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1/72 - Bristol Beaufort Mk.1/1A by Airfix - Mk.1 released - new Mk.1A boxing in Summer 2024


Homebee

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Not that it will matter to most modellers, while I appreciate the artist's perspective and intensions - I am not a fan of the extremely acute rear angle view on the box art, does not show the best aspects and classic identifying features of the Beaufort. 

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I think I'm going to have to get three, now, the two markings in the box, and a third for the aircraft flown by F/O Oliver Philpott (third man in the wooden horse escape), when he was shot down in 1941.  I read his book, Stolen Journey, recently and really enjoyed it.

Edited by 593jones
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I would  definitely want to build a 217 squadron Beaufort. I  remember  reading a series of articles in Aeroplane Monthly by Roy Conyers Nesbitt. It really brought home to me at the time just how horrendous the casualty rate in Beaufort squadrons was. So many highly trained fine young were lost. 

 

He survived though and lived long enough to write several books so that their memory is preserved.

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On 22/08/2020 at 18:40, IanC said:

Maybe that's the point. The box art will sell the kit to those who've never even heard of the aircraft! 

 

 

I think your right ..."lets make it look as much like a Spitfire as we can  even though it's a twin engine Jobbie "...the small child I was hope's that the exploding Gnisenau is in the box  too !

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  • 2 weeks later...

I wonder if the box art was chosen so that it makes it easily distinguishable from the Beaufighter kit. I can imagine the conversation if they had used the usual 'head on' art, 'That plane looks the same as the one you bought last month, buy this Spitfire in the nice blue box instead'. 

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  • Homebee changed the title to 1/72 - Bristol Beaufort Mk.1 by Airfix - 3D renders+sprues+test model+schemes+box art - release Winter 2020-2021

In the 30/10/2020 Airfix Workbench

https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/news/workbench/bristol-beaufort-and-cromwell-tank-updates

 

Quote

Bristol Beaufort

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Bristol’s rugged maritime strike bomber

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We are pleased to be in a position to now show built sample models finished in both scheme options to be included with the initial release of this fabulous new Beaufort kit

 

With the announcement of each new Airfix model range at the start of every year, modelling enthusiasts are always interested to see which new model tooling projects our product designers have been working on over the previous few months, in addition to seeing which ‘classics’ will be making a welcome return. The current range included details of our exciting new Bristol Beaufort Mk.I tooling in 1/72nd scale, a subject many modellers have been asking for over recent years and one which came as a pleasant surprise to many Workbench readers. Presenting the modeller with an accurate representation of this important British WWII strike bomber, the Beaufort is a really interesting aeroplane and one which will be a welcome addition to the Airfix range.

 

Throughout the year, we have brought Workbench readers regular updates from the project, where we looked at the initial research and development phases, first frame shots from the new tooling and the first build from these initial components. We have followed this up with scheme details of the two options which will accompany the first release, in addition to showcasing the magnificent artwork produced in support of this significant model. We are now in a position to bring you details of the next important stage in the development of the Beaufort, an update which proves the kit is advancing nicely towards its release date - images featuring full builds of both scheme options. If modellers were excited at the prospect of taking on this new kit, these exclusive images will only serve to fuel your enthusiasm further.

 

As Britain was plunged into war at the start of September 1939, the modernisation of the Royal Air Force was already well under way, with aircraft such as the Vickers Wellington, Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire all taking their place as some of the most advanced types in the world at that time. As an island nation, one of the most crucial battles which would have to be won over the coming months would be the protection of Britain’s sea lanes and the maintenance of the merchant convoys which would be crucial to Britain’s survival. At that time, the current land based torpedo bomber the RAF could call upon was the obsolete and rather ungainly Vickers Vildebeest biplane, an aircraft which would not be suitable for the battles to come and one which needed replacing as a matter of urgency.

 

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Do we need an excuse to show this beautiful Beaufort box artwork in our blog just one more time?

 

Building on their experience in producing the successful Blenheim light bomber, the Bristol Aeroplane Company thought that they had the answer to the RAF’s torpedo strike predicament and put forward a proposal to build a new aircraft utilising many of the existing jigs and components used in Blenheim production. Initially intended to be an evolutionary development of the Blenheim design, it soon became clear that this could not be achieved when satisfying all the design criteria and the new aircraft would actually look quite different to its predecessor. With a much deeper forward fuselage section required to accommodate the aircraft’s crew of four and the requirement to carry a torpedo in a semi-recessed position under the fuselage, the new torpedo bomber would require a gross weight increase of around 25 percent over that of the Blenheim, ensuring that whilst both aircraft may have been related, they could certainly not be described as identical twins.

 

Highlighting the importance of their new torpedo bomber, the Beaufort was one of only a handful of new aircraft types to be ordered by the British Air Ministry whilst the project was still ‘on the drawing board’, a move which highlighted the urgency of the situation, whilst at the same time illustrating the level of faith they had in the Bristol Company. As it later transpired, the demanding specifications the Beaufort design had to satisfy, in addition to Bristol’s existing Blenheim manufacturing commitments, dictated that an aircraft which had received signed production contracts in August 1936 would not actually see its RAF squadron introduction until almost three and a half years later, when Britain was already at war. Once in squadron service however, the Beaufort quickly proved to be an extremely rugged and highly manoeuvrable aircraft, one which would be tasked with performing some of the most demanding and hazardous strike attack missions of the war.

 

With a total production run which exceeded 2,000 aircraft, the Beaufort is undoubtedly one of Britain’s (and Australia’s) most important aircraft types of the Second World War and one which will be a welcome addition to our 1/72nd scale aircraft kit range. This latest exclusive selection of built sample model images show just how attractive the Bristol Beaufort actually is and how the two initial scheme options are so different from each other, making our first build project choice a particularly difficult one.

 

Scheme A – Bristol Beaufort Mk.I, Aircraft flown by Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell VC (pilot), actions against the German battleship Gneisenau, Royal Air Force No.22 Squadron, St Eval, Cornwall, April 6th 1941

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This iconic scheme option presents the Beaufort in which Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell and his crew attacked the German battleship Gneisenau on 6th April 1941, damaging the recently repaired ship, but ultimately succumbing to enemy fire in the immediate aftermath of their attack run. With the rest of the RAF attack force of torpedo strike Beauforts unable to navigate through atrocious weather conditions on the way to the target, the crew of Bristol Beaufort Mk.I N1016 (OA-X) were forced to press home their attack alone, running the gauntlet of one of the most heavily defended areas in Europe. Descending to almost wavetop height, pilot Kenneth Campbell, expertly lined up his Beaufort for the optimum attack angle on Gneisenau, but passing so close to enemy shore batteries that they could hardly fail to hit their target. With the aircraft already taking multiple hits, the pilot only released the single torpedo once he was sure it couldn’t fail to strike the warship, leaving his pull out so late that the Beaufort almost struck the masts of the ship. Pulling away in a violent, banking turn, the Beaufort couldn’t help but expose its entire undersurfaces to the enemy anti-aircraft gunners, who raked it mercilessly with everything they had.

 

Having sustained heavy damage during its attack run against Gneisenau, Bristol Beaufort N1016 crashed into the harbour almost immediately, tragically claiming the lives of all souls on board. Unbeknown to them, their attack had successful and the torpedo had blown a huge hole under the waterline of Gneisenau, causing it to return to the dry dock from where it had only just emerged, in need of further repairs. It would be out of commission for almost six months following the attack and it is impossible to gauge how many lives were saved and how much vital cargo reached its destination as a result of the heroic actions of this single Beaufort crew. Launching their attack alone, the selfless actions of Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell and his crew would have probably gone unheralded had it not been for the intervention of the French resistance. Sending a report on the condition of the German battleship back to British authorities, they also described the actions of this brave Beaufort crew and how they had paid the ultimate price whilst heroically performing their duty. For displaying valour in the face of extreme peril and without regard for his own safety, Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award for valour in the presence of the enemy, an honour he would surely have gladly shared with the rest of his crew.

 

Scheme B – Bristol Beaufort Mk.I, Aircraft flown by Sgt. John Bell Rutherford (pilot), actions against the German cruiser Admiral Hipper, Royal Air Force No.217 Squadron, St Eval, Cornwall, February 1st 1941

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Taking off from St. Eval in the mid-afternoon of 1st February 1941, the crew of Beaufort L9866 had a short but treacherous flight over open ocean ahead of them and if they did manage to locate their target, they would be facing withering defensive fire, not just from the German cruiser, but also from the many shore batteries of various calibres which protected the harbour. The Luftwaffe were also fully aware that the French resistance would have reported the movement of Admiral Hipper from the harbour and would have been expecting a powerful RAF force to attack the ship. They had assembled a mighty force of Messerschmitt fighters to provide a hostile reception for the RAF airmen.

 

Admiral Hipper must have been regarded as something of a lucky ship, as it often evaded detection by enemy forces sent to look for it. The ship slipped out of Brest harbour virtually unopposed, in the main, thanks to the many patrols mounted by Luftwaffe fighter units on the day. It is thought that Beaufort L9866 was intercepted and shot down by the Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 of Uffz Horst Bochmann of II./JG77, with all on board being lost. Crashing into the sea off the northern coast of Brittany at around 17.00 hrs, it is thought that due to the location and timing of the incident, the crew had already launched their attack against the Hipper and were heading back to base when they were attacked by Luftwaffe fighters, although this has never been definitively corroborated.

 

The Luftwaffe airfield at Dinan in Brittany was the home base of II./JG77 and was one of the airfields designated to provide defensive air cover for the vital harbour facilities at Brest. With the Kriegsmarine’s large warships posing a significant threat to the British, Luftwaffe units in this sector would be kept incredibly busy fighting off numerous raids, but as this was one of the most heavily defended areas in Europe, many RAF aircraft would be lost during these operations – a mission to Brest harbour, or indeed the entire region of Brittany, would have been one fraught with danger.

 

With two fantastic scheme options in which to consider finishing your new Beaufort Mk.I kit when you get your hands on one, this handsome and rugged aircraft is about to receive some long overdue attention from the modeller in the weeks to come, as we can all look forward to adding this important WWII type to our built model collections. The new Bristol Beaufort Mk.I is currently scheduled to be available very early in the new year.

 

V.P.

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I don't know why but the Beaufort has been on my wishlist for years. I've got 4 pre-ordered so far. One for the Kenneth Campbell VC scheme (we're clansmen, it has to be done), and three to get me started on the Xtradecal sheet. 

 

News that it is scheduled for winter 2021 reelease has me very excited :)

 

Andy

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It's probably not that bad. The modeller has used a very dark panel line wash, which doesn't help.

 

Look at the positive - It's a Beaufort! Whatever the state of the panel lines, I'm very much looking forward to building one. Plus adding one to the stash, of course...

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16 minutes ago, IanC said:

It's probably not that bad. The modeller has used a very dark panel line wash, which doesn't help.

 

Look at the positive - It's a Beaufort! Whatever the state of the panel lines, I'm very much looking forward to building one. Plus adding one to the stash, of course...

I'm sure it will be fine, and I'll certainly buy one, even though I've built 3 from earlier kits. I don't have a problem with Airfix panel lines for the most part. I do have a problem with the current vogue for flinging Indian ink in the things (or at least that's how it looks to me). I wouldn't try to lay down the law and say no-one should do it, but I'm baffled why they'd want to if they'd ever seen any but the most battered, unloved and never maintained airframes.

 

Paul.

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For me, a subtle panel line wash can sometimes add to the overall weathered effect, and helps dispel a toy-like look in the smaller scales. And it can be seen in photos of real airframes. But like all weathering effects, it's so easy to overdo it. 

 

I agree that it's been taken to extremes in this Beaufort build, and the Spit Vc recently posted.

 

It was all so much easier in the old days when we had raised panel lines! 🙂

 

 

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Putting these black washes for panel lines seems to be current fad. Sometimes works if subtly done, but there seems to be several occasions when a pure black line wash is used that looks wrong. Examples would be the Airfix Swift from a few years back and the cover of this months SAM. Having recently had a good look at photos I have taken over the years, panel lines are not that obvious, especially in the 'smaller' scales. Just my ha'pennyworth. 

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I have these Tamiya Panel Line Accent colours. I figured they could be mixed to give you something that would be better than just black. 

 I've yet to try it out.

 

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Chris

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  • 1 month later...
39 minutes ago, Seboo said:

Just got an email from Jadlam Model that my pre-order for the Beaufort and the Spitfire Vc has been shipped. Only Spitfire shown as In Stock though. Beaufort still as Pre-order.

 

You probably got the last one! 

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On 10/31/2020 at 8:50 PM, dogsbody said:

I have these Tamiya Panel Line Accent colours. I figured they could be mixed to give you something that would be better than just black. 

 I've yet to try it out.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

 

Just get a water colours set at a pound store. Gives you all the colors you could ever need for, well, a pound. Water colors are dummyproof for doing a wash, add a bit of detergent to get them to flow, or rinse off the whole thing if you don't like the result. Cheaper than Flory Models stuff and much nicer to work with than the lacquer-based stuff from Mig.

 

As for the panel line wash on this build, this seems to be Airfix' test shot builders M.O., they've been doing it like this for a good few years now. Not to my taste as it highlights the deep panel lines that are like Airfix' trademark nowadays. Still, they look perfectly fine if you refrain from running gallons of black ink into them. Doesn't hold me back from liking this kit quite a bit, let's hope it goes together well. 

Edited by sroubos
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