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Spiros Pendedekas
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Hasegawa 1/48 Typhoon Mk.IB

July 13, 2022 · in Aviation · · 34 · 1.3K

No. 198 Squadron was formed at Rochford on 1 June 1917 with Avro 504K biplanes to teach pilots elementary night flying and later a comprehensive night flying course for home defense pilots.

It disbanded at Rochford in September 1919, but reformed on 8 December 1942 at RAF Digby as a fighter squadron equipped with the Hawker Typhoon.

From March 1943, 198 Squadron joined 609 Squadron at RAF Manston where it provided fighter-escorts to the twin-engined Westland Whirlwind fighter-bombers on sorties into continental Europe.

Over the next nine months 198 Squadron and 609 Squadron were the only Typhoon units to operate full-time on escort duties for RAF and USAAF bombers and long-range fighter sweeps (code-named "Ramrods") over France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

During these operations the squadron used long-range Typhoons, each equipped with a cigar-shaped 45 imp gallon fuel tank mounted below each wing. In these roles the unit was very successful, becoming one of the top scoring Typhoon units.

During this time, most of the other Typhoon units began to be equipped with bomb racks or RP-3 rocket rails and had started training to carry out ground attack operations in preparation for the cross-Channel invasion.

After building up a score of enemy aircraft destroyed, the squadron changed role to ground attack at the beginning of 1944, when the Typhoons were fitted with RP-3 rockets.

In January 1944 the squadron became part of the Second Tactical Air Force's "123 Airfield" (later known as 123 Wing), partnered with 609 Squadron.

The squadron lost several of its pilots during this reorganization to bring them into line with 2nd TAF's established strength requirements, and the ground crew echelon was completely changed.

Morale slumped for a short while, but soon picked up as the squadron became familiarized with its new role. In March 1944 the 123 Wing moved to an "Armament Practice Camp'' (APC) at Llanbedr in Wales, before moving in April to RAF Thorney Island in preparation for D-Day.

After the landings the squadron was heavily involved in fighting around Caen using the rocket-equipped Typhoons against tanks and enemy positions.

In July it moved to France and followed the advancing troops into the Netherlands and eventually moved to Wunstorf in Germany in May 1945. On 15 September 1945 the squadron was disbanded.

The RAF's top scoring Typhoon pilot was 198 Squadron's John Robert Baldwin, who claimed 15 aircraft shot down during 1942–44. Baldwin became Commanding Officer of the squadron in November 1943 and relinquished command in April 1944. He continued his association with 198 Squadron and ended the war as a Group Captain commanding No 84 (Typhoon) Group.

This is yet another version of the very nice Hasegawa quarter scale Typhoon. It was part of a combo-build, together with my friend John vd Biggelaar @johnb, who built the car door version. It was pure pleasure and an honor to build together. Build thread can be found here:
https://imodeler.com/groups/work-in-progress-aircraft/forum/topic/hawker-typhoon-mk-ib-1-48-hasegawa/?topic_page=1&num=15


Should you wish to read my full build review, you may do so by visiting my beloved site Modelingmadness:
https://modelingmadness.com/review/allies/gb/fighters/penty.htm

My sincere thanks to Tom Cleaver @tcinla for providing valuable, or, better, determinative info regarding my example's camo "evolution" ("invasion" stripes and spinner colors).
Happy modelling!

Reader reactions:
11  Awesome

34 responses

  1. Looks great, Spiros...well done!

  2. My favourite WW2 planes are Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Tempests, to my eyes they combine purposeful looks and elegant design, and you’ve really brought out the Typhoon’s beauty with this model. Happy modelling indeed, with two “l”s.

  3. Great work Spiros - it's not necessarily the easiest of kits this one.
    Great result !

  4. Beauty Spiros @fiveten! ? Great looking Typhoon dude! ?

  5. Great work as always Spiros! Thanks for sharing. Love the extra detail you put into the landing gear

  6. An amazing Typhoon, Spiros @fiveten
    The brake lines are indeed a beautiful addition.
    For sure the combo build was great and I learned a lot from it.

  7. Excellent build as usual Spiros @fiveten. I have that very kit along with a lot of extras acquired along the way. I will be using your know how once I get around to tackling this. It’s moved into the top five of the “to build”pile thanks to you and John@johnb.

  8. Looks great! A very nice Tiffy!

  9. My friend, you have captured the essence of the Typhoon beautifully in the model - an impressive depiction!

  10. Great job as usual, Spiros!

  11. Superb build and very sharp looking camo! Is that stretched sprue as brake lines?

  12. Another great build, Spiros (@fiveten). Typhoons are an elegant airplane, which you captured very well.

  13. Beautiful build Spiros @fiveten, I love the Hawker fighters from WW2. Great job!

  14. Looks good, Spiros. I've only built the Monogram version, which I think is one of the better of the old Monogram offerings. The sprue for the brake lines is a great idea, and I've got to try that camoflage masking method sometime!

    • Thanks my friend @robgenev665! I have started using this camo method only recently and, I have to say, I am quite pleased. Just make sure the tac does not affect the paint it adheres onto. It does not affect Future, so, a coat of Future beforehand might be a good idea.

  15. This looks great ! What material did you use to mask for the camo pattern ?

  16. Fantastic work, Spiros. It's great visiting iM for the first time in a while and catching up on your builds! Well done, great Tiffy!

  17. Great weathering. These beasts are one of my favourites.

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