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


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On 02/01/2023 at 20:10, Heather Kay said:

Base camo on, then markings may be better

That has certainly been my experience so far, although I have not tried markings first...

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On 02/01/2023 at 11:19, Jay Gee said:

I have cut some stencils for a BPF Hellcat on an A4 sheet of Tamiya tape, but the 8" serial numbers were too small for the machine/masking tape combo and just ended up in a mess of ripped up tape. 

JG - I use Oramask 810 (on recommendation) on my Portrait 3 and have successfully cut 8" serials. Apologies for the thread hijack Heather but I thought it might be for the greater good,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

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14 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

My word, that nose is clear. You can actually see inside.

 

The look of the glazing is pretty fundamental to the final finish on this one and you’ve done an impressive job there, Heather.  Lovely.

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As a newbie (or at least a "returner" after 30+yrs), I am in awe of what is achieved here.  Looks superb IMHO.  Frightens the life out of me😬 for ever trying my hand at a model again!    But I'm thoroughly enjoying living vicariously through Heather and others at the mo...........    Great stuff.

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7 hours ago, Zephyr91 said:

Frightens the life out of me😬


Oh, I hope not. I went off piste with this build, because that’s what I wanted do. I could have easily just built the Beaufort using the kit transfers and it would have been just fine. If you build it following the instructions, using the materials in the box, you’ll get a lovely model. Acquire some basic tools (sprue cutters, Xacto or Swann Morton modelling knives, fine files, tweezers, sanding sticks and some filler and glue), take your time and enjoy the process. You don’t even need an airbrush: I was going to brush paint my Beaufort, but changed mid-stream because all the gear was out to paint the markings.

 

Aside from fiddling with the torpedo and the trolley (spare from a previous Swordfish build), the Beaufort is now finished. Unweathered, but finished. I shall clear the bench and get the camera stuff out for some posh photos.

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Back after my holiday up north and catching up on a number of builds. This one has certainly come along superbly and I agree that canopy end result is something else. Looking forward to seeing the RFI.

 

Terry

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5 hours ago, HAMP man said:

does this mean bogies bogies bogies?

😂

 

*comedy sound FX of boots running away very fast*

 

Seriously, I'm afraid it does. I've got a lot cosmetic detail to glue on the blighters bogies. It's going to take a-a-a-a-g-g-e-s.

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I think I would not be able to reconcile a paying job with a hobby, when they were one and the same. A #10 blade can penerate a fair distance into a stud wall.

Headwear duly doffed.

 

Torp and trolly eagerly awaited

 

Box on

 

Strickers

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RFI ahoy!

 

Thanks for following along, and to Dave @Rabbit Leader and Chris @dogsbody for their help with research and so on, and to Adrian @AdrianMF for working over the old Frog Beaufort that kicked Airfix into making the new kit!

 

What's next? I haven't decided yet. I have a lot to choose from.

 

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  • 1 month later...

A quick thread resurrection because I plucked up the courage (and magnification) to rig the torpedo with the handling ropes.

 

MkXII air drop torpedo (practice)

 

Various historical images show air-drop torpedoes being handled and loaded. What's fun is a specially-designed telescopic trolley was created to wheel the weapon about and raise it into the belly of an aircraft, but no obvious method of securing it to the trolley, and with a complete lack of grab rails or hand rails to help with manoeuvring the half-tonne monster. Instead, hemp ropes were used to balance the torpedo in the cradles, with loops made that slipped over either end, then tied off to the trolley itself. Gravity, presumably, did the rest.

 

I found some polyester thread of a more or less hemp colour (saves painting it), and spent a happy half hour fiddling about with tweezers to "tie" it off. The loose end which appears to be used as an ad hoc steering rope from the nose of the torpedo has been "draped" along the cradle. It’s impossible to get thread to hang like real rope at this scale. I wonder how boat builders manage their rigging at even smaller scales. The air rudder, which was a wooden assembly, seems to have generally been left off the torpedo until it was safely secured to the aircraft. One day, I’ll find suitable figures to make the little vignette for the Beaufort and torpedo, but until then this crude photo will do.

 

:like:

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40 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

I hope they didn't use that contraption on pitching aircraft carrier decks!


I hadn’t thought of that! The same thing was used by the RN/FAA so it’s possible.

 

I remembered I hadn’t weathered the Beaufort. I plugged the wing Browning and painted a brick red patch over it, and applied some judicious weathering powders for a little exhaust streaking and panel picking-out.

 

No piccies, because it probably won’t show anyway!

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4 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Glad to see it back on track. I hope they didn't use that contraption on pitching aircraft carrier decks!

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

Apparently, they did.

 

52670819366_d83d73ba6a_b.jpg

 

 

 

 

Chris

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