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Tom Bebout
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100 Years of the RAF, 56 Squadron, cira 1942, Hawker Typhoon MK-IA, Hasegawa 1/48

December 14, 2018 · in Aviation · · 25 · 1.8K

My entry in the RAF Group build includes this from . This aircraft began with some troublesome shortcomings but was given the go ahead using the improved Saber IIA engine. The risks were considered reasonable since it was the only fighter in the allied arsenal, at that time,faster than the FW-190 in low altitude flight.

The 56th Squadron has a long historical linage from both wars and would begin WWII flying Hawker Hurricanes MK-I's during the Battle of France. They also flew cover operations for the Dunkirk evacuation, and would be based at RAF North Weald at the beginning of the Battle of Britain. They were moved south to RAF Boscombe Down for the duration of the battle and by it's end they recorded 59 aircraft shot down.

In September, 1941, they were the first squadron to receive the Typhoon MK-iA, including all of it's teething problems. They upgraded to the MK-IB in March, 1942, and flew low level defense against FW-190, and Bf-109 fighter bombers, before converting to fighter bombers themselves. the mission was to attack ground as well as sea targets with bombs before converting to rockets in 1944.

Upon converting to the Hawker their mission changed to one of air defense, primarily to destroy V-1 flying bombs. The squadron would report over 70 such weapons destroyed while in this mission role. Subsequent deployments saw the unit operating out of bases in Holland, Denmark and Germany before the end of the war. The unit recorded 149 aircraft shot down by wars end.

The kit is typical Hasegawa, no real issues were experienced, the cockpit has nice detail, however, I did add an Ultracast seat with belts to raise it even further. Paints used were a combination of Model Master and Tamiya paints. Chalk pastels were used for the exhause stains and nylon thread for the antenna. Fun build, the open canopy was a little tricky but nothing one can't handle if you take your time. And a big shout out o Paul Barber for starting this GB, it was fun to participate.

Reader reactions:
6  Awesome

11 additional images. Click to enlarge.


25 responses

  1. Buen trabajo Tom !.El Tyfhoon se ve muy bien ejecutado y el fondo para fotos lo hace todavía más real.

  2. beautiful as always tom

  3. Looks great, Tom.

  4. Love it, Tom. I think that background is fabulous and I think this is an excellent build, write up, and display. Quite marvellous.

    ‘Liked’

  5. Beautiful, Tom! I see you simply walked outside, set the GREAT looking Typhoon on some grass, and took these pictures! Right?! LoL!

    Seriously, this is a beautiful piece of work and the photos are outstanding!

    Bravo !

    • Well actually Jeff I hopped a plane to Austria and shot the pics in the Alps from my B & B. LoL. Thanks for the compliment and how's that Hellcat coming along?

  6. Nice, Tom. I like the car door Typhoon better then the bubble top. It makes a more interesting model.

  7. An amazing build Tom! Photos are great.

  8. Tom my friend !

    This car door Tiffie looks amazing. You really knocked it outta the park !

    One of these days I'm going to find a similar background poster for use on my articles. It really sets it apart from the others. Any plane (or armored vehicle) used in the ETO would look right at home sitting in front of it.

    Well done buddy !
    "Liked"

  9. Looks good Tom, nicely presented.

  10. 🙂 … Greetings 🙂 :
    Lovely work on this Typhoon Tom. Very nicely done and clean. The background is so fitting and the photography is very well applied … thanks for sharing the images of this one.

  11. The background is getting a lot of compliments Tom - it is such a great choice. This is a fantastic piece - it is such great choice. Louis, also did a 56 Sqn plane, and it is fitting we get to see the next step on from The Hurricane in front of a snowy mountain somewhere in Germany! What stands out for me is the sheer quality of the build however, from the perfect alignment of the wheels, through the spectacular paint job (and I'll say it quietly some Tiffie's look a little bland - but not yours!), and of course the car door in the open pose! Thanks for this stellar contribution. USA, indeed!

  12. Thanks Paul I enjoyed doing it as my contribution to your excellent GB idea. I was playing around with backgrounds and this one just seemed to fit. Sometimes I get lucky, glad you liked it. As for the 56 Squadron, Louis and I sometimes seem to be on the same wave link. Brothers from a different mother I guess.

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