Tempest Mk.V Upgrade Set (73772 for Airfix) 1:72

[Mike]

Tempest Mk.V Upgrade Set (73772 for Airfix)

1:72 Eduard

 

 

Airfix made a lot to WWII RAF modellers very happy when they released their new Tempest kit, which I reviewed here when it arrived.  It’s a nice modern kit, but you can always improve on styrene injection parts with PE and resin.  As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between.

 

 

This set comprises two sheets of PE, the smaller one that is nickel-plated and pre-painted, and a larger bare brass sheet for constructional aspects of the set.  To apply the new parts to your model, you must first remove the adjustment mechanism from the seat, two prongs that jut out from under the instrument panel, the rudder pedals, the outer surface of the chin intake and a few small parts in the cockpit sidewalls.  The seat gets a realistic adjustment ratchet to replace the kit parts and a full set of four-point pre-painted seatbelts; the instrument panel is covered with a detailed dual-layer panel, complete with glossy dial faces and additional parts for the centre section; the side consoles are replaced with new painted PE parts and a forest of levers and other raised instruments; the sidewalls are detailed with new parts on both sides, including various boxes and controls.  The L-shaped mount for the gunsight has a new face added to its compass to detail it up; the rudder pedals are replaced with new detailed parts; the control column has a control linkage added to the front; the foot plates are laid over with more detailed skins, with a small wheel glued to the front of the adjustment wheel.

 

 

The constructional part of the set begins with the chin intake that is fitted with a new mesh panel; the tail gear bay has a skin added to the inside front of the bay, then the main gear bays are begun.  Initially, a 0.3mm section is removed from the ends of the ribs moulded into the underside of the upper wing to accommodate the thickness of the skins that are added to the bays.  This comprises a full set of detail inserts, plus other structural ribs and a full set of new gear bay doors that are folded up from two layers.  More new doors are folded-up for the tail wheel bay, bulging the doors by rolling a ball-pen over the opposite side of the area to obtain the correct shape.  Under the chin, a new two-layer cooling door is made, and the bulged fairing underneath is detailed with various small parts and a strut that holds the flap open.  The last part is a stirrup for the pilot to step up onto the wing on the way in and out of the aircraft.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Review sample courtesy of