Revell-Germany | 0485: Eurofighter Typhoon "Twin Seater"

Reviewed by Mike O'Leary

The Eurofighter Typhoon is the result of a joint effort between Britain, Germany, Italy, and Spain, with the goal of producing a Mach 2 fighter that would enable the replacement of the various aging 1970s era fighter then in use. Development flights began in March of 1994, and each of the four partner nations began operational service in 2003; Austria, Saudi Arabia, and Oman have also purchased the Eurofighter.

I was a little taken aback by the sheer amount of styrene goodness in the box when I first opened it. This is a big box, and it is full. My first impression was how crisp all the parts are, and then how many parts there are. The sprues are full. Getting into a detailed examination, I see a lot of parts that will need to be separated with a razor saw, or photo-etched saw, yet the fidelity and sprue gate location should make that a straightforward process.

The Box

20x14x5 inches/50 1/2x 35 1/2x 5cm. There is a folded up sheet of cardboard that protects the clear parts; a nice touch. This is the more conventional top/bottom style, as opposed to the "cereal box" style that we all like.

The Instructions

24 pages with a brief history of the development, construction, and capabilities of the Typhoon, as well as the sprue layout, color call outs, and even a paint mixing guideline. With around 138 construction steps, you will want to read through the instructions beforehand just to wrap your head around the construction process. For example,each bang seat is 10 parts. Also, since the 2-seater has the same combat capability as the single-seater, you'll get a lot of weapons, fuel tanks, and things that go under wings. These are all called out in the instructions, as is the separate engine and stand. Two sets of markings are provided, German and British, and there is a very full complement of stencils.

Clear Parts

Two sprues that look pretty good at first glance. My sample had the main canopy part separated from the sprue; not good as it may get scratched, but an easy fix. You get a second sprue with all the various lenses, and detail bits required. These are wrapped in a separate bag.

The Wing

Three main piece assembly, very subtle detail, and good sprue gate locations. Separate leading edge slats, ailerons, and detailed wheel bays. The underside has various vents, and blade antenna that are very well rendered, and the recessed panel lines well executed. In looking at the undercarriage, I was impressed by the subtle detail. The sprue attachments are solid, so again, a PE saw, or razor saw will be your friend here.

The fuselage

Two main halves, and a smaller top portion make up the fuselage. The tail/rudder is four parts, with the rudder positional. The cockpit has enough pieces to look good out of the box with a bit of careful painting, and shading. As mentioned previously, each bang seat is 10 pieces; very delicate, and crisply molded parts. One downside I did note is that there appear to be seatbelts molded into the back and bottom of the bang seat, and they are rather anemic; best sanded off and replaced with something more suitable. Each control stick is mounted to a center console; the console has a fair amount of detail, the stick, not so much. Given that the Eurofighter has many of the controls mounted to the stick, some extra detail, and careful painting will help here. Decals are provided for the front and rear scopes/screens; there are color call outs for the rest of the cockpit painting. The fuselage has nice recessed panel lines, and delicately molded vents at the leading edge of the wing root. Undercarriage legs are molded in halves, and the centers of the main gear legs are hollow. Perhaps to add a bit of wire to stiffen up the legs? The undercarriage bays are boxed in with bulkheads that have a bit of detail, and ought to strengthen the centerline of the model.

Engines

Basic detail, but I did like the 'petals' molded as separate pieces to be added. The are nicely shaped, and thin. The detail is decent, and there is an aftermarket engine set already out there, so you can go either way. There is a separate engine and stand included in the kit which build up with about 50 parts between the two. A nice touch, and it looks like Revell put some thought into the construction and detail aspect. Again, careful construction and painting ought to yield a good finished product.

Weapons

Revell has added two sets of sprues for the weapons and related pylons. There are no less than ten separate weapon/fuel tank configurations, and each is detailed as used by either the R.A.F. or Luftwaffe. AMRAAM, Meteor, AIM-9L, IRIS-T, Paveway II, GBU-424B, Stormshadow, ASRAAM, and the Taurus Recce pod are included. There is also a Recce pod specific to the German bird in the kit, as well as two 1000L fuel tanks. All in all, a nice complement of options.

Decals

There are stencils included for each of the weapons, tanks, and pylons with no obvious spelling errors. Included also are a basic set of markings for the RAF, and JG 73 "Steinhoff". There is a section of common use stencils, and all of the various stencil groups are separated by dashed lines with call-outs for their specific application. The instructions detail the stencil application for each weapon/stencil/tank and pylon being used. German and English language stencils are also detailed in the instructions. All the decals in my sample are in register, with minimal flash/carrier film. A smart move given the sheer number of stencils to be applied.

Conclusion

I was impressed with the sheer amount of plastic in the box when I opened it. I'm the guy that always likes to see new kits released, and it is apparent that Revell has done their due diligence with regards to this kit of the Eurofighter 2000 "Typhoon". I think this kit will build nicely out of the box, and there are already some aftermarket bits should one choose to go that route. Well thought out sprue gates, finely molded parts, excellent surface detail, comprehensive instructions, lots of underwing options,and a very nice set of decals rounds this kit out.

Well done, Revell.

Many thanks to HobbyLink Japan for the review kit, which can be purchased at the following link:

Revell 1/32 Eurofighter TYPHOON Twin Seater