The Wooksta!: Not a Spitfire Blog - comments thread.

[Gondor]

I doubt that the Wellesley could take the power of a Centaurus.  Besides, production had ceased well before the war.  Unless you mean the Warwick, as there were some that used the Centaurus. One did fly with the annular radiator Sabres, as the option to do it is in the Contrail kit.

May well be worth rejoining Britmodeller just to get that dude's details, as his stuff looks really good. 

Ah yes, my bad, it was the Warwick I was thinking of. He is also on Facebook but I seem to remember that you don't use that either.

On Britmodeller he is TeeELL

Gondor

[NARSES2]

The AZ/KP Tempest V/VI is a decent kit Lee, and the II goes together ok providing you don't follow the instructions re the cowling (guess how I know ?  ) and assemble the two main parts to their respective fuselage halves and then join. You can fiddle the 3rd part in afterwards. Don't expect a fully assembled cowling to fit 

BTW The Eduard 1/48 kit is a stunner. I think the Tempest II comes in my top three of favourite aircraft.

[The Wooksta!]

I'm somewhat replete with Tempest IIs - I've got one of the KPM Tempest II kits tucked away, plus a CMR one somewhere in the loft, with a part started chopped Academy one that'll get a resin nose section in due course.  Finally, there's a Matchbox one that turned up in a box of Spitfires (it was in a Heller photo top box, so I thought it was a Spitfire, 'natch.). And this doesn't include the many painted but unfinished ones lurking in various places.

[NARSES2]

I'm somewhat replete with Tempest IIs - I've got one of the KPM Tempest II kits tucked away, plus a CMR one somewhere in the loft, with a part started chopped Academy one that'll get a resin nose section in due course.  Finally, there's a Matchbox one that turned up in a box of Spitfires (it was in a Heller photo top box, so I thought it was a Spitfire, 'natch.). And this doesn't include the many painted but unfinished ones lurking in various places.

Understood   

[DogfighterZen]

Tempest is a beauty indeed but Lee's post reminded me of the Fury and the Sabre engine and how i'd really love to build the Fury I... Now you got me thinking of a good donor for the engine cowling and exhausts...  
 

[The Wooksta!]

I did it in 72nd - I'll try and photograph shortly - and I used a PM Sea Fury and a Matchbox Tempest VI front end, with a resin lower and l/e radiators from a resin Tempest I conversion I, err, cloned for personal use.  Looked okay, but it may have been a bit too short.  Not sure what you could use in 48th.

Tempted to have another go now.

[DogfighterZen]

I did it in 72nd - I'll try and photograph shortly - and I used a PM Sea Fury and a Matchbox Tempest VI front end, with a resin lower and l/e radiators from a resin Tempest I conversion I, err, cloned for personal use.  Looked okay, but it may have been a bit too short.  Not sure what you could use in 48th.

Tempted to have another go now.

I did have a look to see if had one on the book of faces... saw the one with a big radiator on the belly.   
I haven't decided the scale yet but in 1/48 i have to buy a late Tempest to donate the engine for modding and use the Airfix Sea Fury as base...  i'd have cut and reshape the cowling and LE radiators too but i think i can do it  so, it's just a matter of getting the engine donor.
For 1/72, i believe i have all i need. I have the PM Sea Fury FB.11 and think i could use the KP Tempest's spare Sabre cowling and modify that. Guess i'll have an interesting evening looking through the stash to find all 3 kits and decide which will be chosen.

[The Wooksta!]

The PM Sea Fury is a reasonable basis - they copied the Frog kit and kept some of the errors. Ignore the position of the bulkhead and seat - they need to come at least 2mm further forward as the bulkhead lines up with an external panel line.  The top decking shouldn't be scalloped either.  Aeroclub did a white metal drop in panel along with a new canopy but long OOP.  Squadron might have released the Falcon canopy, but the Special Hobby Sea Fury single seaters* all had a spare canopy.  Wheels need replacing, the wing trailing edge needs thinning and the ailerons don't quite match.  One needs filling and rescribing.



*The two seaters gave you the resin for the single plus another set of resin for the two seaters.  You got a cockpit tub for the single seater spare.  As to whether it fits the PM... I never tried it.  Been a long time since I was playing with Sea Furies.  2010 perhaps?  I still have a pair of partially decalled ones to finish.  Think they just need some codes.

[DogfighterZen]

From what you've pointed out and what i've seen on the model, i think i'm better off buying a Trumpeter 1/72 Sea Fury kit for the job. Could only find one Special hobby kit on Ebay in the US, ridiculous total price of at least 65€ after the import fees are added...
Even for a rare OOP 1/72 kit it's too much for me, especially when there are other alternatives, even if these are worse in quality.
I also found one Aeroclub canopy and fairing set in the UK, which also means import fees and the total cost(around 35€) being ridiculous for what it is... so, both are out of the question for the price and the work i'd have to do with the Aeroclub set.
Even if the Trumpeter kit has some shape issues, i'm better off buying one as i'll be spending less money, wasting no time and work with the canopy issue.
I could simply ignore that and use the PM kit as is but, after i got it out of the stash earlier tonight, i looked it over a bit better and decided it's worth buying the Trumpeter kit for this. It's a much better kit than the PM, it's available and reasonably priced so, guess i know what to do.   

[The Wooksta!]

I found the Trumpeter kit to be a profound disappointment.  I hate folded wings with a passion (it just adds complexity and yet another level of fragility), some of the breakdown didn't make sense and they persist with that stupid scallop under a bubble canopy (they did it with the Spiteful too).  TBH, I think it's a copy of the Special Hobby kit.

[kitbasher]

The PM kit is excellent vaue for anything Sea Fury-ish.  OK not very sophisticated and not without its faults (as pointed out by Lee) but IMHO very good whiffery value.

[The Wooksta!]

AIMS have just released a sheet for the Eduard Tempest II that makes me even more tempted.  But then I remember the parlous state of my finances, the sheer volume of stuff in both stashes and the fact that I don't do 48th and I decide it's not a good idea.

And then I remember that someone is doing an injected Hornet in 32nd that has David Collins as a consultant.  Depending on price, I may just have to get one...

[DogfighterZen]

Thanks for the info regarding the Trumpeter kit, Lee. 

The PM kit is excellent vaue for anything Sea Fury-ish.  OK not very sophisticated and not without its faults (as pointed out by Lee) but IMHO very good whiffery value.

I agree, the PM kit is cheap and good value indeed but, it also shows it's price in the several sink holes, molding defects and overall level of detail and that's why i bought both the single and twin seat kits to donate parts, especially the props and spinners, but bought the Airfix 1/48 to have a good kit of the Sea Fury to build OOB.
I can get a Trumpeter kit under 30€, just a little over 10€ more than the PM with shipping included in both.
I value my time more than my money and i don't need the "glory" of polishing a turd so, i'll go with the better kit most of the time, that's just my way of seeing it. And i'm not saying the PM Sea Fury is a turd but, in comparison with the Trumpeter kit, all issues on both considered, i'd say the Trumpeter is the best option by far and i still think it's worth a shot but, not right now.
That's enough talk from me, time to start a new thread in the current projects section cause i'm doing this!

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[NARSES2]

And then I remember that someone is doing an injected Hornet in 32nd that has David Collins as a consultant.  Depending on price, I may just have to get one...

     But where would I put it ?