Airfix Beaufort as the first Mk.V

[Beggsy]

Greetings all!  It's time for a project that I've been planning for well over a year.

 

This year, on May 5, will be the 80th anniversary of the first newly-built* Beaufort Mk.V's first flight.  This is not just an anniversary for the airplane though.  It's also the first-flight of an airplane built by the Department of Aircraft Production at Fishermans Bend in Melbourne Australia.  It just so happens that I now work on that same site.  In fact, on most days I walk right through the hangar where it was built on my way to lunch.  It's now full of Boeing 787 flaps under construction, and there's no airfield on the other side of the roller doors.  Here's a publicly released photo I found on the web.  Take my word for it, this is the old Beaufort line:

 

 

 

I'm going to attempt to build the new Airfix Mk.1 as this aircraft, numbered T9540 (later renumbered to A9-1).  There's a fair bit to modify, much of which I wasn't aware of when I first decided to do this project, but I think it will be manageable.  Especially so, if HPM's conversion kit is available before I get to the engines and nacelles.

 

 

So far, this is what I know I need to change, based mostly on photographs:

 - Twin Wasp engines (from HPM set)

 - Larger nacelles with different exhausts (from HPM set)

 - Curtiss-Electric Propellers (from HPM set)

 - Remove the gun camera port from the Starboard wing**

 - Add the gun camera mount on the Starboard side of the nose**

 - Add some sort of nobbly bit under the oil cooler intakes (might come with the HPM set?)

 - Remove nobbly bits on upper wing surfaces aft of the engines

 - Don't add the forward gun or the clear blister under the nose

 - Don't add guns in the turret (the first few DAP Beauforts were unarmed)

 - Add spindly little vent(?) on the Port underside of the fuselage

 

Things NOT to modify:

 - The vertical tail. The first few DAP Beauforts didn't have the extended-chord tail.

 

 

I've got a set of decals from Print Scale that include T9540 in it's rollout scheme.  For now, I'm assuming the aircraft was RAF Dark Earth and Dark Green on the upper surfaces and silver on the lower surfaces.  There's a chance it could have been RAAF Earth Brown and Foliage Green, though.  Unfortunately, the archives at work aren't catalogued that far back and no-one knows if there's a record of the colour.  I've put a query in to the RAAF museum about it, as I was told by our site communications team the that museum have been a good source for that kind of info in the past.

 

 

Other aftermarket being used are the aforementioned HPM set, Eduard photo-etch set, and Eduard Brassin wheels.

 

There are a few reference photos of T9540, but they're not super abundant.  If there are features I can't determine about it, I'll probably assume that it's identical to the next few airplanes that followed it off the production line and were sent to the RAF in Singapore.  I've also had a thorough and enjoyable read of @Navy Bird's build of the Special Hobby Beaufort, and may be peeking at it again a few times for ideas and information.  I'll definitely be adding a map to the navigator's table, but maybe a more local one of the Melbourne area.

 

Back soon with some photos of the construction!

 

*I'm not counting L4448, which was converted to use Twin Wasps by CAC "next door"

** I was only able to work this one out thanks to the discussion on @Rabbit Leader's build thread, so thanks everyone for that!

 

 

Edit 21/7/2021, here are a few more photos.  Hopefully this post will be a useful reference if anyone else is looking to model T9540.

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2021 by Beggsy
Fixed image links, added more reference photos

[neil5208]

Cant see the pictures, what hosting site are you using

[Beggsy]

Hmm, looks like I might have stuffed up the first link.  I'll edit it and that might fix the issue.

 

 

[alt-92]

I see they're directly linked from the ADF archives, unfortunately they're not available over https and that means the forum software & browsers tend to block those as not secure. The certificate that IS on that server only works for another hostname and therefore is invalid 

 

The only way around that is to re-host them on a dedicated picture host for the time being - maybe someone should inform ADFSerials to update the certificate on their website to incorporate the other hostnames they use on the box. 

 

[Beggsy]

Ah, I see.  I'd linked to a photo from there before and it worked.  Thanks for figuring that one out!  I'll keep that in mind and not link directly to them again.  First post should be fixed momentarily after I submit this one.

 

Right, lets make some progress on this thing.  Actually, I already did, before I started this thread, but the first post was getting long.

 

I've been really impressed by how well the kit fits together so far.  I've also been impressed with the Eduard photo-etch, which has been easier to assemble than past sets from them that I've used.  I'm especially a fan of how the rudder pedals were a single piece, with a huge surface area to glue to the panel.  Much easier than individual pedals!

 

In the fuselage, I've assembled pretty much everything that isn't pre-painted (so all the kit parts plus some from Eduard).  I've also added the Eduard sidewall details.  They're pre-painted, but I'd rather they matched the shade of interior green that I intend to use, so I'm going to paint over them.

 

 

 

There's so much detail in this interior!  I'm certainly going to leave the hatch open, and do my best to keep the cockpit glazing nice and clear to try and keep some of it visible.

 

 

 

 

 

I've also stuck the tops and bottoms of the wings together, and started the modifications.  Below are two of the features not present on T9540.  Not sure what the one aft of the engine is, but the one beside the oil cooler inlet is a gun camera port.

 

 

And here they are removed:

 

 

I think it's about time for some paint!  I just moved my workbench out of the guest room since it's about to actually have a guest in it.  I'm told that house guests don't like trying to sleep while someone else sits in the room running an airbrush compressor at 10:00pm.  Crazy, huh? Anyway, tomorrow I'll get to spraying some black, and then some interior green at this.

 

At first, I thought the Eduard set was going to slow this build down.  Now, I'm realizing that it includes almost every non-green bit of interior colour.  I should just need a few minutes with the hairy sticks after the green is airbrushed, then the photo-etch will do the rest.  Well done, Eduard!

 

 

[AdrianMF]

Interesting prototype. Looks like they kept the wing trailing edge extensions at first too. Looking forward to this!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[dogsbody]

7 hours ago, Beggsy said:

- Add spindly little vent(?) on the Port underside of the fuselage

 

Trailing aerial outlet, I believe.

 

 

 

Chris

[Rabbit Leader]

Nice start and subject choice @Beggsy.

Walking through / past the old Beaufort production line must be a real hoot and its little things like this that would get me all excited about going to work! (sad, I know!). 

I must say, even though I think Airfix provide plenty of internal parts for this new Beaufort kit, that Eduard PE does look rather good. It's great to see AM products being used on another Beaufort WIP, so well done for going that way. I have also got two pairs of Eduard wheels on back-order, however assume they will not arrive by the time I plan to finish my build. Airfix's wheels are fine, however I don't think the central hub is large enough when comparing the kit wheels to published photos. 

 

I am not sure what those 'nobbly' bits behind the engine nacelle's are? I have seen photos with / without / or even just one nobbly bit in place - so it's obviously something that we should check references for.  

Good luck with this build, and we look forward to the next instalment. 

 

Cheers and regards.. Dave 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Nice start and great to see a conversion already.  The Eduard set does look good, I have one on it's way to me for mine. 

Chris

[Beggsy]

On 3/28/2021 at 12:27 PM, Rabbit Leader said:

Walking through / past the old Beaufort production line must be a real hoot

It's pretty cool.  Beaufighters, Lincolns, Canberras, Mirages, Nomads, Jindiviks, Hornets and 787s have all been fully or partially built there (and maybe some other types that I'm forgetting too).

 

On 3/28/2021 at 4:31 AM, dogsbody said:

Trailing aerial outlet, I believe.

So THAT's what it is.  Thanks!

 

On 3/27/2021 at 10:34 PM, AdrianMF said:

Looks like they kept the wing trailing edge extensions at first too.

Good thing Airfix provide both options, isn't it?

 

On 3/28/2021 at 7:37 PM, bigbadbadge said:

great to see a conversion already

Surely Airfix should have expected this when they let us Aussies have it before everyone else

 

 

So, on with the build.  I started off with a coat of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black acrylic over the interior.  The intention was to try and use this to accentuate any shadows when the following coat was applied.  It blended the photo-etch in nicely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The paint went down fine over the painted metal sidewall detail.

 

 

The black was followed up with more Tamiya acrylic, this time XF-71 Cockpit Green.  I think I ended up over-doing it slightly and obliterating the black and any shadows it may have been accentuating.  Oh well.  The green was accentuated with some Mr. Hobby H-74 RAF Sky.  I then picked out a few details with some black and brown.  This is the first time I've painted a model of the...errr....relief facilities in an aircraft.  To finish off for the evening, I gave a Tamiya panel line wash to a few areas.  I went quite heavy around the tail-wheel bay.  Maybe too heavy for a brand new airplane, but it's too late now, and I like the look of it anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

The control column got some paint but I think I shouldn't have gotten impatient and brush-painted the main stalk.

 

 

And finally, I couldn't resist a partial test-fit.

 

 

Next up will be the pre-coloured photo-etch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Adam Poultney]

Looking great! 

[bigbadbadge]

Oh yeah it certainly looks good. 

Chris

[jackroadkill]

Very nice - great to see the new Beaufort kit proving popular.  You've done a cracking job with that PE - the pilot's seat looks really good.  I might order a set for a future project.

[Beggsy]

After a few late-night sessions, I've managed to get almost all of the coloured photoetch into the cockpit.  I had to skip a few pieces that were just too small to handle.  I read somewhere that the pre-coloured Eduard etch looks a lot better under a coat of flat varnish.  I decided to try it using some Vallejo acrylic matt varnish, and I think it worked a treat!

 

 

 

 

I've adorned the navigators table with an aerial photo of the Fishermans Bend airfield.  Technically its a photo from 1945, but close enough.  Especially at this scale, where I doubt anyone can spot any inaccuracies.

 

 

Here's the wireless operator's compartment.  All of this will be totally invisible once the build is complete, but it was fun to include it anyway.

 

 

Finally, for completeness, here's the other half of the fuselage.

 

 

Next up was building the turret.  This all went together without fuss.  I remembered not to include the guns.  I've learned that it wasn't just the first aircraft which was unarmed.  Apparently all aircraft in the first batch sent to Singapore showed up unarmed.  I can understand why the RAF sent them back to Australia.

 

The Eduard mask set has probed very useful here.

 

 

 

For anyone building this kit in the future, take care to follow Airfix's instructions carefully.  Don't glue the seat/gun mount assembly to the flat plate at the bottom of the turret!  This isn't a pose-able feature, it's actually to allow the seat and gun mount to rotate as the turret is inserted into the fuselage later in the build.  If you fix the whole turret together rigidly, it won't go in!

 

With the photo-etch complete, it was finally time to button up the fuselage.  This then allowed me to attach the rudder, bomb-doors and (impressively clear) canopy glazing.

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to use just a few small spots of PVA glue to attach the entry hatch.  Once the paint is done, and before adding the rear turret, I'll use the turret opening to get in with some tweezers and pop the hatch out again, so I can mount it in the open position.

 

That's all for now.  I'm not sure how much more I can do without the HPM set.  I'm a little worried that even if it releases soon, it will take so long to ship that I won't get this done by May 5th.  Oh well, there's nothing I can do about that.

 

I hope you like it so far!

 

 

Edited April 2, 2021 by Beggsy
Fixed typo

[neil5208]

Good tip on the turret, will use on mine

[Rabbit Leader]

The internals look fabulous with all that coloured PE added, it really makes this whole area very business like and purposeful. You’re doing a grand job here and (like you) hope that the HPM conversion set is realised very soon. 

Cheers and hopefully you can progress this one further... Dave 

[Andrew.S]

Splendid work so far!

[Beggsy]

Time for a small update.

 

There's still not a huge amount I can do without the conversion set.  I want to attach the new engine nacelles to the wings before attaching the wings to the fuselage.  That will make things easier if lots of sanding and filling are necessary.  You never know with resin.

 

In the meantime, I shot some paint at the Eduard resin wheels, which are very detailed.

 

I also did some work around the forward fuselage.  Unfortunately, there was a fairly large gap between two of the clear parts.  I masked around it and put some filler in.  It will be hard to see how well I smoothed it until I get paint on it.  I also drilled a hole in some 0.010 inch thick Evergreen plastic sheet, then cut out a square around it.  This was used to make the gun camera mount on the starboard side of the fuselage.

 

 

 

That's all for now.

[Rabbit Leader]

Nice work on the gun camera mount and for what it’s worth, I’ve got the same gap in between my clear parts as well. I’ve been slowly filling the small seams where the clear parts meet the fuselage and tend to think that this whole section could have been manufactured a little better to ease construction. 
Cheers.. Dave

[Beggsy]

I found that the gap fitted a piece of evergreen plastic perfectly.  I think it was 0.02in thick but will check later.  I'd advise any future builders to glue it onto the front of the starboard-side window piece and trim to shape before adding the rest of the glazing.

[tonyot]

Very interesting and it is coming along a treat,..... the Eduard set has definitely brought that interior to life,...... I`ll be following with great interest. I was reading that all but one of the Beaufort` which reached Singapore were returned to Australia and the one which was retained was used for recce purposes and brought back info and photos of the Japanese landings in Malaya and Thailand,.... and was then written off as it was riddled with bullet holes,...... but thankfully all the crew were OK.

 

I would agree with the RAF Dark Earth, Dark Green and Silver undersides scheme. 

 

Cheers

           Tony 

[tonyot]

edited,.... soz!

Edited April 8, 2021 by tonyot

[Beggsy]

OK, been a while since I posted here!  The High-Planes conversion showed up in the post some time ago, and unfortunately the fit wasn't fantastic so I've spent a long time getting it to cooperate.  Anyway, here's the progress.

 

The landing gear bay was painted and weathered quite successfully.

 

 

This is the size of gap that I encountered between the wing and the high-planes nacelle.  It could slide back about a millimetre and that gave a somewhat better fit, but it also covered up an attachment point for the landing gear.

 

 

After the first round of putty, I got to here:

 

 

After further work though, I got it smooth.  I won't bore you with 4 more rounds of putty, sand, repeat.

 

The engines in the High Planes kit are well detailed and I had a fun afternoon putting them together and painting them.

 

Now, on to some major assembly and paint!

[k5054nz]

That fit is interesting! Looks like I need to get the money together for Uncle Les' set!

[Rabbit Leader]

Thanks for posting that @Beggsy, thats quite interesting. The large gap is a bit of a concern, however looks like you’ve managed to get a good result. These types of conversions are always a little worrisome, however with a bit of care and patience I’m sure it will look the part. 
Cheers.. Dave