Hawker Tempest F.VIII WIP

[The Wooksta!]

Space to be filled.

This is a work in progress thread and it's still under construction - you'll understand why as you read through.  I have a lot of photos still to take, crop and post.  Consequently, the thread is LOCKED whilst I'm still working on it.

[The Wooksta!]

Space to be filled.

[The Wooksta!]

The Hawker Tempest F.VIII, or to give it it's more usual nickname, the Furious, was a specialised low level aircraft based on the Eagle engined Tempest F.VII.  The standard Tempest wing was replaced by the shorter span wing of the Hawker Fury.  Fast, highly manoueverable and capable of packing the same heavy punch of it's stablemate, the Furious was more than a match for most aircraft operated by any side during WWII, including the jets.

With it's exceptional performance at low level, several units were employed for close support and some were tasked with airfield denial, attacking and destroying the Luftwaffe's jets on takeoff or landing.

Although the aircraft could be a handful for the novice, it more experienced hands it was deadly and well liked.  However, the complex nature of the sophisticated engine meant that it's popularity was reflected by the hard pressed groundcrews who worked on the aircraft.

[The Wooksta!]

Pretty thing isn't it?  

The first model, a fighter recce bird, was the result of a happy accident.  I'd an idea for a torpedo fighter version of the Sea Fury after idly test fitting a matchbox Tempest wing to a PM Sea Fury.  I managed to scrounge a Matchbox Tempest (thanks Martin!) and stripped out the wings, the rest went into the spares box, where they remained

Fast forward a year or so.  Clearing out the spares box into something more capacious, I find the Tempest fuselage.  Idly, I test fit a Fury wing that's sitting in the same box.  Nice fit, but no engine.  There's a resin Eagle engine sitting on a nearby shelf.  Test fittted - looking good.  An idea forms.

Out with the glue and quickly cobble it together.  Fair few gaps around the wing but I like a challenge so out with the filler.  Other than a lot of sanding, it proved relatively trouble free and was finished in time for Telford 2007, along with a few other Tempests for my 'Piston Perfection' lineup.

I'd enjoyed the build, so much so that I wanted to do it again.  However, Matchbox Tempests are a bit thin on the ground, so I do a bit of scrounging and obtained the fuselage of one from one of the guys on Britmodeller (thanks to Paul Bradley are due here).  The bits go into a Tempest box and there they remain whilst I get distracted with other things.

Some 18 months later, I'm in a Tempest mood so out the bits come and it quickly comes together.  Cockpit interior is scavenged from the Heller kit and it's together in a day or so.  It gets put to one side whilst other Tempests are brought to the same stage.

And then it was packed away.  I'd lost all interest in modelling, a funk which lasted over six months.  A resurgence of interest meant it came out and was finished in time for Telford 2010.

[The Wooksta!]

I did say it was a work in progress thread, didn't I?  Well, we're back to front.  You've seen the finished models and read the backstory, so now we start the build.

And this is what we start with.  A PM Sea Fury T20 and a Matchbox Tempest II/VI kit.

[The Wooksta!]

Obligatory bits shot.

The bits not seen here are the subject of this thread:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,30650.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

The other bits of the recipe:

Home cast resin RR Eagle engine, ventral scoop and wing root leading edge intakes.

The white metal bits are an Aeroclub Sea Fury undercarriage and Wyvern prop.

[The Wooksta!]

Assembled fuselage and wings.  The fuselage has been sanded but filler has yet to be applied on the engine cowling to blend it all in.

[The Wooksta!]

This particular Furious is going to be sent to the far east, so it'll get some additional cooling in the wing roots, so the wings have been modded to take the resin bits in the photo above.

[The Wooksta!]

All the filler applied.  Lots of it and sanding that lot away is a pain.  PSR indeed!

[The Wooksta!]

As if by magic, it's all gone.

[The Wooksta!]

When she's together, she looks like this.  This is 'one we made earlier' and is the finished example in post ?? above.

Notice the copious quantities of filler used to blend everything together, not to mention the patchwork colours of the various different media components.

[The Wooksta!]

A kind of bump because the Furious that was started at the top of the thread is a little further up the build queue - ie it has primer on but it isn't quite the one upthread.  I went for Tempest I l/e radiators.

In addition, I've a Centaurus version that's masked for it's undersurface colours, so pics may be available soon.  but don't hold your breath!

[Captain Canada]

Neat stuff Lee. The Eagle engine variants sure have a unique look !