Revell 1/48 Bristol Beaufighter – under US$40.00, free shipping from UK, arrived in a week
For fellow Americans who have been tearing their hair trying to track down the new Revell Beaufighter, there are several sellers on eBay with prices under US$40.00 (got this one for $37.50) including FREE SHIPPING from the UK! This one just arrived 20 minutes ago, a week after ordering.
The hoorah is true. It beats the socks off the Tamiya Beaufighter 50 ways from Sunday.
Full (and accurate) interior (unlike Tamiya). All control surfaces separate (unlike Tamiya). Droppable flaps. Very detailed landing gear and gear bays. Early and late horizontal stabilizers and elevators, early and late vertical fin (extended dorsal fin). Extremely nice and fine surface detail with engraved panels.
UPDATE:
DO NOT BUILD THE LANDING GEAR ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS. The landing gear as designed is actually too big for the opening, and if you assemble it as instructed, it will eventually explode from the pressure of being pushed in all the wrong place by being squeezed between the two sides of the wheel well. Rather,do not attach the wheel well assembly before attaching the completec landing gear to it. Then insert it in the space inside the nacelle ONLY TO THE POINT THINGS GET TIGHT. That will also deal with the fact the gear is a bit too long, being designed at full extension you would only see from the gear down in flight. Everything will look fine if you do that, and all the rest that is good about this kit will really make you like it.
Also, as of December 2019, the kit is available in the US following Revell's reorganization from bankruptcy.
Revell has announced a new Beaufighter 1 with the small, "flat" horizontal stabilizers for 2020.
This release can only be made as a TF X, because the (separate) clear perspex for the navigator is TF X, but the fact it's a separate sprue from the rest of the clear parts, and the "arrowhead" radar antenna being on a sprue, means that a Mk. VI will come, and with the completely separate one piece horizontal stab, a Mk.I is not impossible.
Very nice decals for a full D-Day striped early TF X "Torbeau" of 489 (NZ) Squadron at Langham, June 1944, and a late version of 254 Squadron at North Coates, May 1945 (might be from a post-war photo, which is why it has no rockets).
Drawback: the late version doesn't have rockets, which photos show the particular airplane did carry on operations. Only external ordnance is the torpedo. I can live with that.
Overall assessment: a great bargain, and a real advance in what you get.
We are truly living in a golden age of plastic modelling.
I'd like this kit too, can we pretty please count on a TC full build review soon? Just a suggestion 🙂
Yeah, it's definitely flown to the top of the to-do pile.
How's Telford?
I've assembled the wing sub-assembly. The multi-part gear wells are a bit fiddly, but everything fits real nice.
"...It beats the socks off the Tamiya Beaufighter 50 ways from Sunday..." - ?!
Now that I gotta see - I wouldn't EVER bet on anything from Revell besting Tamiya. 🙁
far more detail. great fit. More options.
I bought two from I believe the same vendor on Ebay. The first arrived in a week and I never got the second one. However, they sent me a replacement and no questions asked. So I recommend them if you do Ebay.
It is much nicer than Tamiya's Beau as many are saying. Nicer interior and much more detailed engines and wheels wells. My only beef it that the wheels are not that great. I am sure they will release it as a night fighter and with rockets at a later date.
Regarding the Tamiya kit my gut feeling for years is that they rushed to release it to beat the competition. Some may recall that Accurate Miniatures announced a Beau series which they cancelled after Tamiya issued their kit. That was a great disappointment to me as I provided AM with reference material and would have received a free kit.
So all if you like the Beau get one!
Yeah, Tamiya rushed their Beaufighter specifically to cancel the Accurate Miniatures release after negotiations broke down for them to take over distribution in Japan of A-M kits (this "from the horse's mouth"). Your material helped, that was going to be a good kit.
I actually wonder at the provenance of the design material for this kit. Maybe...
I bought the kit too. It arrived about five weeks ago although, it came snail mail (two weeks). Everything TC is listing is spot on given the price and the availability in the states ... it ain't here. My guess with the sale of Revell to German buyers and finding new wholesaler's in the states...the Europeans get 1st dibs. Unless your a smart Englishmen who know the weakness of anglophiles in the states. Two thumbs up
Sorry. Friday night after a long week and a have a few Beams in me. Where's the link? I wan't to order. Where can I get this, now, for $40 and free shipping?
Go to eBay and type in "Revell 1/48 Beaufighter" and then shop the sites that come up for the best price. They'll say whether they do free shipping to US.
Thanks Tom! Although I just realized I have the Tamiya kit. Dilemma time...
See them everywhere here. You can’t walk down the street for tripping over Beaufighters LoL
It seems airfix and revell are now reaching the level of tamiya and eduard on some of their new models.