. I am finally quitting the Kingdom of Tonga after more than three years and flying away. My mission is coming to an end and I should be out of here by 06OCT2020 and not before time. My fiance, daughters and parents have waited long enough. So I'll have to pack up my hobby equipment in the next few weeks and ship it home ahead of myself back to Australia. Now that I have a date to work towards, I'm very relieved and really looking forward to it.