48 hours Airfix 48th Hawker Hurricane Competition om 18^th & 19^th February 2023

This 48 hours built is the 4th year event since the start of the Covid-19 from 2020.

It was Henry Low’s idea to do an Airfix 48^th Hawker Hurricane 48 hours build this year as our first competition. Henry, thank you.

We announced this competition at the start of 2023, put word out on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

As we do more and more people to participate, we put almost all (except one) on a WhatsApp chat group. We expected about 12 – 15 to participate, and all had their Airfix 48 Hawker Hurricane kits in various variants ready. Most had the 2015 newly tooled Airfix Hurricane, but 2 had the classic Hurricane from the 1979.

At close to midnight of Friday / Saturday 18^th February 2023, the WhatsApp chat group came alive with lots of excitement. At 12 midnight, the excite modellers started. Henry Low started off the build with his text at 1201hrs, and Lester Poh started, with Mick Stephen having a Snoopy GIF “Tally Ho boyz!”.

The fastest to do some assembly went to Razali Ahamed as usual, followed closely by Terence Teo with his base coat painting and pre-shading! Chuan-Jin then realised that he had to travel over the weekend!

By about 0200hrs in the morning, Henry, Lester and Razali did finish the assembly of wings. Then Razali had to prepare to do to work on Saturday!

Keng Leong fell asleep while waiting for the start and got up at 0530hrs.

By 0800hrs, Kevin Luo had assembled his wing and started to add photo-etched parts.

In between all, Kevin Khoo has some quiz questions as part of the competition.

By 1100hrs, Terence and Henry had the wings and fuselage built (note both were building the 1979 Airfix 48^th Hawker Hurricane), while Lester had his wing and fuselage assembled by 1300hrs. Anthony Dobson followed in the afternoon.

We had our usual Skype call at 5pm, but only Lester Poh joined in. The other were too busy building models. I brought my Airfix 48^th Hurricane to the shop to build, but had too many customers and visitors to make too much progress (that is my excuse which I am sticking too).

By about 1930hrs, some people had painted their first coat of paint on the aircraft exteriors. At this point, Kevin Luo decided to retro actively cut out the machine gun bays, and scratch built the radio tray behind the cockpit. Henry chose the black / white under wing colour scheme, whereas Terence went for the all silver scheme.

Having come back from work, Razali rejoined the group to continue his build.

By 2200hrs, Lester had painted his tone camouflage. Keng Leong has assembled this wing and fuselage. At this time, some decided to go to bed, to be fresh on Sunday morning. Lester, Razali and Kevin Luo continued through the early morning.

By 0900hrs on Sunday 19^th February 2023, there was frantic modelling activity about the contestants. Kevin Luo painting his shades, Terence painting, and Lester Poh has ready painted models. Razali reached the same point at noon.

In the afternoon, Greame Sim gracefully bowed out at this point.

Lester and Terence started applying decals at 1300hrs, followed closely by Razali.

Lester Poh was the first to finish his entry by 1532hrs.

Here are the following finishing people’s times:

1858hrs Razali Ahmed

2241hrs Henry Low

2338hrs Terence Teo

2352hrs Anthony Dobson

2354hrs Kevin Luo

2358hrs Ng Keng Leong

The judging was done the week after the competition.

I thank the judges Tony James, Kevin Khoo, and Mick Stephen.

The fastest time winner went to Lester Poh (Prize: Swann-Morton A.C.M. set)

The best model went to Kevin Luo (Prize: Airfix 48^th Avro Anson)

Article by Peter J K Chiang

23^rd February 2023.