Heather's Workbench - Hobby2000 1/72nd Bristol Beaufighter MkI

[Heather Kay]

Oh no, she's off again! 
 

The FrankenDornier build is having one of its periodic stalls at the moment. I don’t feel like trimming out the vac form transparencies just yet, and it’s too cold for spraying paint about. Yet the itch must be scratched, and so I scanned the stash for a suitable build. I was after something that wouldn’t be too taxing, might actually fit together without too much bother, and would fill a gap in the collection currently filled by something I’m not happy with.  
 

Let me tell you a story. The Bristol Aeroplane Company had been developing a twin-engined heavy fighter. The Beaufort was filling a need for a torpedo bomber, but the poor old Blenheim was showing its age. The result was the Beaufighter, which was adapted from the Beaufort. You can look the rest up on the web, if you don’t know. Anyway, the Beaufighter was ideal for carrying the rather bulky airborne interception radar sets being developed in the late summer of 1940, and the type began to be delivered to No 25 Squadron, RAF Fighter Command, at the end of September.

 

 

Back in the dim and distant, I purchased a High Level kit of the Beaufighter MkIC. It was my first proper short run kit, and was a bit of a baptism of fire. Let’s be charitable and say it wasn’t all that bad, but needed some skills I hadn’t quite acquired at the time. It consequently spent a long time on the Shelf of Doom. In the end, in order to actually finish the bl**dy thing, since there weren’t many other MkI kits out there (so I thought at the time), I grafted on the engines and cowlings from the old Airfix Blenheim MkIV. There it is, delivered, factory fresh with the delivery mileage only, still to be given an ID letter. It would do, even though I never got the nose the right shape.

 

A while later I spotted the Hobby 2000 kit. It was the correct mark, had the markings I wanted, and turned out to be a rebox of the Hasegawa kit from the late 1990s. In the stash she went! To cut a long and rambling story short, I’ve volunteered to help out with a Battle of Britain 80th anniversary display later this year. I thought it might be nice to build this kit, first for the display, but also to replace the High Level example in my display cabinet. So, here we are.

 

 

It's an attractive boxing, clean and unfussy. I confess to never having heard of the brand before. When I first got the box and inspected the contents, I wasn’t expecting too much.

 

 

The instruction booklet is A4 size, in clear print. This is obviously not a short run kit (I didn’t know the provenance at this stage). Four different sets of markings printed by Cartograf, with clear colour guides, and a masking set. Okay, it’s one of those vinyl things, but it’s included in the box. Would that more manufacturers would include such things.

 

 

The penny dropped when the "Made in Japan" labelling was clocked. Obviously, this was going to more than a cheap repop. 
 

 

 

 

 

Well, that’s comprehensive. Wait! What’s that? Torpedo and rockets? Alternative noses. It seems this box contains parts for all the other Beau marks as well. Spares box ahoy! It turns out the Hase kit dates from about 1998, and has been reboxed and reissued a number of times before Hobby2000 did it. Despite being over 20 years old, it stands up very well against the stuff appearing from the big boys today. Hopefully, no trauma shall be encountered during this build.
 

I will make a start later, but this build might be a little protracted since paying work has to take priority. Still, I’m looking forward to putting this kit together.

 

  

[Hamden]

 

Nice project mind if I take a seat and watch this progress?

 

          Roger

[neil5208]

Hasegawa rebox, same as mpm issue

[Heather Kay]

15 minutes ago, neil5208 said:

Hasegawa rebox, same as mpm issue

Indeed. I mentioned the kit's provenance, though managed to leave out the MPM part due to memory fail. 
 

[Heather Kay]

As promised, a little work.

 

 

The basic shape is pretty good. I remembered, in the distant past, one of the magazines reviewed the Hasegawa build when it was still new. Apparently, the fuselage is a bit short, but there's nothing I can do about that. I like the fact the kit designers allowed for all kinds of variants, save the MkII with the Merlins. The fin, for example, is made up of parts in the kit, depending on which mark you're building. The reviewers back in the day noted a lack of internal detail, so I needed to do something about that. This kit assumes you are happy to use decals supplied for the IP and side panels. I'm happy with the IP, but the side panels are fairly three-dimensional affairs. Off to check the references...

 

 

While the references were being consulted, I assembled the cockpit tub and observer's seating. I'm not going to bother with all the internal ribbing. You can't see anything once the fuselage halves are joined up. I did decide to add some greeblies to the side panels, and heater pipework to the starboard side. Seat belts will be made from masking tape in due course.

 

 

Rough and ready, but many times better than the decals alone. I'll add some levers to the throttle quadrants, and make the compass over on the starboard panel a little less prominent. Otherwise, happy with that half hour or so.

 

 

Here's my interpretation of the heater pipework. The fact it breaks before reaching the observer in the back doesn't show. I think I will thin the edges of the observer's cupola before gluing things together. Before I even get that far, I need to paint up the tub and apply the IP decal. That will probably do for this session. Paying work tomorrow!

[Cookenbacher]

Sorry the Dornier is stalled Heather, but this build gives me the benefit of viewing one of your builds from the 'ground floor', so I'm grateful.

[bigbadbadge]

Nice choice Heather, not seen one of these kits built yet and you have to love a Beau so will watch with interest. 

Great work so far.

All the best

Chris

[rob85]

I’ve been wondering myself what this kit was like, nice to se it’s a Hasegawa reprop!

 

looking forward to what you do with it! 
 

Rob

[dogsbody]

I'll be following this build, Heather. I've got 4 Hasegawa Beaus in the stash.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Learstang]

Nice project, Heather! I love the Beaufighter - I have two going at the moment, the Airfix TF.X and the TF.10. Best of luck! And Chris, how much do you want for that Mk.21?

 

Best Regards,

 

Jason

[Jackson Duvalier]

This is the first Hobby 2000 kit I've seen under construction, though I have their re-pop of Hasegawa's Dauntless.

 

I'll be following as I have a Hasegawa Beau in the build queue. 

[Heather Kay]

11 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Nice choice Heather, not seen one of these kits built yet and you have to love a Beau so will watch with interest. 

Thanks Chris! I like the Beau, too. It’s got a look about it that means business. Colour me very pleased when I discovered the type began operational flying in 1940!

10 hours ago, rob85 said:

looking forward to what you do with it! 

Aside from the internal bodgery, this will be pretty much straight out of the box.

3 hours ago, dogsbody said:

I'll be following this build, Heather. I've got 4 Hasegawa Beaus in the stash.

Four? Now that's being a bit greedy!

2 hours ago, Learstang said:

Nice project, Heather! I love the Beaufighter - I have two going at the moment

The Airfix kit was another option, with aftermarket tail plane bits. It’s odd how I had completely missed the Hasegawa issue of this aircraft. It’s like a blind spot or something.

1 hour ago, Jackson Duvalier said:

This is the first Hobby 2000 kit I've seen under construction

Well, since it is basically the Hase kit in a new box, don’t expect any dramas. I’m not, that for sure. A nice straightforward build, with no problems to overcome…

Edited January 20, 2020 by Heather Kay
Erased badgers, substituted bodgery.

[CedB]

I'm in Heather, looks like a nice kit and I like what you've done to the internals  

 

How did you get the bendy pipe to behave itself may I ask? I'm guessing you bent some sprue in some way? TIA. 

[Heather Kay]

5 minutes ago, CedB said:

How did you get the bendy pipe to behave itself may I ask?

A tea light and gently twisting the pipe - it’s one of the varieties of Slater's Plastikard micro rod - near the flame until it softens just enough to bend, then holding it while it cools. I believe that’s a skill you’re learning at the moment.
 

to aid sticking it to the fuselage I sanded a flat on the mating side. 

[CedB]

Thanks Heather - I shall purloin one of Mrs B's tea lights forthwith!  

[stevehnz]

I've just spotted this & got myself up to date. If I hang around a bit longer, I'll get the urge to try & locate one for myself.  As it looks like being a nice build & I intend to stay about its not looking good for me.

Steve.

[k5054nz]

3 hours ago, Learstang said:

And Chris, how much do you want for that Mk.21?

Damn, I was hoping no-one else had seen it!!

 

Cracking start Heather, I do enjoy your builds even if I tend to follow along on Flickr more than here.

[Mikey-1980]

Great start so far and loving the additional details to the cockpit too!

[Ed Russell]

22 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

Back in the dim and distant, I purchased a High Level kit of the Beaufighter MkIC.  

High Level?? HPM, Hiplanes, maybe or if really in the distant past, High Planes Models. @oz rb fan should look at this - he's building one too. for the same purpose.

[Heather Kay]

56 minutes ago, Ed Russell said:

High Level?? HPM, Hiplanes

Nope, you’re right. HPM. Obviously the horrid memories have been expunged! 
 

Actually, for what it was, it wasn’t all that bad. Very fine panel lines, offset slightly by the excessive flash - but it’s a low volume, short run kit. You expect these things. The engines and cowlings had to be junked as there was no way the latter could be made into a circle, and the former were very lumpen in aspect. The nose gave me most grief: the top was formed by part of the vac-form canopy, and no matter how much filling and sanding I did it wouldn’t smooth at all. Different materials, I guess. That’s why I posted a photo from the rear.  

[Heather Kay]

Having been out this morning, I allowed myself an hour before lunch to complete the cockpit work.

 

 

 

 

 

Masking tape belts. I assumed the observer was only given the luxury of a lap belt, and not the full Sutton style harness. The lumps and bumps in the cockpit look the part, though I fear my compass is on the large size. I contemplated punching out the decal part and dropping it on the top, but chickened out in the end. The various levers on the port side are micro rod, with a dab of colour on the ends. The wheel affair on the port sidewall, apparently, was a fuel transfer cock system between the wing tanks. Photos show it painted red and green, like the throttle controls, presumably matching port and starboard wing light colours as reference. The IP decal is lost in the gloom, and needed a tiny bit of trimming to fit around the extra work I did.

 

I’m not weathering anything. I am assuming this aircraft is absolutely factory fresh from Bristols, with only delivery mileage, and perhaps a little exhaust staining.

 

 

[Brandy]

Ooh, this looks interesting! I'll sit quietly at the bar and observe if you don't mind.

 

Ian

[CedB]

Nice internals Heather, I like that  

[Heather Kay]

58 minutes ago, limeypilot said:

Ooh, this looks interesting! I'll sit quietly at the bar and observe if you don't mind.

It’s actually turning out to be quite dull. Almost everything fits nicely.

 

 

Here's the fin insert. No filler required, just a couple of gentle passes with a sanding stick. Sound engineering reasons for the separate part here, because it allows different inserts to cover other marks of Beau. Clever.

 

 

Another part that allows for alternatives is the rear of the navigator/observer area. One part covers the marks where there was no rear gun fitted, the other part for those with a gun. The part literally clicked into place. I’ve run some liquid cement round it, and smoothed the tiny mismatch in levels.

 

 

The 'pit, complete with the tiny gunsight fitted. 
 

 

 

Areas which belie this kit's age are inside the wings. It’s obvious the moulds were developed with an engineer carving out the shapes rather than a machine. The trailing edges are a bit thick, too. The port wing suffered a little from a slight misregistration, which I can’t blame on myself, meaning a little gentle sanding was required. Other areas a bit disappointing were the engine nacelles. Quite a bit of sanding was needed to clear steps between the mating halves, and I’m still not quite happy with it.
 

There are various flashed-over holes in fuselage and wings which the builder is to open up, depending on the mark being built. For the early MkI, no extra holes in the fuselage were required, but the wing machine guns are needed. I nicked the openings with a sharp blade, then gently filed each wing half out with a round needle file. As you can tell, I will need a pass with a drill bit to make them properly circular.

 

The characteristic Beau intakes on the leading edges are made of separate parts, and will be fitted later. I hope they’ll fit nicely and not need too much tidying.

 

 

Two things here: a tiny amount of sanding and filler required along the fuselage spine; the wing assemblies click in place. What you see here is a dry fit. Impressed with the fit.

 

The fit is almost as good underneath, too. The flat belly is there because, again, alternate parts can be fitted for different marks. One main fuselage covers everything, with alternate bits for nose, belly, fin and so on. Clever.

 

Before we know it, we have most of a Beaufighter on the bench. The belly and nose parts need to be installed, and then I might have a think about whether to get painting under way before anything else.

 

I did warn this build might be a bit dull. No dramas or visits from Captain Cockup and his merry band. If you have the Hasegawa, MPM or Hobby 2000 boxes of this kit, you shouldn’t have any problems with it. 

[Sturmovik]

You're blitzing through this build Heather, nice one.