Airscale Hawker Typhoon IB

[Cycling Guy]

I haven't been this excited to build a kit in such a long time. Thanks for showing everything so clearly and making me think I need a second copy of this kit.

[RCPlym]

1 minute ago, Cycling Guy said:

making me think I need a second copy of this kit.

 

Funny you say that...

I bought a second one totally unaware I had already secured one a few weeks earlier... 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

 

[mozart]

4 hours ago, Cycling Guy said:

I haven't been this excited to build a kit in such a long time. Thanks for showing everything so clearly and making me think I need a second copy of this kit.

Well that, quite honestly, makes it all worthwhile!  As I have said many times, the kit is just such a super duper enjoyable build, and I'm glad that my enthusiasm has come across to encourage you to build one or two!  I'll be joining you; besides the obvious slider conversion I also fancy going the other way towards building a Mk1A, ie the original 12 gun early version.  I need to investigate fully but I reckon it's very do-able from Peter's kit.

 

Anyway, these chaps are getting restless:

 

 

How long can you make a cuppa last? Today's work, starting at the tail end:

 

 

I used some very thin stretched sprue to make new trim tab cables, simple job.  The rear navigation lights are nerve wracking, had to really concentrate to make sure I didn't lose one of these slippery little customers. (Not too sure about the paint finish on the top of the tail, a quick respray should sort that).

 

Then on to the undercarriage:

 

 

The "L" shaped section on the inner doors, a prominent feature visible on any Typhoon, is a strengthened piece of metal plate (probably steel) which takes the initial force of the spinning wheels as the doors close, thereby preventing wear through softer aluminium.

 

The main doors comprise two parts plus the oleo, the large cover locates positively over the oval, but the recommendation from Peter is to fit the u/c leg first:

 

 

The leg also locates via a strip which makes it impossible* to mis-fit it.

* But you must make sure you clean up all the fragments of the support structure first - ask me how I know!

 

I said right at the outset that "the kit is so complete, so well thought out and so detailed that there is absolutely no need for any extra bits and pieces", well as it turns out - not quite:

 

 

Brake lines!  Two different thicknesses of lead wire plus an Anyz line connector.  There's actually no way Peter could have modelled this as part of the kit, similarly another "workbench” addition looming before too long for the later Typhoon, a whip aerial...more stretched sprue! 

 

So she's not quite on her pins, the tailwheel is in place but I didn't want to rush myself, so tomorrow chums! 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 5 by mozart

[RCPlym]

Crackalackin' stuff! 

[dennismcc]

Great stuff Max, those line connectors look great, I must invest in some.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[mozart]

10 minutes ago, dennismcc said:

Great stuff Max, those line connectors look great, I must invest in some.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

All the Anyz stuff is worth having Dennis, and can be quite adaptable at times. It does make a difference in the final appearance of models, that extra little detail! 

[mozart]

And "suddenly":

 

 

....except it wasn't sudden, it was really quite hard work!!  

 

Two main problems.  The oleo leg keys into a mating hole in the wheel well bay, a very secure and positive fit, but in fact one that needed quite a bit of work with my grinding tool to get it to fit.  Once in place, it was VERY secure, both a good thing and a not so good thing when it came to engaging other linkages to a point on the front face of the wheel bay:

 

 

It wouldn't fit and eventually snapped off in two pieces:

 

 

However, the good news is that it was a very simple and quick task to put them accurately in place:

 

 

Followed by the wheel, after I had drilled a small hole in the inner rim for the brake line to fit into:

 

 

So when it came to fitting the other side, I deliberately  cut those linkages off first, fitted the main leg then refitted the links.  All good....well nearly!  When I installed the inner doors I was missing some struts/jacks which should have been there:

 

 

I contacted Peter about this, expecting the struts to maybe in a box that I hadn't opened.  But they were actually moulded as part of the door but would have looked like a support piece.  So when you're looking in this box:

 

 

..and Item 55, beware!!   And whilst you're bewaring........

 

 

watch out for this tiny piece in Box D!  It's a square rectangle which is the open flap on the fuselage handhold if you're planning to have the footstep extended:

 

 

It's pretty easy to cut a small rectangle from 10 thou card so I'm more annoyed to have missed it in the box than anything else!

 

So it's on to opening the last box:

 

 

Delicate or what....should be fun.  I won't be doing too much to this until some weathering and other bits have been completed but with some trepidation I did try the inner door on the port side:

 

 

...and it just slides past the throttle....phew!

 

And in the post this morning:

 

 

Stencil masks etc hot off the press from Sven at 1ManArmy.  I'll need to consult the Bentley drawings the find where all these go because no direct instructions are yet available.  I see there's a serial for R8781 which was a 486 Squadron RNZAF Tiffy plus kill markings.

 

So a bit of a mixed day but she's looking just fine, and getting a bit dirty tomorrow! 

 

 

 

Edited February 6 by mozart

[dennismcc]

Great work Max and good pathfinding for us to follow.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[LSP_Kevin]

Quite the fight, Max! Looks like you've negotiated things nicely, however.

 

Kev

[monthebiff]

All looking very good Max, these 3D printed kits will take some time to get used to so as to not destroy detail as we remove parts from the intricate support trellis networks in these boxes.

 

Regards. Andy

[RCPlym]

Tis a good looking Tiffy Max!!

[Jim Barry]

Grand! Won’t anything non Airscale be a let down? I almost don’t want to know how good this is. You are killing it

[Greif8]

Really next level work Max!  The wheel well are works of art and the weathering looks fantastic.

 

Ernest

[mozart]

Thank you for your appreciative comments Dennis, Kev, Andy, Rob, Jim and Ernest…..all are very welcome and valued. The Typhoon continues to deliver, with just a little reminder every now and again not to take it for granted! To use Peter’s words, there are one or two areas where “jiggle, wiggle, pry, wiggle, stretch, pray and attachment” apply! 
 

On with some filth……I mean, some Flory Dark Dirt! 

[Tolga ULGUR]

Excellent