On Heather's Workbench - kicking up a storm, the Airfix Bristol Beaufort

[dogsbody]

Looking great, Heather!

 

I wish Airfix had included the folding seat back beside the pilot's seat. It would have added a little visual detail.

 

Photo is from @Carl V and is in an older posting about Beauforts

 

 

 

That Beaufort posting is here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[PattheCat]

A bit late to the show but appreciating what is already on display.

Nice work on the interior.

[Heather Kay]

10 hours ago, dogsbody said:

I wish Airfix had included the folding seat back beside the pilot's seat. It would have added a little visual detail.

Thanks Chris. You’re right that Airfix have missed some details out. Almost every internal image I’ve seen shows the pilot seat with padding, but we get a bare bones metal one. The wireless op's seat, though, is moulded with padding. There’s also no intimation of a bomb sight or similar mechanism, which you’d think would be fairly prominent in the nose glazing.

 

Anyway, with your timely intervention I shall see about confecting a folding seat from scraps.

[Graham Boak]

Bombsights are a curious omission from many bomber kits, and perhaps also a surprising omission from the aftermarket?  if anyone knows otherwise, please join the discussion.  They are about the same size as a machine gun, and they as common enough.  Perhaps we could also add brake lines?

[Heather Kay]

37 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

and perhaps also a surprising omission from the aftermarket?

Eduard provided one for their Whitley detail set, so not entirely ignored. Charitably, one could argue such delicate equipment was often removed from aircraft between missions, and probably doesn’t feature in preserved aircraft and so could be missed by kit designers.

 

I have references that show what I think is the sight from behind. If I could get clear images from in front, I could have a stab at something that looks about right behind the glazing.

 

As for brake lines, I agree, but not too difficult to add if one is so inclined. 
 

 

[AdrianMF]

I looked at loads of pictures when I was making my pre-Airfix Frankenbeaufort and I don’t recall seeing a single bombsight or torpedo aiming device. Considering that both the Swordfish and Albacore had large externally mounted arrays of “Fairey Lights”* for torpedo aiming that is indeed quite strange when I think about it.

 

The 1/72 Blenheim has a rather chunky bomb sight in it. And @Dunny’s 1/48 build has a picture of a folded up Mk IX bombsight.
 

Regards,

Adrian

 

* sorry, couldn’t resist…

[Heather Kay]

27 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

The 1/72 Blenheim has a rather chunky bomb sight in it.

Ah, I wonder if I have a spare in the Bits Box. I’ve built three Blenheims, and only one was a bomber…

 

 

*some time later*

 

Ah, of course. Not identifying what the blobby things was, it was gaily added to each build regardless of whether it was needed or not. Nothing in the Bits Box. I might just leave it out.

[AdrianMF]

56 minutes ago, Heather Kay said:

Ah, of course

Even if it had the power, you wouldn’t be able to have a fighter bomber Blenheim because the gun pack rather blocks the gun bay…

[Graham Boak]

There remains the tiny bays in the inner wing.  Just being picky.

[Heather Kay]

Further study of the folding seat seems to indicate Airfix have designed and moulded theirs in the folded down position, with the metal tray-like back acting as a step for moving about the plane. I have made an executive decision, because I’m a lazy modeller at the best of times, to accept that and carry on. Equally, no bomb sight will be in sight, though I will be installing the torpedo. Ready to seek a German cruiser, or just a practice fish? To be decided.

 

One more internal bulkhead, navigator's desk, and some bits around the tail wheel bay, and the two halves were mated.

 

The turret insert pretty much clicked into place. It’s not a perfect fit, but much better than some kits I’ve built over the years! The blue marking shows two errant handholds that appeared on the starboard side. They will be filled.

 

 

Here’s the insert from the other side. The fit right at the back just needs a drop of filler, and a little light sanding overall. At this point, I haven’t even cleaned up the fuselage seams, which shows how good the fit is.

 

I’ve been looking at Beaufort photos and this kit for ages, and I am today years old when I realised the torpedo slot is not on the centreline.  The main bay has two bulkhead detail pieces that are an incredibly good fit. In fact, I found I had to chamfer the upper rear edges so I could locate them in the spaces provided.

 

Once the cement has hardened, I shall tidy seams, fill odd gaps and make good paint damage. Then, time for the wings.

[AdrianMF]

looking good (and quick).

 

59 minutes ago, Heather Kay said:

not on the centreline

The pilot’s seat is offset to the left and pretty much riding the torpedo. The big drop to the right of the pilot station is the edge of the tunnel.

1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

tiny bays

Never knew that. And they had those tiny racks under the fuselage too. Every day’s a school day!

Regards,

Adrian

[Heather Kay]

23 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

looking good (and quick).

I think this kit would make a nice leisurely bank holiday weekend build. It hasn’t presented - yet, at least - any dramas, and almost literally falls together.

[dogsbody]

Some Beaufort bombsight intel.

 

When on a mission, but not in use, it appears that the sight could be moved over and stored under the navigator's table.

 

 

 

 

When in use, it was swung out into position. This image is from the book Bristol Beaufort Special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[AdrianMF]

3 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

This image

Is that a crew member using the rear-firing gun?

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

Heather, sorry for thread drift/pollution. Last one, I promise!

[dogsbody]

1 minute ago, AdrianMF said:

Is that a crew member using the rear-firing gun?

 

Oh! It could be. The caption didn't mention that and I was only looking at the sight.

 

 

 

Chris

[jackroadkill]

3 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

and almost literally falls together.

 

That's what I found when I built this lovely kit.  The only thing that I had to do any engineering with was cutting off the turret seat / footrest to allow the turret to fit in, and this may only have been because I insisted on fitting the turret right at the end of the build.

[Heather Kay]

I couldn’t resist a final session today. With the fuselage buttoned up, the wings and tail parts were only a short step away.

 

 

 

The wings slide neatly over the spars to end up nice and flush with the wing root. I ran Revell Contacta along the spars, and followed up with some MEK liquid cement along the roots. The flaps and ailerons fit nicely, with the chance the latter could be positioned slightly if desired. The rudder is also positionable, but the elevators are not without some surgery. I’ve opted for straight ahead on all points.

 

With the flying surfaces all done, this is a good time to retire the build to the shelf for a bit while real world stuff and paying jobs come back to the fore. The next stages are a bit more fiddly, being the engines and undercarriage, and I would like a clear run at those.

 

Not a bad weekend's work all told. Thanks for playing along. 

[Heather Kay]

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since my last post here. I’ve been attempting to concentrate on paying work, with the usual lack of success. Oh, and we spent a weekend away so we could attend SMW '22 at Telford. Anyway, despite not getting much proper work done, and finding Mrs Mojo had left the building for a good while, I stuck the Beaufort and box squarely in the middle of the bench as an incentive to getting some more progress done.

 

Reviewing where I’d got do revealed I had rather rushed at fitting the wings. These are slightly complex multi-part jobs, with separate ailerons and flaps, and in my haste I hadn’t spent any effort at all in getting the latter aligned neatly. The trailing edges were also a bit chunky. My first job was to get the Big File out and attempt to thin things down a bit. Most of the engraved detail remained unharmed, although a bit of rescribing here and there was needed. While I was doing that I noticed the flaps were not flush on the upper wing, so dry marker and sanding ensued. It’s still not perfect, but it’s a lot better than where I started. I also spent a while reviewing the various seams and joint lines around the airframe. 
 

By rights, the next job should have been starting the undercarriage and engine nacelles.

 

 

 

However, with half an eye on painting the thing, I felt it made some kind of sense to fit the various wing transparencies. A blob or two of Molotow Chrome was applied to the landing lights, followed by the leading edge clear parts. I drilled out tiny indents in the navigation light clear parts and dropped red and green paint into them, then stuck those in place. If I’m awake, I will remember to mask these before painting kicks off.

 

Ah, yes, painting. I’ve been vacillating a lot over this part of the job. I still rather fancy doing an early plane, with the aluminium underside and standard brown/green camouflage, plus the early markings in all the usual places. With such a simple scheme, I really can’t be bothered with airbrushing. However, I really should create paint masks for the markings - I have the technology, after all. This could be done with the hairy stick, but the markings need to be applied and masked again before any camo work begins.

 

As usual, having to figure out the logistics has rather caused my brain cell to trip a breaker. The best thing is to probably plod on with the construction process until I can’t leave the painting any longer!

[Pete in Lincs]

Welcome back, Heather. Erm, Paying work = Moolah which = more kits! Shame we can't bulk buy Mojo though.

Some nice details there.

1 hour ago, Heather Kay said:

As usual, having to figure out the logistics has rather caused my brain cell to trip a breaker

It's Sunday afternoon. Have a lie down.

[Brandy]

Good to see this back on the bench, even though it isn't a French "ugly duckling". I'm sure there are more of those to come!

 

Ian 

[Heather Kay]

11 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Erm, Paying work = Moolah which = more kits!

Right now, sadly, paying work = moolah which = replacement fridge freezer. Still, the one that’s broken was passed on to us by a friend, so it was only a matter of time before it croaked.

 

3 minutes ago, Brandy said:

Good to see this back on the bench, even though it isn't a French "ugly duckling". I'm sure there are more of those to come!

Oh, yes, indeed. I have a tentative build schedule worked out. Bomber Command ought to be my focus for 2023, with a side order of Coastal Command to make up the numbers. Unfortunately, most of the CC aircraft are ancient kits that will need a fair amount of work to bring up to the standard I’d like, so realistically that’s for 2024. There’s a few oddball transport aircraft I would like to get my teeth into, as well. So, unless I change my mind, it doesn’t look like the French Fuglies will get a look in until 2025.

 

And between all that, earning the moolah and coping with the spanners Life insists on throwing my way.

[Pete in Lincs]

2 minutes ago, Heather Kay said:

And between all that, earning the moolah and coping with the spanners Life insists on throwing my way.

Darn those spanners. And kitchen appliances. Ah well, I'm sure you've been good, so there's always Santa....

[Heather Kay]

As we had some Life stuff this morning, which took rather more out of me than I expected, I used it as an excuse for Beaufort fettling.

 

 

I worked through the steps to make up the upper parts of the main undercarriage, and the engine nacelles. As expected, it all fitted together neatly and with minimal fuss. This really is an enjoyable kit. While the nacelles didn’t need help, I added spring clips just to make sure. Does anyone know the terminal velocity of those little blue pads? A clip slipped out of my grip and one of the pads must have gone into orbit because there’s no sign of it anywhere round the bench!

 

 

I suppose I could do some weathering in the wheel bays, but it’s not really going to be seen. I think I’m aiming for a fairly new airframe, rather than a really well-worn warhorse.

 

The final step of this session was to fit the two-part intakes on top of the nacelles. Despite a generally neat fit, the nacelles had a bit of wide gap over the front top area. I think the join is intended to represent a panel line, but I bunged some filler in to just smooth it all out because one side ended up slightly gappier than the other.

 

I have decided to paint the model in the Coastal Command camouflage and markings from about 1938 until the middle of 1940. The aluminium underside appeals, and the three-colour roundels all over and lack of fin flashes makes for an interesting talking point I think.

[Navy Bird]

Great progress! And a really good choice for the camo and markings!     👍

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Heather Kay]

1 hour ago, Navy Bird said:

Great progress! And a really good choice for the camo and markings!     👍

Cheers Bill.

 

I have decided to recreate a 22 Squadron plane, OA-H L4449, flying from Thorney Island in January 1940. I have a colour profile of that plane, plus a period photo of OA-G which matches the markings and camouflage pattern pretty well.