Reunion

[Bonehammer73]

The very first model I built was a Matchbox Tempest. My father helped me out and I remember we would glue the fuselage halves, then open them up, insert the radiator front, glue them again, open them up again, insert the propeller assembly as Daddy muttered unknown and fascinating words under his breath...

It came with no decals or we lost them right at the start, so I hand-painted all the camouflage and markings using... gouache. When I got bored with the paint scheme, I just scrubbed away the gouache and started again. Toward the end of its career it had no undercarriage, no propeller blades, and no exhausts on one side. It was unceremoniously dumped sometime before the start of my "serious" modelling, while my second-ever kit, an Airfix F-5, survived as a paint mule for much longer.

I remember this kit as going together well - unlike the Tiger - and when I spotted a sealed box on the tables of the local flea market I just couldn't resist the opportunity.

I'd like to make this into a Mk.II this time, armed with rockets. The rockets will come from a Matchbox Beaufighter, the jury's out on the markings for now.

Kit contents and some reference:

Edited September 24, 2012 by Bonehammer73

[stevehnz]

This is one to watch, I've still got a couple in the stash & they're still one of the better Tempest kits in 1/72 & close to the only game in town for a Mk VI. I think Special Hobby did a Mk II but they might be getting a bit hard to find now. Are you going to do the Mk II or Mk VI? oops, missed the bit where you said you'd be doing a Mk II.

Steve.

Edited September 14, 2012 by stevehnz

[Kevan Vogler]

There's a nice bit of nostalgia if I ever saw it! :wub:

I built that kit a couple of times. I think until the Special Hobby 1/72 kit came along, this was the only way to get a Tempest Mk.II in styrene.

I'll be watching what you do with interest.

[Bonehammer73]

I misplaced my camera, so I borrowed one from the office... but unlike some of my coworkers who occasionally suffer from sticky hands, I mean to put it back!

To be honest I was tempted by the unusual colors of the Mk.VIs in Dark Earth/Light Slate Grey, but as I had already cropped the prop as instructed, that will have to wait.

The fit overall is surprisingly good. If you trim the sprue channels and the mating surfaces, putty will probably be confined to the sink marks.

Pity about the panel lines which cannot be redeemed simply by sanding, as I discovered. Filling AND rescribing them might be too much, so I just refreshed a couple of faint ones on the tail and added one on the rear fuselage.

The interiors consisted of a dentist chair and a pilot. I discharged the latter, spiced up the fuselage sides with plastic card, and made a VERY rough floor and control stick. And the frames are in the wrong place: I should have built the instrument panel first, and then placed the rest of the components around it. Live and learn.

Because the prop blades seemed anaemic in comparison with the veritable paddles of the original, I glued a plastic strip to the side of each.

Clicking on the image will lead you to a higher resolution.

Happy modelling,

Bone

Edited September 24, 2012 by Bonehammer73

[stevehnz]

I'm liking what you've done so far, keep going like this & it will be a super result.

Watching & waiting for the rest with keen anticipation. ^_^

Steve.

[Aaronw]

Love Matchbox kits, built a bunch of them as a kid. I remember building that kit in probably 4th or 5th grade, I did the radial engine version.

[Bonehammer73]

Still lacking a proper camera alas. I was going to do some Christmas shopping but then the turbine on my 318 let me down... cost me more than a month's pay... So I borrowed the Coolpix I had given to my father when his old camera kicked the bucket, only to find out that the macro sucks.

These blurry shapes are meant to document the lastest progresses:

Reshaped the engine cowling, opened the front, added a 9-cylinder engine from my spares (one bank will look the part once everything's painted and closed up):

Cockpit, heavily drybrushed. No detail painting yet:

Some detail added to the wheel wells, shell ejection ports opened.

The gap beween the wings is probably the only seam on the whole kit that will need filling. Say what you want about the trenchlike panels, lack of detail and two-color plastic, but Matchbox knew how parts should fit together:

That's all for now,

Bone

Edited January 3, 2013 by Bonehammer73