{"product_id":"eduard-big3370-hawker-tempest-mk-v-big-ed-detail-set-for-special-hobby-1-32-scale","title":"Eduard BIG3370 Hawker Tempest Mk.V Big Ed Detail Set for Special Hobby — 1\/32 Scale","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer: Eduard Model Accessories\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Product: BIG3370\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Barcode\/JAN: 8591437516636\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Subject: Hawker Tempest Mk.V\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Scale: 1\/32\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Series: BIG ED\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Type: Aftermarket detail\/accessory set\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Base kit manufacturer: Special Hobby\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Compatible kits: Special Hobby SH32049 and SH32070\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Original release: November 2016\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Current status: Discontinued\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Plastic aircraft kit: Not included\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEduard's November 2016 documentation specifically identifies BIG3370 as a 1\/32 Tempest Mk.V set for Special Hobby.\n\u003cbr\u003eWhat is included\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBIG3370 combines four separate Eduard products into one BIG ED package:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    JX193 — painting mask for the Tempest Mk.V;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    32392 — detailed landing flaps;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    32880 — interior\/exterior photo-etched detail set;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    32881 — STEEL photo-etched seatbelts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe combined package therefore provides improvements to several major areas of the Special Hobby model:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    cockpit and interior detail;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    exterior airframe detail;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    landing flaps;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    seat harnesses;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    canopy and other painting masks;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    small-scale structural and equipment details.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe product is made up primarily of photo-etched metal parts and masks, rather than additional injection-moulded aircraft components. A current catalogue description confirms that it is an accessory set and explicitly warns that the base model kit is not included.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is significant when valuing the item: BIG3370 should not be priced as a complete 1\/32 Tempest model kit. It is an enhancement package that was intended to be purchased alongside the Special Hobby kit.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe BIG ED concept\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEduard's BIG ED system groups several individual aftermarket sets into a single package.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor BIG3370, Eduard combined the individual Tempest products into one package, offering the modeller a more comprehensive upgrade rather than requiring four separate purchases.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEduard's contemporary catalogue explains that the individual sets in BIG ED packages were also available separately, with the combined package offering a saving compared with buying all the components individually.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis particular package was released in 2016, alongside the Special Hobby 1\/32 Tempest Mk.V. Eduard's contemporary announcement describes it as an \"advantageous set\" of photo-etched and mask products.\n\u003cbr\u003eManufacturer — Eduard Model Accessories\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEduard Model Accessories is a Czech company that began in a very different part of the model industry from conventional injection-moulded kit manufacturers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe company was formed in 1989 in Most, Czechoslovakia, by Ctirad Kurák and Vladimír Šulc. The two had begun producing photo-etched components for their own modelling projects around 1987 and subsequently recognised that there was a market for commercially produced fine-detail components.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1990, Eduard produced its first commercially sold photo-etched set, a 1\/48 Su-25K detail set.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDemand grew rapidly, and by 1991 the company had moved into more suitable premises and begun series production. Eduard subsequently expanded its photo-etched range into 1\/72 and 1\/35, followed by ship-related accessories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe company entered the plastic-kit business in 1993, producing its first two kits:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Sopwith Schneider — 1\/72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Sopwith Baby — 1\/72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe following year Eduard introduced its first 1\/48 plastic kit, the Fokker E.III.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEduard eventually moved to larger facilities at Obrnice, where it developed increasingly sophisticated moulding and production technology. The company now produces injection-moulded kits as well as photo-etched, resin\/Brassin, masks and other modelling accessories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat history explains why Eduard became particularly well known among advanced modellers for photo-etched detail parts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBIG3370 is therefore very much in the tradition from which the company originated: taking an existing plastic kit and adding much finer, thinner and more scale-appropriate detail.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe Special Hobby base kit\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBIG3370 was designed around Special Hobby's 1\/32 Hawker Tempest Mk.V.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe original Special Hobby SH32049 was released as a 1\/32 injection-moulded kit and was priced at approximately €52.10 when reviewed in 2016. The kit represented a significant step forward in Special Hobby's large-scale aircraft range, with improved engineering, locating pins and more sophisticated moulding than some of the company's earlier limited-run products.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSpecial Hobby subsequently offered more elaborate versions, including the SH32070 Tempest Mk.V Hi-Tech 2, which added substantial resin and other multimedia components.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBIG3370 can therefore be thought of as a premium detail upgrade for the standard Special Hobby 1\/32 Tempest, rather than a standalone model.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe real aircraft — Hawker Tempest Mk.V\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Hawker Tempest was one of Britain's most important late-war piston-engine fighters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt originated from Hawker's development of the Typhoon, but the Tempest introduced a substantially redesigned wing and other aerodynamic improvements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe intention was to retain the Typhoon's powerful Napier Sabre engine while reducing drag and improving high-speed and high-altitude performance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe prototype first flew on 2 September 1942.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe resulting aircraft was a large, powerful single-seat fighter with an unusually thin wing for a Hawker fighter of the period.\n\u003cbr\u003eDevelopment from the Typhoon\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Typhoon had demonstrated considerable potential as a low-level fighter and ground-attack aircraft, but its thick wing and other aerodynamic characteristics limited its performance at altitude.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tempest development addressed these issues.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe new wing was significantly thinner, and the aircraft received a redesigned tail and other aerodynamic improvements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe resulting aircraft was substantially faster and more refined than the Typhoon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tempest Mk.V became the principal production version during the Second World War.\n\u003cbr\u003eProduction of the Mk.V\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eProduction of the Tempest Mk.V began at Hawker's Langley facility in 1943.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe first production aircraft, JN729, left the production line on 21 June 1943 and made its first flight shortly afterwards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Mk.V was built in two principal production series.\n\u003cbr\u003eSeries 1\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe first 100 aircraft were the Series 1 machines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey retained some components derived from the Typhoon and used the long-barrel Hispano Mk.II 20 mm cannon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese early aircraft also had external strengthening plates around the rear fuselage\/tail joint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey were primarily associated with serial numbers beginning JN.\n\u003cbr\u003eSeries 2\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe subsequent aircraft incorporated numerous improvements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe most visually obvious change was the adoption of the short-barrel Hispano Mk.V cannon, whose barrels were largely contained within the wing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe revised design also allowed the rear fuselage\/tail assembly to be detached and provided for external fuel tanks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeries 2 aircraft carried serial prefixes including EJ, NV and SN.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe total production of the Tempest Mk.V was 801 aircraft.\n\u003cbr\u003eEngine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tempest Mk.V was powered by the Napier Sabre II, a liquid-cooled 24-cylinder H-block engine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sabre was an unusually compact and powerful engine, and its performance was a major factor in the Tempest's capabilities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe combination of the Sabre engine and the Tempest's relatively clean aerodynamic design produced a very fast low- and medium-altitude fighter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft used four-bladed propellers supplied by de Havilland or Rotol, depending upon production aircraft and configuration.\n\u003cbr\u003eArmament\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tempest Mk.V carried four 20 mm Hispano cannon mounted in the wings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis was a very powerful armament for a single-engine fighter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe later Series 2 aircraft's short-barrel Hispano Mk.V installation was particularly clean aerodynamically because the cannon barrels did not protrude significantly beyond the leading edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft could also carry external stores, including bombs and drop tanks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Mk.V received clearance to carry bombs in April 1944, although bomb use during the war was relatively limited compared with its fighter and anti-V-1 duties.\n\u003cbr\u003eCombat role\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tempest's greatest wartime importance came from its combination of:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    high speed at low and medium altitude;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    excellent firepower;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    good low-level handling;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    strong construction;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    substantial endurance compared with many contemporary fighters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt became particularly valuable for attacking German aircraft and ground targets and for intercepting V-1 flying bombs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft's performance at low altitude made it one of the RAF's most useful fighters during the final year of the European war.\n\u003cbr\u003eV-1 interception\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tempest developed a particularly famous association with the German V-1 flying bomb campaign.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts speed at low altitude made it well suited to intercepting the V-1.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTempest pilots used several techniques against the weapons, including conventional gunfire and, in some cases, deliberately disturbing the aerodynamic stability of the flying bomb by placing a wing close to the V-1.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tempest therefore became one of the RAF's most successful V-1 interception aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSpecial Hobby's later Tempest releases have specifically commemorated this aspect of the aircraft's career, including its \"Doodle-bug Hunters\" boxing.\n\u003cbr\u003eGround attack and fighter operations\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough often remembered primarily as a fighter, the Tempest was also used extensively for ground attack and armed reconnaissance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts four cannon were effective against lightly armoured and soft targets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLater in the war, Tempests also carried bombs and rockets in appropriate configurations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft therefore evolved into a multi-role fighter-bomber while retaining excellent air-to-air performance.\n\u003cbr\u003eFamous pilots\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tempest was flown by several prominent RAF and Commonwealth pilots.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the best known was Pierre Clostermann, the French-born RAF fighter pilot whose combat career included extensive Tempest operations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHis Tempest, NV724, became particularly famous through his wartime memoir The Big Show.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe type was also operated by Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and other Commonwealth personnel.\n\u003cbr\u003ePost-war service\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tempest Mk.V remained in service after the end of the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis was partly because it was still a very capable piston-engine aircraft, even as jet fighters were beginning to transform military aviation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor example, No. 16 Squadron RAF operated Tempest Mk.V aircraft in Germany after the war before converting to the Tempest Mk.II.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tempest family therefore bridged the transition between late-war piston fighters and the first generation of operational jet fighters.\n\u003cbr\u003eSurviving aircraft\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA small number of Tempests survive today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe surviving examples are particularly significant because the Tempest was produced in relatively small numbers compared with aircraft such as the Spitfire, Hurricane or Mustang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe rarity of surviving Tempests also contributes to their value as museum and historic aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere is no normal transparent commercial market for original Tempest Mk.V aircraft, making it inappropriate to give a single modern \"selling price\" as though they were ordinary used aircraft.\n\u003cbr\u003eFull-size aircraft selling price\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eI found reliable production and historical information for the Tempest Mk.V, including the 801-aircraft production total, but I did not find a sufficiently reliable primary or specialist source giving a universally applicable wartime unit selling\/procurement price for the Mk.V.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAccordingly, I would record:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDocumented full-size wartime selling price: No reliable unit price established from the sources reviewed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is preferable to using a production-cost estimate or a price for another Tempest variant and presenting it as the Mk.V's actual selling price.\n\u003cbr\u003eCurrent full-size value\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere is similarly no meaningful standard current market price.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAn original Tempest Mk.V is a very rare historic aircraft, and any hypothetical private transaction would be highly dependent on:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    originality;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    restoration;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    airworthiness;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    provenance;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    surviving components;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    historic combat associations;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    certification and operating status.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Eduard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57512971895164,"sku":"Eduard-big3370","price":39.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/B53E46D0-A4AF-4026-B4C8-B81D1EABAEEF.jpg?v=1790664172","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/eduard-big3370-hawker-tempest-mk-v-big-ed-detail-set-for-special-hobby-1-32-scale","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}