Subject: Re: 1/24 Airfix Hurricane by Thanos Mentzelopoulos
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Thanos Mentzelopoulos" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:02:13 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Thanos Mentzelopoulos 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2007 2:28 PM
  Subject: 1/24 Airfix Hurricane by Thanos Mentzelopoulos

  Gallery Template #05

  "1/24 Airfix R.H.A.F. Hurricane" 

  by "Thanos Mentzelopoulos"

  --------------------

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  "Today we say that Greeks fight like heroes, from now on we will say that heroes fight like Greeks." …This is what Winston Churchill once said about the Greeks, since they were the first to defeat the Axis powers in Europe.

  Hello from Greece again!!! This time it’s about my 1/24 Airfix Hurricane in Greek / RAF service during WW II. 

  Many thanks to my dear friend Alexis Kontiveis for the magnificent artwork!!! 

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  History of the Hellenic Air Force in RAF during WW II

  335 Squadron

  The Hurricane was the first aircraft type to be used by the oldest and most long-lived Hellenic Squadron, the famous 335 Sqn, which was under the RAF command after the surrender of Greece in April 1941. The 335 Squadron with callsign "Tiger", is the oldest squadron of the Hellenic Air Force, as it was established when Greece was under German occupation, in October 1941 at the Palestinian airport of Akir, i.e. a few months after Greece’s total occupation by the Germans. The first squadron pilots were officers of the Hellenic Royal Air Force, who had been sent to Iraq since 1940 to be trained by British officers, as well as many pilots who abandoned Greece after the occupation, for carrying on the liberation fight.The squadron was initially equipped with the fighter aircraft Hurricane-IIB and thereafter with the Hurricane-IIC and was subordinated to the RAF 339 Combat Wing. With these aircraft, it operates until December 1943, when the modern Spitfire VB and VC replaced them.The RAF allowed the Greek Squadrons to paint greek roundels on the fuselage and in some cases under the wings. This honorary treatment by the RAF was the result of an agreement between the exile Greek government and the British High Command, because of the way the Greeks had fought against the Germans. In September 1944, the Squadron redeployed to Italy and thereafter to Greece in the end of October, at the Hassani airport, today’s Hellenikon airport. There, the 335 Sqn along with 336 Sqn and 13 Light bomber Sqn, which were established in the Middle East, were handed over by the British to the Hellenic Government. During WW II the squadron lost 18 pilots and had conducted 5555 sorties in 8500 combat flight hours, and additional 12000 flight hours for training purposes.

  336 Squadron

  The 336 Squadron with callsign "Olympos", was established for the 1st time, on February 25, 1943 at the "Landing Ground 219" airport near Cairo, Egypt. Its first name was 336 "Hellenic Royal Fighter Bomber Squadron". The 336 Sqn was subordinated to the RAF 219 Combat Wing, and it was the second FB Squadron of the Hellenic Royal Air Force. The squadron was initially equipped with 21 Hurricane-IIC aircraft, and had a total of 309 men, with 26 pilots. The 336 Squadron during WW II accomplished 3250 missions (day/night), conducting 12427 flight hours, 5116 of which in combat missions and the rest in training. The losses were 12 pilots killed and 3 captives. 

  As you can also see in the photos, neither all Greek Hurricanes’ roundels were always painted blue, nor all of them were fitted with the Vokes tropical filter. I modelled my Hurricane without one, since it depicts the “FG*Σ” just prior to this modification. You can check my anniversary F-104Gs “Tiger” and “Olympus” at ARC as well, commemorating the disbanding of those two famous squadrons using F-104 Gs and – then – receiving A-7 Es.

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  My Hurricane

  I always wanted to build a Hurricane in a desert camouflage scheme in a really big scale. That’s why I chose the Airfix kit! In my opinion it is their best kit ever with good overall fit and amazing detail in the cockpit and the engine area, which is heavily modified in order to represent the real one in the best possible way. The cockpit was modified as well, mainly by the addition of new levers and cables. The instrument panel was scratch-built and the instrument faces were scanned and printed for more realism. Finally, the seat belts were made of Tamiya masking tape and the buckles of copper wire. 

  The engine compartment was detailed according to photos of the real aircraft. I used copper and solder wire, epoxy putty and plastic card. The wheel wells were also enhanced by the addition of tubing and cabling, as well as the gun compartment. 

  As far as the painting of the model is concerned, it was painted with Humbrol enamel colours in the RAF desert camouflage scheme. The Greek aircraft were marked in a combined code, consisting of English and Greek letters. “FG” stands for “Fighting Greeks”, while “Σ” stands for the individual aircraft code. In addition, the spinner was painted in a blue-white-blue pattern, a very common feature of the Greek hurricanes. The centre of the fuselage roundels was painted blue, while the ones on the upper and lower parts of the wings were left in RAF colours. The red part of the flag on the fin was also painted blue. As you can see in the WW II photos some planes had the “shark-mouth” painted on their nose, while some others have regular greek roundels painted on the fuselage and not repainted RAF ones. 

  I hope you enjoy my Hurricane. After all, it took me about 6 months to build!

  More Greek themes coming soon!!!

  Thanos

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