Paul Bradley

Yep. Like a zit on the wingroot. Nice photo, too, of the first production Tempest V, so it shows all the salient features of a Series 1 Mk.V

...and it just went political.......

@keithjs What do the bulges look like? Take a look at this photo. A squat, rounded trapezoid is probably the best description.

That first one shows well the wing root bulge and, barely discernable (as they should be) the fishplates.

Yes, it should, and also the wing root bulges. I had to add them to my SH 1/32 model which also didn't feature them. I don't know about the Eduard kit as I haven't seen one.

There are a lot of John M Smiths on Facebook, none of whom seem to have aircraft profiles on their timelines, Can you post a specific link to his profile, please?

Thank goodness we can now throw away our wretched Matchbox kits....

Please thank Chris Thomas - he's the expert! I just cribbed some notes for a previous Tempest V build. There are some very useful Tempest (and Typhoon) threads on BM that Chris has contributed to.

Here are some notes I made based on @ChrisThomas' research which can be found elsewhere on BM. The Tempest V came in two basic flavours – Series 1, which is generally reckoned to be the first 100 or so airframes (JN729-773, JN792-822, JN854-877), and Series 2 that encompassed the remaining production of the type. However, within those two basic configurations there were some subtle differences that make it a difficult task to pin down the exact specs of a specific airframe at a specific time. Without going into great detail, here’s a quick summary of the features: Long-barrelled cannon – Denoting the use of the Hispano Mk.II 20mm cannon, at least the first 39 Tempest Vs, up to JN767, had cannon fairings protruding from the wing leading edge. Wing root blister – The first 50 Tempests, up to JN796, used Typhoon centre-sections. As the Tempest wing was thinner at the root, part of the steel tubing that made up this structure had to be covered by a small blister. Fishplates – These small structural strengtheners were found up to at least the 85th airframe, JN862. Cuckoo door dust filters – Not required for Series 1 aircraft. Main wheels – Early Tempests had Typhoon main wheel hubs with 5 spokes and Dunlop EX 11.25-12 tyres. Sometime in the JN-series, this changed to a new 4-spoke design, but the exact cut off is not known. Under wing stores – long-range tank capability was not fitted until JN797, bomb carriage from 151st airframe and rocket projectiles from the 251st airframe.

Isn't it? I'm also told by a reliable source that one of the ladies only worked for SAM Pubs for 2 weeks (and her photo grabbed from Facebook), Jay Laverty told them in no uncertain terms where to stick their job last year, and the Ken Jones mentioned is actually a different Jones who works for a competitor and the photo was grabbed from Twitter! So lots of strangeness all round.

Which is interesting given the history of the various companies he has been involved with over the years and their fate. And I originally quit writing for SAM Publications because of him. When the ownership was changed, I was asked to re-join. I said I would only do so if it was categorically stated that he was no longer involved with the company in any way. I was given that assurance, which is why I rejoined. However, I did have my suspicions going forward which is one of the reasons why I left again for good.

Personally, the statement that most intrigues me here is, "I have sold millions of books in the last 40 years..." @WarthogMKL how old are Mark and Sophie, the owners/directors of SAM Publications?

That takes bizarre to a whole new level.....

are watching me, said

Wow, they really are pushing the bounds of legality with that page! At least three of the people listed deny any knowledge of working for SAM Publications. On top of it all, the grammar, punctuation and spelling are all atrocious! Hardly a good look for a print magazine! Here's the page Rene speaks of: