1/72 Bristol Beaufort.
This is the new Airfix kit. It continues Airfix' recent record of excellence by packing a lot of detail into a small box. The model features a pretty complete interior that you would expect in a 1/48 kit. In addition to the great detail, it all fits together very well. The only fit issue that I came across involved the small circular windows in the fuselage. I initially thought I screwed them up when I joined the fuselage halves as they set unevenly. After examining a few other builds online, I'm pretty sure they just don't fit flush. I removed them and used Testors canopy cement to make new ones.
I built the kit out of the box, only adding seatbelts cut from Tamiya tape and painted. Camouflage paints are Xtracolor Extra Dark Sea Grey , Humbrol 22 black and 102 green. The decals are nice glossy, Cartograf items that set down well. Use care when applying the fuselage codes because they have very little carrier film. This was an enjoyable project for me. Another one done.
I included a group photo of the model with Airfix' Blenheim and Beaufighter for comparison purposes. If you're interested in the construction process, I ran a build log on the Aircraft in progress page. Happy modeling!
Now there's something to write home about. John, a real strong build of British classic that has gotten the short end of the modeling stick until now. Cockpit glazing and nose is top notched and the weathering is stated but, not over done. Over all impressive. Green with envy. A must have kit.
Two thumbs up.
Very nice! Another one of them "inspirational" models. As in, inspires me to do something with mine.
Outstanding build in all respects, John. I love the FAA colors on this one. As I said in the GB, this could easily be mistaken for 1/48. The glazing came out looking really sharp and precise with a nice clean vies of the interior. I like the paint wear and weathering in general, very subtle yet appropriately well-worn in maritime operational conditions
Thanks, guys. I just realized I missed removing a small mask on the right side of the nose, LOL. Here it is with all masking removed. I did that on one of my Whitleys too but didn’t notice it for months.
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
Amazing! All three kits, to be honest.
Thanks, Felix. Me and Airfix like our Bristols.
Super build of what looks to be a great new kit. I love the subtle weathering and your group shot with the Blenheim and Beaufighter.
Thanks, Andrew!
'Beau'-ty build John, on all three kits!
Loosely followed the build in the 'WIP' group and the kit looks amazing, you did this kit justice!
Thanks, George. I didn’t build 1/72 for years but Airfix lured me back.
Really nice work John. It looks we are going to get a 1/48 kit by ICM. I may have to get one.
Thanks, Dale! I saw that news about ICM. That should be impressive based on their recent kits.
Great looking Beaufort. Really like the way you did the weathering.
Thanks, Haslam!
Amazing build, John! You did an excellent job allover, painting and weathering just superb! Thanks for the info on the kit.
Your build thread was great, a joy to follow.
Thanks, Spiros!
Fantastic work, John @j-healy
Everything on this build is done with so much exactness.
I really liked following your thread, thanks for sharing the progress of this build.
The last picture showing the three together, is very nice.
Thanks, John! It was a very enjoyable kit.
I'm impressed! Great model!
Thank you, Lis!
Great job on your build, it looks great! Nice to see all three models together, great work on all of them.
Thanks, Bob!
Great work John - love the photo of the trio!
Great work John - Like to see the trio all together!
Thanks, David. Airfix has really done a nice job covering the twin engine Bristols.
Looks great John. You gotta love the new kits Airfix is putting out these days!
Thanks, Eric!
A real beauty! And WOW - lucky me - I just realized I don't have a Beaufort in my stash, so know I have a good excuse (and motivation) to snag one of these new Airfix kits... I like the weathering on this - nicely finished!
Thanks, Greg! If you see one of these, grab it. They’re really hard to find here in the US.
Like!
A fine balance of finished paint and weathering, lovely results. How you can do this in Braille Scale is beyond me I don't seem to be able to see that well anymore