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If you have been following my Matchbox Tempest II build, you will be aware of the 3D printed parts I have created to enhance the model. My aim has been to improve the ‘look’ of the model but without going into excessive detail ie, the sort of detail that an average modeller might wish to add to improve the kit. The parts I’ve produced so far: A basic representation of the Centaurus engine with separate ‘gearbox’ and a slimmer cowling. They fit together thus: The engine nacelle also benefits from a printed upper grill (sits ahead of the cockpit) and improved exhausts: In the following image the Matchbox exhaust stubs have yet to be removed In the cockpit I have produced a seat, floor, control column, rudder pedals and instrument panel with either the gun sight attached and instruments features or (for Yahu) no instruments and a separate gun sight. The CAD representation of the seat floor panel with rudder pedals floor panel with control column Instrument with gunsight and instruments plus throttle and switches Having determined that resin printed U/C legs would be too flimsy I have commenced the design of the operating mechanism. This photo shows the first attempt. There are parts of the kit that need removing in order to check the accuracy of the fit. Once I am satisfied that the parts are as acceptable as possible I will make them available.

I was searching for a 1:72 Tempest II model without success, until a Matchbox kit came up on an auction site for ‘not a lot’. Considered a ‘toy’, the overall dimensions and shape of the Matchbox Tempest (as the Tempest II/F2) compare well to scale drawings. The kit lacks the details of the current generation of kits but in view of its general accuracy I felt that a bit of 3D intervention would work wonders. I started on the cockpit (in truth much of which will be all but unseen). This shows the typical floor section with the separate rudder pedals attached. The unit fits between the raised inner section of the kit cockpit floor - I’ve since increased the longth of the rear most cross member as it abutts the back of the raised section. the seat was created by a combination of copying the Airfix seat and photos, the plastic rods fit through holes printed (not printed?) in the 3D model. The bar behind the seat holds the seat centrally, the plastic rods are pushed through and cemented to the wall of the kit and CA’d to the seat. Once all is set the sacrificial positioning bar is removed. (the holein the forward section of the fuselage was made in error when working out how to fix the printed floor.) Using a number of references, I designed an instrument panel incorporating recessed ‘instruments’, the gunsight, compass and side panels with throttle: For my model, I decided to use the Yahu instrument panels so removed the recessed instruments etc and added a sacrificial centering bar as per the seat. I printed a separate throttle unit to attach. The gunsight has been printed as a separate unit und slides into the recess at the top of the instrument panel. It has a long positioning ‘tongue’ to make fitting easier and the help hold it in position - thus is can be fitted after the model has been painted, if so desired. Moving on to the forward fuselage for the Tempest II. I’ve seen a variety of options for representing the grill that is a prominent feature on top of the engine nacelle, from painstaking scribing to painting to transfers - I decided to see if it could be 3D printed: The particles of dust were readily washed away. At the front end Matchbox simply provided a plate, split between the nacelle halves - in truth this is really all that is required as precious little can be seen once the propellor assembly is fitted! I had read about the profile shape of the cowling so decided to see what needed to be done as well as remove the all to obvious seam. whilst happy in principle with my first attempt, it didn’t look right. When compared to scale drawing the cowling was about 1mm too short. Adding that length to the CAD drawing enabled me to achieve the prototypical contour: Having created the cowling the kit part had to be removed (actually, I’d removed that already to ensure the fitting lip of the 3D part fitted). I now had a void where a Centaurus should be. A simple disk would had done, so I sort of created one: This was refined and ultimately became 2 parts - the ‘engine’ and the ‘gear box’, by adopting that concept I can fit the engine and, when all the masking and painting is complete, fit the gearbox/propellor assembly: The Centaurus has recesses on each of the ‘exhaust pipes’ which fit the rear of the cowling. On mine, although I’ve CA’d each one, I’ve backed up the fitting with a ring of plasticard inside the nacelle. I didn’t want the engine to fall back when I presed the gearbox/propellor assembly in. Externally, the kit nacelle has 8 rounded circular stubs representing the exhaust pipe outlets, again I wondered if it might be possible to 3D print rectangular replacements: Not perfect but better than the originals - this was a first go, I revised the print since then.

If you have been following my Matchbox Tempest II build, you will be aware of the 3D printed parts I have created to enhance the model. My aim has been to improve the ‘look’ of the model but without going into excessive detail ie, the sort of detail that an average modeller might wish to add to improve the kit. The parts I’ve produced so far: A basic representation of the Centaurus engine with separate ‘gearbox’ and a slimmer cowling. They fit together thus: The engine nacelle also benefits from a printed upper grill (sits ahead of the cockpit) and improved exhausts: In the following image the Matchbox exhaust stubs have yet to be removed In the cockpit I have produced a seat, floor, control column, rudder pedals and instrument panel with either the gun sight attached and instruments features or (for Yahu) no instruments and a separate gun sight. The CAD representation of the seat floor panel with rudder pedals floor panel with control column Instrument with gunsight and instruments plus throttle and switches Having determined that resin printed U/C legs would be too flimsy I have commenced the design of the operating mechanism. This photo shows the first attempt. There are parts of the kit that need removing in order to check the accuracy of the fit. Once I am satisfied that the parts are as acceptable as possible I will make them available.