1:48 Typhoon Mk. IB - Gun Barrels Late (for Hasegawa and Hobby 2000 Kits / 3D-Printed)

Typhoon Mk.IB — cannon barrels, LATE version 1:48 (Hobby 2000, 3D print)

This is not an aircraft kit. It is a detail set from Hobby 2000 made by 3D printing that replaces the injection-molded cannon barrels in the wing of the Typhoon. The set is intended for the Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB kits in 1:48 scale from Hasegawa and from Hobby 2000 — it fits both because Hobby 2000 releases kits from other makers' molds and their Typhoon is Hasegawa plastic in a new box. You have to have the base kit.

The late barrels — and how they differ from the early ones

The Typhoon Mk.IB carried four 20mm Hispano cannons in the wing. On early machines the barrels protruded from the leading edge bare and uncovered, along their whole length. On later machines the barrels received aerodynamic fairings that wrapped them and reduced drag — only a shorter, capped section then stuck out. The set in this box is for exactly that late, faired arrangement; the early form is covered by a separate set of barrels for the early version from the same manufacturer. Check a period photograph of your particular aircraft — if you buy the wrong version, the barrels will not match.

The real subject and why to replace the barrels

The Hawker Typhoon was a British fighter bomber with a characteristic massive radiator chin under the nose. It became famous as a destroyer of ground targets — with bombs and unguided rockets it became the terror of German columns after the Normandy landings. The cannons in the wing are highly visible on a model. A plastic barrel from a mold is thick, blanked off and carries a mold seam; a printed one has a thin wall and a real bore, it is hollow. A small part, a big difference.

Working with the part and who it is for

Thin barrels are fragile and crack easily: cut them off the carrier carefully and fit them at the very end, after clear coating. Do not use cement for polystyrene for gluing, it does not work on this material — only cyanoacrylate or epoxy. Wash the parts before painting in lukewarm water with detergent so no residues of print resin stay on them, and if you sand anything, do it wet only: dust from 3D printing is harmful to health.

• Builders of the Typhoon Mk.IB 1:48 on Hasegawa plastic or from a Hobby 2000 box
• Modelers building a late machine with faired barrels
• Those who want a hollow barrel instead of a blanked plastic stub
• More experienced modelers working with cyanoacrylate

An accessory for a model, not a kit. The base model, glue and paints are not included in the package.