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My second conversion - Eduard 1:48 Eduard Tempest V to II


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Casting around for something to do during the mid-winter (in Oz) break, I came across this which I picked up at the recent local model show:

 

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As well as the kit, which includes some resin parts for the cockpit, there was was also this Airwaves conversion kit:

 

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Whoever had originally owned this kit had already prepared the plastic parts, so that hard task was already done:

 

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So ideal for my second conversion, and a relatively swift build (although not finish - more about that later).

 

The fuselage and wings went together well. I glued in the nose with plenty of superglue gel. I also painted the cockpit parts, although I am a bit uncertain as to the colour. I assumed, being post war, it would all be black, but after checking the internet it looks like that may not be so. It appears the sidewallls. May have been black and the other parts would be interior grey-green. Anyone have some advice for me? 

 

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The wings needed a bit a bit of a spacer between the wheel wells and the top surface to ensure everything lines properly.

 

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Now as to markings, this may be a quick build but the finish will be delayed as I soon discovered that there are limited options in 1:48 for a Tempest Mk II. I found a copy of Model Alliance 1/48 Hawker Tempest Mk.II/F.2/F.6 Post War # 489021 on-line, but that will take a few weeks to get downunder. Plenty of time to choose a scheme I guess.

 

 

 

 

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Look, a Tempest :daydream:

And a conversion to MkII no less. Excellent!

IIRC from alla digging that I did for my Tiffy it seems that Grey green was going out of style, and black with painted aluminium skin was the way to go there.

I'd say that black tubing is the way to go, but the skin is either black or aluminium.

 

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Indeed the tail is really rather wrong on the Eduard kit. If going to all the effort of getting the front end right for a Tempest II it's well worth sorting the back end out as well IMHO :)

 

The Eduard dorsal fin has a blunt leading edge (the real Tempest had a sharp leading edge as the dorsal fin fillet was just added to the original Typhoon fin) making the kit fin waaay too thick up front and covering where there should be a noticeable hump over the tailplanes. The Alleycat correction took a bit of fitting to be honest but the end result was good. I've seen decent corrections done by packing out the inside of the kit fin with filler and attacking heavily to resculpt it too.

 

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Either way, the kit tail doesn't look much like a Tempest tail once you know what a Tempest tail looks like.

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Thanks for the feedback. While I hear what you say Jamie and Richard, this was an el cheapo pick up from the show and I made the decision early on to go with what I have (it will also hopefully stop me from procrastinating). The decals were picked up fairly cheaply as well (see a common thread here😜)

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Finished the cockpit tub, bit my finest effort, but then it's barely going to be visible.

 

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it was a bit of a tight squeeze, but eventually fitted into the fuselage. On offering up the wings, I discovered that the wheel wells fouled on the base of the cockpit, so I couldn't get the wings to fit. 😡 

 

Some careful sanding dealt with that. Then a combination of CA, Tamiya thin cement and some tape was used to attach the wings to the fuselage,

 

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For a single engined aircraft, it takes a lot of room up on the bench!

Edited by SimonL
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Thanks. To be fair, the previous owner has done the hard yards by doing the cut outs of the original plastic. I could have spent time on the cockpit, but to be honest you really can't see much as the kit comes with a closed canopy. I suspect some work will be needed with filler to ensure the resin parts blend in well with the rest of the kit. No hurry over that though - the decals will take ages to get here from the UK!

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  • 5 months later...

After a long hiatus, some movement on the beast. As expected there was a fair bit of filling and sanding to do. Here she is with a coat of primer on, just a few places to fix up.

 

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Not sure what markings to do still. I am tending toward as a dark green/dark sea grey over PRU blue machine based in Kuala Lumpur in 1951. Only issue is I will need to mix up some PRU blue.......

Edited by SimonL
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  • 2 weeks later...

Been picking away at this over the last week or so. Paint scheme was brush painted Tamiya acrylics, follows up with gloss coat with my dwindling supply of floor polish.

 

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Then on with the Model Alliance decals. First time I have use them, nice and strong but oh so tricky to cut out of a very tightly packed sheet. Took me a couple of sessions. Sealed the decals in with brushed on Italeri Acryl Clear Gloss.

 

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Then on with the undercarriage and the props. They were surprisingly difficult to get right, and I am still not entirely happy with them. The matt looking patches are paint touch ups.

 

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Took a bot of a risk today and tried using artists oils, thinned with white spirit, to highlight panel lines and make a little grubby. First time I have tried this on large scale. Pretty happy with how it went. It seemed to flow better into the panel lines (which to be honest were fairly faint in places) than my usual water colour wash, and clean up better. Very happy with the "patina" of dirt that it left. I then sealed it in with Tamiya Flat Clear from a rattle can - another first for me. Very happy with how its come out.

 

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Very close to finishing this!

 

 

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And finished! Amazing how long the final little bits takes. The wheels were a bit tricky, I eventually used superglue gel to allow me the time to get the "flats" appropriately positioned. The canopy was glued on with some white glue (which is still wet in these pictures). More photos to follow in RFI once everything has dried!.

 

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A bit frustrating at times, but I am pretty happy with how it turned out and I have learned a few useful skills along the way.

 

Thank for following.

 

 

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Always good to see a Tempest Simon, and doubly good when it's a Firedog one! 

Looks like the Tamiya Flat Clear went on very well and gave you a nice even finish. Would you mind telling us what number Rattle can you used? 

And a little corrective advice if I may - the two small inner undercarriage doors should hang 90 degrees (i.e. straight down) and not at the angle that you have attached them.

Check your references, however this should be an easy fix. 

 

Lovely conversion and modelling.. 

Cheers.. Dave. 

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Thanks Dave - and thanks for the info on the undercarriage doors - all fixed! I will take some photos tomorrow morning.

 

As for the rattle can - it is TS-80 Flat Clear. I have been casting around trying to find a better final flat coat for my models and I think I have found it. Very happy with the results on this and my recent two Hurricanes.

Edited by SimonL
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