1:72 Hawker Tempest HF. Mk.IV; aircraft KW-C of RAF 615 Sq.; Burma, 1945

Dizzyfugu · October 06, 2021, 07:44:31 AM

Kit will probably like this one.

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
During development of the earlier Hawker Typhoon, the design team, under the leadership of Sydney Camm, had already planned out a series of design improvements; these improvements cumulated in the Hawker P. 1012, otherwise known as the Typhoon II or Thin-Wing Typhoon. Although the Typhoon was generally considered to be a good design, Camm and his design team were disappointed with the performance of its wing, which had proved to be too thick in its cross section, and thus created airflow problems which inhibited flight performance, especially at higher altitudes and speeds where it was affected by compressibility. In addition, there had been other issues experienced with the Typhoon, such as engine unreliability, insufficient structural integrity, and the inability to perform high altitude interception duties.

In March 1940, engineers were assigned to investigate the new low–drag laminar flow wing developed by NACA in the United States, which was later used in the North American P-51 Mustang.
The wing planform was changed to a near-elliptical shape to accommodate the 800 rounds of ammunition for the four 20 mm Hispano cannons, which were moved back further into the wing. The new wing had greater area than the Typhoon's, but it sacrificed the leading-edge fuel tanks of the Typhoon: to make up for this loss in capacity, Hawker engineers added a new 21 in (53 cm) fuel bay in front of the cockpit, with a 76 Igal (345 l) fuel tank. In addition, two inter-spar wing tanks, each of 28 Igal (127 l), were fitted on either side of the center section and, starting with late model Tempest Vs, a 30 Igal (136 l) tank was carried in the leading edge of the port wing root, giving the Tempest a total internal fuel capacity of 162 Igal (736 l).
The ailerons were fitted with spring-loaded tabs which lightened the aerodynamic loads, making them easier for the pilot to use and dramatically improving the roll rate above 250 mph (402 km/h). The spar structure of the Tempest V also allowed the wings to carry up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of external stores. Also developed specifically for the Tempest by Hawker was a streamlined 45 gal (205 l) "drop tank" to extend the operational radius by 500 mi (805 km) and carrier fairing; the redesigned wing incorporated the plumbing for these tanks, one to each wing.

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Another important feature of the new wing was Camm's proposal that the radiators for cooling the engine be fitted into the leading edge of the wing inboard of the undercarriage. This eliminated the distinctive "chin" radiator of the Typhoon and improved aerodynamics. A further improvement of the Tempest wing over that of the Typhoon was the exceptional, flush-riveted surface finish, essential on a high-performance laminar flow airfoil. The new wing and airfoil, and the use of a four-bladed propeller, acted to eliminate the high frequency vibrations that had plagued the Typhoon. The design team also chose to adopt the new Napier Sabre IV engine for the Tempest, drawings of which had become available to Hawker in early 1941.
In February 1941, Camm commenced a series of discussions with officials within the Ministry of Aircraft Production on the topic of the P.1012. In March 1941 of that year, clearance to proceed with development of the design, referred to at this point as the Typhoon II, was granted. By October 1941, development of the proposal had advanced to the point where the new design was finalized.

The majority of production Tempests, including the initial Mk. V, were powered by variants of the high-powered Napier Sabre II 24-cylinder engine, which was capable of producing over 2,400 hp (1,789 kW) on emergency boost for short periods of time, driving either a four-bladed, 14 ft (4.267 m) diameter de Havilland Hydromatic or Rotol propeller. Alternative engines were used on some production variants, such as the Tempest II, for which a Bristol Centaurus 18-cylinder two-row radial engine was adopted, or the final Tempest VI, upon which a Napier Sabre V was used. Most Tempests, esp. the later Mk. II and VI variants, were tropicalized with air filters and other special equipment and measures, because from late 1944 on the Tempests were primarily earmarked for deployment to the South-East Asian theatre of operations, e. g. for combat against Japan and as escort fighters of Tiger Force, a proposed British Commonwealth long-range bomber force based on Okinawa.

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

One of these late sub-variants for the SEA theatre was a highly modified high-altitude interceptor, the HF. Mk. IV. The designation was re-used from a planned fighter variant with a Rolls-Royce Griffon 61 piston engine. One prototype (LA614) was built and tested, but the Tempest's planned Griffon-powered variants (including the Mk. III with a Rolls-Royce Griffon 85 and contra-rotating propellers) were all cancelled in February 1943. The HF. Mk. IV was based on the Mk. II fighter that had just entered production; it was built by Gloster as a dedicated response to counter Japanese fast and high-flying reconnaissance aircraft like the Mitsubishi Ki-46 ("Dinah"), which operated with impunity. The HF. Mk. IV was, like the Mk. II, powered by a Centaurus V with an output of up to 2,590 hp/1,932 kW. To keep the engine's operation stable at height the Centaurus was outfitted with two-stage, two-speed superchargers and an intercooler. The intercooler's fairing was housed in a small fairing under the fuselage in front of the landing gear wells and housed both its radiator as well as an auxiliary oil cooler. Both superchargers and the intercooler were mounted behind the engine and partly occupied the fuel bay in front of the cockpit, reducing its capacity by 20 Igal.

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Instead of a four-blade propeller the HF. Mk. IV's engine drove a new five-blade propeller with a 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) diameter from Rotol to better convert the engine's power into propulsion at height, even though this caused additional drag at low altitudes. Extended, "pointed" tips were fitted to the wings to improve lift, increasing the wingspan by 7½ ft to 48 ft 4 in (14,76 m). With these modifications, the Tempest's ceiling was raised by about 6.000 ft (2.000 m) to 44,000 ft (13,000 m). Consequently, the cockpit was pressurized through a Marshall-manufactured compressor. This was mounted in a compartment above the superchargers behind the engine and drew its air through a small intake in front of the windscreen. An automatic valve allowed a maximum pressure differential of +2 lb./sq.in. This was built up during the climb and was maintained at heights of 28,000 ft and above. To compensate the loss of internal fuel capacity, the HF. Mk. IV received specially designed underwing slipper tanks with a 90 imp gal (110 US gal; 410 l) capacity. They were more aerodynamic than the standard drop tanks, so that the aircraft's performance was less impaired, but they could not be jettisoned.

Only fifty-two Hawker Tempest HF Mk. IIs were eventually built (two prototypes converted from early Mk. II airframes and 50 serial aircraft), because in early 1945 it was foreseeable that Japan was under heavy pressure and retreating to its homeland, so that Tiger Force was never established. Instead, most Tempest HF Mk. IVs were sent to Burma and India, where they served in their intended role as high altitude interceptors against Japanese reconnaissance aircraft until the end of hostilities.

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 34 ft 5 in (10,50 m)
Wingspan: 48 ft 4 in (14,76 m)
Height: 16 ft 1 in (4,90 m) (tail down with one propeller blade vertical)
Wing area: 338 sq ft (31,5 m²)
Gross weight: 12,500 lb (5,700 kg)
Maximum takeoff weight: 14,650 lb (6,645 kg)
Fuel capacity: 160 imp gal (190 US gal; 730 l) internal
plus optional undwrwing tanks with 90 imp gal (110 US gal; 410 l)
or 180 imp gal (220 US gal; 820 l)
Oil tank capacity: 16 imp gal (19 US gal; 73 l)

Powerplant:
1× Bristol Centaurus V with two-stage, two-speed superchargers and intercooler,
delivering a maximum output of 2,590 hp/1,932 kW, driving a five-bladed Rotol propeller

Performance:
Maximum speed: 405 mph (652 km/h, 360 kn) at 17,000 ft (5.200 m)
385 mph (620 km/h, 335 kn) at 26,000 ft (7.900 m)
370 mph (595 km/h, 330 kn) at sea level
Combat range: 420 mi (680 km, 360 nmi) with internal fuel
Service ceiling: 44,000 ft (13,000 m)
Rate of climb: 5,300 ft/min (27 m/s)
Time to altitude: 21,500 ft (7,050 m) in 6 minutes at combat power
30,000 ft (9,000 m) in 12 minutes
Wing loading: 40 lb/sq ft (193,6 kg/m²) at 13,500 lb (6.100 kg)
Power/mass: 0.19 hp/lb (0,32 kW/kg) at 13,500 lb (6.100 kg)

Armament:
4× 20 mm (0.787 in) Mark V Hispano cannon in the outer wings, 200 RPG
Two underwing hardpoints, typically occupied by a pair of 67.5 Igal (81 US gal; 300 l) slipper tanks,
alternatively 2× 45 imp gal (54 US gal; 200 l) or 2× 90 imp gal (110 US gal; 410 l) drop tanks, or 2×
bombs of up to 1.000 lb (4545 kg) caliber

The kit and its assembly:
This fictional high-altitude Hawker Tempest variant was inspired by leftover wing tip extensions from an AZ Models Spitfire kit. I remembered that the late Spitfire variants had a modified wing shape, much like the Tempest's oval shape, and from this the idea to transplant these tips was born.
The rest of the modifications of the Matchbox kit at the core of the build were logical steps - and I must say that the Matchbox Tempest is not a bad kit. It goes together really well, and while the recessed surface details are somewhat soft, the overall impression is good to me.

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

For a high-altitude variant I added a leftover five blade propeller from a Pioneer 2 Hawker Sea Fury that was modified with a styrene tube adapter to match the OOB MK. II's Centaurus engine. A radiator from a Macchi C.205V was added for the intercooler, and a small compressor's air intake was added in front of the cockpit. The bulges for the compressors and their respective plumbings in front of the cockpit are curved pieces of sprue material - simple, but effective.

Under the wings the post-war attachment points for missile launch rails were PSRed away and the pitot, originally an L-shaped device under the left wing, was relocated to the leading edge – similar to the tropicalized export Tempests. The slipper tanks come from a Hobby Boss MiG-15, but they had to be PSRed to match the Tempest's very different wing shape. I found that they'd look more elegant than the original drop tanks.

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Inside of the cockpit I added a dashboard and a small gunsight behind the windscreen (the canopy had been cut into two pieces for open display) , scratched from styrene sheet – I could not live with the void in front of the pilot, and anything is probably better than nothing in this case, since the Matchbox kit only offers a seat (and a pilot figure, though), but no dashboard, floor or side panels. The kit comes, however, with nice oxygen flasks behind the seat. Weird.

Painting and markings:
I wanted an unusual paint scheme for this high-altitude Tempest, even though something typically British. Inspiration came from a recce Spitfire in SEAC markings, and I liked its combination of Medium Sea Grey upper surfaces and PRU Blue undersides, coupled with a low waterline and the small, all-blue SEAC roundels. The paints I used were Humbrol 165 and 230. On top of that I added white ID bands, what made IMO sense as a fighter, and as an odd color contrast the spinner was painted in Sky (Tamiya XF-23).
The cockpit was painted mostly in almost-black (Revell 06, Anthracite), just with the bucket seat and the floor painted in Cockpit Green (Humbrol 78). This was also used for the landing gear wells.

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The decals come mostly from an Xtradecal sheet for SEAC Spitfires, e. g. the roundels and the fin flash. The aircraft's serial number did not exist at all and was puzzled together with material from the same sheet, so that the font matched. The white ID bands were created with generic decal sheet material (from TL Modellbau), and lots of decal softener was used to make the stripes conform to the guns' bulgings on the upper wing surfaces. Woerked well, though. The tactical code was created from separate white 6mm letters, also generic stuff from TL Modellbau. Many SEAC aircraft either did not carry a unit code, or they used smaller, non-regular fonts, so that this solution is quite plausible.
After some final weathering with post-shading as well as oil and soot stains with graphite the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Hawker "Tempest" HF. Mk. IV, aircraft "KW-C (s/n MD476)" of Royal Air Force 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron; Nidania Air Base (North-Western Burma), April 1945 (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A relatively simple build, since there were no structural changes - but I am amazed how different and good the extended Spitfire wing tips look on the Tempest? A very elegant shape, and from certain angles the model looks like a beefed up Mistubishi A5M or reminds (oddly) of a Vickers Wellesley? The grey/blue livery also adds an exotic touch, as well as the small SEAC roundels. However, the hardware combo works very well.

kitnut617 · October 06, 2021, 08:28:15 AM

Nice one dizzy

I was told by Chris Thomas (who's the Typhoon/Tempest Specialist at Air-Britain) that he has seen a drawing of the Tempest Mk.III and it had a full elliptical wing, so you're creation isn't so far fetched at all.

Leading Observer · October 06, 2021, 10:31:17 AM

Excellent work as usual

Pellson · October 06, 2021, 10:50:38 AM

Love it!

The Wooksta! · October 06, 2021, 10:59:03 AM

Neat. One thing that does need changing is the area just behind the exhausts. On the Tempest II, the Sea Fury and the Firebrand, that area was *always* polished metal, cleaned between flights. Any issues with the running of the engine would show in the exhaust staining after a flight.

Glenn Gilbertson · October 06, 2021, 12:44:14 PM

Another great model & photography!

Doug K · October 06, 2021, 01:17:09 PM

Not just Kit, that's great!

Captain Canada · October 06, 2021, 03:08:45 PM

Very nice ! That is one potent looking machine ! looks so right from every angle. Great pics as well ! Cheers

PR19_Kit · October 06, 2021, 05:55:59 PM

Yes, I DO like it, very much indeed Thomas.

Dizzyfugu · October 07, 2021, 12:18:15 AM

Thank you!

AFAIK, the original Tempest design had generally a wider wing span than the eventual production aircraft. So I suppose that the aforementioned Mk. III drawing just shows this overall layout, just with a Griffon engine in place. This one here would be a kind of retrofitted special-purpose variant. But the fully elliptical wings suit the Tempest SO well, it looks IMHO beautiful.

Pellson · October 07, 2021, 04:34:49 AM

Quote from: The Wooksta! on October 06, 2021, 10:59:03 AM
Neat. One thing that does need changing is the area just behind the exhausts. On the Tempest II, the Sea Fury and the Firebrand, that area was *always* polished metal, cleaned between flights. Any issues with the running of the engine would show in the exhaust staining after a flight.

Very interesting. I wasn't aware of this at all.

NARSES2 · October 07, 2021, 06:03:49 AM

That's gorgeous

One of my all time favourite aircraft and it suits the wing tip extensions and as for the colour scheme ? I may well have to "borrow" it

AndrewF · October 07, 2021, 10:28:32 AM

Excellent!

su27rules · October 09, 2021, 01:55:47 AM

Very nice!!