Taiwan, 1950

[AeroplaneDriver]

During my recent stay in the far east I did a little research on the history over there.  I didn't know that China planned an invasion of Taiwan in 1950 to defeat Chiang Kai Check's Nationalists after they had been driven from mainland China in '49.

The stationing of a USN carrier in the Straits of Taiwan stopped the Chinese plan.

Now lets go back a bit into the world of the Whiffer...


1950-Taipei, Taiwan

Communits Chinese forces are bombarding Taiwan on a near-constant basis.  The invasion is behind schedule due to the presence of a US carrier group in the strait in the early part of the year.  Fortunately for the Communists the war in Korea is now occupying the US and her allies enough to keep them out of Chinese domestic affairs, apart from some small token military help to the Nationalists.

Part of the assistance given to the Nationalists on Formosa includes surplus aircraft from the Second World War.  For her part britain has supplied 52 Typhoon Mk1bs, 34 Mosquitos of various marks, and 48 Spitfires.  

The Typhoons have found their niche in patroling the straits, attacking Chinese warships with rockets and cannon fire.  

The Typhoon depicted is in the colors hastily applied when it forst arrived from Britain.  there is little time for cleaning, so the aircraft is showing the signs of the 130 sorties it has flown so far.  Here is sits awaiting its pilot for the next mission.  It is armed with 8 60lb Rocket Projectiles.

[AeroplaneDriver]

The model is a 1/72 Academy Typhoon that's been sitting half-built in the attic for a few years waiting for paint.

I've never don much in the way of panel line weathering, but thought I'd try it for this one since I wanted a war-weary look.  I'm pretty happy for a first effort, but there's lots of room to learn!

I alos weathered with chalk pastels and some silver paint chips around the ammunition bays and the leading edges.

[AeroplaneDriver]

Lovely model, but there's one slight flaw in the backstory - by 1949 we didn't have any Typhoons left.  Apart from a few, virtually all had gone into the melting pot post war.  Tempests, yeah, we had those coming out of our ears and the Mk 6 would have been ideal for the Far East given that it was a tropicalised mk 5.

Details, details, details....

In my little world the UK held on to a few...plus I didnt have a tempest in the attic!

 

[Captain Canada]

Wow.....now that is sweet ! Lovely job....great paint and weathering. Beauty job for such a small kit. Those little kits are something else, eh ? The Hurri and Spit are just as nice.

Got any more gems hidden in the attic ?

 

[NARSES2]

Thats an absolute stunner Mr Driver (how's Minnie?)

Shame your not going to be at Telford as she could go alongside my Austalian, US, SEAC and French post war ones - some still in building - would put them in the shade but would make a nice collection of  a great little kit. The Accademy Tempest is a beaut as well

Chris

[lancer]

Bloody gorgeous looking Typhoon Nick.

[nev]

Thats an absolute stunner Mr Driver (how's Minnie?)

Shame your not going to be at Telford as she could go alongside my Austalian, US, SEAC and French post war ones - some still in building - would put them in the shade but would make a nice collection of  a great little kit. The Accademy Tempest is a beaut as well

Chris

Chris, you forgot to say "a proper Typhoon"  

Lovely kit  B)  

[cthulhu77]

That is one hell of a great looking plane you've built.  The weathering makes it click, doesn't it ?   Fantastic job, fantastic.

               greg

[NARSES2]

Thats an absolute stunner Mr Driver (how's Minnie?)

Shame your not going to be at Telford as she could go alongside my Austalian, US, SEAC and French post war ones - some still in building - would put them in the shade but would make a nice collection of  a great little kit. The Accademy Tempest is a beaut as well

Chris

Chris, you forgot to say "a proper Typhoon"  

Lovely kit  B)

Now if you mean a Hawker Typhoon IB in RAF colours circa 1944, then I have one - if you mean a Typhoon aka Eurofighter then I'll give it a miss

Chris

[Scooterman]

[size=8]WHOA!![/size]

     

[Jack Bobson]

That is superb!

[The Rat]

Me LIKE!      

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Me LIKE!    

Me too !

I H-G

[John Howling Mouse]

What the hell?  You casually pull this out of the attic like nobody's business----this is one fine piece of work!!!

I find it very hard to believe it is so small as 1:72 scale with the degree of quality and believable detail in your weathering (but I'll take your word for it).

As for plausability of your back-story: of COURSE these were available in 1949...in your what if history.  That's the whole point----"what if these had continued to be available" and so on....onwards with the alternative history as you see fit.

Just like MFM, you could say MFH (where H = History).

I'm saving pics of this baby on my HD.

Inspiring work!        

[Ollie]

Awesome stuff!

I love it!