RAF SEAC No.27 & 177 Squadron Beaufighter VICs colours

[gingerbob]

I got lucky.

[Chuck1945]

I have the Airfix kit in progress and intend to use Terry's decals on this one.

Airfix instructions have you attach the fuselage belly before doing the wings and I followed this sequence. In her article, Jen recommended adding the belly piece after the wings and based on my experience, I will follow her example next time. It is quite easy to get belly part just enough off-kilter to create more alignment problems with the wings as I discovered by not using sufficient care attaching the part.

[Jure Miljevic]

Hello

I came across this thread as I was wondering if there is a way of improving the old Matchbox Beaufighter TF Mk.X 1/72 kit (another nostalgia purchase) without too much trouble. While glancing through this and other material I became aware of Beaufighter's length controversy. Very probably somebody has already mentioned it but if not, pay attention on two drawings of Beaufighter interior details included in Alan Hall's book Bristol Beaufighter from Warpaint series (online drawings can be viewed here on page 25). Unfortunately I could not find the source but by the look of it I would say drawings are of WWII vintage and probably made either by manufacturer or AM. Using scale in ft., included in drawings, one can calculate Beaufighter F Mk.I length from tips of spinners to trailing edge of rudder trimmer tab. The result is 42 ft. 3,55 in. or just short of 12,9 meters. This is about a foot longer than Beaufighter's length given in most of publications and it would mean that most of the kits available are too short, with exception of Tamiya's 1/48 Beaufighter kits. These kits have, according to short review in Richard Franks' book The Bristol Beaufighter (SAM), one scale foot too long a fuselage. Cheers

Jure

[Terry @ Aviaeology]

Hi Jure,

I don't post much here any more because many hours of work collating and posting related info has been summarily wiped without regard or consideration. I may have already posted on this subject… don't know!? Don't be surprised if this also disappears (as my other posts to this particular thread have) for similar reasons.

 

Bristol's own leading particulars data for the length of the original aircraft (i.e. without the "thimble" nose or either model of conical spinner) are used in the Air Ministry's Principal Dimensions with the "aircraft in rigging position unless otherwise stated" published in Air Publication 1721A, F & J, Vol.1. This gives the length at 41 ft, 4 inches and span at 57 ft, 10 inches, among other useful bits.

 

My scale drawings, which were based on a large number of Bristol's own dimensioned engineering drawings including station drawings, are 100% consistent these data. After considering all of the primary source materials I have been able to acquire, I am pretty confident in saying that the "rigging position" length is from the outermost curve of the rudder trailing edge to the tips of the pitch mechanism domes of the propeller type used on the majority of production aircraft from later Mk.Is through late 1944 TF.Xs.

 

My drawings were published in Airfix Model World a few-ish years ago. Sorry, I can't give the links for fear of this getting taken down. However, if you can PM me with your email address I can give you some scans of the related pages from the Air Publication so you may post them here for others who may be interested.

Cheers

Terry @ Aviaeology