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Sunday, December 14, 2014

Hawker Typhoon Mk. 1B

Here are some images of Airfix 1/24 scale Hawker Typhoon Mk. 1B.
This aircraft served with No.245 squadron, 2nd tactical air force, Germany and RAF Warmwell, Dorset, England June - August 1945.
The mistake I made with this model is that I thought I could build this kit with the engine and have removable cowl covers as well. I was wrong.
My advice to anyone wishing to build this model is that building it with the engine exposed is the easiest version to build. To build it with cowl covers is the most difficult as the covers are many and problematic when trying to line them up. Plus if you wish to build this kit with the cowl covers you're going to have to remove much of the engine parts in order to fit the covers. What I should have done is build a half and half variant. Oh well, hind sight is always 20/20 I guess. Fortunately I took a couple of pictures of the interior before covering it up.
One thing to note about this kit is that it's the first model airplane kit I've seen that actually has skin stress between the rivets. This lends to a much more realistic surface. Well done Airfix!

From the instructions"
Despite the Typhoon's prominent chin MP197 is the only Typhoon known to have carried a sharkmouth marking. The origin of this particular marking is obscure but we do know from the testimony of 245 squadron pilots that the marking was carried in action before the end of the war. MP197 arrived with 245 squadron in August 1944 at the height of Falaise Gap operations and remained with the unit for a year, until in fact the squadron was disbanded on 15 august 1945. Unfortunately 245 squadrons records do not record individual aircraft but from Flt Lt. H.T. 'Moose' Mossip's logbook it is apparent that he flew the aircraft a number of times in late 1944 and 1945, before he was killed in action on 7th of March. He may have been the originator of the marking. It is also known that it was later flown by the CO., Sqn. Ldr. Tony Zweigbergk. The colourful blue and white decoration was added in the summer of 1945. 245 squadron was disbanded in August 1945 and MP197 finished up at 83 Group Disbandment Centre and was 'struck off charge' there in November 1945.

From Wikipedia'
The Hawker Typhoon (Tiffy in RAF slang), was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium–high altitude interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane but several design problems were encountered and it never completely satisfied this requirement.
The Typhoon was designed to mount 12 machine guns and be powered by the latest 2000 hp engines. Its service introduction in mid-1941 was plagued with problems and for several months the aircraft faced a doubtful future. When the Luftwaffe brought the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 into service in 1941, the Typhoon was the only RAF fighter capable of catching it at low altitudes; as a result it secured a new role as a low-altitude interceptor.
Through the support of pilots such as Roland Beamont it became established in roles such as night-time intruder and a long-range fighter. From late 1942 the Typhoon was equipped with bombs and from late 1943 RP-3 ground attack rockets were added to its armoury. Using these two weapons, the Typhoon became one of the Second World War's most successful ground-attack aircraft.

Only one complete Hawker Typhoon still survives – serial number MN235 – and it is on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon, North London. It was previously on display at the National Air and Space Museum (part of the Smithsonian Institution) in the US before being presented to the museum in commemoration of the RAF's 50th Anniversary in exchange for a Hawker Hurricane. Several other partial air frames are extant:
  • Typhoon Ib EJ922 (Private; Ex-Peter Smith Collection, UK),
  • Typhoon Ia JR505 (Brian Barnes Collection, UK),
  • Typhoon Ib JP843 (Roger Marley Collection, UK),
  • Typhoon Ib RB396 (David Robinson Collection, UK, under restoration; formerly on display at Fort Veldhuis museum, Netherlands).
Two unidentified cockpit sections are on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, and the Jet Age Museum in Gloucester.
A Hawker Typhoon replica at the Memorial de la Paix at Caen, France, was constructed using some original components.


On 9 June 1994, in recognition of the aircraft and crew's role in the liberation of Normandy, a Typhoon memorial was dedicated by Major M. Roland Heudier at Noyers-Bocage, France. Also present at the ceremony were General Yves Paul Ezanno DFC and bar and Squadron Leader Denis Sweeting, both former Squadron Leaders of No. 198 Squadron RAF.

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