Beaufighter Mk. VI armament on Malta -42-ish.

[Paramedic]

Hi,

 

as part of the IPMS Gothenburg "Julstrul" - or Christmas-muddle, i got a Tamiya 1/48 Beaufighter Mk. VI from... Damn, i forgot his username here (Christer?). A very, very nice Christmas present and it filled a hole in my collection. I have always oved Beaufighters and fondly remember reading Battler Britton comics where he wreak havoc in them.. (And that´s where I got my eyes on the Whirlwinds as welL!)..

 

Now, the kit provides me with rockets which feels wrong for a Malta 1942 bird, as I would like to do. When it was really tough yet these heroes went out there.. And you did not get bombs not rockets in the kit.. But after taking a little bit of a break from the hobby sicen New Years and it is my birthday, i decided to gift myself a TF Mk. 10 as well. Since I know it has a torp and bombs (and i can make a Banff Beau later)

 

I had some idea of making a Beau Mk. VI with no stores and see it as escort for Beauforts. But then I decided I wanted a torp or bombs. And that is the question, both were used on Malta?

I heard that the navigator did not like the torp as it blocked his escape hatch? And i can make it with a torp. but I like the idea of bombs and I have never seena  model with them on. Which made it more interesting.  They used 500lb bombs on Malta I presume? Or is my first idea of just cannons (and MGs) and helping the Beauforts or Wellies by suppressing enemy ships´flak more "correct"?

 

Really looking forward to doing this, Dark Earth & Middlestone plus the lovely Azure (?) blue underside.....

[ilj]

Pix of my recent Malta Beaufighter are over at the other site:  https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/hyperscale/viewtopic.php?p=2812730#p2812730

 

Reference pix seemed to show 250# bombs on universal-bomb-carriers, so that is what I went with.  I believe the colours were more likely a modified temperate sea scheme (medium sea gray and dark slate 'gray' over azure blue or light bluish gray), except V T9068 which looks like either non standard blackish brown and dark earth over light bluish gray, or extra-extra dark sea gray and dark 'slate' gray over light bluish gray (based on ac in the colour series posted by the IWM).

 

ilj

[Graham Boak]

I trust you recalled that the Mk.VI had a smaller tailplane than the Mk.X.

 

I'd cast some doubt on the use of Medium Sea Grey on the uppersurface - there are combinations of B+W films/filters that will make EDSG look very light indeed and I suspect that may be what is going on.  It may be possible to judge if the light areas are those which would be EDSG.

[Paramedic]

Looking real nice.. Thanks.

 

I realized I just assumed that the Beaufighters were present on Malata during all of 1942 but I really don´t know much. Should probably read up a bit more.

Probably looking at painting it as on the box though, I made one of Beurling´s Vb Spitfires a few years back and really liked those colours and working with the Gunze paints (both acrylic and laquer). But it is intriguing with the more unique schemes. (I did paint a few Spits in various Dark Slate Grey, Extra Dark Sea grey and all that - like them all).

 

As for the Mk. TF. X, I grew up by the Kattegatt were some of the German sailors from the Banff Wing´s strikes washed ashore.. Even had a Mossie emergency land in my home town. Would be a nice little way to honour those aircrew to make that too, later on (but with rockets)..

[Phoenix44]

11 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

I trust you recalled that the Mk.VI had a smaller tailplane than the Mk.X.

 

I'd cast some doubt on the use of Medium Sea Grey on the uppersurface - there are combinations of B+W films/filters that will make EDSG look very light indeed and I suspect that may be what is going on.  It may be possible to judge if the light areas are those which would be EDSG.

And vice versa - red and orange filters will make blues look darker so always be wary of Azure Blue in b&w photos. They also increase contrast which can lead to errors. Photos often lie!

[ilj]

this thread is a terrific read:

 

 

ilj

[Paramedic]

Nice, thanks!