Curtiss H-75 A1/A2

Arma Hobby, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The Curtiss Model 75 was a private venture by the company, designed by former Northrop Aircraft Company engineer Don R. Berlin.

The first prototype, constructed in 1934, featured all-metal construction with fabric-covered control surfaces, a Wright XR-1670-5 radial engine developing 900 hp (670 kW), and typical United States Army Air Corps armament of one .30 in (7.62 mm) and one .50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun firing through the propeller arc.

Also typical of the time was the total absence of cockpit armour or self-sealing fuel tanks.

The Hawk 75A-1 was the first production batch for France. These were fitted with four 7.5 mm machine guns and the R-1830-SC-G radial engine delivering  900 hp (670 kW). 100 were built.

The Hawk 75A-2 was the second production batch for France, powered by either the R-1830-SC-G or 1,050 hp (780 kW) R-1830-SC3-G engine. This version was fitted with six 7.5 mm machine guns. 100 were built.

Of the 11 French Aces of the early part of the war, seven flew H75s. The leading ace of the time was Lieutenant Edmond Marin la Meslée with 15 confirmed and five probable victories in the type.

H75-equipped squadrons were evacuated to French North Africa before the Armistice to avoid capture by the Germans. While under the Vichy government, these units clashed with British aircraft during the Battle of Mers El-Kebir and the Battle of Dakar.

During Operation Torch in North Africa, French H75s fought against U.S. Navy F4F Wildcats, losing 15 aircraft while shooting down seven American aircraft. From late 1942, the Allies started re-equipping the formerly Vichy-controlled French H75 units with P-40s and P-39s; despite this they still saw limited service with the Free French Air Forces.

* Historical background adapted from Wikipedia

Arma Hobby has added a new family to their ever-growing range, 1/72 scale Curtiss Hawk.

The debut offering is the Curtiss Hawk H-75 A-1/A-2. This variant broe the brunt of battle over France in the first year of the war, plus French North Africa up until the Armistice.

Arma Hobby's 1/72 scale Curtiss Hawk H-75 A-1/A-2 comprises 75 parts in light grey plastic; seven parts in clear plastic, yellow Kabuki die-cut self-adhesive paper masks, decals for three marking options and a link to downloadable 3d detail parts.

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Thumbnail panels:

The grey plastic parts are delivered on just two sprues. Moulding quality is excellent. The plastic parts otherwise boast a lovely smooth texture.

Being a long-run kit, the parts are moulded with all the alignment aids that you would expect including pins, holes, slots and tabs.

Moulding quality is excellent.

Some of the sprue attachments are moulded to the surfaces of the kits so take care when cutting these off and cleaning them up.

Surface textures are just gorgeous. Recessed panel lines, raised venbts, circular fastener heads and other structural details are very fine.

The fuselage is supplied as left and right halves. The engine is simply broken down into three parts but detail is not compromised.

The cockpit floor is moulded as the centre section of the wings.

Some cockpit sidewall detail is moulded directly to the inside of the fuselage halves.

Additional separate parts include, throttle quadrant; instrument panel with a moulded pair of rudder pedals, control column and more.

The instrument panel features raised detail that will respond well to careful dry brushing. Rudder pedals are moulded to the bottom of the panel frame.

As an option, an overlay decal is supplied for the instrument panels and switch panel. Harness strap decals are included as well.

There are some really nice plastic details in the cockpit too.

The wing parts are full span lower and upper halves. They are suitably thin at the trailing edges. Aileron hinge lines are appropriately heavier than the general panel line detailing.

The main wheel wells are nicely detailed. The sidewalls start life as a flat plastic strip scored in three places. The strip is then folded into a box representing the four sides of the wheel wells. I would suggest that you apply a small amount of liquid cement to the folding recesses, but be very careful when folding the parts,. A separate domed ceiling is also supplied for each side.

The wheels are subtly bulged and flattened with a fine radial tread.

Elevators and rudder are moulded as separate parts and may be posed to taste.

The tail wheel and strut are moulded as a single part. Detail looks fine.

A number of additional parts and unused options are included on the sprues.

Clear parts are impressively transparent and free from distortion.

Instructions are supplied as an eight page stapled A5-sized booklet.

The kit is packed into a end-opening cardboard box that is a bit flimsy.

Downloadable 3d Printed Parts

The instructions have a link toa QR code that will allow the free download of a 3D file with accessories for self-printing.

The 3D parts include:

• Bulkhead with seat and seatbelts (single part, very clever)

• Instrument panel with rudder pedals

• Exhaust tubes with covers

• Gun barrels

• Reflector gunsight

• Ring and bead gunsight

Marking Options

The kit decal sheet offers markings for three options:

They are:

• Curtiss H-75 A2 no. 107 (U007), GC 1/55, pilot 1Lt. Jan Zumbach. Bordeaux, June 1940.

• Curtiss H-75 A1 no. 16 (U015), 1. escadrille GC I/5, pilot Sgt Léon Vuillemain. Reims, Spring 1939.

• Curtiss H-75 A1 no. 35 (X834) , 3. escadrille GC II/5 “La Fayette”, pilot Adj. Marcel Dougoujon. Toul-Croix-de Metz, November 1939.

Stencil markings are printed on the same single sheet, as are propeller logos and wing walk markings.

Decals are printed perfectly by Techmod.

They are luxuriously glossy, colours are well saturated and everything is in perfect register.

Arma Hobby's 1/72 scale Curtiss H-75 A1/A2 is a little gem of a kit with its crisp surface textures, high moulding quality, thoughtful parts breakdown, useful options and high level of detail.

This is a another excellent offering from Arma Hobby.

Thanks to Arma Hobby for the sample

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2025 by Brett Green
Page Created 29 April, 2025
Last updated 29 April, 2025

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