Andrew's 1/72 Airfix Typhoon IB (starter kit)

[adt70hk]

Hi all

Now the Academy Spitfire is across the finish line, this will be my next build - a return to my first love that is the one true scale of 1/72!  That's right 1/72 is THE one true scale!!

So this has been sitting on my workbench for about two months, saying build me.....mainly because I have no room to put it away!! 

These really are one of my all time favourites, as evidenced by the fact this is the first wingy kit (different boxing) I built (badly) on my return to the hobby, the fact that I have another six in the stash and with a 7th very special one arriving as a Christmas present.

This was a Fleabay purchase for a reasonable price and although the kit and decals are intact, going by all the other box pics of this kit, I am sure the paints and brush blister have been removed and reattached at some point, not that I am at all worried.

As it happens I am considering trying to use the kits paints as a sort of challenge and have even thought about doing it gun bays open, as that is an option with the kit and I have never done that sort of thing before.

Below you will see the usual obligatory box and sprue shots, reference material and my previous attempt (try not to laugh).

ACW as usual.

Andrew


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Box, AM, sprues and reference material!














And this is my first attempt at this kit and what I have to 'beat' with this build.....May 2018....and as you can see badly done with the brush and yet I still have it and won't throw it away because it's part of my modelling journey and a reminder of just how far I have come!!

[handiabled]

I'll be following along with your kit re-do. Kind of cool to be able to compare the two builds and see how far you've progressed.

[adt70hk]

Nov 1, 2024 9:38:10 GMT -5 handiabled said:

I'll be following along with your kit re-do. Kind of cool to be able to compare the two builds and see how far you've progressed.

Thanks Kyle.  I thought it would be a cool idea too!

ATB

Andrew

[406 Silverado]

Now this’ll be fun to watch. Open weapon bays on a 72nd scale bird??!! I’ll be dialed into this one FO SHO!!!!

[kyledehart5]

I’ll be watching this one Andrew!!

[adt70hk]

Nov 1, 2024 11:39:29 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Now this’ll be fun to watch. Open weapon bays on a 72nd scale bird??!! I’ll be dialed into this one FO SHO!!!!

Nov 1, 2024 14:29:18 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

I’ll be watching this one Andrew!!

Thanks chaps.

In doing my research I stumbled across another can of worms in terms of what the inside of a Typhoon gun bay actually looked like.  There are a number of questions about the materials and colours but no records exist any more.  I've found a build online of someone doing an absolute masterclass on this kit and so I will use his colours as my inspiration.

ATB

Andrew

[adt70hk]

Hi all

So much progress already today, much to my surprise.  Lots of items big and small cut off sprues and even primed this evening.

I even had time to put in a new sheet of paper I use to protect the spray booth floor.....as you will see it was due a change!

Next up some paint.....and as I said before, I'm going to give my self the challenge of using the starter paint sets wherever possible....

ATB

Andrew


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Definitely time for a clean sheet......







Forgot to take a pic of the clean sheet ahead of priming but you get the idea!!







Primed items - big, small and tiny!

[TJ]

[keavdog]

Ready to assemble!

[adt70hk]

Nov 2, 2024 20:18:02 GMT -5 TJ said:

Nov 2, 2024 21:35:06 GMT -5 keavdog said:

Ready to assemble!

Thanks chaps!

Not quite ready to assemble but more paint has flown out of the AB this week and so it's getting closer!

ATB

Andrew

[kyledehart5]

This has evaded me so far but I’m here to watch now!!

[cbaltrin]

Nov 10, 2024 20:19:04 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

This has evaded me so far but I’m here to watch now!!

Yea, what he said! 

[adt70hk]

Nov 10, 2024 20:19:04 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

This has evaded me so far but I’m here to watch now!!

Nov 14, 2024 8:04:21 GMT -5 cbaltrin said:

Nov 10, 2024 20:19:04 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

This has evaded me so far but I’m here to watch now!!

Yea, what he said! 

Good to have you on board chaps and no need to apologise!

Hopefully an update will follow shortly!

ATB

Andrew

[dupes]

Oooooh, nifty! Love me a good Typhoon.

[adt70hk]

Nov 14, 2024 17:26:36 GMT -5 dupes said:

Oooooh, nifty! Love me a good Typhoon.

 
Indeed!!!  Hopefully I can make better fist of it second time around!

[adt70hk]

OK chaps....more progress and just about ready to button up.

The Warpaint Series book I bought on Tiffy's has been very helpful and contains a surprising amount of detail for such a slim and cheap book (I think I paid less than a tenner).  If any others in the series are as good I might be investing in some more.  In doing my research I have also stumbled across a number of very helpful posts by the author (Chris Thomas) on another large scale plane forum, in particular about the gun bay colour scheme - albeit there are some gaps in the known facts.

So here's what I found, I hope it's of use:

• Typhoon (and Hurricane) cockpits were apparently normally black, not the usual light green...I personally had no idea!!
• The inside of the cannnon blisters on the wings were apparently leather lined....or at least someone posted this and Chris Thomas did not correct them...
• Gun bay was painted in aluminium paint as a starting point (not left bare metal)
• However, there were apparently more panels, similar to those on the gun bay doors, lining the recesses in the gun bay floor and some of the side walls, which were lined with a material of some sort.
• Some people have said this was leather.  However, in his opinion...."I'm not sure that the material was leather. It looked more like an impregnated or coated fibre-board".
• Colour of this lining material was apparently "...varied from rich mid-brown to burnt orange."

Given the nature of the forum he was posting on, the fact his opinion was very much respected and he has indeed published a book on the topic, I am going to take him at his word.

In terms of the above scheme, I have seen a couple of variations with no definitive photos, so I have had to take my own approach., as you'll see below.  It's obviously looking very 'fresh' but I'll tone that down with some basic weathering once assembled.

I've also painted a whole host of other bits and pieces, along with the prop/spinner and internals, as well as the pilot.

Oh and one other thing.....it never ceases to amaze me, how many paints you need to paint the little details.  Wherever possible I used the kit paints i.e. black cockpit (lightened with a touch  of dark grey), RAF interior green and aluminium.....but I still used another 18 on top of that

ACW as usual.

ATB

Andrew


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I really was impressed with this little book







A nice shot (Source: RAF Museum - for reference purposes only)







The red-brown on the inside of the bottom wings, is meant to represent the lining material, as per the info I came across







Gun bays to my own taste









Pilot.....I didn't spend a huge amount of time on him, as most of him will be hidden....and it shows...






How many paints?

[handiabled]

Nice progress! This will look great with open gun bays.

[kyledehart5]

Excellent start Andrew!