RCAF Bristol Beaufighter - Canadians in Coastal Command #1

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RCAF Bristol Beaufighter - Canadians in Coastal Command #1

Aviaeology 1:72, 1:48, 1:42

The Beaufighter was a 'fighter' development of the Beaufort, planned initially as an interim heavy fighter until the Westland Whirlwind was operationally available. Needless to say, that didn't happen, but the performance of the Beaufighter was good enough loaded to make it a useful aircraft and as history shows, an extremely versatile aircraft as it flew in every theatre of the second world war. The RCAF operated the TF.X Beaufighter with 404 squadron in Coastal Command, first using the aircraft in 1942 and later operating from Davidstow Moor Airbase in Cornwall. Although the crew were trained and the aircraft equipped to use torpedoes, their operational activity utilised rockets in the anti-shipping role.

These decals focus on 4 TF.X Beaufighter aircraft of 404 Squadron operated in 1944/45 (LZ451, NE355, NE825, NV173). The pack contains two decal sheets, one with the aircraft markings, the other with a healthy collection of stencils, which is a great addition not often included in WWII era decal sets. The register on the decals is very finely done. Not only do you get the decals in this set, but you get 8 x A4 pages of information focusing on the unique elements of each of these aircraft. Detailed information about the colours and design of the rockets and plenty of diagrams and photographs supporting the locations of the stencils and aircraft markings make this a very comprehensive pack. An A5 comprehensive set of instructions give a 12 point guide to applying the decals. The decals pictured here are the 1:72 set, but they are also available for 1:48 and 1:32 scale so all the major scales are catered for.

Conclusion

Not only is this a great quality set of decals, it's a pack bristling with information about these aircraft. A lot of thought has gone into the pack and this is reflected in Aviaeologys attention to detail. With a step by step guide for applying the decals to a highly detailed guide to the detail of each aircraft, beginners and advanced modellers alike can make good use of these.

Review Sample courtesy of Aviaeology.com