TYPHOON
Car Door
Airfix 1/24 Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB by Angelo
PicardoA
irfix have labelled
their 1/24 range of
aeroplanes “Super
Kits”, and with their latest
offering they are not wrong!
The box is supersized to
begin with, and it is packed to
the brim with plastic. Apart
from the standard light grey
and clear plastic, there is a
sizeable decal sheet, as well
as a 44-page instruction
manual with no less than
232 assembly stages.
The usual exploded
diagrams are featured
throughout; previously
assembled parts are
highlighted in red help to
clarify the assembly process.
Variations in the details
(depending on which scheme
is being built) are clearly
shown. Colour callouts are for
Humbrol’s range of paints.
The plastic parts feature
some rather nice surface
detail. There are engraved
panel lines, overlapping
panels, raised and recessed
rivet detail, and plenty of
interior detail to satisfy
nearly everyone. The
separately packed clear parts
are thin and very clear.
The possibilities for
extra detailing are endless,
either with aftermarket
accessories or from
scratch-built items. Due
to the size and complexity
of the kit, I decided from
the outset to make this as
an out-of-the-box build,
and did my best to resist
the temptation to enhance
the detail provided. And I
did manage to, mostly!
Airfix supply fourmarking options, all featuring
ocean grey/dark green
camouflage over a medium
grey underside, with variations
in the form of propeller
spinner colours and invasion/
identification stripes.
You also have the choice
of building the kit buttoned
up, or with the engine and
gun bays open. As this kit was
first released as the bubble-
canopied Typhoon, there are
some alterations necessary
to turn it into the car-door
version; nothing too major,
though, only involving the
cutting away of some panels.
A slightly more complex
alteration is required, however,
if you choose to represent
the 486 Squadron machine.
This was an early version,
before the rear fuselage
stiffening plates were added.
To build this option, some very
careful carving is required
to remove the moulded
fishplates and preserve
the surrounding details.CONSTRUCTION BEGINS
The whole kit fits around a central
frame and spar. Stages One to
Fifteen cover the construction of
the main spar, engine bearers,
and cockpit support frame.
There is flash present,
along with some heavy mould
separation lines and ejector
marks, that require careful
clean-up before you start. The
plastic is soft enough to make
this a straightforward task,
with little risk of breakage.
No problems were encountered
getting all the various pieces of
framework to come together.Very quickly, I found myself
with a sizeable assembly on my
hands, which I painted mostly
aluminium. I used Humbrol’s
silver 11 for this, followed by a
coat of Tamiya’s Smoke. This acts
as a wash, darkening the bright
silver down to a dull aluminium; a
pleasing weathered effect results
where the wash collects around
joints and surface detail. A bonus
is that it also seals the silver
paint, which can react adversely
with other enamel colours that
it may come into contact with.
Airfix supply two types of
pilot’s seat, depending on which
version you build. The more
common variant comes with a
quilted-effect backrest, which
is what I used – even the lacing
that attaches the pad to the
frame is included. The backrest
comes to life with careful
painting and highlighting.
As with all of Airfix’s 1/
kits, a well-detailed pilot figure
is included, wearing his oxygen
mask (a necessity, even at low
level, due to exhaust fumes
leaking into the cockpit!),
and carrying a holster for his
Webley pistol. If you do not
want to include the pilot, the kit
includes an injection-moulded
seat harness. The detail of the
belts and buckles is very fine,ONE
HAWKER TYPHOON MK.IB
6 • NOVEMBER 2017 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
006-13-FEAT-Typhoon-1117.indd 6 16/10/2017 18: