tonyot Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 (edited) Hiya Folks, Many of you probably know that I`m a big Beaufighter fan and I`ve been looking forward to this kit for some time. Now their Mosquito kit was very good indeed but it was let down by over large, blunt spinners and short undercarriage legs,...... so I was a bit worried how the Beau would turn out. Well here is the box art; Upon first inspection the parts look great, with a bit of flash on smaller parts like the undercarriage legs,....... but it has more detail than the Tamiya kit, especially inside the fuselage. Alternative noses are provided for the original nose with and without the strike camera and also the later radar nose along with early and late fins plus two types of horizontal tailplane, both the `V' type though and not the original flat style. I have been pre painting the parts on the sprue today and here they are,..... the cannon magazines have been assembled and attached to the cockpit floor; Here are the alternative noses and fins plus other parts. Rocket mounting plates are included, but no rails or rockets as both decal options are torpedo bombers for which a torpedo and air tail are provided; Here are the alternative horizontal tailplanes and fins; Here are the fuselage halves with the cockpit floor and pilots canopy,..... the cannon magazines have already been assembled and glued to the cockpit floor; So that is it for now,...... I`ll add a wash to the interior and get on with assembly soon, Cheers Tony Edited October 15, 2018 by tonyot 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 Hi Tony. This will be very interesting. I have a Tamiya Beau in the stash and will watch with interest. Great start. Keep up the good work All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 Looks good Tony. Pity they didn't include the flat tailplanes so that we could build some 1c's and 1f's. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 (edited) I was looking at one at the local branch meeting last night and it looked pretty good to me. I didn't spot the heater tube in the cockpit but I can see it in your pictures, 489 Squadron markings as well so a big plus. I'm building my last Tamiya kit for a new display at the local air museum and found I paid £12.00 for it but it must have been in a closing down sile from somewhere so was a bit surprised that the new Revell was so much more. Even paying full price is it £10 better than the Tamiya? Just saying..... Edited September 18, 2018 by Silver Fox Edited for ractual inaccuracy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted September 18, 2018 Author Share Posted September 18, 2018 Cheers Fella`s,..... hopefully they will do a later boxing in with the flat tailplanes and an early navigators bubble. Today`s progress,... I`ve got the interior mostly done,... Sorry about the poor photos but I was just running out of daylight,... hence the seat straps need additional painting yet ; And the interior fitted into a fuselage half; I`m very pleased with it so far,..... I`ll join the fuselage tonight and then start on the wings,..... starting with the multi part wheel wells, Cheers Tony 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 Ooooooo this is looking fabulous so far Tony. I like the way it locates with the wing mount areas . All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 I’m in for this! WARNING - if I’ve judged the publicity shots of the sprues correctly the trim tab actuators for the elevators are depicted on the top side. This is wrong. The culprit is the RAFM Mk.X which had its tailpanes bodged from spare parts. The different types of tailplane are discussed here in my stalled Tamiya build (I will pick this back up one day....) HTH Trevor 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted September 18, 2018 Author Share Posted September 18, 2018 30 minutes ago, Max Headroom said: I’m in for this! WARNING - if I’ve judged the publicity shots of the sprues correctly the trim tab actuators for the elevators are depicted on the top side. This is wrong. The culprit is the RAFM Mk.X which had its tailpanes bodged from spare parts. The different types of tailplane are discussed here in my stalled Tamiya build (I will pick this back up one day....) HTH Trevor Thanks for the heads up Trevor,..... I shall endeavour to remember that nugget of info,....... but then again I go into the kitchen and wonder why I`m in there,....... so don`t hold your breath!!! I`ve yet to decide which tailplane I`ll be using yet. Cheers Tony 2 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted September 20, 2018 Author Share Posted September 20, 2018 (edited) Hiya Folks, Here is another update; The one piece lower wing is fixed and the rather fiddly multi part wheel wells are in place. Also seen here are the nicely detailed engines; The fit of the lower wings to the fuselage isn`t the best,...... there are some gaps around the nose and the rear section stands proud of the fuselage,...... some trimming might help with the latter? Cheers Tony Edit,..... I`ve removed the rib detail from the inside of the wing centre section and the fit is much better now,..... I have also fixed the upper wing halves into place but they are very hard to keep in place, especially along the trailing edge where they meet the fuselage. This has been quite a fiddly kit so far, unlike the almost snap together quality of the Tamiya kit. Edited September 21, 2018 by tonyot 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 The engines look lovely, interesting the fit isn't quite as good as one would hope for , I still want one so I'll let you find the flaws mate. 😀 Good tip on the ribbing, I'll write that down 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted September 21, 2018 Author Share Posted September 21, 2018 Cheers Andy, Glad I`m helping somebody eh! Right,...... time to choose an aircraft subject and I`m probably going to choose one from this sheet (I`m also going to show the 1/72nd sheet too for the photo info); Here are some of the real aircraft; And here is a previous model that I made using the 72nd scale version of this sheet; I`m still looking through some RAAF and SEAC options but I think that I`ll be going with this sheet. We know that Terry from Aviaeology is a member of Britmodeller and I find his sheets to be the most accurate and informative on the market,....... he really does go the extra mile and I`m looking forward to building a Canso and Catalina from his latest releases. Cheers Tony 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Hi Tony great work so far. Are the exhaust collector rings covered by an outer skin too or do the removable engine cover panels just go up to the collector rings as they are? Keep up the good work. All the best Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Nice decals too fella. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted September 21, 2018 Author Share Posted September 21, 2018 2 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said: Hi Tony great work so far. Are the exhaust collector rings covered by an outer skin too or do the removable engine cover panels just go up to the collector rings as they are? Keep up the good work. All the best Chris Cheers Chris, Yes there is an outer skin,.....hopefully I`ll be showing that soon mate, I`ll take some more pics, All the best, Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 4 minutes ago, tonyot said: Cheers Chris, Yes there is an outer skin,.....hopefully I`ll be showing that soon mate, I`ll take some more pics, Wow that's great news this is usually overlooked by manufacturers. Can't wait to see the piccies. Thanks Tony Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted September 21, 2018 Author Share Posted September 21, 2018 Hiya Folks, Here is the model with the upper wing halves in place and also the tailplane with the engines dry fitted and the engine panels shown on the sprue; It certainly looks like a Beaufighter to me! Cheers Tony 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Lovely jubbly. Definitely looking like a Beaufighter now. Great work fella. All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Looking really nice, definitely an improvement on the Tamiya kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Looking good. Those Aviology sheets are a mine of information **ahem** tailplanes!! I love the engines, the Tamiya one has absolutely no plumbing at all and is the reason I’m using for my stalled build. Could I trouble you for some close ups before you button them up. Pleeeaaase??! Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted September 21, 2018 Author Share Posted September 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Max Headroom said: Looking good. Those Aviology sheets are a mine of information **ahem** tailplanes!! I love the engines, the Tamiya one has absolutely no plumbing at all and is the reason I’m using for my stalled build. Could I trouble you for some close ups before you button them up. Pleeeaaase??! Trevor Haha,..... yeah I`ve been reading up on the elevators tonight and you were 100% right,...... I`ll be swapping them around when I fit them tomorrow, The Aviaeology instructions are superb aren`t they? As for engine close ups,...... with the camera I`ve got the pics that I`ve taken of the engines are about as close up as I can get,..... but I`ll give it a try. Maybe if you zoom in on the pics you may get more detail? All the best mate, Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 10 hours ago, bigbadbadge said: Hi Tony great work so far. Are the exhaust collector rings covered by an outer skin too or do the removable engine cover panels just go up to the collector rings as they are? Keep up the good work. All the best Chris Expanding on Tony’s answer the leading edge of the collector ring has a baffle over it which directs cooling air over the collector itself. This can be seen as a clean matt silver-grey leading edge ring with a darker, heat-stained metallic brown area behind. The tone and depth of the “brown” varies with age and use but tends (but not always) to fade towards the trailing edge of the collector ring. The collector ring is effectively a one-piece structure attached to the engine by the exhaust pipes from each cylinder and a “tripod” of supports from the ring to the engine reduction gearbox housing on the front of the engine, The engine access panels then occupy the area between the collector ring and the cooling gills at the rear. IIRC the panels are held closed by cables run around the cowling circumference and fastened underneath. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 The collector ring: Chris 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted September 22, 2018 Author Share Posted September 22, 2018 (edited) Cheers fellas, Thanks for the updates,.....yes Stever219 is right in saying that the cowling panels were held in place using a cable which was tightened underneath,.....you can see the two cable runs here; With the tightening assembly underneath; As for the exhaust ring,...... some night flying types such as the Wellington and Beaufighter night fighters had it externally mounted, or at least with a cover applied,... as per Dogsbody`s diagram, as seen here; but day flying Beaufighter`s including the late war Coastal aircraft didn`t have this and it was underneath the cowling covering, see here; And the latter can be seen in detal here on Hendon`s Beau which also shows the strengthening rods inside which were fitted to the crank case. Note how the kit has correctly got the angle of the pipes leading to the exhaust ring too; This last photo shows as Trevor so kindly pointed out, that the Hendon Beau has the elevators fitted the wrong way around, with the accentuator rods for the trim tabs above rather than below as they should be and this has been incorrectly replicated in the kit; Here is how they should look, although the Hendon aircraft has the later style tailplane while that below the earlier V shaped dihedral style,.... note also the early style tail wheel leg; Another thing to note is that apart from a very few aircraft, the majority of Coastal Beau`s also had their wing guns removed and the blast tubes faired over,..... so these will need to be filled in on the model.... It is a shame that the intake seen in front of the windscreen, as above, seems to be missing from the kit as this was often seen on the later Coastal aircraft,......I may have to rob one from a Tamiya kit! Cheers for now, Tony Edited September 22, 2018 by tonyot 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 As usual, your builds are so quick that by the time I see them they are almost finished. It looks like a nice kit despite the amount of fiddling required and I'm tempted. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 Hi Stever219 and Chris thanks for the info. Great piccies and info Tony thank you. I keep looking at the Tamiya Kit in my stash. It is calling to me but I must resist as I already have quite a few on the go. Keep up the good work All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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