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1/72nd Hobby 2000 Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter MkIF


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Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter MkIF, R2069 ZK-A, No 25 Squadron, RAF Fighter Command, September 1940

 

Born of an improvisation by the Bristol design staff, where the Beaufort torpedo bomber design then under development was adapted in short order to provide Fighter Command with a long range heavy fighter, the Beaufighter first flew in July 1939. Of all-metal construction, save for the fabric-covered control surfaces, and with a crew of two, the first production Beaufighters were powered by two Bristol Hercules XI radials, developing 1,500hp when using the new 100 octane fuel. The Beaufighter MkIF was visualised as a night fighter, since the airframe was shown to be capable of carrying the bulky Airborne Interception radar being developed in 1940. 

 

Initial deliveries were made to Nos 25 and 29 Squadrons of Fighter Command in September 1940. R2069, the subject of this build, was photographed shortly after delivery to No 25 Squadron, which was flying the rather inadequate Blenheim MkIF at the time. No 29 Squadron, however, was the first to be fully operational on the Beaufighter. As originally supplied, the first production series was only armed with four 20mm cannon under the nose. Later, six Browning 0.303in machine guns were installed in the wings, four in the starboard and two in the port. Nos 219, 600 and 640 Squadrons were also soon equipped with the new planes. No 640 Squadron is on record for the first Beaufighter victory using the AI MkIV radar, when a Junkers Ju88 was shot down on 19 November 1940. Once the concept of Ground Control Interception was added to the on-board radar equipment early in 1941, the early promise of the Beaufighter as a night fighter was fulfilled.

 

The Beaufighter went on to many greater things during the course of the war, of course, but seeing an early version sporting the RAF's temperate land scheme camouflage is a nice change and definitely fits into my 1940 theme.

 

Although I already had a Beau MkIF in my collection, I wasn't happy with it. It was a High Planes short run kit, and presented me with numerous problems which took me a long time to overcome. I was quite pleased when I spotted the Hobby 2000 kit on the market. The kit was vice free, originating as it does in a 1990s Hasegawa boxing. The parts were cleanly moulded and flash-free, and fitted together well. The kit included a sheet of four different sets of markings, printed by Cartograf, covering the Mks IF and IC in a variety of theatres and a set of vinyl cut masks for the transparencies. I made one or two modifications to the model. The cockpit was detailed a little further. I filled the under-wing cartridge chutes as I wanted to show the aircraft as delivered in September 1940, before the wing guns had been fitted. Additional detail was added to the engines, representing the support struts for the exhaust collector ring. The model was painted using Xtracrylix paints, with details painted using Humbrol acrylics and enamels. Final enamel satin varnish was from Phoenix Precision Paints.

 

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WIP thread is here:

 

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Nice job Heather. I have a couple of MPM boxing of this kit and it goes together well. I don't think the fuselage is as good shape wise as the new Airfix or even the old High Planes kits, but it still looks the part.

 

:goodjob:

 

Davey.

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That's super crisp and lovely. I have the same airframe in 1/48 out of a slightly modified Tamiya kit from back when that was new.  Really nice to see this and some of the other Hasegawa kits back out under this banner at vaguely sensible prices - I feel a modest investment coming on...

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20 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

And the prize for Pun Of The Day goes to… ! 
 

Cheers Ced! :) 

Please don't encourage him lol!!

 

Nice clean Beau really well done

 

Cheers!

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On 26/02/2020 at 18:03, bbudde said:

Looking great, very smooth.

Cheers

11 minutes ago, AnticlockwisePropeller said:

Cracking job, Heather! What a lovely Beau!

5 minutes ago, stevej60 said:

Outstanding build Heather,beautifully finished.

Cheers chaps! It was a relatively pain free and simple build, just the thing to refresh the modelling palate so I can get stuck into something crammed with resin and PE!

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