Hawker Hurricane Mk.I

Arma Hobby, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The Hawker Hurricane Mk.I was the RAF’s primary fighter at the outbreak of the Second World War and proved instrumental in achieving victory during the Battle of Britain.

Alhough overshadowed in later years by the Spitfire and more advanced designs, the Hurricane remained a rugged, reliable, and highly adaptable combat aircraft.

Hurricane Mk.I in 1:48 scale

The 1/48 scale Hurricane Mk.I is well-trodden territory.

Current releases include Airfix, Italeri, Hobby Boss and Pegasus.

Hobby Boss has the most recent offering – 2022 – and reports are that it is not a bad kit. However, it suffers from Hobby Boss’s typical Achilles heels including weirdly shaped canopy and poor decals.

I would recommend the Airfix kit as the pick of the bunch. I built this model shortly after its release in 2015 and I was suitably impressed.

Let’s see how the new Arma Hobby kit compares.

Arma Hobby has a well-deserved reputation for precision engineering and finely detailed surface textures. Their brand-new 1/48 scale Hurricane Mk.I continues this tradition.

Arma Hobby’s Hurricane Mk.I is a thoughtfully executed retooling that brings the early-war Hawker fighter to life.

The kit comprises 93 grey plastic parts, eleven clear parts, self-adhesive die-cut canopy and wheel masks and decals for four marking options.

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Thumbnail panels:

The fuselage, wings, radiator, and propellers are all brand new assemblies.

The first thing that strikes you when the cardboard tray is slid from its box is the beautifully moulded plastic, highlighted by restrained recessed panel lines and an impressive mix of ultra-fine raised and delicately varied recessed rivet detail.

The stretched factory effect is also impressive.

The wings in particular capture the subtle textures of metal-skinned Mk.I Hurricanes without tipping into exaggeration.

The inside surfaces of the wings and fuselage are moulded with slightly alarming-looking raised moulding artefacts. Fear not though – these do not interfere with assembly and will be sealed from view once construction is complete.

Arma has carried over the excellent cockpit sprues from their Mk.IIb & c kits resulting in a comprehensively fitted out front office.

Detail, especially around the structural framing, is crisp and busy without feeling cluttered, and the open forward fuselage gives an welcome glimpse into the characteristic front end of the Merlin engine and associated ducting that is missing from many earlier kits.

An overlay decal is supplied for the instrument panel.

Three styles of propeller spinner and two propeller blades - de Havilland and Rotol - are offered for this boxing.

In the same vein as earlier releases, Arma has supplied a code to download a 3d printing file for a resin pilot’s seat with harness straps printed in place, a detailed pair of landing lights and hollowed-out exhausts with nice weld bead detail. You’ll need to bring your own 3d printer of course!

Engineering follows Arma’s now-familiar pattern of thoughtful parts breakdowns backed by real-world testing. The fuselage is designed with a lower rear fuselage insert to permit the release of a Sea Hurricane Mk.I in the future. The fin is separate too. The wings are full-span upper and lower halves with the fuselage sitting on a saddle at the wing root.

A two-part Vokes tropical filter is present on the sprues but it is not used for any of the four options in this box.

I am building the model at the moment and fit appears to be very good.

However, the kit is not without a few caveats. It is certainly not a beginner’s Hurricane; the combination of fine detail, precise tolerances (especially in the cockpit) and optional extras means the modeller will be rewarded for patience and care. The promise of excellent fit is almost a given, but this is a project where test-fitting, clean-up and thoughtful sequencing will pay real dividends.

Although it is largely a new tooling, early indications suggest Arma’s Hurricane Mk.I will be just good as its Mk.IIb and Mk.IIc predecessors.

The only visible imperfection that I could find was a couple of shallow sink marks on the mid-upper starboard fuselage.

Clear parts are thin and free from distortion.

Marking Options

The Techmod-printed decals offer three Battle of Britain-era aircraft plus one war-weary example in Royal Navy service:

• Hurricane Mk I V6864/DT-A – S/Ldr Robert Stanford Tuck, No. 257 Squadron RAF, December 1940

• Hurricane Mk I R4175 RF-R – Sgt Josef František, No. 303 Squadron RAF/PAF, August–October 1940

• Hurricane Mk I V6864/DT-A – S/Ldr Robert Stanford Tuck, No. 257 Squadron RAF, October 1940

• Hurricane Mk I P3090/W-8E – 760 Squadron FAA, RNAS Yeovilton, Summer 1942

The sheet also carries decals for the instrument panel, harness straps, sidewall details and stencil markings.

The decals are glossy and richly saturated. I particularly like the subtle differences between the shades of roundel red for the early and mid-war periods.

Arma Hobby’s Hurricane Mk.I is a compelling incarnation of the RAF’s early-war workhorse.

Builders who take their time will be rewarded with a model that captures the rugged appeal and purposeful lines of the real aircraft.

The Airfix Hurricane Mk.I is still certainly a nice kit, but I think Arma Hobby has nudged ahead thanks to its ornate surface textures and overall level of detail.

In my opinion, this is now the definitive Hurricane Mk.I in 1/48 scale.

Thanks to Arma Hobby for the sample

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2025 by Brett Green
Page Created 9 December, 2025
Last updated 9 December, 2025

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