mike romeo Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Hi, Here is my attempt to 'upgrade' the FROG Beaufighter 1, 6, 10 kit. I scratchbuilt a representative interior, gouged out a tailwheel bay and installed a Revell Flitzer nosegear, and gave the kit a pretty full rescribe. The mainwheel bays were walled to prevent see-through into the wing and the nacelles and oil coolers were increased in diameter with milliput. Aftermarket used included Aeroclub Hercules engines, cowlings and props, Falcon vacform canopies, a Yahu instrument panel (highly recommended!) and markings from one of the Xtradecal "Mediterranean Twins" sheets. Paints used were Xtracrylics throughout applied by brush. I'm happy with the results. Hope you like it too: regards, Martin 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manipled Mutineer Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Excellent, Martin! I have this one in my stash, looking forward to building it. Extra Dark Sea Grey and Slate Grey for the topside colours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learstang Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Lovely "Beau"! I used to have the Frog Mk.21 Australian version, but my kit is unfortunately long gone. I doubt it would have turned out as well as your version. Regards, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 Excellent, Martin! I have this one in my stash, looking forward to building it. Extra Dark Sea Grey and Slate Grey for the topside colours? Thank you! The paints are, as you surmised, EDSG and DSG. regards, Martin Lovely "Beau"! I used to have the Frog Mk.21 Australian version, but my kit is unfortunately long gone. I doubt it would have turned out as well as your version. Regards, Jason Thanks, Jason. That one is in my stash as well! regards, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 (edited) What a cracking model you`ve turned out there from the old Frog kit, great choice in schemes too,....but I`m biased in this respect as I researched the decal sheet and sent the idea to Hannants, so it is nice to see them being used! Unfortunately I wasn`t shown the finished sheet to check it over before it was released (I wasn`t even told it had been released to be fair!) and the rear left fuselage code `D' should have `oreen' after it in small letters to read Maureen!It should also have a small white letter `D' on the nose above the camera. I told Hannants this and they produced a small errata sheet with some other `errors' rectified from other options on the sheet too...it shouldn`t be too hard to add the name and letter to your excellent model and Hannants will send you the errata sheet if you get in touch. For anybody considering the Baltimore on the same sheet,....it isn`t a Mk.III with a four gun B/P turret as per the original sheet drawing,..it is a Lend Lease Mk.IIIa with a 2 gun Martin Turret and the 39 Sqn RAF Marauder Mk.III should have white code letters,..not yellow. I believe that later sheets have had these amended after I brought them up. The Med Twins part 2 sheet should hopefully be fine? Well done again on a superb rendition of the old Frog kit,.....those engines really boost it don`t they? Cheers Tony PS- Pamelamay was also fitted with rockets under the wings (hence also the rocket sortie mission markers on the left side of the nose) and it would have had a rear facing gun,......most likely a Vickers K Gun with the rear of the clear cowling removed, although the later enclosed cowling with a Browning is a possibility too? Sorry about this Mike,.....I did let Hannants know about all of this as soon as I bought a copy of the sheet and saw the mistakes for myself! I`ll PM you with my e mail and I`ll get some photos of the real Beau off to you if you want to rectify it,...it would be a shame not to go the extra mile now that you`ve done such a brilliant job.. Edited October 14, 2014 by tonyot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Superb job on an old kit Martin. Turned out looking fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin-42 Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Park it next to a Hasegawa Beau and no one would know the difference. Nicely done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Very, very nice indeed Martin, excellent work, just goes to prove what you can do with a box of old plastic parts and some patients. Thanks for sharing your pics. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Pretty Beau! Have done two of these last year and your build proves how good the old, obsolete kit is when given TLC with skills. Very different looking than mine :-) Regards, V-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 What a cracking model you`ve turned out there from the old Frog kit, great choice in schemes too,....but I`m biased in this respect as I researched the decal sheet and sent the idea to Hannants, so it is nice to see them being used! Unfortunately I wasn`t shown the finished sheet to check it over before it was released (I wasn`t even told it had been released to be fair!) and the rear left fuselage code `D' should have `oreen' after it in small letters to read Maureen!It should also have a small white letter `D' on the nose above the camera. I told Hannants this and they produced a small errata sheet with some other `errors' rectified from other options on the sheet too...it shouldn`t be too hard to add the name and letter to your excellent model and Hannants will send you the errata sheet if you get in touch. For anybody considering the Baltimore on the same sheet,....it isn`t a Mk.III with a four gun B/P turret as per the original sheet drawing,..it is a Lend Lease Mk.IIIa with a 2 gun Martin Turret and the 39 Sqn RAF Marauder Mk.III should have white code letters,..not yellow. I believe that later sheets have had these amended after I brought them up. The Med Twins part 2 sheet should hopefully be fine? Well done again on a superb rendition of the old Frog kit,.....those engines really boost it don`t they? Cheers Tony PS- Pamelamay was also fitted with rockets under the wings (hence also the rocket sortie mission markers on the left side of the nose) and it would have had a rear facing gun,......most likely a Vickers K Gun with the rear of the clear cowling removed, although the later enclosed cowling with a Browning is a possibility too? Sorry about this Mike,.....I did let Hannants know about all of this as soon as I bought a copy of the sheet and saw the mistakes for myself! I`ll PM you with my e mail and I`ll get some photos of the real Beau off to you if you want to rectify it,...it would be a shame not to go the extra mile now that you`ve done such a brilliant job.. Hi Tony, Thanks for the above; I've replied to your PM. Further to that, the nose 'D' is a mea culpa. I forgot about that one! And I've cut away the observer's cupola but I didn't have a Vickers K gun (or reasonable facsimile) to hand. Again, that's for "another day". Can I also publicly thank you for sharing your research with others - even if sometimes they appear unappreciative, Some of the interesting choices you have uncovered float my modeling boat anyway! regards, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Hi Tony, Thanks for the above; I've replied to your PM. Further to that, the nose 'D' is a mea culpa. I forgot about that one! And I've cut away the observer's cupola but I didn't have a Vickers K gun (or reasonable facsimile) to hand. Again, that's for "another day". Can I also publicly thank you for sharing your research with others - even if sometimes they appear unappreciative, Some of the interesting choices you have uncovered float my modeling boat anyway! regards, Martin No worries Martin, Like I said you`ve made a beautiful Beau and it is certainly the best Frog Beau that I have ever seen,..........by far. Glad you like the schemes I dig up, Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Very nice. I did some similar work to my FROG one several years ago using Aeroclub engines and and a couple other new bits, Didn't do the rescribing as it wasn't thought of at the time. Recently sold the model among others as part of my slimming down process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Excellent build and shows what can be achieved from golden oldies. How was the fit of the wings in yours?ine was a Novo release and was awful. Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Yet another inspiring example of how (very!) legacy kits can be made into superb models with the help of experience, skills and dedication. Impressive work indeed. Kind regards, Joachim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael louey Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 (edited) That's a great Beaufighter Martin and a lot of work. A real shame there is no easily available and easy to build kit. This.is a great chance for Airfix. By the way, High Planes sells metal 1/72 K gun Cheers Michael Edited October 15, 2014 by Michael louey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Extremely well done on your Beau! I have a question for you re the Xtracrylics paints: how easily do they apply by brush, and is there any useful tip about using these paints with a hairy stick? Thanks JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Excellent build and shows what can be achieved from golden oldies. How was the fit of the wings in yours?ine was a Novo release and was awful. Trevor Trevor, Many thanks! Fit of the wings was not too hot, although to be fair that may have been due to the hacking around I'd already done. I'll post a photo showing the amount of filler I used. regards, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Very nice model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Extremely well done on your Beau! I have a question for you re the Xtracrylics paints: how easily do they apply by brush, and is there any useful tip about using these paints with a hairy stick? Thanks JR JR, Many thanks. I am a fan of brush-painting Xtracrylics; I find them very easy to work with. You asked for tips: I thin them by 10 - 15% with filtered water. It's not an exact science; I know I've got it right when the paint flows nicely and doesn't immediately go sticky. If it does, I add some more water. The thinning does entail building up the colour with several thin coats; unsurprisingly, light colours are worse (I usually undercoat light colours with Halfords white primer, lightly rubbed down with micromesh). Anything between 3 and 6 coats (I think the sky was 4 coats) can be required for lighter colours. Then I do the lighter main top surface colour (DSG in this case - 2 - 3 coats), and finally the EDSG shadow-shading (2 coats). Sounds a faff maybe, but that lot took me 3 nights to finish the camo painting (and I was doing other stuff between coats). A coat only takes about 20 minutes to be recoat dry, so you can do two separate colours in an evening (I only model once the kids are in bed) if you're in a hurry. I find a wide flat brush is best for large areas and I don't see any brush-strokes in my finish of large blocks of single colour. Don't use too wet a brush and ensure that paint doesn't pool around excrescences. I use a narrow flat brush to mark the edge of blocks of camouflage colour and I fill in the interior with a larger flat brush. Flat brushes really are the way to go for minimising brush marks. I find the gloss finish helps the paint to go on smoothly, too. Does that help? regards, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Yet another inspiring example of how (very!) legacy kits can be made into superb models with the help of experience, skills and dedication. Impressive work indeed. Kind regards, Joachim Many thanks, Joachim! Much appreciated. regards, Martin That's a great Beaufighter Martin and a lot of work. A real shame there is no easily available and easy to build kit. This.is a great chance for Airfix. By the way, High Planes sells metal 1/72 K gun Cheers Michael Michael, Thanks for the tip. I'll investigate that! regards, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Trevor, Many thanks! Fit of the wings was not too hot, although to be fair that may have been due to the hacking around I'd already done. I'll post a photo showing the amount of filler I used. regards, Martin My Novo 'thing' was truly horrid Mine also showed signs of mould rust on one of the wing roots too. Come on Airfix do the decent thing. Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Trevor, That's what mine looked like: But I drew attention away from the actual joint by adding wine bottle foil for the wing / fuse fairing: regards, Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Currently reading 'Night Fighter' by CF Rawnsley and Robert Wright and thinking of doing a Beau soon (RCAF TF X) though from the Matchbox/Revell kit. I know there are issues but with work...such as the hard graft you have put in to create the veritable silk purse. May use a Flitzer 'tailwheel' as well but don't tell the purists Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Currently reading 'Night Fighter' by CF Rawnsley and Robert Wright and thinking of doing a Beau soon (RCAF TF X) though from the Matchbox/Revell kit. I know there are issues but with work...such as the hard graft you have put in to create the veritable silk purse. May use a Flitzer 'tailwheel' as well but don't tell the purists Have fun! The Matchbox Beau scrubs up well with some TLC. Issues, yes; insoluble, no. regards, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 That's a terrific job, well done! I love seeing (and attempting) these TLC jobs on old kits, especially when the result is half as good as this! Kudos too for Tony: excellent choice of schemes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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