Tail-Dragon Posted May 11, 2020 Posted May 11, 2020 (edited) My next quarantine build is Tamiya's Beaufighter TFX. I'm starting to add some details, and corrections ... The engines with the exhaust pipes, cowl braces, cleaning up the exhaust ring and the flame damper exhaust with the cabin heater pipes (a detail that seems to get missed) Correcting the balance and trim tab linkage, and dropping the elevators ... Adding some detail, brake lines, axle pillow blocks and pivots to the gear. Also flattening the tires and drilling for axles. Rescribing and correcting the wing panel lines, adding the gun close off patches, opening up the oil cooler outlet etc ... and I'm just starting to add fuselage and cockpit dtails ... It should be a fun build, the Tamiya kit is a very nice starting point. The machine I'm building will require stealing the armor piercing rockets from a Mosquito kit for use on the Mk 1b rails from the kit. Edited May 11, 2020 by Tail-Dragon 19
SAT69 Posted May 12, 2020 Posted May 12, 2020 Really impressed with what you're doing with the engines!
Tail-Dragon Posted May 13, 2020 Author Posted May 13, 2020 I've primed the engines and gear, and its a little easier to see whats happening there, now... The real thing ... 12
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted May 13, 2020 Posted May 13, 2020 Nice work on those exhaust collectors. Is it an early or late TF.X you are building? The elevators are too broad (and tailplanes too narrow) for an early one, but are the wrong shape for a late one. Tamiya really screwed these up unfortunately.
Tail-Dragon Posted May 13, 2020 Author Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: Is it an early or late TF.X you are building? The elevators are too broad (and tailplanes too narrow) for an early one, but are the wrong shape for a late one. Tamiya really screwed these up unfortunately. It's a late TFX that I'm building. I tapered the elevators some (photos don't show it well) but probably could have done more. Problem is, with three different drawings, I had three different amounts of taper required! I decided to correct the actuators, taper some, drop the elevators and deflect the balance tab to confuse the issue, and call it a day! The nearest Beaufighter I could put a tape measurer on is over 1000 miles away! (as an aside - when compared to the Revell kit - Revell has excessive taper from what I can see!) Edited May 13, 2020 by Tail-Dragon 1
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted May 13, 2020 Posted May 13, 2020 Those built from RD130 onwards were built with the bigger elevators like these: There were also a number of earlier ones retrofitted with the late type which were a bit lighter on the controls thanks to their full span aerodynamic balance 1
Tail-Dragon Posted May 13, 2020 Author Posted May 13, 2020 55 minutes ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: Those built from RD130 onwards were built with the bigger elevators like these There were also a number of earlier ones retrofitted with the late type which were a bit lighter on the controls thanks to their full span aerodynamic balance I'm building TFX LZ451, 2*M, 404 Squadron, June 6, 1944, with the Mod638 tailplane. (to go along with my 404 Sqdn Blenheim IV.f ) As I understand it, there were at least 4 different tailplane configurations (flat, dihedral, enlarged counterbalance, and reversed tab link for target tugs) plus - with or without radar altimeter antennae's. The kit manufacturers reduced this to 2 - to much taper, or upside down not enough taper! I try to get as close as possible, but, avoid 'paralysis by analysis' or nothing gets built!
dogsbody Posted May 13, 2020 Posted May 13, 2020 Wow! That's looking great! The details you've added to the engines is excellent. Chris
Tail-Dragon Posted May 13, 2020 Author Posted May 13, 2020 16 minutes ago, dogsbody said: Wow! That's looking great! The details you've added to the engines is excellent. Thanks, British radial engines do seem to present their own set of challenges! (here's a weird fact - the proper diameter copper wire was the center core of a leftover cable TV cable! - Use what you got!) 1
Tail-Dragon Posted May 16, 2020 Author Posted May 16, 2020 I've done a bit on the interior, so far just the fuselage area aft of the pilots seat. It busying up rather nicely, I think. Looks better under primer ... 13
bigbadbadge Posted May 16, 2020 Posted May 16, 2020 Oh wow what great work, I have added this to favourites so I can use for when I build my Beaus. The engines and cockpit details look amazing. Inspiring build. All the best Chris
Tail-Dragon Posted May 22, 2020 Author Posted May 22, 2020 Here's some more in progress stuff ... The corrected horizontal stab/elevators ... Modified and unmodified stabs And the modified dorsal gun - an Airfix Hurricane breech grafted onto the kit barrel/mount, with a pistol grip and photoetch ammo belt added lots more to go ... Colin 10
Tail-Dragon Posted May 23, 2020 Author Posted May 23, 2020 … another little piece that absorbed my time, the fuel cock controls ... … so many tiny pieces! 6
bigbadbadge Posted May 24, 2020 Posted May 24, 2020 Oh wow the gun modifications and fuel cocks look great. Fantastic work. All the best Chris
Tail-Dragon Posted May 26, 2020 Author Posted May 26, 2020 I've pretty much finished with the cockpit upgrades (other than finishing the gunsight) and it's getting to be painting time ... hope you like, Colin 6
Tail-Dragon Posted May 31, 2020 Author Posted May 31, 2020 The cockpit is mostly painted, with only a little cleanup and detail left to do. It looks like it's starting to come together ... Hope you like so far... Colin 7
Tail-Dragon Posted June 11, 2020 Author Posted June 11, 2020 I'm ready to button up the fuselage, so I thought one last look before it disappears forever ... … also, the engines are finished, I tried to replicate the flaking and chipping on the of the heat paint on the exhaust collector ... Hope you like. I realize it will be all but invisible after closure, but scratchbuilding is fun! Colin 10
dogsbody Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 Nice stuff! Just so ya know, the dorsal gun was mounted in the clear copula, which is only important if you are showing the copula opened. Chris
Muddyf Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 She’s looking beautiful. Pity most will be hidden, but at least we know it’s there!
Tail-Dragon Posted June 11, 2020 Author Posted June 11, 2020 1 hour ago, dogsbody said: Nice stuff! Just so ya know, the dorsal gun was mounted in the clear copula, which is only important if you are showing the copula opened. Chris Thanks, I thought about opening the dorsal copula, but it ruins the lines of the Beau, and you seldom see photo's of it open (emergency exit only). The pilots canopy hatch however, is frequently seen open (I guess just for ventilation), so that one I'll have open, as well as the two belly entrance hatches. 1
Dunny Posted January 24, 2021 Posted January 24, 2021 This is inspiring stuff Colin! I'm about to start a MkVIF build and will certainly refer to this as I proceed! Cheers, Roger 1
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