Revell Germany’s 1/32 scale Red Arrow BAe Hawk consists of 155 parts that I was surprised to find were molded in bright red plastic. (I found out why later.) The engraved panel lines were not quite as fine as they should be for the scale, but I was impressed with the kit’s full-length intake ducting and exhaust. The box has pictures of the cockpit, wheels, and exhaust. Nice!
Being a Red Arrows flight demonstration team aircraft, the plane has no weapons options. However, you do get your choice of markings for any of the 14 Red Arrow aircraft, a posable airbrake, separate ailerons and rudder, and a canopy that can be open or closed.
Cockpit detail was just OK. The side consoles had raised details, though somewhat lacking, and there was no interior side detail at all. The ejection seats had multiple parts and looked pretty good assembled. Revell provided decals for the prominent seat belts, but the instructions were fairly vague on where to place them and they looked oversized — they really just did not fit. I ended up only using the shoulder harnesses, positioning them how I thought they looked right; I left the lap belts off. The instrument panels have raised details for instruments, and decals for other details; those fit perfectly. I used a little Mr. Mark Softer to get them to settle down and conform to their surfaces.
Assembly was straightforward with no qualms about either quality or fit. My only quibble was with the kit instructions. All the paint colors reference Revell paint numbers and names, so I had to search the Internet for cross references. (There is one on Revell’s website, www.revell.com/support/paint-guide.html.) Additionally, the directions were hard to follow, with vague parts placement and decals referenced by circled numbers. The sprues were not labeled, providing long searches for parts.
Still, there were no major issues. I used a tiny bit of filler on the fuselage seams in various locations. There is one error in the instructions: The speed-brake hinge pins are reversed in the drawings. The pins must point in and the speed brake must be installed at the same time the brake insert is installed or the hinge pins will prevent the brake from fitting. I ended up just cutting off the pins. Since the brake cannot be moved once it is installed anyway, it really doesn’t need the hinges.
After everything was assembled and it was time to paint, I realized the usefulness of molding the kit in color. For the Red Arrow red, I choose Tamiya bright red in the spray can and decanted it into a jar for my airbrush. The Tamiya paint was easy to use, and it dries to a nice gloss in a very short time, but takes multiple coats of paint to cover up anything with filler or primer on it; red is just one of those colors that can require multiple coats.
Once the paint was dry, I gave the model a sludge wash to highlight the panel lines and break up the monochromatic, solid red finish. The kit decals performed well, settling into the panel lines with no trouble, although I did use a little Mr. Mark Softer for some stubborn spots. The white in the prominent stripes and lettering was somewhat translucent, with red bleeding through. But I did like the decals that are provided to represent the gray sealant used to attach the canopy to the frame, as well as for the explosive cord that would shatter the canopy if the pilot(s) needed to eject.
With all the assembly and finishing completed, I added the landing gear and gear doors (which I had left off for ease of handling). These parts, too, were nicely molded and enhanced the appearance of the completed model.
I found Revell Germany’s BAe Hawk an enjoyable build — easy assembly, good decals, and a decent amount of detail — and it scales out just right. There were a few parts left on the sprue, which may indicate there will be other versions of the Hawk in the future.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the December 2011 issue of FineScale Modeler.