1:48 Hawker TyphoonIB

A thick wing and an engine that learned as it went

The development of the Typhoon was accompanied by troubles that no program would survive today. The Napier Sabre engine long refused to behave reliably, on the first examples the tail section separated and exhaust fumes in the cockpit also worried the pilots. Even so the aircraft stayed in production, because low over the ground it was faster than anything that took off against it. The collection of measures with which the maker gradually tried to put it right can still be seen on models today.

Wavy film on domed glazing

A mask cut flat does not behave obediently on a round surface. When a builder stretches it over a bulge by force, the material goes wavy and channels form in the folds through which the paint gets exactly where it was not meant to. The right procedure is the opposite: lay the film on in the middle, only then spread it toward the edges and warm the domed places lightly so that the material settles by itself. Very little heat is enough, a lukewarm stream of air from a dryer.

Saving a creased mask

It does not pay to straighten a wavy piece over and over, as the adhesive thereby loses its strength. It is better to bound the edge with a thin strip of separate masking tape and to cover the rest of the area, because only that edge by the frame calls for precision. If paint has already bled, the overrun is carefully etched away with a cotton swab moistened in thinner, right from the edge and in small stretches.

Parts of the set

The box offers a pair of films for the cockpit cover and two sets for the national insignia. The aircraft model is not included; the set serves to finish it.