1:48 de Havilland Chipmunk T.10/T.20 - Gipsy Major Engine and Cowls (for Airfix Kits)

The engine of the Chipmunk trainer under the cowling

The Chipmunk trainer was the first design of its own from the Canadian branch of de Havilland and first took to the air shortly after the Second World War. It stepped into the place the Tiger Moth had held until then and became the machine on which whole generations of British pilots learned to fly. The T.10 version served at home, the export T.20 went to a number of other countries, and some of the aircraft are kept in civil operation to this day, because it is a type that is sturdy, forgiving and pleasant to handle. Inside the nose worked an inverted inline four-cylinder Gipsy Major, which gave the Chipmunk its characteristic slim nose without a radial cowling ring.

The scope of the set

The package takes care of the powerplant and the cowls around it, so a machine can be built with the nose exposed, as a visitor meets it at an airfield during maintenance. An engine of this type is visible almost in its entirety with the panels removed, and its shape is unusual enough to be worth showing.

Purpose and building

The accessory is aimed at kits of the Airfix brand in 1:48 scale and covers both the versions stated, the T.10 and the T.20. Painting is easier before fitting, while the cylinder blocks can be reached from all sides, and a dry fit will help to line up the axis of the propeller shaft.

An inline four up close

The inverted layout means that the cylinders point downwards and the heads are below the crankcase, which gives the whole unit a form you will not find on radial engines. When building with the nose exposed it is therefore good to count on the viewer seeing the underside as well, and not to leave it unfinished. A little extra work pays back here more than anywhere else on the model.