Airfix Hawker Tempest Mk V 1:72 Scale
This Airfix 1:72 scale plastic kit builds what is considered to be one of the finest aircraft of the Second World War - the Hawker Tempest V.
The Hawker Tempest V entered Royal Air Force service in 1944 and was fast and heavily armed. It could better any fighter the Luftwaffe had in service. The Tempest is often confused with its predecessor in Royal Air Force service, the Typhoon, even though the two are very different aeroplanes.
The original fighter replacement for the Hawker Hurricane was the Typhoon, an aircraft which attempted to combine the most powerful piston engine available at the time with a small, yet strong and heavily armed airframe. Although intended as an interceptor fighter, it became apparent during development that the new aircraft would not be able to fulfil this role, as the thickness of the wing was not conducive to high performance at high altitude.
Aware that the Typhoon had great potential but was in need of improvement, the Hawker design team started work on a new fighter project, one which incorporated many of the same philosophies as Typhoon, but also, several significant modifications.
Although this was still a big aeroplane for a single engined fighter, its airframe was light and it would be powered by the massively powerful 24 cylinder Napier Sabre engine, a powerplant which would give the new fighter spectacular performance. The first flight was in September 1942.
The Hawker Tempest V entered Royal Air Force service in early 1944, with the first two squadrons to receive the type having both previously operated the Typhoon.
The Airfix 1:72 scale kit was launched in 2022 and featured as a full build in AMW135 (February 2022) as well as online at Key Model World.