Garry Tobiss appraises the brand-new 1/72 Hawker Tempest Mk.V from Airfix, in this test-shot build.
Hawker Aircraft Ltd’s design team, led by Sydney Camm, had already created the successful Hurricane and Typhoon aircraft but were interested in the performance offered by a thinner wing coupled with a more powerful Napier Sabre IV engine.
Continuing the theme of weather events, the resulting Tempest (initially called the Typhoon II) was the result of their efforts. Entering service in April 1944, the Tempest delivered excellent performance armed with rockets and bombs in the ground-attack role but also as a fearsome interceptor, even against Germany’s V-1 flying bombs. This build is of the Mk.V, which was the first operational version. Eventually more than 800 were produced and some remained in service until 1953.
Above: Airfix moulded the Tempest’s interior framework integrally with the fuselage halves, the detail being good for the scale.
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