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Tamiya 1/48 Beaufighter TFX, finally, back at it, Oct 30, 2022!


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Thanks!  

The Beaufighter has made much progress since the last posting, however, it was temporarily shelved while waiting for a set of Falcon Vac canopies, and I just kept getting distracted by lockdowns, life, new grandchildren, and , I suppose, a blooming case of ADHD! 

It has been calling me from it's cabinet lately, and it's time to soldier on with it. I'll try to post new photo's today or tomorrow.

 

Colin

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  • 4 weeks later...

I finally started working on the Beaufighter again, I had to wait for the Falcon Vac canopies all the way from New Zealand! (Jay's hobbies had stock)

 

The list of mods and corrections for this kit was mind boggling!

Beaufighter mods and corrections-

 

Tamiya 1/48 to 404 Sqdn TFX

 

- correct oversized, untapered elevators

- trim tab and servo tab rods should be on bottom of elevators

- reduce left wing gun access panel size and screws missing (only 2 guns)

- correct right wing gun panel scribing (center panel lines and screws missing)

- plug gun openings

- remove battle damage patches both wings

- covered landing light for rocket equipped aircraft

- actuating rod for oil coolers (trough vanes)

- oil cooler exit vents missing

- left wing gun camera

- scoop missing below wind shield

- blank off wing root scallops inside

- add pilots entry braces (for and aft) and grab handles, radio boxes

- open bulkhead door

- ammo box and belt (left hand side), cartridge bag

- observers radio boxes

- exhaust stacks on engine

- cowl braces on engine

- cockpit heater pipes from exhaust (both sides)

- 4 small hanger brackets for practice bomb racks

- rearward facing nav lights replaced with tube lights (one or both depending on aircraft)

- left wing oil tank access hatch, dingy hatch

- fuel dump tubes in wheel wells wrong

- gear door inner braces

- beam approach antennae and ID lights

- blister below observers l/h side, round path r/h side

- strike camera on nose

- radio altimeter antennae under stab

- dingy release handle ahead of l/h stab

- fuel tank vent blisters (both sides) aft of canopy

- small scoop r/h side of nose

- trailing antennae mount

- extra shell eject ports for canon

- detail on rocket blast plate

- observers blister - not framework but inner structure

- small fin ahead of obs. bubble

-small vent on r/h intake

- quick release for obs. bubble (possible by date)

- gear door bungies and rods

- tubular rocket rails, a/p rockets

- nose 'whisker' antennae's

 

Lots of correction info came from Aviaeology's excellent decal instruction sheets - an absolute must!

 

airframe 1

 

airframe 2 b airframe 3

 

airframe 4 b

 

airframe5

 

Fitting the Vacuform canopy ...

canopy 1 b

 

canopy 2

 

 

canopy 3

 

canopy 4

 

Cockpit is busy enough to justify the Vac canopy and open hatch ...

 

cockpit 2b

 

cockpit 3

 

cockpit 4

 

For the business end of the Beau, I detailed the blast plates, and robbed the 60 Lb warheads from and Airfix Mosquito. The separate warheads should make painting the I.D. rings a little easier (I hope)

Rockets 1 b

and a bit of detailing on the gear doors ...

gear 1

 

Edited by Tail-Dragon
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  • Tail-Dragon changed the title to Tamiya 1/48 Beaufighter TFX, finally, new photo's Feb 21, 2021

I'm just finishing the vacuform canopy, adding the overhead hatch latches, stay cable and the release lever on the canopy frame. (It's insanely small, and I need 2 of them)

 

canopy 5

 

canopy 6

 

canopy 5d

 

canopy 5b

 

canopy 5c

 

Edited by Tail-Dragon
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All the fiddly little bits for the canopy are now done, I can start installing the transparencies.

 

canopy 7

 

Object on the bottom is the R/H pilots knockout window release mechanism - that is composed of 8 parts!

Edited by Tail-Dragon
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  • Tail-Dragon changed the title to Tamiya 1/48 Beaufighter TFX, finally, photo's added Feb 27

I finally got around to making the universal bomb carrier brackets that these Beaufighters carried on June 6, 1944. Should have done it sooner, but better late than never.

 

bomb rack 2

 

bomb rack 1

 

The following is from Aviaeology's excellent "Canadians in Coastal Command" decal sheet ...

 

bomb rack 3

 

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  • Tail-Dragon changed the title to Tamiya 1/48 Beaufighter TFX, finally, new photo's added Mar 02

I've finished off the "business" end of the Beaufighter. I found some Verlinden Letraset style stenciling that is close to what I needed.

 

Rockets 6

 

Rockets 7

 

Not exact, but close.

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Just catching up in this thread. What an amazing build, love the level of detail! I had to double check it was 1/48 and not 1/32 (Which would have still knocked my socks off!)

 

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