Revell Tempest

[Enzo the Magnificent]

I am currently on a quest to build as many different 1/72 Tempests as I can.   I have recently built the offerings from Airfix, Kovozavody Prostejov, Academy and Heller.  Now it is time for some of the...   well, I think legacy kits would be the kindest term.

 

The kit was originally issued in 1962 by Revell GB.  This particular boxing was issued in 1993.  As far as I can see, there have been no changes to the parts, however, the port tailplane has a Revell 1980 copyright notice moulded into it.

 

 

There are a lot or rivets on this kit.  I mean, a lot!!!

 

 

 

 

There is also a lot of flash, but I'm willing to accept that from a kit almost as old as I am.  

 

Sadly, one of the prop blades has been broken and is now missing.   I will replace the prop and spinner with a spare items from a KP kit.  The canopy is also broken.  Even if it wasn't, it would be unusable as it is virtually opaque.  I will replace it with a vacform canopy intended for a much more modern kit.

 

The kit includes rocket armament but this is inappropriate for a wartime Tempest.  The shape of the radiator is quite suspect, but I will not be making any attempt to change it.  This is a pure nostalgia build.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

9 minutes ago, Enzo Matrix said:

There are a lot or rivets on this kit.  I mean, a lot!!!

Maybe save the kit and use the bits as sanding sticks with all those rivets. Welcome along though with a nice classic kit. 

Edited October 15, 2022 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[stevej60]

it's a bit of a horror story kit Enzo,but why do I think your gonna prove me wrong?

[Enzo the Magnificent]

4 minutes ago, stevej60 said:

it's a bit of a horror story kit Enzo,but why do I think your gonna prove me wrong?

 

You are quite right...  it's a horror story!     I'm not gonna prove you wrong.   I'm just gonna build it, warts and all.  

[AdrianMF]

Looking forward to seeing the result. I built it as a kid and even back then I thought the Tempest was a bit rivetty, but the canopy slid open which was my favourite feature!
 

I know there are some horrors in the range (Spitfire and Mustang, looking at you!). But I built the Fw190 as an adult and thought it wasn’t too bad, and I’m now in the middle of a Macchi 200.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[stevehnz]

4 hours ago, Enzo Matrix said:

warts and all.

I believe they actually represent rivets.   I've been humming & harring over one of these myself but I think I'll stick with plan A & do my USN F4F-4 warts rivets (maybe slightly buffed off) & all.   

Better get my A into G.

Steve.

[Enzo the Magnificent]

It's a heritage build, so the cockpit is easy peasy,  🍋  squeezy!  Paint everything Xtracrylix XA1010 and you're pretty much sorted.   

 

The lugs around the slots for the tailplanes are so that the modeller does not push the tailplane through too far.   It's in one piece and so has to be trapped between the fuselage halves.   I didn't do this initially and had to seperate the parts.   

 

 

The airframe is comprised of six parts and goes together pretty much as you would expect.   There is no undercarriage well detail. 

 

[AdrianMF]

It’s coming along nicely!

 

I have to say the Revell pilots are a step up from the contemporary FROG and Airfix ones, and the nearest Airfix kit in terms of size, era and initial release date is the Yak-9, so maybe it’s not too bad after all…

 

Looking forward to paint.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Enzo the Magnificent]

I primed using my usual technique of clear laquer followed by grey car primer from a rattle can.   Then I fitted a vacform canopy to replace the unusable one in the kit.  As this is a "heritage" build, I suppose I could have glued the canopy back together and put gluey fingerprints all over it, just like I would have done back in the day.     The canopy is from Mark I Models.

 

The primer really makes those rivets stand out!!!  😮

 

 

I really should use a plate when I'm eating Bourbon biscuits.  Can you see the crumb?   

 

Sprayed with Xtracrylix XA-1006 Ocean Grey and then masked using my usual technique of Blutak worns, masking tape squares and Copydex.

 

 

Disruptive pattern sprayed with Xtracrylix XA1001 Dark Grey.  The undersurfaces were masked and sprayed with Xtracrylix XA1003 Medium Sea Grey.  Detail painting included underfuselage invasion stripes (which you can't see here... ), a Sky fuselage band (Xtracrylix XA1007) and yellow leading edges sprayed in Fiat Broom Yellow from a rattle can.

 

 

Bearing in mind the rivets, I was prepared for truble in getting the decals to lie down over them.   I sprayed a few coats of gloss lacquer in preparation.

 

The decals are from the sheets provided in the two KP kits which I am converting in the Prototypes Mega GB.  As you can see, they are not the best.  The upperwing roundels from the first sheet I used had a nasty white crescent around one side indicating the decal was out of register.   The other sheet was better.   The odd ring that you can see is decals film, which I am hoping will disappear after a couple of coats of lacquer.

 

To make sure that the decals conformed to the rivets, I flooded them with Klear rather than use a decal softener.  I'm running out of original recipe Klear... 

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

1 hour ago, Enzo Matrix said:

I really should use a plate when I'm eating Bourbon biscuits.  Can you see the crumb?   

Ive heard of the salt technique. However this crumb technique youve stumbled upon, are you sure this will work. Seems like its a bit more trouble for little gain ? 😉

[Enzo the Magnificent]

15 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Seems like its a bit more trouble for little gain ? 😉

 

 

Bourbon biscuits!  Major gains to be had!!   

[Paul J]

I didn't  realise it had reappeared. I'm sure it's a lot older than the 1980s. I had a spare main part of the canopy somewhere as the original kit had an opening cockpit cover. 

[AdrianMF]

2 hours ago, Paul J said:

I'm sure it's a lot older than the 1980s

1962 or 3.

 

I have to say I’d rather be eating bourbons than salt or hairspray! Paint job looks super.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[CliffB]

On 10/22/2022 at 6:38 PM, Enzo Matrix said:

included underfuselage invasion stripes

 

IIRC the stripes on Typhoons were added to say "I'm not an Fw.190".  I don't know if the same were used on Tempests?

[Enzo the Magnificent]

6 hours ago, CliffB said:

 

IIRC the stripes on Typhoons were added to say "I'm not an Fw.190".  I don't know if the same were used on Tempests?

 

The "I'm not an FW 190" underwing recognition stripes on Typhoons were of a different style to those used as D Day invasion stripes - basically a mirror image with narrower black stripes.  Only a handful of the very earliest Tempests carried them and they were all removed by 20 April 1944.  This is a Tempest Mk V Srs 1, probably operating with 486(NZ) Sqn.

 

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Wikipedia.  Crown Copyright expired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

And we're finished! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn't bring myself to use the kit wheels, so I used a set from the recent KP kit.  The prop was damaged in the box on receipt, so I used a prop from an Academy Typhoon and a spinner from the recent Airfix kit. 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Another great build sir. 

[stevehnz]

Nice one Enzo, it's good to see an old & decidedly iffy kit given it's dignity back. Well done on that. 👍

Steve.

[stevej60]

Silk purse time Enzo,great job.