Bristol Beaufighter TF. X
Here's my version of the 1/72 Airfix Bristol Beaufighter TF. X. As most builders seem to, I chose to depict NE829, flown by No.144 Squadron from RAF Banff in Aberdeenshire.
Built straight from the box, this is a great little kit, with a fit good enough to negate the use of (almost) any putty . The engineering is - as with a lot of the newer 1/72 Airfix kits - clever enough to make simple constructions out of complicated forms. It's been noted that the 3-part engine cowls are the least satisfying aspect of the kit, but the seams either line up with colour transitions or are covered by the exhaust or supercharger air intake - a nice detail, I thought.
Although 1/72 isn't my preferred scale, I was attracted to the rugged look of the Beau, with the big Popeye forearms of the Hercules engines and the rather worn look it had in most of the source photos I found. Using Tamiya paints throughout, I experimented with the layering of greys to break up the largely monochrome scheme.
I want to be like @timtozer231 when I grow up.
Seriously, Tim, this is a remarkable work of art, and even more so in 1/72. I absolutely love the Beaufighter, and the torpedo bomber version especially. Everything--color scheme, invasion stripes, weathering. Immaculate. Well done.
Here,here!
Very, very nicely done indeed, sir.
Excellent work. Give you a lot of credit working this well in 1:72
An absolute beauty! Congratulations!
One of my WWII favorites very well done!
Congrats!
I really like that you built her as a flying aircraft. It brings out the lines of the lines of the plane and makes it clear what she is built to do.
Thanks very much, everyone. The support is really appreciated!
A real beauty - I especially like the result you got on the upper surface - excellent paint and weathering work! Well done.
Nice to see an ‘in flight’ model. This Beau is very nice; it’s not easy to get that weathering right in 72nd scale - takes a mixture of technique and artistry that most don’t have. This is lovely.
Very, very well done.
‘Liked’
Thanks so much for the kind comments! Yes, it just seemed like a more exciting plane in-flight, so I couldn't resist.
Excellent work,looks great!
How wonderful work! All I can say thank you for inspiration!
Beautiful!