AdrianMF Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Well I’ve got a Frog Beaufighter with no engines: ... and some Airfix bits... So what happens if you replace some of the old Frog bits with Shiny New Airfix ones? ...and scratch up some other Beaufighter details that you used up elsewhere? I wasn’t planning to start it, honest! Thanks for looking, Adrian 16 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 Another interesting project using the waste not want not technique. Mind if I take a seat in corner and watch and learn Seasons Greetings to you and yours Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 26, 2018 Author Share Posted December 26, 2018 A control column from a Frog Beaufort undercarriage strut and fusewire, and some pedals from plastic strip: Thanks for looking, Adrian 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Waste nor, want not indeed! I’m sure this will turn out as spiffing as your ongoing Beaufort. In the meantime here is the cockpit detailing from my rather tired NOVO clone. I did this in the Less Than a Tenner group build a few years ago. Trevor 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 26, 2018 Author Share Posted December 26, 2018 44 minutes ago, Max Headroom said: cockpit detailing Thanks Trevor! Actually the big stepped floor that Frog give you puts the pilot and observer on the right levels and gives an impression of the wing spar (slightly ruined by the bulkhead-that-isn’t-there, which you seem to have spotted in your build) so it isn’t too shabby an effort for back in the day. I was also surprised at how well the Airfix belly And Frog fuselage match up - I was all ready to stick the Frog bits back if it went pear-shaped! I think I’m done with my interior now, bar maybe a gunsight. I’ve had a lot of genuine easy fun with this one so far... Thanks, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesa Jussila Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 I will follow this with same interest as your Beaufort project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 26, 2018 Author Share Posted December 26, 2018 Some more detail, ready to close up: I have used the Airfix instrument panel decal. I find them too stark so I’ve given it a black wash to tone it down. Belts from wine bottle foil. Thanks for looking, Adrian 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 More nice work. I really like what your doing with this looking forward to more of the same. Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Nice, Adrian. When I did the old frog Beau, I replaced the engine cowlings with Aeroclub ones. However, I had to bulk up the nacelles behind with milliput, as the new cowlings made them look a bit anaemic. Regards Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 26, 2018 Author Share Posted December 26, 2018 34 minutes ago, mike romeo said: anaemic. Doh! I should have kept the Airfix bits when I cut them off the other one! Thanks for the heads up, I will keep an eye on how it looks. The new Airfix cowlings might not be as big as the Aeroclub ones though. Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 Get that bloody Beaufort finished and stop getting distracted 😂 Only joking, twice as much reason now to log in and have a look what you're up to 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 Whoopsie, got distracted again while I was waiting for the Beaufort to dry 😛 the wings had a little platform for all the struts and a big ‘ole. I cut away most of the platform, keeping a firm location for the main legs, then boxed in the firewall and under the wing with a recess to take the wheel. When it has set I can add some fake structure and paint it. Thanks for looking, Adrian 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 21 hours ago, mike romeo said: anaemic I did a little mocking up: I think I’m going to leave the nacelles alone. I suspect the new Airfix cowlings aren’t as big as the aftermarket ones. But thanks for the warning, better safe than sorry! Regards, Adrian 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britman Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 Are you saving the Airfix kit for the upcoming Merlin conversion set? Definitely enjoying you builds Adrian. Keith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 28, 2018 Author Share Posted December 28, 2018 19 hours ago, Britman said: Are you saving the Airfix kit for the upcoming Merlin conversion set The Beaufighter was a re-design of the Beaufort, using the wings, undercarriage and tail (early small no-dihedral tailplane). So I have cross kitted the old Frog Beaufort fuselage and the new Airfix Beaufighter wings and tail together in another topic here. The Airfix Hercules cowlings are a bit big to represent the Beaufort Taurus ones, so when I looked at the Frog Beaufighter in a recent stash shuffle I decided to use the (smaller) Frog cowlings on the Beaufort, which left me the Airfix engines for this one. There isn't much left of the Airfix Beaufighter now, just two butchered fuselage halves. But I do have another one in the stash! A Merlin conversion would be interesting - I would probably do it by copying a Lancaster engine (the Lancaster engine mounting was copied from the Beaufighter installation, I believe) and fiddling with the nacelle a bit like I did on the Beaufort. I'm allergic to paying money for resin conversion sets... Regards, Adrian 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 28, 2018 Author Share Posted December 28, 2018 I finished and painted the undercarriage bays: As you can see, the wings are on too. There Will Be Milliput... Thanks for looking, Adrian 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 29, 2018 Author Share Posted December 29, 2018 There was a lot of Milliput, but most of it has been sanded away: i didn’t want to rescribe the thing so I replaced just the raised panel lines I’d sanded away by cutting with a scalpel along the edges of some 3M blue tape. This gives a groove and raised edges, which I hope will look about the same as the original lines under three or four brushed layers of acrylic. Here’s the underside with the tail wheel well, 3M tape and the file I used to get a nice flat inner wing: Sanding sticks give a little, so I needed a file to get the join absolutely flat. Seems to have done the trick! Thanks for looking, Adrian 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 Wow this is great Adrian, what with the Beaufort too you will have a cracking pair of beautiful models. Your conversion and scratch work is amazing. Great work All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 29, 2018 Author Share Posted December 29, 2018 Navigation lights, made from a transparent clip that came with a shirt: The tail wheel well. Against my better judgement I picked away at the inside and hollowed it out: Thanks for looking, Adrian 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 1, 2019 Author Share Posted January 1, 2019 First finish of 2019: I had a bit of a modelling frenzy yesterday and today, so in-progress pictures are a bit sparse! I’m very pleased with how the wing joint disappeared with Milliput and filing and the old Airfix Phantom decal sheet provided exactly the right “3” for the cowling. I will try to take some proper pictures for RFI. Regards, Adrian 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Nice result superb finish, looking forward to seeing the Beaufort now! Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Nicely done, Adrian. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Great finish Adrian. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 2, 2019 Author Share Posted January 2, 2019 Thanks Gents! I'm quite pleased with the build for an unintentional quickie and I weathered the black quite hard to get a worn look. I reaaaally need to finish that Beaufort and move on with my life. 2019 resolution! Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 This looks great Adrian ( as well as very black ) those engines look so much better than the Frog ones, I'm now wondering if I could do something similar with the HPM update set for the old Airfix Beau, the Frog Beau is a much better shape than the Airfix one to my eye. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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