Eindhoven, Holland 1944

Hi. My name is Sylvain Couture. I have been modeling since I was a kid. I’ve been going more seriously at it for the last 10 years or so. I work as an aircraft engine inspector for Rolls-Royce Canada in Montreal. As you can see, my job is an extension of my hobby.

This is my latest kit. I’m really happy because it has been a while since I’ve actually finished one ( yes, I have that problem to...). This is Hasegawa’s 1/48 Typhoon MkIb ( #09379). Remember the old Monogram kit.....well forget it! If you want a hot Typhoon, Hasegawa’s kit is the real deal. It’s not perfect, but with a little effort you’ll get stunning results.

There are two main problems to address. First is the hideous gap in the radiator intake. I took care of it with miliput and a lot of patience. Second is the fit of the cockpit sidewall inserts (call it what you want). This feature allows you to build either a «car door type» or the bubble version. The fit is not good. It took a lot of gap filling super glue and rescribing to get it right. The rest is right on.

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I added a lot of detail in the cockpit: switch boxes, levers, rudder pedal adjustment, control stick torque tube, wires and a resin seat from Ultracast (#48057). I replaced the kit’s exhaust with resin ones (Ultracast #48057). I dropped the elevators, detailed the landing gears and scratch built the radiator flap actuator. I encountered problems with the canons. The ones in the kit were fragile. I scratch built new ones with stretch sprue and aluminium tubing. I also replaced the wing lights with clear lenses (M.V. Products, 0.096in dia.). Electrical connectors were added to the rockets with copper wire and stretch sprue.

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I am very fussy when it comes to decals. The kit’s decals are thick. I used a sheet from SuperScale (#48-543) that I had bought seven years ago for the Monogram kit. They went on just perfect. I used Solvaset decal solution (yes Rick you will get your bottle back...one day) because it’s the best simply the best stuff. I didn’t have any reference pictures of the specific aircraft, so the order of the ID codes on the port side was an «educated» guess. I painted the invasion stripes and the fuselage band. The main colors are from Testors MM. I thought that by buying the Testors RAF colors they would be correct. I was wrong. I had to remix them to get it right. Next time I’ll go with Humbrol colors.

I don’t believe in clean WW2 fighters. I use several weathering techniques. Underneath I do pre-shading. Top colors are faded with postshading. Delicate washes are used to accentuate panel lines. A light dusting is done underneath with my airbrush and Tamiya flat earth. I also toned down the decals after the final flat coat with light gray pastels. Pastels are also used to simulate streaks aft of several hinges on the wings. Exhaust streaks on the side of the fuselage were done with airbrushed sepia water ink.

Finally I wanted to add a touch of life with a tarmac and some eqiupment. I made the tarmac with cardboard, painted with Tamiya acrylics. The barrels and the wooden crate are resin parts from Custom Dioramics (1/48 #CD-311).

I had a load of fun with this project. Hope you enjoy.

Sylvain