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My Telford Beaufighter


Kyrre

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Wow Nice Beau'! It becomes harder and harder to say what is my favourite model these days, but the '72 Hasegawa Beaufighter definitely ranks highly (top ten). I saved your pics for future reference when building mine. I had the TF. X in my early twenties and shamefully didn't have the skills then to do it justice. It ended up binned with another great while being transported to and from houses.

I am on the path to reconciling that loss however. I have been hunting the globe for kits and ended up with one when Hasegawa released the D-Day combo with the spit. I won't have the staggering 7 in the stash like you do, but two is good for now.

The pic with the Mustang, is there any additional details/profiles/data available on those aircrafts? I would like to represent both and have the kits at least on hand to do so. The markings are what eludes me.

Nice job!

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The pic with the Mustang, is there any additional details/profiles/data available on those aircrafts? I would like to represent both and have the kits at least on hand to do so. The markings are what eludes me.

Nice job!

The Mustang is from 315(Polish) Squadron. The unit moved from the south of England up to Coltishall and then to Peterhead where they escorted the Mossies and Beaus of Coastal Command. Re decals for the Mustang, Techmod do a range that features Mustang IIIs of the Polish units. Try Hannants, they stock them.

Lovely build Kyrre by the way! Very inspiring.

Re the P6 coded Beaufighter I've built one of my Hasegawa kits as P6-F. I found one I'd forgotten about in my stash as the Aussie version. This I will build to represent a canadian one using Aviaeology decals that have very comprehensive details about finises etc.

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Further info for "modelglue" (and others) re the Mustang and Beaufighter photo in post 15. The date taken was 30th July 1944. The 315 squadron Mustang pilot was W/o Idrian. Serial and code FB123, PK-W. Beaufighter was NE429,P6-S of 489 NZ squadron.

315 was tasked with escorting Beaufighter units on missions to Norway.

Hope this helps.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Many thanks, guys. Man, a 7 year old post! :D

Got me inspired, might have to revisit my Beau-stash. So many kits - so little time, though.

Kyrre

Edited by Kyrre
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Kyrre

Beautiful model!! I do have one question though. I am NO Beaufighter expert but werent the collectors on the cowliings copper or bronze?? I am just curious.

Cheers

Mike

Most kit instructions and especially Airfix kit instructions quote copper for the colour of collector rings and on occasion exhausts. When I first got back into modelling this really bugged me as copper never really looked right, I was never convinced that copper would have been the metal used because copper although suitable for high temperatures is generally only used for water.

To the best of my knowledge the collector rings of wartime Bristol engines were steel. When new collector rings were polished steel in colour but after use and exposure to the weather became they became rusty. Later in the war we begin to see them painted with a black or almost black heat resistant paint.

It seems Airfix and other kit manufacturers have made the mistake of looking at old coloured photos of aircraft such as Short Stirlings and mistaking rust for copper. Sometimes Bristol engines also had an additional piece of metal fitted to the front of the collector ring, I don't know for absolute certain what this piece of metal was made of or even what it was for, but to the best of my knowledge it was made of some kind of silver alloy that would corrode to a whitish colour and was fitted to protect the collector ring from damage.

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A small diagram, showing how a Bristol exhaust collector ring worked. I do not recall the source and apparently my aged brain forgot to keep track. If anyone knows, please add that intel here.

Collector.jpg

Chris

Edited by dogsbody
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Just to add to everyone else - lovely work! I have a very soft spot for 489 Sqn aircraft and you've done a great job!

(Here's mine in 1/48th... http://www.network54.com/Forum/47751/thread/1326234901/Bristol+Beaufighter,+489+Squadron,+1945 )

I've just had a quick look through the ORBs and D1 did fly with torpedo on many missions in early 1945, although FWIW 'D1' is recorded as RD395, 'D' (a non-thimble-nosed machine I think), is NV175.

And 489 flew mainly torpedo (and a few suppression operations) until the end of the war, there is no mention in the ORB of them ever using rockets.

Cheers,

Ian

Edited by IanW
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  • 2 weeks later...

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