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Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 07:57 AM UTC
Trumpeter have released pictures of the sprues and marking options of their newly released 1/48th Westland Whirlwind.
History
The Westland Whirlwind was a British twin-engined heavy fighter developed by Westland Aircraft. It was the Royal Air Force's first single-seat, twin-engined, cannon-armed fighter, and a contemporary of the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane. It was one of the fastest aircraft in service when it flew in the late 1930s, and was much more heavily armed than any other. However, protracted development problems with its Rolls-Royce Peregrine engines delayed the entire project and only a relatively small number were ever built. During the Second World War only two RAF squadrons were equipped with the Whirlwind, and despite successful use as a fighter-bomber it was withdrawn from service in 1943.

Details
Item No - 02890
Scale - 1/48
Model Brief - Length-205mm Wingspan-288mm
Total Parts - 70+
Total Sprues - 5 sprues
Features - The kit consists of over 70 parts , includes 2 clear parts
- fuselage and wings with finely engraved panel lines.

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Comments

Hi Fred I hate to say it but, looking at these photos, there are a number of potential problems evident straight away. I'll still probably buy the kit - but I can foresee some tricky correction work needed around the tail, wing-root and cockpit (and there's probably more - this is based on a quick glance). All the best Rowan
APR 10, 2014 - 06:55 PM
Rowan for those like me who will buy the kit and not be too concerned with the flaws, will it still look like a Whirlwind out of box?
APR 10, 2014 - 11:44 PM
Hi Matt My prediction is that it'll build like a dream and - yeah, it'll certainly look like a Whirlwind (Heck, I could carve something in an hour out of balsa and ask "What's that supposed to be?" and most people would plump for a Whirlwind). I wouldn't want to sit it next to any reference photos though. Don't get me wrong - it'll offer exactly the kind of challenge I love. We're so spoiled these days, some of us rate anything less than perfection as "fatally flawed". This just looks set to offer the chance to get stuck in and to correct the bits Trumpy missed. All the best Rowan
APR 11, 2014 - 06:55 AM
Thanks Rowan. It looks like I'll buy it then decide if it is worth getting all pedantic about it's problems.
APR 11, 2014 - 09:33 PM
Unless you work in armor or smaller scales, eventually you'll feel your eyes glide over bright blue boxes with second-rate box art like nothing was there... This condition is accompanied by involuntary pupil contraction. Gaston
APR 12, 2014 - 07:57 AM
Hi Gaston True, it's not the greatest picture ever of a Whirlwind, but just as you should never judge a book by its cover - you certainly shouldn't damn a kit on account of its boxtop painting! (To do that would be to trash some of the most fantastic "garage" kits produced by superb modellers who maybe aren't so skilled at artwork...) But getting back to Matt - that's the whole point; I can see things already that I don't think I'll be able to leave be. I actually used to work for Westland (in a later incarnation), so I almost feel duty-bound to do my best on the Whirlwind - but, while it's important to point out both highs and lows in kits, what modellers finally make of them is wonderfully subjective. That's the joy of modelling, and why most of us are here. All the best Rowan
APR 12, 2014 - 08:43 AM
I feel the force to buy it, only to build the bird flown by a Swede in RAF.....another one to the list, d*mn you Trumpeter! lol
APR 12, 2014 - 02:47 PM
Gaston Looks like a Whirlwind to me. It may not be a masterpiece but it says Whirlwind on the box and artwork isn't a deal breaker for me. Rowan has pointed out the issues and that is enough for most of us.
APR 15, 2014 - 01:34 AM
Hi Matt I wouldn't presume to say I've identified all the issues - I fear the Whirlwind buffs will find plenty more before they're done... If (almost certainly, when) I get one, I'll do my best with it, like I've done my best to sort out the less than stellar Vampire (note to self: MUST finish that! ) - but there is a point (for me, at least) at which the pain outweighs the gain, and that's when I remind myself this a hobby I do for fun. At times like that the words of my late father always ring in my head: "It's only six pennyworth of plastic and it's not worth worrying about." All the best Rowan
APR 15, 2014 - 07:08 AM
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