Special Hobby 1/72 Curtiss Hawk H-75M/N/O |  | The Kit  This is yet another release in the MPM family of Curtiss Hawk models, this time focusing on the fixed gear export version. Much of this kit is the same as prior releases, with the obvious difference of the landing gear. There are some other differences as well, including resin parts and photoetch. You get two sprues of plastic parts, nine resin pieces, vacuformed canopy parts, a small fret of photoetch, and a decal sheet with three options.
A closer look at the interior shows that there are some additions to the original release. The entire cockpit assembly is made up of resin and photoetch and makes for a much nicer looking interior, although the cockpit floor still does not have the proper curve to it. This really is not noticeable once things are together, though. Separate sidewalls, floor and bulkheads will make painting much simpler. The instrument panel is made up of resin and photoetch, with film instruments. The finished cockpit is sandwiched between the two fuselage halves.  The rest of the assembly from here forward is simple. The wings come in three pieces, with a one-piece lower wing setting the dihedral. The cowling is split in two and sandwiches the resin engine face inside. Notations are included specifying the cowling variations for the different marks. The tailplanes are solid right and left pieces. The landing gear comes in three pieces, with the strut assembly split in right and left halves, sandwiching the wheel in between. Final details include underwing gun tubs, a resin tailwheel, exhaust stacks, an ADF antenna for the H-75O version, and other various antennae.
 The decal options are from around the world, with one from China, one from Thailand, and one from Argentina.
The Chinese example is an H-75M, as seen on the boxtop, and served with the 25th Squadron, 5th Fighter Group. The camouflage consisted of dark green over a base natural metal. The green is heavily worn on the upper surfaces. Blue and white stripes on the rudder and Chinese stars on the lower wing mark the nationality, while white numbers on the fuselage sides make up the remainder of the markings. The Thai option is an H-75N flown by Sgt. Sangwan of Number 60 Squadron Pak Tai at Udon/Thani, Thailand. This plane has a two-tone upper camouflage of medium green and rust brown over neutral gray. Thai colors mark the rudder as well as the wings. An emblem is under the cockpit on both sides, with a white fuselage stripe just ahead of the tailplanes. The final option is an H-75O of Regimento Aero No. 2, Comando de Aviacion del Ejercito in Argentina. This plane is overall silver, with a bright red fuselage band and Argentinian roundels in six positions. The plane number is on the fuselage as well as on the wings in a large size. The decals themselves are well printed and have no alignment issues. The color density is good and there should be no problems with using any of these decals. Conclusion The MPM/Special Hobby Hawk family is a nice set of kits and provide a welcome addition to any 1/72 group. As a predecessor to the P-40, models of this plane help show the development into that famous fighter, and this export version has some great marking options. If you passed up the earlier Hawk kits, take a look at this one. It might be just the one you want.
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