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• Model Airplane International no 21, April 2007 • 2013-09-28
• HPM 9/2007 • 2013-09-28
• SAMI 2007/02 • 2013-09-28
• IPMS USA • 2013-09-28
• www.cocardes.org • 2013-09-28
• Hyperscale.com • 2013-09-28
• Review by Ned Barnett • 2013-09-28
• Internet Modeler • 2013-09-28
• ModelingMadness.com • 2013-09-28
• CyberModeler Online • 2013-09-28

• Model Airplane International no 21, April 2007 • 2013-09-28
  
• HPM 9/2007 • 2013-09-28
  
• SAMI 2007/02 • 2013-09-28
  
• IPMS USA • 2013-09-28
  Reviewed By Paul Bradley, IPMS# 35554 The Hurricane needs no introduction; needless to say, there have been many books published about this famous aircraft over the years, including some specifically for the modeler. I'll wager though that few of them are as useful as this volume. The latest in MMP's Yellow Series of monographs, this book by Marek Rys is packed with information, photos, plans and profiles, making this a "one-stop" for everything Hurricane. Starting with an illustrated development history, the book continues with a mark-by-mark description of the evolution of the type, including official and unofficial modifications. Thus you will find, for example, the PR.1 version from the Middle East described and illustrated. Following this is a service history, a technical description, details of foreign production and a survey of world survivors. Each section is profusely illustrated with period photos and plans. The second and largest part of the book is a comprehensive collection of detail photographs illustrating both modern restored machines and extracts from official period service manuals. This is perhaps the most useful part of the book to modelers and is easily better than any other Hurricane walkaround book available. Photos are clear and well annotated, though some are a bit small. Rounding out this volume is a series of 30 pages of full-color profiles, two to a page, illustrating the Hurricane from prototype to its last days in service. Here you may find such rarities as a Luftwaffe-operated machine, ones from Belgium, Finland and South Africa, and the rare "Hurricat" emergency ship-board fighter, depicted resting upon its launch dolly. Plenty of inspiration there! This series has rapidly become an indispensable part of the modeler/enthusiasts' library; this volume is no exception. If you need one book on the Hurricane, this would be it.
• www.cocardes.org • 2013-09-28
  Sidney Camm, l'ingénieur en chef de Hawker a immaginé le Hurricane à partir du splendide Hawker Fury qu'il avait conçu quelques années auparavant. Le Hurricane avait d'ailleurs initialement le nom de Fury monoplane. Achevé en 1935, le chasseur se révèle le seul avion d'armes britannique doté d'une vitesse comparable à celle des avions de course. Il est immédiatement commandé à raison de 600 puis 1000 exemplaires. Dans ces conditions, le Hurricane est nécessairement l'ossature de la chasse britannique lors du début de la Seconde Guerre mondiale et si le Spitfire reste dans les mémoires, le principal artisan de la résistance anglaise est bien le chasseur de Hawker. Régulièrement amélioré jusqu'à une version Mk.XII, le Hurricane fut produit à raison de presque 1500 avions et la production ne cessa qu'en 1943, soit huit ans de production continue à une époque où l'aviation se développait à très grande vitesse. Autant dire que cet avion est une légende de l'aviation dont la carrière fut très riche et concerna un grand nombre de pays, dont la France qui l'utilisa dans ses unités en AFN en 1943 puis à Meknès, à l'école de l'aviation de chasse. Le Hurricane est aussi l'avion des pilotes français FAFL dans la bataille d'Angleterre. Le Hurricane a fait l'objet de plusieurs ouvrages dont à ma connaissance un seul en langue française il y a fort longtemps chez Atlas. Ce nouvel ouvrage signé Marek Rys se démarque de ses prédécesseurs dans le sens où il est particulièrement destiné aux maquettistes avec de très nombreux plans et une multitude de photos de détails. Le livre étudie toutes les différentes versions de l'avion, y compris les versions produites sous licence, dresse une description technique de l'avion et détaille l'avion. Une longue série de beaux profils clôture le tout. L'ouvrage, en langue anglaise est bien structuré, plaisant à parcourir, et bénéficie d'une mise en page claire. ? Un ouvrage très conseillé.
• Hyperscale.com • 2013-09-28
  Reviewed by Steven "Modeldad" Eisenman This latest addition to the Mushroom Model Magazine Yellow Series is true to form. The monograph is divided into three basic sections: The historical text; the walk around comprised of color photographs of restored aircraft and black and whites of original aircraft; and finally, the numerous color profiles. While the text may be a bit basic for the Hurricane Boffin, it is none-the-less an excellent introductory overview of the development of the Hurricane and the Hurricanes various types and sub-types. The text begins with the history of Sydney Camms effort to develop a monoplane based on the Hawker Fury. What one discovers is that the success of the Hurricane was due not only to its design, but also due to reliable technology - the Browning machine gun (Colt MG-40). The author then goes on to give an overview of the Hurricanes Marks and subtypes, from the prototype through the various Marks used by both the Royal Air Force and Royal Navys Fleet Air Arm. The text is accompanied by 1/72 line drawings and period photographs, providing examples of each Mark and sub-type. The author gives an odd account of license production by other countries. While some countries truly had license production, Belgium and Yugoslavia, other countries merely engaged in local modification of British or Canadian built aircraft, such as Russia and Persia There is also a section on experimental Hurricanes and further development of the aircraft and its armament. Finally, the technical specifications for the primary Hurricane Marks are presented. What one will not find in the text is a combat history of the Hurricane, its use in various theatres of war or by other air forces or in FAA carrier operations, identification by serial number and a certain degree of detail, which I believe is beyond the scope of the authors intent. For example, while the author does discuss the bewildering issue of fabric-wing and metal-wing Hurricane production and notes changes made, he does not seek to give serial numbers as a reference, nor is the exact nature of the physical differences made as clear as it could have been. Also, other than two profiles, one will find nothing on the Finnish Hurricanes, either fabric or metal wing. The next section is the heart, soul and guts of any Yellow Series monograph. This section contains extensive color photographs of restored Hurricanes, along with some period black and white photographs, so as to present a walk-around of the aircraft. The Author, in the beginning of this section, also gives the location of many surviving examples of the Hurricane. In the walk-around section, the author wisely, in my opinion, points out that he is not going to give a comprehensive listing of identities (types, Marks, etc), because of problems of parts swaps and record keeping. As with any restored aircraft, the restored Hurricanes pictured in this section, should be considered as modeling on a 1-to-1 scale. Finally, there are the profiles, which are nicely done. They cover a fair cross sections of Marks and markings; even if they did leave out one of my favorites; the Belgian Mk. I with the thistle emblem. And what would profiles be without a dispute over one or two, such as Collies Battleship. This was an unarmed Hurricane Mk. I Trop (L1669) with fabric wings flown all over Egypt, by P/O M. T. Pattle, to make the Italians believe that the RAF had numerous Hurricanes. The profile shows the aircraft as Dark Earth and Middle Stone with Sky underside. The IPMS Canada Canadian Aces decal sheet (based on a Scale Aircraft Modeling reference) indicates the aircraft was Dark Green and Dark Earth with a black and white divided underside and serial numbers under the wings. A picture of Collies Battleship just prior to leaving England, which appears in Hurricane at War by Chaz Bowyer, seems to show a Dark Green and Dark Earth aircraft with serial numbers under the wings. But, the underside does not appear to be a black and white scheme. Rather, it appears to be a uniform light color; perhaps Sky, perhaps Sky Blue. I have my money on... Conclusion When all is said and done, if you are nowhere near being a Hurricane Boffin, and you are looking for a good and succinct introduction to one of my favorite aircraft, then this book is for you. It will provide one with a good introduction to the Marks and sub-types, and hopefully spur further interest. Highly Recommended. **Boffin: bofˇfin Function: noun Etymology: origin unknown (slang) chiefly British : A scientific expert; especially : one involved in technological research
• Review by Ned Barnett • 2013-09-28
  “Another Hawker Hurricane book? Amazon lists 397 Hawker Hurricane books. Man, I need another Hurricane book like I need …” That was my first thought when I received Mushroom Model’s latest release; seldom have I been more wrong. If I had to be limited to just one book on this critical transition-era fighter aircraft, I’d take this new volume hands-down. At least for modelers – though it’s useful for historians as well – this is far and away the best one-volume book on the Hawker Hurricane I’ve got in my collection. The Hurricane was the first monoplane fighter in the RAF – as well as the first with a retractable landing gear (the Gladiator was the first with an enclosed cockpit) – as such, it is what I consider a “transition-era” fighter. Developmentally, this puts the Hurricane on a par with the Seversky P-35 and Curtiss P-36, the Polikarpov I-16 and the fixed-gear fighters by Mitsubishi and Nakajima – yet the Hurricane outperformed and outlasted all of them. Born in 1935, the Hurricane was the most numerous and effective RAF fighter in the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 – and this remarkably long-lived fighter remained operational throughout the war and, in one rocket-equipped squadron flying in the Eastern Med, until 1947. During the dozen years the Hurricane saw operational service, this remarkable aircraft went through three major designs – Mk. I, Mk. II and Mk. IV – along with literally dozens of minor variations. This book covers most, if not all of these variations, including foreign modifications that include a Yugoslav-built Daimler-Benz powered Hurricane and a handful of Soviet modifications – from re-weaponed combat machines to two-seat UTI Hurricanes – that were news to me. Reading through the book and studying the detailed 1/72nd scale line drawings of these variations, I was inspired to start off modeling a whole series of Hurricane conversions. For a modeler, it doesn’t get much better than that. In addition to roughly 100 pages of text that include detailed drawings and contemporary black-and-white operational photos, this new Mushroom Models Hawker Hurricane book has 30 pages of side-view color profiles – the Luftwaffe- and Japanese-marked Hurricanes were especially interesting. The book also has 74 pages of color photos – primarily “walk-around” and detailed construction, cockpit, engine compartment and landing gear photos – of surviving flight-capable and museum Hurricanes. Photos of Sea Hurricanes show useful details of catapult spools, arresting gear and other navalized features, sure to be useful to FAA modelers. The 70 pages of narrative text, which focuses on construction and development, rather than operational service, doesn’t chart a lot of new territory – for a plane as well-covered as the Hurricane that would be difficult – but what is covered is well-presented and interesting. The story of the Hurricane’s development holds together well, and in addition to recapping well-known information about this remarkable fighter, there are some intriguing new bits of information, such as plans to re-engine the Hurricane with Rolls-Royce Griffon and Bristol Hercules engines – sure to appeal to the “what-if” modelers. For modelers and for those who are interested in the development of one of the most successful of the transition-era fighter aircraft, Mushroom Models’ new Hawker Hurricane title is a useful bargain and strongly recommended.
• Internet Modeler • 2013-09-28
  Reviewed by Gerry Nilles Hawker Hurricane model builders, historians, and aircraft enthusiasts will be extremely pleased with the latest book from Mushroom Model Publications. The classic and legendary Hurricane is certainly one of the better know combat aircraft of all time. It was the first modern fighter aircraft to go into service with the Royal Air force. During the Battle of Britain it downed more German aircraft in 1940 than all other British defenses. With the exception of the Pacific the Hurricane saw service in all other WWII theaters of operations. The design and development of the Hurricane, including those built in Canada and Yugoslavia as well as ones surviving to this day is all covers in this book. Crammed with extensive historical and detailed B&W and colored photos, beautifully rendered 1/72nd scale line drawings, and page after page of color and marking plates, including ones captured by the Axis powers, this book is a must for anyone interested in the Hawker Hurricane.
• ModelingMadness.com • 2013-09-28
  Scott Van Aken This latest edition in the Mushroom Models Magazine Specials is on the Hawker Hurricane. As with all other books in this series, it is superbly done and as much a treat for the aviation enthusiast as it is for the modeler. It begins with a background to the Hurricane and the development of the Fury monoplane fighter. It then goes into the building of the Hurricane itself. Like the Spitfire, there was little that actually needed to be changed from the prototype to the first production aircraft. There were some differences to be sure, but they were minor, such as the removal of the horizontal stabilizer external brace, a change in gear doors and the 'flattening' out of the upper fuselage behind the canopy. The initial batch of aircraft were built with fabric covered wings, though many of those were replaced with metal covered versions later in their career. Same with the two-bladed Watts prop, as a deHavilland built Hamiliton Standard three bladed version and later a wooden Rotol prop took over. Interestingly, the Rotol prop gave about a 25 mph speed increase over the previous versions. The book then goes on to describe the differences between the variants of the Hurricane, followed by information on other countries that used the aircraft. Some, such as Belgium and Yugoslavia, undertook license production. The different versions of the Sea Hurricane, including those assigned to CAM ships are also covered. Thanks to the number of extant aircraft, there is a huge, full color section covering all the different bits and pieces of the plane. This large close-up section is a real boon to modelers as no part goes un-photographed. There are also images of the aircraft under restoration so we can see the detail of what is under the skin. This is concluded with 30 pages of color profiles and three views, one of my favorite parts of the book. Throughout the book there are quality period photos and drawings to help illustrate the different variants. All in all it makes an unrivaled reference to air fans and modelers alike and is a book that I can recommend to you without hesitation.
• CyberModeler Online • 2013-09-28
  By Ray Mehlberger The British Hurricane surely needs no introduction. It was the first modern monoplane fighter to enter service with the RAF. It was the most numerous RAF fighter during the Battle of Britain, and shot down more German aircraft in 1940 than all the other British defenses. It served with many air forces, in all theatres of WWII except the Pacific, on land and at sea. The design and development of the Hurricane is described in detail in this new Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) book, covering all versions including those built in Canada and Yugoslavia. The book is in MMP’s usual 9” x 6 ½” soft-cover format. It contains 184 pages. In these pages we get: 40 black and white wartime photos, 57 1/72nd scale line drawings, 3 information charts, a whopping 217 color shots of surviving aircraft in museums (most of these being of the walk-around type), 5 illustrations out of actual tech manuals and 23 full color side profile paintings (with an additional four being 4-views). In these profiles are Hurricanes in the markings of: RAF, Yugoslavia, a captured one in Luftwaffe markings, a CAM Hurricane shown on it’s ship-board catapult, Finland, 2 in captured Japanese markings, Russia, Belgium and Norway. Chapters in the book are: Introduction Fury Monoplane Hawker Prototype K5081 Versions: Mk. 1 Mk. 1 Late Series Official and Unofficial Mk. 1 Variations Mk. II Series 1 Mk. II Series 2 Mk. IIB Mk. IIB “Hurribomber” Mk. IIC Mk. IID Official and Unofficial Mk. II Variants Mk. III Mk. IV Sea Hurricane License Built Versions Experimental Versions & Designs Hurricane Technical Description Performance Data Hurricane Survivors Color Photos Color Profiles This is a very detailed book at a classic WWII aircraft, and will be of interest to historians, aircraft enthusiasts and modelers.