So this is sort of a recap of two GBs I am participating in but I'll be doing this as a side by side in progress / reviewish kind of thing independent of the GB activities.
Both kits are 1/72 Curtiss Hawk biplanes, one the old, but still very nice Monogram F11C-2 Goshawk kit from the late 1960s, the other a much more recent kit from RS Models.
In 1932 Curtiss introduced a new biplane fighter for the U.S. Navy based on their already successful series of Hawk biplane fighters then in use with the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
The new fighter was adopted by the Navy as the F11C-2 Goshawk, it was was slightly modified in 1934 and redesignated BFC-2 (for Bomber/Fighter). Unfortunately for Curtiss the Navy was also buying fighters from Boeing, and they only bought 28 aircraft, enough to outfit one squadron. The aircraft did prove successful though and would remain in frontline service with the U.S. Navy as a carrier based fighter bomber through 1938.
Curtiss found more success on the export market selling a slightly modified version as the Hawk 1 and 2. At least 10 nations would adopt the Hawk, including China who bought 50. The float equipped version gained the unofficial name of Seahawk and proved popular in the Amazon region of South America.
Curtiss Hawk fighters would see combat in South America and Asia. Despite being obsolete by 1940 there were still a handful in service at the end of WW2.
The Monogram kit came out in 1968 which makes it nearly 50 years old. Monogram produced 3 kits of 1930s biplanes around this time (the others being the Boeing F4B-4 and Curtiss P-6E Hawk), and they are all great kits. Fairly basic but easy to assemble with good external details. The interior however consists of just a pilot glued to a peg as was typical for the time. You can't really see much inside the cockpit, so it isn't that hard to cobble together a basic interior from styrne strip and sheet.
For those so inclined Starfighter Decals offers a variety of quality aftermarket bits and decals for these old Monogram kits.
