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Tony Prince
95 articles

Hawker’s Tempest V from Special Hobby in 1/32nd.

November 16, 2016 · in Aviation · · 20 · 1.6K

An excellent kit which however needs care & adherence to the instructions! Parts fit is excellent as is surface detailing & all the little bits in the cockpit & undercarriage. I found the instructions a bit confusing at times but I am very happy with the result. I took my time & it paid off. There are several markings choices here & I chose one of Pierre Clostermanns machines as I became a fan after reading 'The Big Show' many years ago. Incidentally, the decals are superb; from Eduard & they go on & snuggle down without a hitch. Although this kit is the 'Hi - Tech' version, I opted not to use the resin parts with the exception of the main wheels & seat. I'm also not a particular fan of etched brass so only used a few of these as well. Any differences are so hard to spot that the greater ease of gluing plastic prevailed.

This is certainly the best kit I've seen from ... I hope you like my efforts!

Reader reactions:
5  Awesome

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20 responses

  1. Very nice indeed.

  2. Nice job Tony, good looking Tempest. Cockpit detail looks great as well.

  3. Great work...I like it.

  4. Looks great! Love the Typhoon and Tempest - two of the muscle cars of the WWII era.

  5. Very nice. Tony is very right about taking care. Assembly is tight. Be absolutely certain that the mating surfaces in the inner wing and fuselage area where the wing fits is absolutely smooth, because it is a very tight fit.

    • Thanks Tom.
      That's exactly where I had the greatest problem. All the test fits were excellent until after commitment to glue! Some hasty trimming soon put things right; thankfully.

  6. Nice looking Tempest. I've seen a few comments about the intake being wrong shape on this kit but as ever I say cobblers to that it looks like a Tempest to me.

  7. Like it ? Love it !
    Excellent build, Tony and the decision not to use the PE and resin parts don t downgrade the result .
    Modern tooled kits are full of good molded details, like this one.

  8. Thanks as always Bernd. The moulding quality for all those tiny parts is really excellent. No breakages either!

  9. Thanks Rodney. Special Hobby has improved out of sight. This one was a pleasure.

  10. I have the Special Hobby 1/32 Yak-3, I hope it turns out as well as your Tempest did. You did great one this one, the paint looks perfect.

    • Thanks Jay. I did enjoy the Tempest although 'care' is the watchword. I have no knowledge of the plusses/minuses with the Yak-3, however I am presently wrestling with their Whirlwind & have been for several months, so in all fairness I should refrain from any comment; perhaps beyond saying that I would not attempt another Whirlwind. But yes; the Tempest was great & I would build another if I had the space!

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