Europe’s Typhoon II fighter is the product of design studies undertaken during the 1970s for a fighter to counter the latest Soviet aircraft. While it was originally called the “Eurofighter,” that name is now used for the consortium of companies that manufacture the aircraft: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS. It’s interesting to me that all the latest fighters from Europe — the Typhoon II, Gripen, and Rafale — share the canard-delta wing design. Collectively, they are known as the “Eurocanards.”
Hasegawa’s Typhoon II is a beauty with exquisite surface detail. Molded in sturdy, light gray plastic, the kit has 215 parts, including 17 for a stand, four for a pilot, and enough pieces for 30 missiles and three drop tanks. There is a lot of plastic in the box, perhaps contributing to the relatively high price of the kit. An extensive decal sheet has markings for two RAF and one Luftwaffe aircraft, loads of stencil data for each version, and markings for all those missiles. The two-part canopy is crystal clear with just a faint mold line down the middle. However, I wish Hasegawa had included parts necessary to display the canopy open.
Construction is straightforward. I followed the instructions except for my usual practice of waiting until the end to add most of the pieces “sticking out” from the fuselage.
You’ll need to sand the lower sides of the ejection seat to get it into the cockpit tub. The baffle (E4) that fits into the upper fuselage behind the intake was loose on my model, so I clamped the fuselage around it for a tight fit. This action narrowed the fuselage, leaving a gap between it and the wings and making the lower portion of the intake too wide. That took a lot of filling and sanding to correct. The intake ramp and splitter plate fit beautifully into place and present a neat scale appearance. I did test-fit the canopy pieces early, but without the glare shield (C7) and aft canopy structure (A1) in place. To my chagrin, these pieces impinged on the canopy parts, hindering their fit during my final assembly.
The painting guide uses Gunze Sangyo nomenclature and Federal Standard numbers for the colors. The main color of the RAF versions is FS36375, light ghost gray, which I didn’t have; I suspect my substitute is a little too dark. Restrained pre-shading with dark sea gray helped break up the monotone look. Decals are typical for Hasegawa, with excellent register and color, though I did have some silvering around the smaller stencils.
I spent 35 hours on the build, several of those to correct the wing/fuselage seam problem I had caused myself. Hasegawa’s version of the Typhoon II is more accurate than other kits on the market, particularly around the intake and the external stores. The finished model definitely has a more realistic scale appearance.
Though not for the complete novice (because of the part count), this kit can be recommended to all others interested in modern aircraft. It’ll make a great addition to your collection.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the May 2013 FineScale Modeler.