John Laidlaw Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 As I've had to temporarily put my Supermarine Seafire FR.47 on hold, @TonyOD gave me the go-ahead to bring this into the group build. It was started at the beginning of the New Year and is currently at the painted innards stage. I intend to do it in the kit 217 sqdn scheme, with EDSG/DSG/Night camouflage. I am hoping for a "no surprises" build 😁. The only extras are an Eduard steel photo-etched seatbelt and the Eduard canopy mask set. I mean, what can possibly go wrong with that? 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 ..and with that another worthy subject joins our GB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 Nice one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 If I remember correctly I had problems with the nose glazing alignment, but the biggest difficulty was the ambiguous instructions on the engine/cowling assembly - take great care with that as it is easy to get things mis-aligned. particularly if you have painted them first! Pete 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted January 20, 2023 Author Share Posted January 20, 2023 22 minutes ago, PeterB said: If I remember correctly I had problems with the nose glazing alignment, but the biggest difficulty was the ambiguous instructions on the engine/cowling assembly - take great care with that as it is easy to get things mis-aligned. particularly if you have painted them first! Pete Many thanks for the tips, Pete - very helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 21, 2023 Share Posted January 21, 2023 I think it was Dave aka Rabbit leader who started a build thread when he got the new Beaufort kit - not a GB but WIP. If you dig around you should be able to find his, mine and maybe a few other builds here on the BM forum. It would be a year or so ago I think, not long after it was released. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 12 minutes ago, PeterB said: I think it was Dave aka Rabbit leader who started a build thread when he got the new Beaufort kit - not a GB but WIP. If you dig around you should be able to find his, mine and maybe a few other builds here on the BM forum. It would be a year or so ago I think, not long after it was released. Pete I will look those out, Pete - thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted January 30, 2023 Author Share Posted January 30, 2023 So, finally, some progress. Work, life, blah, blah, blah got in the way, together with cold weather, a small, raggedy black cat, and the first season of Dark Winds. Anyway, this is today's progress: innards in, fettling to get the fuselage fitting nicely-ish, then turret hole, torpedo bay end caps, the wings. Everything is a joy on this kit, even if I don't do it justice in the way that some have. The orange striping is the ink from an alcohol-based marker to show low spots when levelling seams, courtesy of a tip from Spencer Pollard, and totally not my idea. Here are a couple of photos from today's progress. Wings just held in place by art, which shows how good the kit is despite my best efforts. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 Apologies John, just found this thread. Great to see a Beaufort here as they most certainly acquired their fair share of salt whilst operating over the cold and deadly waters up North. I really loved building this kit and engine issues aside (as eluded above) it’s a well designed and fitting model. I acquired two kits and the image below illustrates what can happen to the engine assemblies if you miss the small tabs and idents around with these parts (Note - the bad ones are on the right). I’ve got a set of P & W engines for this second kit, so all is not lost (I hope!). All the best, looks great so far. Cheers.. Dave 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted January 30, 2023 Author Share Posted January 30, 2023 52 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said: Apologies John, just found this thread. Great to see a Beaufort here as they most certainly acquired their fair share of salt whilst operating over the cold and deadly waters up North. I really loved building this kit and engine issues aside (as eluded above) it’s a well designed and fitting model. I acquired two kits and the image below illustrates what can happen to the engine assemblies if you miss the small tabs and idents around with these parts (the bad ones are on the right). I’ve got a set of P & W engines for this second kit, so all is not lost (I hope!). All the best, looks great so far. Cheers.. Dave Many thanks, Dave - I do appreciate the tips on the engines. That is exactly the sort of thing I'd have missed, and it would have been more than a little frustrating. Cheers! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 17 minutes ago, John Laidlaw said: Many thanks, Dave - I do appreciate the tips on the engines. That is exactly the sort of thing I'd have missed, and it would have been more than a little frustrating. Cheers! All good John, I kinda describe it in a little more detail at the top of Page 7 in the WIP thread. Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyOD Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 Coming along lovely! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 Flaps and ailerons on the wings, elevators removed from horizontal stabilisers - most photos I've seen of parked Beauforts show drooped elevators - and everything is just push-fitted into place. Gorgeous kit! I intend to get more examples for the future, as it's just so lovely to build. Anyway, not a huge update, but now work has released my tired old brain for a while I can concentrate on fun stuff again. More soon, I hope. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 I remember the old Airfix Beaufort. How the industry standard for interiors have changed in only sixty years. Only! I'm gettin' old... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Swindell Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 On 04/02/2023 at 10:35, Bertie McBoatface said: I remember the old Airfix Beaufort. How the industry standard for interiors have changed in only sixty years. Only! I'm gettin' old... Airfix haven't done the Beaufort before this kit, the one from the 60's was a Frog kit, but yes, we've come a long way since then! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 28 minutes ago, Dave Swindell said: Airfix haven't done the Beaufort before this kit, the one from the 60's was a Frog kit, but yes, we've come a long way since then! I bow to your superior memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 "Life? Don't talk to me about life!" Back at this after the afore-mentioned life got in the way, again. My least favourite part is attaching canopies, and this has a lot of canopy. However, with patience and Testors Clear Parts Cement, it's on and together. I need to remove obvious chunks of glue, then I'll start masking, my second-least favourite thing. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Good to see that all your work in the cockpit will still be clearly visible John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 4 hours ago, CliffB said: Good to see that all your work in the cockpit will still be clearly visible John It is a glasshouse alright! Very clear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted March 13, 2023 Author Share Posted March 13, 2023 I am determined to keep pushing through with this, so I applied the numerous masks from the Eduard set - it was my first time using one of these, and I was really impressed with the cutting and the tape. There were inevitably bits to trim, either through slight inaccuracies, or me plonking the tape down inaccurately, but it really was quick and easy. I did manage to pop in one of the fuselage portholes that I had obviously not stuck in well enough, but this will be replaced with Kristal Klear when the model is finished. No big deal. I sprayed X-22, thinned with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner, to seal the edges of each pane, then XF-71 mixed with a little X-22 in multiple wet coats. Shiny! However, as you'll see, I did an awful job fitting the canopy parts together. My plan is now to pop them all off when I've finished painting, and reassembling them so they actually fit 😁. At least I'll be able to see the edges this time. More soon - cheers! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 (edited) I had problems with the canopy too - the same small panel on the starboard side as in your pic so maybe it is not as good a fit as it should be. Mine ended up leaning in slightly at the top as I recall due perhaps to a lack of positive location points in the engineering.. I would be inclined to leave it on and run some Krystal Kleer or equivalent into the gap as otherwise the fit looks good. Pete Edited March 13, 2023 by PeterB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted March 13, 2023 Author Share Posted March 13, 2023 52 minutes ago, PeterB said: I had problems with the canopy too - the same small panel on the starboard side as in your pic so maybe it is not as good a fit as it should be. Mine ended up leaning in slightly at the top as I recall due perhaps to a lack of positive location points in the engineering.. I would be inclined to leave it on and run some Krystal Kleer or equivalent into the gap as otherwise the fit looks good. Pete Interesting to hear that, Pete. I'll keep that idea in mind and see how it all looks at the end... I don't want to make more work for myself if I can avoid it 🙂. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 I had an issue with fitting the same transparency parts, too. Unfortunately, I used a more permanent fix and couldn’t correct it. I just photographed it from the other side so it didn’t show! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted March 13, 2023 Author Share Posted March 13, 2023 3 hours ago, Heather Kay said: I had an issue with fitting the same transparency parts, too. Unfortunately, I used a more permanent fix and couldn’t correct it. I just photographed it from the other side so it didn’t show! Depending on how I feel at the end of the build, I may well steal that idea 🙂. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Hope there isn't any gaps that have allowed spray to encroach the canopy interior John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now