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As the title says, this will probably end up sitting on the shelf unfinished for months or more likely years however it's one of those things that when you get the urge to build something you simply must build it no matter what else is on the modelling table. So for everyone's delectation and encouragement I hear-by inform the gathered members of this esteemed institution that I will attempt to construct, for the edification of the populous one of Hawker's finest never built aircraft........ The P.1027! Having seen a few builds of this version of the Tempest and having a collection of intended real world builds of the aircraft linage, I realised that perhaps I should get around at some point to build this version of the Tempest especially as I have been building a Mk1 series II Tempest. First this I did was locate some drawings which I found HERE as drawings 57 and 58. These drawings are as they state in 1/72 sale, if you handle them correctly. I found that I had to print the drawings off in Landscape and to fit the page while printing onto A4 paper. So drawings: Check Next a kit to modify.... well I could buy off the internet as there is nowhere local for me to buy anything or I could use the Academy one I have part started in my stash. Sounds good until you read a review or two, in my case from looking at the Valiant Wings publication Airframe & Miniature No.4 "The Hawker Tempest" by Richard A. Franks, which says "the fuselage is 2mm short and it's not all up the front or back, it's mid-way. To correct it, you need to split the fuselage at the point where the rear bulkhead in the cockpit sits". Not really a problem as the nose is going to get cut off so why not make this modification as well, and 2mm is quite a large amount, 144mm/14.4cm which is roughly 5 inches off the top of my head There are other inaccuracies that are also mentioned but are minor compared to the length issue. Anyway, that's a kit sourced too Propellers contra-rotating propellers to be exact! Now the front of the Rolls Royce Eagle (1944) has quite a large area behind the propeller hub's and after looking at the Wikipedia entry for the engine decided to use the propellers from the Wyvern which was initially powered with the same engine and indeed the rear section or the propellers has the same diameter at its rear. The front part though...... A chat with TsrJoe and I ended up digging out a set of Shackleton propellers which have the right diameter as in the drawing as look as if they have the right shape too. Not only that but the front part of the hub looks to be the right shape going by the drawings! The rear of the Shackleton propeller hub will also roughly fit inside the Wyvern rear hub so I should be able to fill and shape the Wyvern part with the Shackleton part inside it, so that's the propellers sorted as well So that leaves working out what to do with the engine and radiators under the fuselage. Well the engine should be relatively straight forward. I have both plan and side elevation drawings which I can use for templates. The head on drawing can be used to produce a template for the rear of the engine as well. Both the plan and side templates will have to modified to fit around each other and the central tube which I will fit for the modified Shackleton propellers to fit into. Other than making up box's for the exhausts to fit into, not checked out anything to make them though I am considering using some small diameter tubing, I am thinking of using the bottom of the kit's radiator for the under engine intake in this build but I haven't checked it yet so I may have to use something else. Time will see what happens. Right. That's the build started so it can now sit around for months on end without me doing anything else to it. Heaven forbid I actually pick up a saw and plastic and actually have a go at it Gondor