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Malta Based Beaufort - Special Hobby 1/72 *****FINISHED****


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Hi there, I would like to join this GB with the build of a Malta based Bristol Beaufort.  

The kit is the Home Islands and Malta Area boxing Beaufort from Special Hobby.  I have a set of True Details resin wheels and an Eduard canopy mask.

Decals will be from the kit which comes with two Malta based options from 39 Sqdn and 217 Sqdn in 1942. Not sure on the colours in the roundels so they may be replaced with items from the spares box.

I am currently building a Wingnut Wings Sopwith Triplane  which needs to be finished for Telford so there will be a slow start to this build but it should be done in time for the end of the GB.  

 

Beaufort%2001_zpsb5opepas.jpg

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Yes I'm in too.

I have the DAP boxing. Quite a big box to be honest.

 

I love Bristol Aircraft (and cars :) )

Looking forward to this

 

:popcorn: 

 

All best regards

TonyT

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It's about time we got the plane, that brought Afrika Korps on its knees, in this GB 👍. I've read The Torpedobomber (?) by Barker (?), the Finnish translation so can't be quite sure about the original name either.

 

Personally I'm still waiting for the Airfix kit... V-P

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9 minutes ago, VG 33 said:

Hi

 

This is a very interesting subject. I built this one some years ago.

 

Patrick

 

m_40749803_0.jpg

 

Hi Patrick,

That is an excellent looking build. I found pictures of it when I was researching builds of the Special Hobby Beaufort. I love the weathering effects you have been able to do and I will be very pleased if mine comes out anything like yours has.

 

Andrew

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Yes Andrew!! Yes!! Great plan! If I had this kit in the stash it would have been my first choice, as I said on Ceds thread I am such a fan of this AC and the guys that flew them... And the amazing impact the few of them had!

 

Rob

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6 hours ago, Beard said:

I nearly bought Arthur Aldridge's 'The Last Torpedo Fliers' when I popped in to The Works, to shelter from the rain, today (but realised I already had it), so I'm on board with this one.

 

This is an excellent book, highly recommended. 

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14 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

Personally I'm still waiting for the Airfix kit... V-P

 

Seconded, it would be nice to get the whole trio new tooled.

 

As a Bristol lad myself, I'll be watching this with interest. :popcorn:

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Andrew I must post a warning about the canopy fit - I had problems with mine (too wide at the back). Bill (Navy Bird) sorted his with a small piece of plasticard in the top fuselage join.

I hope you don't mind me mentioning this but I'd feel really guilty later if you had the same problem and I'd kept quiet! :)

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  • 1 month later...

Well the WnW Triplane is was finished about a week ago so I can now concentrate on the Beaufort.

 

The cockpit is a mixture of resin and plastic and while fairly basic with no details on the sidewalls I am going to leave it as it comes.  I have not finished painting it yet in the pictures below.

 

This is a short run kit and typical of its kind there are no proper attachment points for the wings so I have had to create some myself.  Both wing roots have been filled with scrap sprue and milliput and holes made in them to receive the two spars that I have attached to the fuselage. This should provide a very solid attachment point.  The tail planes have also had holes drilled in their roots to locate onto pieces of plastic attached to the tail.

 

The wings themselves have both had the ends removed and replaced with some clear plastic so that the lights and the front and back of the wing can be masked off.  The leading edge lights on the port wing have been made using a piece of clear acrylic from an old toothbrush handle.

 

Mindful of CedB's warning in the previous post I have put a couple of thin pieces of plastic on the front fuselage edges so that hopefully the canopy will fit properly.

 

Next up will be the turret, not sure if this will be able to be inserted after the fuselage is together or not so some careful dry assembly will be needed. I would rather put it in at the end of the build if possible.

 

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This is coming along really well and I`m a big fan of the Beaufort myself,....especially the Malta based ones. I have three on the go  myself but they were too advanced to include in this GB,.....I`ll be following yours with great interest,....good luck!

 

Cheers

             Tony

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  • 1 month later...

Just to prove that this build is still going here is the latest update.  I have at last managed to get the fuselage zipped up and canopy on (the mask set from Eduard is worth every penny!).

 

I have a few days off before Christmas so I still hope to make the 25th deadline.

 

Beaufort%2010_zpssvszm6sb.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry, but this build is going to miss the deadline, Christmas has rather got in the way of modelling the last couple of days!  Should be able to finish it off over the holidays so I will post pictures of the completed build later in the week.

As you can see below it was close but not quite there.  I want to add some more details to the undercarriage before weathering and adding the final few bits.  In fact if I had not had so much trouble with masking lifting paint off and having to rebuild the props and rear wheel assembly I might have made it.

 

Beaufort%2011_zps6elc5q5a.jpg

 

Beaufort%2012_zpssw00zywx.jpg

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Finished at last.  Lost count now of the number of times I knocked aerials off and had to replace but in the end I managed to get them all on and finished (although I notice the end of the towel rail under the rear fuselage has disappeared).

Since the previous update I have replaced the oversized kit main wheels wheels with small True Details resin ones, although I had to saw theses in two to widen them slightly to fit better. 

I have added some extra detail to the undercarriage which seems prominent in most photos of Beauforts but is completely missing from the kit.

The props have been completely rebuilt as I had mistakenly put the Mk.1 hubs on the front. 

The solid aerial housing on the top of the fuselage was replaced with a clear one made from clear sprue oddments.

 

A final picture shows it along side the Special Hobby Blenheim (a failed build for last years Bomber Command GB), next up in the series will be Beaufighter.

 

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