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A quick little RFI of Airfix's recent Tempest. Lovely little kit that I thoroughly enjoyed. It goes together really well and the only real thing to look out for are the trailing edges which are, as they say, proper chonk out of the box. The box's schemes are for series 1 aircraft, but there are a plethora of alternative parts, including drop tanks on the clear sprue (which I painted and haven't included solely because I forgot to drill the pilot holes out before glueing the wing), 'cuckoo flap' carburettor intake and alternative spinners. Those tanks, by the way, come out really nicely with the Tempest's quirky transparent farings, and include a nice channel through which you can wick paint to represent feed lines. I should include them really. In this case I used the decals from a the pre D Day series 1 aircraft of 486 squadron to depict a fictional post invasion series 2 aircraft with the later half stripes. Basically because I think it looks nicer. I painted this one pretty simply. Paints and most clear cotes are all Tamiya acrylics, usually cut with clear gloss x22 to give a more durable satin out of the airbrush, which worked out really well. The final layer of varnish was VMS HD satin. Simple panel washes were in oil. Cheers for looking in all, thanks to those who popped into the WIP and kept spirits up! WiP here Andy

I'm starting this build thread as a tribute to my Uncle, Sgt P C Brown.(later promoted to W/O 2 ) I only recently found out some detailed information about his wartime RAF service. The key to unlock the records was his middle name. I found his record card in the National Archives after my late father told me his middle name was "CORIN". This build thread i've decided to start up as a WIP. It's the Revell 1:32 Hawker Typhoon V kit. The reason I chose this was that my uncle flew this type in March/April 1945 in Northern Germany. I'm intending to use the Hataka Paints set for RAF. Have tried these out on a Boulton Paul Defiant and a Tamiya Mosquito to learn how to apply the RAF Temperate cammo scheme with an airbrush. A little about my uncle... I knew a few details about his RAF service during the war. It was only very recently that i actually discovered some more of the story from official documents. I'd been trying to find out something more about him for many years. The key piece of information was his middle name. My late father told me a few months before he died that Uncle Peter's "C" in his name was "Corin". This was the key that unlocked his service number and eventually his complete squadron operations book, held in the National Archives . I decided i would build the kit as one of the squadron aircraft that he flew the last operational sortie before the wars end. I can determine that he flew 11 sorties with 56 (Punjab) Squadron flying from Volkel in Holland. On his very first sortie he destroyed a FW-190 D of JG 26 . On his 11th sortie he suffered total engine failure and crashed in to a wood, the plane exploding, and was assumed killed. It is this aircraft I plan to depict. US-X / serial number - NV728 .W/O W DM Tuck suffered engine failure on the same sweep and he believed that both himself and Peter Brown were hit by small arms fire on a Low level strafe damaging their cooling system and leading to both engines seize ups. Chris Thomas interviewed Bill Tuck and this was the story he related. I have not discovered what happened after he crashed exactly yet. He was held as a POW and was reunited with Bill Tuck in a camp of sorts. I do know he's mentioned as back in the squadron in August 1945. He was still in Germany in October 1946.I should find out these details from his MOD full service record once i get them! I've applied through the correct channels but the MOD have told me this may take up to 6 months due to Covid. For this build i think it's not necessary as the aircraft depicted i can place with uncle Peter on 3rd April 1945 with 56 Squadron. I have bought the kit, some Master brass gun parts/pitot tube and a full set of the correct decals so i can depict his aircraft. I have managed to get some actual pics of my uncle at the time. He joined the RAF sometime in September 1942. He went to Canada under the 'The Big Plan' to learn to fly between 10th August 1943 and 26th November 1944. January 1945 he was at an OTU in Yourshire and on the 19th March1945 he was with 56 Squadron in Holland. I'm doing this build as a tribute to my Uncle Peter. Here's some pics of him and the reference material i intend using! Sgt Peter Brown with 56 Squadron Tempest V ( unknown aircraft ) Sgt Peter Brown - Front foreground Right - With the 'chaps' at dispersal - 56 Squadron - Germany 1945? e Sgt Peter Brown sitting on a Hurricane wing. Date/Place unknown. The Aircraft nose art says "81 - Jean" He named one of his daughters "Jean" Peter Brown in a Hurricane cockpit . Found this Profile online . Same squadron, different aircraft but at crucially the right time so will consider this as my primary colour reference.