Airfix “New Tool” Bristol Beaufort A04021 (1st WIP) ** FINISHED **

[Rabbit Leader]

9 hours ago, dogsbody said:

Dave! Look what I just found!

Most excellent Chris, I love it when you find these little treasures among your files. Well that confirms things then, inner doors fold into outer doors. I’ll skip ahead a little and show you what the instructions say. You can also visualise the one piece closed door option that I think is too much effort to cut. 
Cheers and thanks once big again.. Dave 

 

 

[Greg Law]

Good start Dave. You are luck to get this one.

[vppelt68]

Excellent start Dave and a good build review too, thank you! I wonder how many of these will be built in the Bristol GB this year... V-P

[Rabbit Leader]

2 hours ago, Greg Law said:

Good start Dave. You are lucky to get this one.

Yes, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it on eBay. For a few days there I thought it was a hoax! It builds up really nicely Greg, it’s a really lovely kit. 

 

2 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

Excellent start Dave and a good build review too, thank you! I wonder how many of these will be built in the Bristol GB this year... V-P

Thanks V.P, I’m glad you like the WIP so far. I’ve now painted the internals, however will wait until daylight to take more photographs and button up the fuselage. I dare say it will be a popular choice for the Bristols GB, which reminds me I’ve still got three Blenheims and four Beaufighters in the stash! 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[DaveyGair]

Airfix's Beaufort has been in stock here in the UK by Jadlams Racing, sold out within a couple of days. Hannants as yet has to stock them, even the Airfix site says Pre-Order only, very strange. I for one will wait, I'm trying to get the gumption to complete my High Planes Mk.I and Mk.II.

Some great photo's and research going on here, Britmodeller at its best!

I would go with 'Interior Green' wheel bays, but that's just me 😁

 

Davey.

[woody37]

Wow, didn't know this had been released, just pulled my chair up!

 

Looking forwards to your progress Dave

 

[Max Headroom]

Looking on with interest. For some weird reason I’m stupidly excited about this release.

 

Just a thought. Are there any ‘missing’ sprues or are they consecutively lettered with no gaps? Just thinking about any possible future variants.

 

Trevor

[Rabbit Leader]

19 minutes ago, Max Headroom said:

Just a thought. Are there any ‘missing’ sprues or are they consecutively lettered with no gaps? Just thinking about any possible future variants.

Not exactly ‘missing sprues’ Trevor, however there is clear evidence of a Mediterranean Beaufort Mk.1A on the agenda. This particular boxing has two choices of turret apertures, two turrets (although I think the 1A has a larger one again - not included) and tropical engine filters. The clear sprue also has a two part clear DF loop. 
 

Sadly, I cannot see these moulds stretching out to make a P & W powered Mk.II or Aussie DAP Beaufort, although HPM models is well on their way towards offering us a conversion. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[stevehnz]

Really enjoying this Dave, you're quite galloping along. No sign of them on this side of the pond but they'll probably be cheaper to import anyway. I can see a need for at least a couple.  Sorry if I missed it but what is the purpose of the flange in the turret opening?

Steve.

[Max Headroom]

There’s a pity. Can a P&W version be produced by just transplanting C-47 cowlings and props?

 

Trevor

[Rabbit Leader]

20 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

Sorry if I missed it but what is the purpose of the flange in the turret opening?

Hiya Steve, I’m sure these will get to NZ soon enough, but honestly cannot believe our shipment arrived before anyone else’s! 
 

The turret flange is really quite odd and has no use whatsoever on either of the two paint options provided. Actually this is another indication that a later Mk.1A has been planned as this is required for the larger turret for this version. I’m not a Beaufort turret expert, however am leaning more about this as the build progresses. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Rabbit Leader]

5 minutes ago, Max Headroom said:

There’s a pity. Can a P&W version be produced by just transplanting C-47 cowlings and props?

Trevor

I’d say no Trevor. The P & W engine nacelles are actually longer and there is a larger distance between the wing leading edge and the rear of the engine cowling. A quick comparison between a Mk.I and Mk.II profile drawing should show this. The engine exhausts are quite different and the Mk.I gear doors do not fully cover the wheel, yet they do on the Mk.II. I’m sure there’s other differences besides the engines, but these are the main ones. 
 

Your best bet is to wait for the HPM conversion or just build this one straight OOB - honestly you’ll be glad you did.
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[tonyot]

1 hour ago, Max Headroom said:

There’s a pity. Can a P&W version be produced by just transplanting C-47 cowlings and props?

 

Trevor

The props on the Beaufort Mk.II were different mate,... Curtiss Electric type,.... plus as Dave days, the nacelles are longer with a built in exhaust much like that of the later Hudsons. 

Edited March 14, 2021 by tonyot

[rob85]

This is excellent, so glad your doing a build and detailed WIP of this. Mine are safely tucked away in the stash.

 

I have the xtradecal set with the Malta based fort, and really wanted to build that, but now wondering weather it will be possible.

 

Rob

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

2 hours ago, rob85 said:

I  have the xtradecal set with the Malta based fort, and really wanted to build that, but now wondering weather it will be possible.

 

Rob

Ditto 

[dogsbody]

Well, Dave, it looks like Airfix has the bomb doors sorted out. Unless you are going to show a torpedo loading diorama and want to show the main doors open. Then you would want to see the secondary doors folded up.

 

As for that flange around the turret. Somewhere recently, I saw a photo of an RAAF Beaufort with most or all of the turret glazing removed and the caption stated that a flange was added to help keep the breeze away from the gunner. Unfortunately, I can't find that photo again.

 

I did find a couple photos that show the folded bomb doors:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Rabbit Leader]

4 hours ago, rob85 said:

I have the xtradecal set with the Malta based fort, and really wanted to build that, but now wondering weather it will be possible.

 

2 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Ditto 

Unfortunately, I still believe we need another ‘higher’ turret than what’s provided in this initial kit, that’s not to say that no early Beaufort with tropical filters and Mk.1 turret ever operated over Malta. This is where our good friend @tonyot is worth his weight in gold. 
 

Later today I’ll cut away the parts that make up the smaller turret supplied within this kit and take a few comparison photos. I still don’t quite know what this particular turret is for, maybe its the one we need after all as I too have a Malta based Beaufort in mind. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Rabbit Leader]

Thanks again @dogsbody (Chris), I’ve got an image in my head how I what this whole set up to look. These photos confirm things nicely. Stay tuned for more updates once I have a few coffees and get the tribe out of the house early, this Monday morning. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[AdrianMF]

The domed turret is the Daimler turret as used on the Mk 1. The second is the regular Bristol turret, as used on the Blenheim and the Beaufort Mk 1a. ISTR that there were production shortages but Mrs MF is calling dinner...

[feoffee2]

Looking forward to seeing this progress. 

Got mine waiting for me at my local model shop. They had 15 left when I managed to order one on Thursday. 

[AdrianMF]

(Post dinner!) they were running out of Daimler turrets so the Bristol turret provided the Mk Ia and (with other improvements) the Mk IIa. The extra chunk of plastic that was carved off the fuselage provided extra fairing for the smaller turret.

 

The later Australian turret is different again...

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Rabbit Leader]

Thanks Adrian, that’s really helpful. I’m still a little baffled as the two turret fuselage ‘plugs’ that Airfix provide do not fit the fuselage unless the moulded-in upper flange is removed prior - as in Steps 16 (LHS) and 21 (RHS). Anyway, let me do a test as see what’s happening. I still think we need another clear sprue with larger Bristol turret and perhaps one with ASV antennas to do a proper Malta Beaufort.

Cheers.. Dave 

[tonyot]

1 hour ago, Rabbit Leader said:

 

Unfortunately, I still believe we need another ‘higher’ turret than what’s provided in this initial kit, that’s not to say that no early Beaufort with tropical filters and Mk.1 turret ever operated over Malta. This is where our good friend @tonyot is worth his weight in gold. 
 

Later today I’ll cut away the parts that make up the smaller turret supplied within this kit and take a few comparison photos. I still don’t quite know what this particular turret is for, maybe its the one we need after all as I too have a Malta based Beaufort in mind. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

Hiya Dave,.... there were plenty of Beaufort Mk.I`s with the early `domed' turret opearting from Malta and from N.Africa,..... with Vokes filters fitted. 

 

This one posted earlier of a 39 Sqn aircraft was from a time when they operated from both;

 

And a Malta based aircraft. This is featured on an Xtradecal sheet but I`m not sure about the scheme they describe! ; 

 

Here is another one (BELOW) of the Mk.Ia`s from 47 Sqn which had the turret cupola removed, a fairing added, ASV Yagi antenna moved to the wing leading edges and the Vokes filters faired in,..... all to increae speed. Some had an extra machine gun added to the mid upper position too.

 

Not sure if these are of any use too?

 

Cheers

          Tony

Edited March 14, 2021 by tonyot

[Rabbit Leader]

Once again Tony, excellent reference material provided which just makes these threads so much more enjoyable to be part of. Good to know that Mk.1’s operated over Malta and the Western Desert ;so with the bonus filters already supplied we should be able to model a non UK based Beaufort (in some format) as per the parts supplied. 
Cheers and thanks.. Dave 

[AdrianMF]

33 minutes ago, tonyot said:

Not sure if these are of any use too?

That set of plans was a life saver for me. The measurements were taken off a real aeroplane and they correct a number of inaccuracies in the Warpaint plans. There was another set (Aeroplane Monthly special?) that I thought were better than the Warpaint plans but not as good as these.

 

Regards,

Adrian