Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB

MDC, 1/32 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

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Model Design Construction has built a reputation over the years as a company that delivers very high quality accessories and conversions. They have now branched out with their full first multi-media kit, and it is a beauty.

MDC's 1/32 scale Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB comprises 83 parts in grey coloured resin, 7 parts in clear resin; photo-etched fret; 2 parts in cast brass; clear vacform canopy (plus one spare); and markings for six aircraft..

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The kit is carefully packed in a stout box, with parts for each sub-assembly inside a separate plastic bag. The large, hollow fuselage halves and vacform canopies are also protected by a packing tube inside the main box.

The kit features superb surface detail - crisply engraved panel lines combined with raised structural details including fasteners and reinforcement tabs where appropriate. The fuselage halves are especially noteworthy in this respect.

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Each wing is supplied as a single part. They are amazing pieces of resin in their own right, each with a deep and wonderfully detailed wheel well cast in place. How the heck would they get this out of the mould?

The trailing edges are ready for the separate ailerons and flaps with recessed locating positions making it easy to position these control surfaces. The flaps are especially nice, with all rib detail cast into the parts

Smaller details are no less impressive. The cockpit includes full internal framing and a delicately detailed seat with a convincingly quilted backrest. This front office is accurately "bottomless", with footrails forming the minimal pilot's floor. The instrument panel features flat disks for dials, ready for the nicely detailed MDC RAF instrument decals. Harness straps are supplied in the photo-etched fret.

The tube framing does have a bit of feather-like flash to clean up, but the effort will be well worthwhile.

The kit provides clear resin navigation lights. These look cloudy on the casting block, but will probably polish up nicely and should respond to a quick bath in Future Floor Polish.

This model will be supported by cast brass undercarriage legs - probably just as well considering the hefty weight of the finished airframe.

MDC rounds out the package with a choice of three-bladed or four-bladed propeller assemblies. The kit does not supply ordnance (rockets may be purchased separately) or the early, smaller horizontal tailplanes often seen on Typhoons before they were fitted with with the large Tempest tailplanes.

Five marking options are supplied on two high-quality decal sheets printed by Fantasy Printshop.

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Unlike some limited run kits, MDC's Typhoon has been designed with a number of clever assembly aids, including ridges and locating points mating surfaces of the fuselage halves, locating tabs on the tailplanes, and stout holes in the wing roots to accurately position those heavy wings.

There will be some cleanup, but it is mostly lightweight. There are no heavy casting blocks on any of the resin parts.

MDC has made a big impression with their debut kit release. Their 1/32 scale Typhoon is a magnificent chunk of resin that is impressively detailed, cleverly designed, perfectly cast and accurate.

Considering the amount of effort that must go into casting each of these masterpieces, the purchase price of £60.00 is pretty reasonable too. I did not hesitate in forking out my cash.

You will definitely need experience with resin kits if you want to tackle this project, but MDC's thoughtful engineering will make workbench time a real pleasure. I can't wait to get this big Tiffie built!

Highly Recommended.

Review kit purchased with HyperScale funds

Review Text Copyright © 2006 by Brett Green
Page Created 30 May, 2006
Last updated 30 May, 2006

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