Letās see what Iāve gotten myself into with this project.
As with most airplane model kits of this vintage, this one has raised panel lines. Iāve seen some discussion on the merits of raised versus recessed panel lines and how itās possible to still achieve a good result with the former. However, I foresee liberal use of filler to cover-up poor joints, so the raised panel lines just arenāt going to hack it. The next decision is should I score new panel lines and, if so, to what extent?
Looking at videos and pictures of actual Beaufighter walk-arounds, it appears these planes did not have prominent joints where aluminum panels met. Except for wing and, perhaps, empennage fillets, here appears to be few, if any, overlap joints as well. There certainly are joints around hatches and other access ports (wing gun bays, etc.) that will require carving lines into the plastic and, perhaps, some panel line wash or chipping to accentuate usage around these openings. But I donāt see going ācrazyā with highlighting every single joint in the airframe skin.
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A similar situation exists with rivets. The walkarounds show that rivets are not a prominent feature of the Beaufighterās skin. There are areas that do have rather prominent rivets, such as the pilot and observer canopy framing, around the cannon openings, and some fillets. I should get by with adding rivets sparingly where theyāre seen in the walk-arounds. Like many planes of its era, the Beaufighterās skin is festooned with rivets, but it theyāve been ground down to the point where they appear as dimples when the angle of illumination is just right. Furthermore, the flat paint cuts down on reflection that would otherwise accentuate the presence of rivets. So, I think I can get by with a reasonable amount of riveting.
My strategy for handling the Beaufighterās skin is to first determine where all (or, at least, as many as possible) access ports/hatches/covers and overlapping joints are located and etch them into the plastic. Next, Iāll sand down all the existing molded raised panel lines. Depending upon which direction Iām taking, I may cut out some panels. For example, if I decide to display the breeches and ammo belts of the .30 cal wing guns, Iāll cut away that panel from the upper wing surface. Unless I can get my hands on an affordable 1/32 scale copy of a Hispano Suiza 20 mm cannon, I donāt think I will be doing the same for the belly of the beast.
Getting back to the kit itself, this is a limited production Beaufighter Mk 1F Revell/Lodela run that, according to ScaleMates, was released in the 1990s. Included in the kit are additional parts to build a Mk TF.X Costal Command āTorbeauā or a Mk VIF night fighter flown in Italy by the USAAF. Decals are provided for any one of these versions.
Also included are vacuum-formed parts for:
-Replacement horizontal stabilizers with the appropriate dihedral for the later Beau models. Note that these parts have recessed panel lines that would probably be 4-5 inches wide on the actual aircraft.
- Replacement supercharger scoops (tropical?)
- Parts for the distinctive āthimbleā radome
- Parts for a torpedo. Note that the kit does not include a propeller, stabilizing fins, mounting brackets, nor the plywood contraption that was found attached to the aft end of the torpedo that ensured it hit the water correctly when dropped and then broke off. Thatās left up to the modeler to supply.
There are also replacement clear parts for the pilot and observer/gunnerās canopies. Neither has much, if any, surface detailing. However, it may be possible to create the necessary canopy framing with some thin styrene sheet. Note that the observerās canopy is shaped like the ones sporting the .30 caliber rear-facing gun.
Also included in the kit are photo-etched parts for upgrading the rather pathetic OOB (out of the box) cockpit (but nothing for the observerās station). The PE sheet indicates it was made by Eduard. Thereās also printed instrument panel sheet to use with the PE.
It looks like I have some relatively decent material to work with.
Since the kit has come out, there has been a few additional aftermarket parts that are now available to enhance the model. These include:
- Model Monkey pilotās cockpit
- Model Monkey observerās station
- Porcupine exhausts
- Replacement Bristol Hercules engines
- Torpedo (resin, looks better than the vacu-formed torpedo)
- HVAR rockets
- 3D printed horizontal stabilizers
- Decals, since I would really like to build a RNZAF Costal Command Torbeau or Rockbeau
The cost of all these parts could easily pay for a 1/32 Tamiya Mosquito model, so Iām going to have to be judicious in my purchases. My strategy is the following:
Iām going all in on the Model Monkey pilotās cockpit.
I would really like to display the model with the pilot access open, which nixes the torpedo. As I understand it, Costal Command Beaus (Beaux?) were equipped with either rockets or a torpedo and they did not mix these weapons on individual aircraft. This will save me time in trying to fabricate the missing torpedo parts (or, if I goof that up, having to spring for an aftermarket torpedo).
Iām also going all-in on the porcupine exhausts. I donāt think the drinking straw approach is going to yield a good result this time (as if it did the first time).
Vector makes replacement Hercules engines, but they are 1) very expensive, and 2) manufactured by a Russian company. I think the existing engines in the kit are good enough for my purposes, so Iāll stick with them.
Iāll by a set of aftermarket HVAR rockets since it looks like Iāll be making a Rockbeau.
Iām going to wait and see about the Model Monkey observerās station. It looks great, but most of it will probably be invisible once the fuselage goes together. Maybe if I display the model with the observer canopy open, more of the interior will be seen and it will be worth it. Otherwise, it could be a matter of leaving the observer's canopy closed and fabricating a seat and some details around it and calling it a day.
So there you have it for now.