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PK-23 Hawker Tempest Mk.VI (F.6) ** FINISHED **


Rabbit Leader

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Cracking work so far Dave, that  much of  difference with the falcon canopy compared to the matchbox one surprises me, maybe the matchbox employee left the company and is still plying his  trade with his dubious skills for bobby bossB),, 

Glynn

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OK - (Small) Update #4, 

 

In between work, family and more house renovation projects, I managed to get a little bit more done on this Tempest.

I'm still tackling the more tedious bits of this model, so started to work on things I like to call "The Make or Break" part of a build. 

Those nice smooth wings needed a few panel lines to live 'n them up a bit, so out came the Dymo tape, Scriber, another Coffee and a few deep breaths.

I really hate scribing, it's so hit and miss and the proof is really in the pudding once the first Primer coat is laid.

I'm still undecided about colour options and am in two minds to go either a Silver finish or one of those odd Slate Grey, Earth Brown camo jobs. 

If I go silver then that means that I'm relatively happy with my scribing and sanding abilities - so odds on it'll end up a camo job! 

   

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I thought long and hard about this, however I had severe doubts that the Falcon Vax canopy would sit flush with the kits cockpit opening.

When I build up the courage, I will attempt to crack the one piece Vac canopy in two, this is risky, however I believe that it will fit a lot better and save some pain in the long run.

I will probably have to tart up the cockpit a bit more than what I was intending, however you wont see too much through that small opening.

 

Now the Matchbox kit has a large recess at the rear of the cockpit opening to fit the intended canopy.

This is nothing like the real thing, so I decided to glue a few curved bits of plastic strip, which were then filed flush to conceal this ridge.   

 

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Next up was another nightmare area, which I believe was more self induced by my previous chopping and re-attaching of the leading edge intakes. 

To fill the large gap between the wing and fuselage join, I once again glued a small piece of plastic strip along the open gap.

This was left to dry and then sanded until smooth. To be honest, it's not perfect and in my over enthusiasm to get this area right I managed to cock up the intake opening and induce a small shelf along this join about the width of my index finger!! I've taken some plastic off the outer higher side, but still think it will need a little more removed before it looks right. That Camo finish is looking better all the time!!

 

That's about it. I'm still waiting for the right engine nose piece to arrive via the post, hence the rather unorthodox way that I've started to assemble this kit.

 

Cheers.. Dave    

 

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39 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

I shall get going with one of these shortly, to be a Mk II prototype now.

Steve.

Looking forward to seeing you make a start Steve.. never tire of seeing too many of these Tempests being built. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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Update #5

 

I'm still waiting patiently for the postman to deliver the missing Sabre engine nose half and spinner, so here is a small update before the fun part of the assembly begins. 

 

Since I last posted, I am now in possession of the latest Chris Thomas Osprey publication - #117 Tempest Squadrons of the RAF. I'm a big fan of this series and anything that Chris just happens to write or draw about.  It's been said that one should never trust profiles without having a photograph to refer too, however when the artist that illustrates these just happens to be the #1 Subject Matter Expert of Hawker's finest on this planet, then I'm happy to be guided this way. The only problem I have with these types of references is that silly bods like myself usually want to model a lot more than just one example! 

 

So with the help of Mr. Thomas, I think I'm getting closer to choosing a scheme for this kit. Usually this is always known prior to my builds, however this kit has taken quite a different approach thanks to wanting to make a start in this GB. So, lets get on with it shall we??

 

Placed alongside Arthur Bentley's 1/72 drawings, the Matchbox kit is very accurate in outline and detail. There are a few understandable areas of simplicity, however this kit was first moulded in 1974 so we shouldn't expect too much. IMO - the main area that stands out is the canopy and whole cockpit opening. I've placed the Matchbox kit alongside Academy's 1/72 effort and you will see just how different these areas are? Correcting the Matchbox opening is no easy feat and initially I was contemplating using a Clear Vax Falcon canopy, however when placed on both kits, this canopy seems to be too wide at the base - just not right at all. Thankfully I have a spare Academy Typhoon kit and am seriously considering using this two part canopy for it's overall better shape and obvious strength in comparison to the Vac canopy.

 

Here is a photo of the Matchbox and Academy 1/72 kits - notice the vast difference in shape and style around the cockpit. The Matchbox kit is also a good 2-3 mm longer and matches the plans perfectly. 

 

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The next two photos show some work carried out to the cockpit sidewalls, kit modified Seat Base, New seat (Typhoon again) and the Mk.6 intake that differs quite a bit from the supplied MK.V offering.

The sidewall framework was 'copied' off the Academy kit, so I'm not sure how accurate it is? Not much will be seen anyway, so it'll do. The kit's Radiator intake was hollowed out to just retain the overall shape and frame and scrap plastic was used to detail it a little. The metal mesh backing will be glued into place once it's all painted a lovely Grey Green. I must thank BM member 'bigos' again (see post#20) for pointing this out and providing clear photos to assist with my kit's modifications.

 

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That's it for now. I might start painting these areas properly tomorrow and smarten up that seat with a backing cushion and some seat belts. 

 

Cheers.. Dave. 

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Lovely detail, though I'm afraid to say it'll all be lost when you zip her up! Not even sure if an instrument panel would be seen too clearly if the canopy's closed.

 

I've an Academy Tempest to do as well, though it may be that she ends up being whiffed anyway so the inaccuracies will be moot!

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Update #6

 

Some great news to push this build along.

Yesterday's postman delivery included the missing parts I needed to progress this Tempest a little closer to completion.  Thanks once again @Scimitar

I promptly tore open the envelope and attached the RH nose cowl to it's matching fuselage half. Once dry, the panel lines were again filled, sanded and then polished smooth prior to another scribing session (but not tonight folks - I'm too tired and would be dangerous with scriber in hand). Anyway, here are a few small progress pics.

 

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For those that haven't seen it, I was a little bored at work today so put together a 'Build List post' in the GB Chat section (post #430). This lists all the great Matchbox kit builds that are happening in this GB so far. Not surprisingly, the list is already quite large and with plenty of time to go could potentially grow into something very impressive. Here's a link that will hopefully take you to Page 18 and I'll be happy to update it with every new entry that pops up during this GB period - And apologies if I'm behaving like an unofficial 3rd GB host!! 

 

 

Cheers and happy Matchbox modelling... Dave 

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13 minutes ago, Ventora3300 said:

The fit of the starboard wing looks perfect....

Yes, so much better than the port size - I’m pretty happy about that! 

 

Cheers.. Dave

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I'm liking the look of this very much Dave. I've not got going on mine yet, been suffering a nasty season lurge the last few weeks which has really peaked this week. :( A WiP that I book marked some years ago for the Academy Tempest where some of the dimensional faults are rectified is here. An RFI is here. The Photobollox photos are a bit clunky to view but worth persevering with. I've copied a few come the day I tackle my Academy Tempest.

Steve.

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Warhawk has done an almighty job with the Academy Tempest there @stevehnz - that’s just mind blowing and frankly beyond young Rabbit Leader’s meagre modelling capabilities. Good reference threads all the same. 

 

So who’s gonna produce a cheap, accurate and quick build 1/72 Tempest for all us plastic hackers??

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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24 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

 

So who’s gonna produce a cheap, accurate and quick build 1/72 Tempest for all us plastic hackers??

 

Cheers.. Dave 

An obvious gap in the market to my (& a heap of others) way of thinking I reckon. Dare I suggest Airfix? :unsure:

Steve.

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Update #7 - first signs of paint! 

 

It's been a short while since the previous update, however I have been steadily progressing this Tempest to the stage where the two fuselage halves (and previously attached wings) are now glued together and in need of some drastic seem clean up - perhaps after dinner tonight?.

 

The following photos show - 1. Preparation before internal component painting, 2. Radiator intake and Cockpit floor painted and washed, 3. Starboard cockpit sidewall, 4. Port sidewall and seat base, 5. 6. 7. views of completed cockpit glued into place. Once complete, the bubble canopy will be displayed open, however (and as expected) not a lot of all this work can be seen through the small cockpit opening!!

Oh well, at least I know it's all in there and fills that rather blank space provided by Matchbox.

 

Starting Thursday, I've got to find the energy to survive five long days of work before I get some more proper modelling time in. It's too hard to do any modelling when I come home, however that's when I do my best research. I've decided that this Tempest will be my Purple range build. If time permits I'll tackle and Orange and perhaps even a Red range aircraft before this GB is out.     

 

Cheers.. Dave     

 

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