D-Day Group build: 1/48 Monogram Hawker Typhoon IB
The Monogram Typhoon is copyrighted 1967, though I don’t remember seeing it before 1969. Whatever. It’s old. Supposedly been completely replaced by the Hasegawa kits in 2000-2001. They go for US$45.00 or so. This goes for $16, and the LHS had a bunch of them for $9.95, which is why I took the stroll down memory lane, having not built one of these since around 1990 or so.
The canopy is a bit wide in planform, but replacing it with the Falcon/Squadron canopy does wonders, I just filled in the lowered area that was done to fit the kit canopy, and all looked much better.. The cockpit is simple, and you can add some detail as I did, but you’re going to paint it black so you’re not going to see much and if you close the canopy and preserve the external lines, you’ll see even less. Interestingly this kit has the Tempest horizontal stabilizers and the 4-blade Tempest prop, which the Hasegawa kits do not have. I cut off the fins of the rockets, which are molded in the wrong position, and replaced them with rocket tails from an Airfix Seafire kit.
I painted the black stripes first, then masked them and shot the white, which has the result of making the white stripes look “temporary” as they should. Tamiya RAF Ocean Grey, RAF Dark Green and RAF Sea Grey Medium used.
The decals have never been great on this kit through its many re-releases, and the current re-release is no different. The National insignia works, but the “Sky” color of the ID letters is like no “Sky” I have seen.
Since Typhoon squadrons mostly overpainted everything with their D-Day stripes at first, that made this easy to do. Just picked some ID letters out of the decal dungeon, to do a 174 Squadron plane on D-Day.
15 additional images. Click to enlarge.
Mark Housley said on March 23, 2014
Nicely Done Tom,
I like the technique for painting White lines to look a bit wishy washy i.e. roughly and thinly applied white wash.
Good Job Tom
Bryan W. Bernart said on March 23, 2014
Nice job on an old girl. Good advice on the stripes.
Simon Whitney said on March 23, 2014
Nice build Tom, and a great bit of advice on painting the stripes.
One thing though, did the Typhoon have a band of strengthening fish plates around the tail ? Something to do with vibration shaking the rear end off.
Tom Cleaver said on March 23, 2014
Yes, and they’re there, though perhaps not easily seen in the photos – they’re on the line of Sky right behind the D-Day stripes on the fuselage.
Simon Whitney said on March 23, 2014
Ok Tom, my eyes did not pick them out.
But now that you said they are there I can see them
neil foster said on March 23, 2014
That’s a nice job Tom, well done,can you take a quick look at the message I posted re the G/B,Cheers N.
Rick Wilkes said on March 23, 2014
Nice job as always Tom. Liked your technique with the invasion stripes, I’m going to use it on my Wildcat V, wrong D-Day but I hate painting invasion stripes so I figured, if I gotta do them I’m putting them on something unusual.
BTW I have a Hasegawa Typhoon and I picked up a Monogram kit to get the Tempest stabilizers and the four bladed prop. I over laid the Monogram parks with then Hasegawa parts and they were identical. Did Hasegawa retool there mold or am I missing something.
Thanks
Rick
Tom Cleaver said on March 23, 2014
Interesting – everyone has said for years that the Monogram kit has the Tempest stabilizers, but this is actually the first time I recall anyone testing it out.
Seamus Boughe said on March 23, 2014
The Hasegawa Typhoons are very nice but nothing kicks arse the way a 1/48 Monogram kit does. Well done, Tom.
Mike Maynard said on March 23, 2014
Nice clean build, superior job on the wing stripes.
Gregor d said on March 24, 2014
Very well done. Cracking Tiffie.
Jack Crumbliss said on March 24, 2014
Big engine, Big prop, Thick wings Tiffie was a beast
Nice job Tom
This kit has stood the test of time to be one of the best Monogram kits from
the Dark Ages of modeling.
bob mack said on March 24, 2014
fine work on a fine kit
Frank Cronin said on March 27, 2014
Tom,
Great job on this. I like how you have down it. I have built a number of the Monogram and the Hasagawa kits and I like both of them. You can’t beat the Monogram though and I built one of these when it first came out.
Robert Bausch said on March 30, 2014
Tom, I really like your job on the Typhoon, one of my all time favorites. Nice in progress photos also. This is definitely one of the best Monogram kits from days of yore, and it keeps on being that! Many thanks for showing.