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I have been working on this model since July this year following a summer camp at RAF Conningsby. By chance I photographed BE taxiing out during a heavy downpour. I was soaked but it was worth it to obtain some excellent photos. The twin seat interior and cockpit etched sets from Eduard have been used, however I had to trawl the internet to get hold of them. I found them eventually in the USA and Germany.

About to start the Revell 1/48 single seat Bronze Tiger Eurofighter. I have been reading about the intakes and they are meant to be nightmares. Is it work buying the Heritage resin intakes. Seen them for £14 online (plus £6 postage!!!) or just go ahead with the current ones. I've also read opening up the vent in the side and using a straw to make the pipe. How much do I open it up? One last thing! I bought a scriber as ther eneeds to be a panel on the side. Does anyone have a diagram of this or shall I just look at photos cheers Adrian

Hi, I recently posted on the WIP forum my attempt at the twin seat Typhoon from Revell and I promised to post some photos of Typhoons, which I have done. These are some general photos (I'm sure there are better out there) that I would like to share, which Illustrate some of the details of the aircraft.

Hi All! Been a while since my last post - hope you all had an awesome Christmas and New Year. Managed to find some time to get back into a bit of modelling recently Please check out this video and let me know what you think of the build I quite like building planes at this scale, but feel that this one was a bit dated. Not bad build though in my opinion. What do you guys think? Thanks in advance for your criticisms

Revell is to release in November 2016 a new tool (simplified new kit) 1/72nd Eurofighter/Typhoon kit - ref. 03952 Source: http://www.plastik-modellbau.org/blog/revell-neuheiten-2016/2016/ V.P.

Hawker Typhoon 1B Tropical Trials Unit Conversion 1:72 Red Roo Models Serious thought was given to the use of the Typhoon overseas once the problems with the engine, and rear fuselage structural problems were resolved. The proposals were first mooted in 1941 but not acted on until Winston Churchill raised the issue of them being used in the MTO. By mid November 1942 the aircraft was ready with a modified air filter being fitted. However due to engine failures and other accidents the programme was delayed. By 1943 three aircraft (R8891, DN323 & EJ908) were fitted with the new experimental filters and ferried out to the Middle East for trials. By the end of September 1943 the protracted trials were considered at an end and the three aircraft released to 451 Sqn for general flying. EJ906 was struck of charge in February 1944 due to a lack of spares, RR8891 was lost when it struck the ground in August 1994, and DN323 was stuck off charge shortly after the crash of R8891 as it was considered no longer worth the trouble of keeping it airworthy! All there aircraft features the scheme of Dark Earth & Light Stone over Azure blue. There seems to be evidence of EJ906 wearing the code letter Y, but none for the other two airframes. The resin parts though small are well cast. The decals look well printed, colour dense, and should pose no problems to the modeller. The modeller will have to use the kit, or their own national insignia.. A set of comprehensive notes and instructions are provided in addition to the decals. A 1:48 version can be found here if needed. Review sample courtesy of

Hi All! I'm starting here to share with you this build of my second kit after finishing my first one 25 years ago (ok, I feel older now... ). I didn't documented the whole building process as I wasn't part of Brittmodeller when I started this kit, but I think these pictures will give you a good idea of it. I'm using an airbrush for the first time and I'm really happy with this incredible tool, I just can't believe it! All my paints have been Tamiya acrylics so far but I'm finding new tools and products almost every day. I moved from Argentina to Canada in 2014 and when I decided to start again building plastic models I was amazed with the variety of resources that I have here compared to Argentina. Just the chance to go to an airshow here in Edmonton and see warbirds from WWII flying is something that I was only able to dream about before moving here. I really like the quality of this Airfix kit, and this subject in particular has been always of my interest, the Typhoon looks so powerful aircraft that I always liked it. Ok, here are the pictures, I hope you like them but please give me any suggestions or comments that you might find useful, I'm trying to learn everyday so every tip even when it could sound too obvious is welcome. The fitting of the wings to the fuselage was a little tricky and I probably should have spent more time trying to make it fit better, but that will be something to consider on future builds The bottom part of the nose required a decent amount of putty but once painted it looked quite good. Ready to start the painting process After the first coat of the bottom color everything looked much better, that putty thing is magic! Yup, I didn't know where to find that impressive thing called blue tack to hold paper stencils with my camouflage so I had to do this with masking tape. It wasn't that bad after all but the edges were too sharp for a real camouflage. Murphy's law, I found the lovely blue tack on Staples right after finishing this part, LOL By far, one of the most exciting parts was to remove the tape and reveal the two colours there she is with the prop and spinner already painted Starting with the decals after two coats of Tamiya Clear, my original plan was to use these black and white stripes that look so good on the wings of the Typhoon, but I had a massive fiasco when trying to put the first one, that ended up destroyed. I was too upset to take the time to mask them and airbrush them, so I just decided to go with the other option from the kit (thanks Airfix!) I was trying to set the decals with Tamiya Mark Fit, but honestly I couldn't see if this thing is doing something to the decals at all. After my failure with the stripes I didn't even try to go with the yellow lines on the leading edge so I masked them and airbrushed these. Now I have found Micro Sol, which seems to work much better, but I couldn't find a bottle of Micro Set, so for now I finished using only a little bit of micro sol after placing each decal. I found this one to work much better than the Tamiya Mark Fit, but in some cases like the letters and numbers on the sides of the fuselage, I never saw wrinkles after applying micro sol. Not sure if the decal was too thick on these or what, but they didn't go into the recesses of the panel lines. Anyways I'm really happy with the result so far, I'm not sure if from here I should apply another coat of tamiya clear or try with Future to seal the decals before finding some courage to try a certain level of weathering, for which I'm kind of worried. I got a couple bottles of Tamiya panel line accent (black and dark brown) that I'll try to use. I have to glue the exhausts and then find the way to apply some smoke, but I'm a little scared to use my airbrush as I don't feel confident to do such a thin lines on the model yet. Not sure if trying with pastels would be less risky at this point. What do you think? After this I'm planning to apply either a coat of Tamiya X86 or a Vallejo Matt Varnish, what would you use? I tried the Tamiya one on a spare piece and it is quite matt but it gave me a white look that I didn't like too much, but I read later that this could have been related to the humidity in the air when I was spraying it. Suggestions are welcome here. Like I said before, I have lots of questions as I go, so your input is really appreciated. Thank you! Lomcevak

E-ONE Typhoon Fire Truck, pics mine taken at RAF Lakenheath.

Evening fellow Modellers. I have a question that i'm hoping one of you clever lot can answer about the under side of the Hawker Typhoon. I'm in the middle of assembling and have noticed this: What is it and is it relevant for a 1B operating in Europe at the end of 1944? I'd like to add it as it will hide an 'orrbile seam but I do like accuracy... Thanks in advance!

Here goes with another RFI post. This time it's the Airfix 1/72 Tyffy. This was left languishing on the shelf of doom after I half finished her last year so she has been patiently waiting to be completed. This is a cracking little kit, really well detailed and in keeping with Airfix's new tools of late. She is built OOB with the addition of tape seatbelts and finished using a variety of revell, humbrol, mr hobby and tamiya paints. I kept weathering to a minimum so as to not overdo it. Here she is below - hope u like. As always your feedback and comments are most welcome.

Typhoon Ib Car Door Sets & Masks 1:24 Eduard for Airfix kit Interior Set The colour nickel fret provides parts for the cockpit. There are parts for the instrument panel, side consoles, flap selectors and control column. There is the rear hold back for the seatbelts, and a new frame for the car door. Landing Flaps The landing flap set is just what it says on the packet in that they provide a full set of landing flaps. They are cleverly made in that all the ribs just need to be twisted up into place. There is some kit surgery needed to get them in. Engine Set This set provides mainly skins for the inside of the kit engine panels. There is some detail for the frames inside, and a new mesh intake front. Seatbelts This set provides two sets of seatbelts for the aircraft, why two? we don't know. These are the new flexible thin steel type. Wing Armament Bays This set provides parts for the bays for the wing guns, skins for the bay doors, and new ammo feed boxes. Masks This set provides masks for the canopy and wheels. Conclusion The Airfix kit is a great kit but these new sets from Eduard will bring it to another level. Recommend. Review samples courtesy of

Morning folk,s,I have been building in 1/48 scale for most of the last year with the odd 1/72 build here and there.I want to get back into the scale I grew up with for a few builds spurred on by a few cheapies from Home Bargains in the form of a couple of Typhoon and Hurricane kit's.I have a few of the Hurricane kits in the collection and built one of the new tool Typhoons last year so AM decals were needed as I,ve covered all the kit options especially with the Hurricane.I have Hannant,s D-Day sheet on order which not only gives me a couple of fully striped Typhoon schemes but also a Swordfish scheme and some other tasty Spitfire and Mustang schemes for the future.The Hurricanes will be in a couple of RAF schemes from the battle of France era which have paint masked codes which should be interesting.The Swordfish also wears stripes in a mainly white scheme so over summer at least five kits are planned. First up a start on the Typhoons which despite the open gun bay option I am building closed up. Lovely crisp molding and detail on the sprues. The Swordfish as you might expect is the Matchbox oldie Those were the days! Thanks for looking in, Decals should arrive tomorrow so I,ll post some pics then.

Last year (2015) was important for all us WWII RAF fans being the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain (BoB). For me a highlight was the visit by our own Procopius and I took great pleasure in driving him around a bit, culminating in a visit, with Jon (06/24), to the BoB display at Duxford. What a trip... Jon encouraged me to buy the Hannants decals for the Typhoon, further encouraged by sending me a kit - thanks Jon. I would say I intend to do it justice but after my Beaufort build I need a bit of a rest... For the RAF it was a chance to show off their new aircraft by painting it in the scheme of the Hurricane flown by Flight Lieutenant James Brindley Nicolson VC DFC, the only Fighter Command pilot to be awarded a Victoria Cross medal during the battle. It's good to see they use the same techniques as us: The kit is well known (I think): and is the 2007 rebox (it's been in my stash since last year). This is what I'm hoping to achieve: Nice. Time for some sprue shots.

Here are some photos of my recently completed Revell Typhoon dressed up in the livery of the RAF's No. 3 Squadron based at RAF Coningsby. The build was quite a challenge as the kit's quality was not up to the same standards as Revell's previous F-15E and Rafale kits. This was a fully OOB build. Painted with Gunze lacquers and weathered with Tamiya enamels and some pastel chalk. Hope you enjoy the photos! Mark

It looks like Christmas has come early! The new Airfix A19003 1/24 'Car Door' Hawker Typhoon 1B is on its way to us and will be in stock within 24 hours. It is available to order now at our usual discounted price. The kits comes with 4 decal options 1. R7752/PR-G of 609 Squadron flown by Squadron Leader R.P Beamont. 2. R8781/SA-H of 181 Squadron flown by Squadron Leader Denis Crowley-Milling. 3. EK270/EL-X of 468(New Zealand) Squadron. 4. JP671/XP-R of 174(Mauritius) Squadron. Among the options offered by this new version are the new ‘car door’ style canopy structure Earlier ‘car door’ pilots seat Alternative main undercarriage wheel Pneumatic tail wheel Alternate cannon fairings for the guns Different internal frame structure 500Ib ‘Long Tail’ bombs

Hi everyone With my VC10 coming to a close I've decided to revisit a build I started back along, the gargantuan Airfix Typhoon 1b. I fell out of love with the kit when I had huge problems with motor, for whatever reason I just couldn't get the bits to fit as they should, I broke bits and lost bits and I eventually lost my enthusiasm. With some of the impressive builds of the kit on the site my enthusiasm has been rekindled, I have parts for a new motor and I've picked up another kit with some after market for a song so really I don't have any reason not to restart it. I don't have any progress pictures to show as of yet but I will post as I go. See you all dreckly Iain

Typhoon Class Submarine Mikro Mir 1:350 Built primarily for long missions under the polar icecap, the sheer size of the Typhoon, known indigenously as the Akula Class, was simply mind blowing. She was half the length of an Nimitz class aircraft carrier and about 2/5ths its displacement. A submerged Typhoon was said to reach 48,000 tons, while its western equivalent, the almost as long Ohio Class "boomer," displaced "just" 19,000 tons. The Typhoon's massive tonnage comes from the fact that they were basically two Delta Class submarine hulls mated together and built outward from there. They could carry 20 R-39 SLBMs, each with 10 multiple re-entry vehicle (MIRV) warheads. In other words, this submarine could rain two hundred nuclear warheads down on western cities and military installations in a single barrage. Seeing as the ship was designed with Arctic patrols in mind, she could break through the ice and fire all of her missiles while surfaced if need be. Additionally, she possessed six 533mm tubes that were capable of launching Type 53 torpedoes and SS-N-15 "Starfish" cruise missiles, although these were tertiary capabilities in comparison to her primary mission as a nuclear "second strike" deterrent. What made the Typhoons even more threatening was that they were among the quietest vessels ever built by the USSR, and they were fast, capable of hitting around 28kts underwater. In effect, tracking these suckers was a top priority for NATO, and especially the US, and it was not that easy for America's silent service to do so. Additionally, these ships were prime targets on America's nuclear hit lists while in port as they could launch their missiles even while tied up to the dock if the orders to end the world as we knew it were ever given. In the end just six Typhoons were built during the 1980s, and most were withdrawn from service within a decade and a half of their christening. Today a single boat, the first of her class, the Dmitriy Donskoy, is still in service, acting partially as a missile development test boat as she was updated and converted to carry the newest Russian SLBM, the RSM-56 "Bulava." The two other remaining Typhoons that were still in Russia's reserve inventory are being scrapped as the cost of refitting and operating them is deemed too high. In their place, the more streamlined, efficient and cost effective Borei Class, although not necessarily cheaper to build, and its second generation derivative, which were designed around the RSM-56 SLBM, will solidify its grim role as Russia's primary second strike nuclear deterrent. Interestingly enough, before the final decision was made to scrap all but one of the remaining Typhoons, the shipyard that originally built them was floating some pretty wild concepts in an attempt to see that they were refurbished and put back into active service. Some of the ideas proposed were to refit the ships as natural gas, oil and cargo transports capable of delivering large quantities of stores to Russia's most northern outposts. The Model This is my first look at a Mikro Mir kit in its raw state and I have to say initial impressions are pretty good. The kit comes in a colourful top opening box with what looks like an actual photograph of a Typhoon on the lid. Inside there are four hull sections, two smallish sprues and two separate parts for the fin all in a light to medium grey styrene. Also included are two small etched sheets, a tiny clear styrene sprue and a sheet of decals. On initial inspection the details are nicely moulded, but be aware that this is more like a limited run kit and as such will require a bit more fettling and fitting than a model from one of the larger mainstream manufacturers, it is not a shake and bake. This is particularly seen in the fitting of the hull sections which come in separate bow and stern sections for both upper and lower hulls. Some careful sanding will be needed to get all the parts to fit nicely, but try not to sand too much otherwise you will lose some of the moulded detail. Unfortunately the instructions are little on the small side and I found the easiest way to view them was to scan them into the computer and blow them up, certainly helps with identifying where the smaller parts go. The best way to construct this kit will be to glue the bow and stern sections of the upper and lower hulls before attaching the now two halves, (horizontally), together. With the hull sections glued together there are several fittings to be attached to the lower hull, these include the keel strakes, two, what I can only presume are water intakes, each consisting of two halves, the two piece rudder onto which two PE strakes are fitted per side, and two other parts, fitted aft of the water intakes, which I cannot identify. Turning the sub over the upper hull is fitted with the tower/fin, which is provided in two halves, is assembled, with a floor section sandwiched between them about two thirds of the way up the fin. The small brass parts that make up the antenna/periscope wells are fitted before closing up along with the clear parts that make up the front windows. The fin is then topped off with a selection of antenna poles and periscopes, and finished by fitting the PE handrails around the base. The upper rudder is of the same construction as the lower and once fitted into position two similarly unidentifiable parts to those on the underside are glued into place, followed by the two bowplanes. The two propellers are each made up of individual PE blades glued onto the styrene propeller boss, which is then completed by the fitting of four small strakes into the front of the boss. Once assembled, the two propellers can be glued into place. The two single piece sternplanes are fitted with inner and outer PE plates before being glued into position aft of the propellers which are then enclosed by upper and lower cowl sections. Finally two rounded plates are fitted to the outside of each of the aft horizontal planes, completing the build. A small stand is provided to mount the model on, or you can provide your own method of display. Decals The small decal sheet provides quite a lot of markings for the submarine, mostly for the individual hatches and openings, but also for the escape/access hatches which are provided as two parts to improve the opacity of the white sections. There are also depth marks for the bow, amidships and stern plus two Russian Ensigns. Although marked MikroMir, the decals have a Bergamot feel about them which may or may not be a good thing. Once again I scanned the decal placement sheet into the computer which helped a lot in identifying where the decals go. Conclusion This is a very interesting kit in that it may take a little longer to put together, requiring a little more patience and care with the fit, but at the end of the day you will have a very nice, and accurate model of the imposing Typhoon class submarine. Having seen a couple of completed models they really do stand out from the crowd. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello all, just started my new projekt, Revells Eurofighter Typhoon Twinseater. I started with the seats. I wanted to add some more details and scratched the harness. You can find more pictures in my blog: http://petesmancave.blogspot.de/ Pete

IIRC the identification stripes (four 12" black and three 24" white ones) on Typhoon wing undersurfaces were introduced in December 1942 and ordered to be removed in February 1944. What's funny they were also introduced on production Tempests (after all Hawker called the Tempest briefly Typhoon II) and the first units flying Tempest from April 1944 (No 3 and 486 Sq.) didn't feel obliged to remove the ID stripes, as the order listed only Typhoon Thus some (not many) Tempests from these two squadrons mentioned above featured in June 1944 "mixed striping", having D-day stripes (three white and two black ones, 18" each) on wing uppersurfaces and around the fuselage while retaining old ID stripes under the wings. Frankly speaking I have not seen any photos of such a/c, but several colour profiles of them do exist (by various artists), namely the JN766 SA@N and JN803 SA@D of No 486 Sq. and JV784 JF@E of No 3 Sq. RAF. Moreover during my 50+ years of interest in aviation I have also met the profiles of late production (Tempest-tail, teardrop canopy) Typhoons featuring old ID striping under the wings and the remnants of AAEF invasion stripes under the fuselage. Examples are two a/c from No 198 Sq. (RB222 TP@F and TP@Q with unknown serial - both with 4-bladed props) as well as the 3-bladed JP811 MR@K of No 245 Sq. Also the MN570 (big tail, 3-blades) coded @B after W/Cdr Peter Brooker of 123rd Wing is sometimes shown with full AAEF stripes around the fuselage and over the wings plus old ID stripes on the wing undersurfaces. Could anybody confirm these oddities with any photos? The 4-bladed, large-tailed Typhoon with "mixed" stripes is what I need Cheers Michael

Just when I thought I had enough submarine kits (see :- http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234970734-new-1350-scale-submarines-uss-g-washington-hms-m1-etc/)to be getting on with, up pops the postman with this new kit from Hobby Boss. I ordered it from Hobby Easy on 15 November and it was delivered today (22nd) - 7 days door-to-door - excellent service Despite its size, it is quite a simple kit - the hull is in upper and lower halves with a separate 'sail'. The most numerous parts are the missiles - 24 tubes each in two halves, with 24 X 2-part missiles - plus all the caps and hatches. Alternate etched-brass propellers are provided and the small decal sheet gives markings for the depth numbers and escape hatches - but not the prominent white waterline markings around the whole hull. It's a huge model - 50cm long and 6.5cm wide! This sprue is repeated 4 times - to provide the 24 missiles and tubes etc.... Final sprue with sail (with alternate top) plus the propellers and diving planes (the front ones work!!).... Alternate etched-brass propellers..... I'm not sure about the acoustic tile detail - is it overdone ??? Some photos show the hull completely smooth - other pictures show the tiles - maybe a trick of the light ??? I chose this HB kit over the Micro-Mir version because I wanted to have the missiles on display - I'm not sure what the MM version is like ?? Ken

I better participate in this GB as I voted for it. It is a great topic with so many great choices to model! But as the Typhoon is one of my favored aircraft, it was an easy choice for me. The first of four entries is a 1/48 Hasegawa Typhoon Mk.IB R7752 from No.609 Squadron, flown by Sqn Ldr Roland Beamont, from Manston in March 1943. I am not 100% sure which version of Beamont's Tiffy I make, but most likely the one with the yellow cannons. I will use the Hasegawa kit together with the Jaguar Detail Set (now available from Barracuda), Aires wheel wells and Techmod decals for the small markings and some other stuff if it will enhance the model. I will paint the roundels and squadron codes with my own masks. Cheers, Peter

As I am building a car door Tiffy in 1/48, I thought some bubble canopy Typhoons will be a nice addition. Build two and three for this GB are therefor two 1/72 Typhoons with D-day markings (or what's left of it). The first of the duo is Typhoon Mk.IB PR-M from No.609 Squadron operated from Thorney Island on 6 June 1944. It is interesting that in the Osprey book it has the serial MR131 and on the Xtradecal sheet MR130 - what is correct? Unfortunately the only picture I found is of rather poor quality - but better than nothing. But it shows that the D-day stripes are crudely painted on by brush or broom! I will use the Brengun kit for MR131. It is the late type boxing, but the plastic also contains a three bladed prop and short chord Typhoon tail plane which is correct for MR131. This will be a OOB build as I build in 1/72 scale mainly to show camouflage and marking variations using the markings from Xtradecal 179. The second in the duo is a late production Tiffy Mk.IB MN716 F3-A from No.438 Squadron (RCAF) operated from Eindhoven during mid-October 1944 There is an excellent picture available for this aircraft. The Airfix kit will provide the parts for this build - a four bladed prop and the Tempest large tail plane. I also build it OOB with decals from Aviaeology 143 Wing decal sheet. I started this kit two years ago, but very little was done on it. It will be interesting to see how the Brengun and Airfix kit compare. Cheers, Peter

This is my latest build. Revell 1:48 Eurofighter Typhoon single seat RAF 29Sqn Display Aircraft from the 2014 season. I have had this in my stash for several years and wanted to build it using the xtradecal Typhoon display decals to depict the 2014 display aircraft which I have always thought was stunning. I purchased the Olimp resin seamless air intake and exhaust can set so I could build a clean aircraft along with with the BigEd PE set. The build went relatively smoothly with the resin sets only needing some slight filling and sanding. I was impressed with the fit and detail of the it, only adding some scratch building in the wheel wells to add interest and depth. The Eduard set in the cockpit is a must as it really sets it alive and cannot be beaten. As usual I painted the aircraft using Vallejo Air colours finished off in a satin coat with a light wash and weathering as these aircraft are usually presented as pristine. I wanted to show the versatility of the aircraft and to do this I thought adding an array of ordnance would do it nicely. This particular aircraft would not have been operational in 2104, but would have continued to fly training sorties so to add some colour and interest I have loaded it with a variety of training ordnance.This is a sort after, discontinued kit and hopefully the re - issue in Sept will bring some more great examples of this single seat aircraft.

NOTE TO VISITORS FROM THE FUTURE: Build notes can be found in this post. MRS. TATE [Mavis Tate, MP for Frome]: We were told yesterday that our Air Force was superior to the German air force, and I very much hope that is the case. But I am told there are Focke Wulf machines flying in German squadrons which are said to be in some respects superior to our fighters. I understand that our reply to the Focke Wulf is the Typhoon. I may be misinformed, but I should like to ask the Minister whether we have Typhoons flying in our fighter squadrons and whether they are over their teething troubles. -- Hansard, "Production", 15 July 1942 On 30 May 1943, twenty-two Fw 190s made a low-level raid on Torquay, dropping 21 bombs, killing or seriously wounding 125 people and destroying fifty buildings. One of the raiders collided with the steeple of a Roman Catholic church and then crashed into a house, and three more were brought down by anti-aircraft guns. Reginald Palk, then a schoolboy, was digging through the rubble of St Marychurch, demolished by a bomb, when "I heard the sound of more aircraft approaching...I looked up to see the fantastic sight of RAF fighters in pursuit." These were Typhoons from 257 (Burma) Squadron scrambled too late to intercept the Jabos, but now roaring after the escaping German fighters. The lead two Typhoons of the squadron's Yellow Section sighted a Fw 190 at five miles distance making for France at a speed in excess of 320 MPH. The British fighters now went to full War Emergency Power, and the big Typhoons surged after the Fw190, closing the gap from 10,000 yards to 150, whereupon the section leader fired a one and one-half second burst from his Typhoon's four 20mm cannon. The Fw190 shuddered, flipped on its back, and crashed into a cliff on the isle of Guernsey. I've always been fond of the Typhoon, something of an also-ran as far as RAF fighters go; it was unreliable and suffered from defects for almost the whole of its brief operational life, and it never really came into its own as the hoped-for Focke-Wulf killer, those laurels instead reposing upon the infinitely more beautiful Spitfire IX and the Typhoon's own younger sister, the Tempest. But in everything the Typhoon did there is for me an element of dignity and protectiveness, the air of a big man of infinite patience rolling up his sleeves as he steps forward, be it roaring after fleeing low-level raiders at speeds no German aircraft could escape or appearing out of the murk of a June morning above the 21st Panzer, confidently pushing towards the beaches of Normandy. There is a reassuring solidity to her; you know she may not be agile enough to land the hit, but you also know that when she hits, it will be hard, there'll be meaning in the blow. I was originally going to build some Eduard Fw 190s, but that seemed a bad way to start off, and begin as you mean to continue, I always say. Plus Beard seemed to want to know how the Brengun kit goes together, and I'd just gotten another one, so it seemed like fate was telling me to do what I really wanted to do anyway. I'm for once unsure what markings the aircraft will have. The kit has decals for the Typhoon of R T P "Bob" Davidson, a rather swashbuckling Canadian ace (after being shot down, he joined a Maquis group and fought with them as a private for sometime, in addition to teaching them to play poker -- but not very well, apparently, as he won 5000 francs off of them) who also flew Blenheims over Crete and Hurricanes over Ceylon and had a remarkable set of two Italian, two Japanese, and one German aircraft claimed destroyed. He later flew Sabres on exchange with the USAF over Korea and claimed several MiG-15s damaged. I also have markings from a Techmod sheet for the white-nosed Typhoon R8781, in which several pilots scored claims totalling two and one shared Bf 109. I like this one just because I think the white nose is kind of novel, and will be interesting to paint. It's also an early enough Typhoon that I wouldn't need to add the tricky-looking photoetched fishplates that Brengun thoughtfully sells seperately from the kit at a rather premium price. Photos to come.

My first ever entry into a BM group build. Started this one a couple of weeks back but unfortunately I did not manage to take too many photos of progress. So far I have painted and installed the cockpit and assembled much of the fuselage. It will be headed to the paint barn soon. I'm quite disappointed that the quality of this kit is not up to the same standards as Revell's Strike Eagle and Rafale kits. Detail is somewhat soft in certain areas, and fit issues have made the build challenging at times. Mark