Welcome back! Last time we had just completed the internal framework, engine, lower front end and cockpit of the big 1/24^th Scale Airfix Mk.Ib Typhoon. This second installment will bring the wings, fuselage, nose and wheel-wells together, leaving the final assembly and finish for the last segment of this three-part review. To recall: I chose to expose only the starboard wing’s gun bay and starboard engine detail, and to cover up the lower front end encompassing the oil cooler/air intake.

Work is going along very smoothly, with a single exception being the front end of the aircraft. Whether the problems I encountered were self-inflicted or due to some flaw in the kit remains to be determined. More on that later – for now, let’s get back to work!

If you have been involved in modeling for the past ten years there is a good chance that you are familiar with the name Mig Jimenez. If you are not familiar with Mig, he is a Spanish modeler that has really came to the forefront of modeling techniques. Along with the techniques MIg has created a system of washes, filters, pigments and now paints. He also has several great modeling books out as well.

UK Aircraft colors from the 50's to present: This set is comprised of four 17ml bottles with dropper top. The four colors included in this set are as follows FS 36118 Medium Gunship Gray, FS 26173 (BS 638), FS 34079 (BS 641) and FS 36314 (BS 626). I used a single action siphon feed airbrush to apply them to an unprimed plastic card stock. I thinned the paint using the MIG Acrylic thinner at a ratio of about two parts paint to one thinner. Had no issues spraying through the airbrush and it sprayed out in a nice light coat. Took a few layers to build up a solid color.

Permit me to open this review with a personal story.

My childhood home town of Iowa City had a tiny little airport – the kind that sees maybe six Cessna's visiting in a week. However, even this tiny airport managed to have a gate guard, in this case an F-86D Sabre Dog donated from the Iowa Air National Guard, mounted on posts.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the best of shape. At some point in the past it had lost its canopy, which had been replaced by some artlessly shaped acrylic sheet. Even so, it seemed to a kid like a proud giant, reaching endlessly for a sky it would never touch again. Honestly, I loved that gate guardian.