Conversions from Airfix BE2c?

[Seahawk]

Has anyone attempted any conversions from the lovely little Airfix 1/72 BE2c kit?  I was thinking of:

 

• BE2e (using extra Airfix top wing to extend span)
• BE12a (as above but maybe with the addition of RE8 engine parts?)
• RE8 (Airfix kit tarted up with as many bits as possible from BE2c kit?)

 

Generally I'd like to tap into the experience of others but in particular I don't have a copy of the ancient RE8 kit and wouldn't want to buy one if it won't facilitate a decent BE12a or RE8.

[Admiral Puff]

No, but your idea for a BE2e has started some of the rusty cogs in what's left of my mind turning ...

[pheonix]

For the more ambitious amongst you there are many possibilities for conversions from the BE 2c. They involve varying degrees of surgery and of course some scratch building but here are some ideas:

 

FE 2b - use the wings, wheels, gun and make the nacelle and engine, booms etc. I did this with the old Veeday BE2c - the Airfix offering is far superior. Build log on Airfix Tribute Forum - conversion corner or ww1aircraftmodels.com - scratch builds. There is also the FE 2d - same as the b but with a different engine and nacelle.

 

BE 2, 2a and 2b: use the wings and reshape them, the wheels and some other parts could also be used but the fuselage would need some modification, and a scratch-built engine.

 

DH 1 and 1A: wings (modified), wheels and gun, need a new engine (scratch built) and booms and tail unit. Build log as for the FE 2b.

 

The above are just what come to mind at the moment, but I am sure that with a little thought there could be many more. How much work do you want to do?

 

P

[Seahawk]

On ‎9‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 7:06 PM, pheonix said:

 How much work do you want to do?

Not that much, to be honest.  I have looked at your builds on ATF and ww1aircraftmodels.com and am in awe of them, but you are several classes above me: I'm only a dabbler in WW1.  I'm just hoping to tap into the experience of others in tackling the fairly simple options I mentioned.  There are some useful snippets in a rather old ATF article on building a BE12a from an RE8 but he was coming at the subject from the opposite direction.

 

I liked the ATF conversion corner: it showed that the art of conversion, as promoted by people like Chris Ellis and Alan Hall in the Airfix Magazine of the 1960s and 1970s, is not dead, regardless of subject (Hermes from Victorious, anyone?). 

 

[stevehed]

I've converted the basic BE2c kit twice to date. The easiest was the single seat 2c night fighter. The front cockpit was often covered over with a tarpaulin sheet which I represented with ordinary printer paper which was coated with liquid CA once it was glued into place. Flare tubes at the wing tips and a landing light were scratched from rod. The other conversion was a Belgian BE2c. Originally used in the standard configuration the kit could be built OOB with the kit decals replaced with the Belgian option from the RE8. Later the Belgians fitted the 2c with the new Hispano Siuza engine and reversed the crew positions by putting the gunner in the rear cockpit with a turntable Lewis and the pilot got a Vickers. In effect, the Belgian BE2c's were uprated to RE8 standard. The conversion involved chopping the nose off and replacing it with the nose section from the Airfix Spad VII. There is a bit of work involved changing the cockpit arrangements around but it's straight forward. I have another in the stash awaiting conversion to a BE12 which should be easier than a 12a. I got my BE2e from Pegasus so I've managed to save myself from that conversion.

 

Regards, Steve