1/72 Heller Ouragon |
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Gallery Article by Polly Singh |
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The
prototype Marcel Dassault, (today Dassault Aviation) Ouragon (Hurricane) made its first flight in Feb 49. The aircraft
was designed specifically as a light weight fighter around the RR Nene and four
20 mm cannon. Gaining distinction
as the first post war French jet fighter to enter service, around 200 examples
entered service mostly with the Armee de l’ Air, the Israeli AF and the Indian
AF. The Indian AF selected the
Ouragon even as the force equipped with the HAL assembled Vampire FB 52.
It was a deliberate decision to diversify the force’s dependence on
British weapon systems. Apparently there was some uncertainty about Venoms from
Britain and Saber Mk30s from Australia. The
Indian Ouragons were named ‘Toofani’, a simple Hindustani translation of the
term.
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Click on
images below to see larger images
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Sqn
pilots pose in front of 29 sqn Toofani in 1959 |
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Toofanis
of 29 sqn at Gauhati circa 1961 |
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India
ordered a total of 71 in 1953 plus 33 in 1957 which equipped five sqns,
including 29 “the scorpions” one of whose ac is modeled here.
The
Toofani saw considerable action in the 1961 eviction of the Portuguese
conclave at Goa, where, Toofanis of 4 sqn attacked the Portuguese fort at
Diu with rockets, the fort’s arsenal being blown up in the action.
Toofanis also attacked the Runway at Diu with 1000 lb bombs. Beginning from 1966 the Toofani was phased out with the last
75 aircraft being flown to a scrap yard at Kanpur in July 72.
The
Heller Ouragon with its stable mate, a 1/72 Matchbox Mystere IV of
8 sqn “the eighth pursoots”
This
was a kit gifted to me by fellow modelers of IPMS Pretoria in semi made form,
i,e, there were no plans, decals, and most of the parts had been painted on the
sprue for the Israeli desert scheme. Some were even missing.
Its pretty much OOB, except for the Indian AF decals from Bright Spark
UK, also gifted by another modeler (you just don’t get any Indian decals) and
the hand painted scorpion. The silver is standard multi shaded with matt and
gloss portions. I chose the 29 sqn
aircraft because of the fabulous golden scorpion that adorned their aircraft.
Some pictures also suggest that some of these scorpions may be some other
colour. Like all French aircraft of
that era, large portions of the fuselage and control surfaces were painted red.
Polly Singh
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