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Hawker Tempest Mk-V Pierre Clostermann


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Lovely Tempest V! Nicely modelled. I like the weathering you did and it's a nice touch to have PC getting in to the cockpit too. I love the weathered cammo pattern . Really well executed.

I have a personal connection in a way to Pierre Clostermann. 

 

My late uncle flew in 56 Squadron with Pierre Clostermann briefly in March/April 1945 from Vokel in Holland. Pierre C mentions My uncle by name a fair few times in his book.. Sgt P C Brown as " Brown" . He's used as a vignette of the young ,frightened and relatively inexperienced pilots arriving at squadrons in the 2nd TAF. When I first read the book I was a little upset by this but i realise it wasn't a personal slander on my uncle's courage , just a way of telling things how they were. My uncle shot down a FW190 on his first sortie and flew with PC protecting the Rhine crossing and doing Train busting and MET attacks. Uncle was shot down and crashed in flames, surviving with awful burns ,to become a POW for a short while on his 11th sortie. He crashed in NV728 coded US-X which PC had flown himself on a sortie a few days before when he was with 56 Squadron. I did a Tribute build of this aircraft in 1:32 scale this year. I read the ORB for 56 Squadron in detail This details  exactly which aircraft he flew on which sorties. It's interesting to compare his memoir and the official records side by side. 

 

Your model is a great tribute to an exceptional man. I thnk he flew approx 430 odd sorties and that he survived is breathtaking and amazing. He is one of the great WW2 fighter pilots. An intelligent and brave man. Thanks  you for sharing it with us!

Regards, Andy

Edited by Col Walter E Kurtz
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Lovely work. I have also just re-read 'The Big Show', and am just starting Clostermann's Spit MkIXc. I'll be delighted if it turns out half as well as this! A job well done...:worthy:

 

 

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13 hours ago, Col Walter E Kurtz said:

Lovely Tempest V! Nicely modelled. I like the weathering you did and it's a nice touch to have PC getting in to the cockpit too. I love the weathered cammo pattern you did. Really well executed.

I have a personal connection in a way to Pierre Clostermann. 

 

My late uncle flew in 56 Squadron with Pierre Clostermann briefly in March/April 1945 from Vokel in Holland. Pierre C mentions My uncle by name a fair few times in his book.. Sgt P C Brown as " Brown" . He's used as a vignette of the young ,frightened and relatively inexperienced pilots arriving at squadrons in the 2nd TAF. When I first read the book I was a little upset by this but i realise it wasn't a personal slander on my uncle's courage , just a way of telling things how they were. My uncle shot down a FW190 on his first sortie and flew with PC protecting the Rhine crossing and doing Train busting and MET attacks. Uncle was shot down and crashed in flames, surviving with awful burns ,to become a POW for a short while on his 11th sortie. He crashed in NV728 coded US-X which PC had flown himself on a sortie a few days before when he was with 56 Squadron. I did a Tribute build of this aircraft in 1:32 scale this year. I read the ORB for 56 Squadron in detail and Pierre and exactly which aircraft he flew and his claims are there in detail. 

 

Your model is a great tribute to an exceptional man. I thnk he flew approx 430 odd sorties and that he survived is breathtaking and amazing. He is one of the great WW2 fighter pilots. thank you for sharing it with us!

Regards, Andy

Amazing story. 

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Fabulous Tempest build and highly convincing camouflage finish!

 

Personally, I'm a bit more sceptical about what I assume is meant to represent scratches and wear. My first impression from the photos was, has a pack of seagulls used this beautiful machine as a roost? To me, the contrast against the background is too stark to give an impression of gradual weat and tear – more like some hooligan has attacked the machine with a chisel or something.

 

The basic machine, and the pilot figure – top class!

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

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49 minutes ago, Spitfire31 said:

Fabulous Tempest build and highly convincing camouflage finish!

 

Personally, I'm a bit more sceptical about what I assume is meant to represent scratches and wear. My first impression from the photos was, has a pack of seagulls used this beautiful machine as a roost? To me, the contrast against the background is too stark to give an impression of gradual weat and tear – more like some hooligan has attacked the machine with a chisel or something.

 

The basic machine, and the pilot figure – top class!

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

The paint would often literally flake off during high speed dives and turns during strafing runs and pursuits. It would also be worn down during the removal of panels for maintenance all the while this would be taking place during an incredibly harsh winter where de-icers and heaters were on and off with the panels warming then cooling down again putting stress on the paint then with maintenance crews climbing all over the place furiously re-arming and refulling they would get pretty worn quite quickly. They would also be put in a heavy rotation of sorties and there would be less care taken to not chipping the paint. I over egged the effect to try and portray the end of the book where the squadron is nigh on its last legs. Down to the bear bones of tempests and experienced pilots.  So whilst it may be a little ott it was deliberate. Id love to see any builds youve done to get some pointers. Thanks.

Edited by Red Five
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Lovely model.

As an aside when I was at photographic college one of our tutors had served with 2nd TAF on the continent as a photographer. He told me stories of how during the harsh winter of 1944/45 Typhoons and Tempests which were inevitably parked in the open had to have their engines started and warmed up throughout the nights or they would freeze up never to start again. Naturally it was the erks who got that job.

Mike

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21 hours ago, sprue said:

Lovely model.

As an aside when I was at photographic college one of our tutors had served with 2nd TAF on the continent as a photographer. He told me stories of how during the harsh winter of 1944/45 Typhoons and Tempests which were inevitably parked in the open had to have their engines started and warmed up throughout the nights or they would freeze up never to start again. Naturally it was the erks who got that job.

Mike

Yep. He mentions that in the books. So i figure the paint would take some hammering in quite a short period of time and by the sounds of it the had a short but HEAVY life span in 44/45 so would be battered about quite abit.

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