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SAAF Bristol Beaufighter

Started by Morne Meyer · 71 ≡ · ↻ 6 years ago

Viewing 61 - 71 of 71 posts

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Morne Meyer said 6 years, 5 months ago:

Thank you PK. This is greatly appreciated. Towards the end of the war the SAAF operated extensively over Yugoslavia in support of General Tito's partisan army. Interesting to note how many different nationalities joined the SS as collaborators. Even South Africans and some British joined the SS to fight on the side of the Nazi's. WW II was a war that truly had a global reach and changed the world forever.
Morne Meyer said 6 years, 5 months ago:

PK. In the one photo I see the name of one of the pilots being Schonfeld. He was a photographer by trade and the one that suggested putting a gun camera in the nose of the Beaufighter. He was also the pilot that took the famous photo of Steve Stevens' dive attack.
Louis Gardner said 6 years, 5 months ago:

After noticing your posting Morne, I pulled out the Squadron "In Action" book I have on the Beaufighter. I saw the photo of Stephens dive attack, and it looks like it could be very similar to the photos PK posted. I was going to post it here, but I noticed you already have back on page 3.

Good to see you back at it again. I understand how other things can keep you from this build.

Your details on the tail wheel area of the fuselage are inspiring...
Morne Meyer said 6 years, 5 months ago:

Thanks Louis. Hope to get more bench time this weekend. I often wonder, especially seeing the photos that PK posted, how accurate those rockets were and how many innocent civilians died in those attacks on a village containing embedded enemy troops. Steve Stevens noted in an interview ,that I saw on Youtube, that some pilots were very skilled at hitting their targets which to me suggests that some might not have been! However, such is the nature of war... the innocent casualties of war don't always factor into the military equation, as long as the military objectives were reached. The SAAF operated on intelligence gathered in the field by Tito's partisan forces. Without their heroic actions most of the SAAF missions over Yugoslavia would not have been successful.
Morne Meyer said 6 years, 5 months ago:

An area of the Tamiya Beaufighter that lacks detail is the landing gear. The Beau had a strong landing gear that is well presented in the kit, but Tamiya has left out lots of detail. I have decided to detail the gear with plasticard and Styrene bits and pieces. All plumbing will be copper wire. It is a time consuming process but looks very realitic.
3 attached images. Click to enlarge.
david leigh-smith said 6 years, 5 months ago:

Seriously, Morne, you are one of the few modelers who, when I see your build thread, I just itch to get at the bench and make something. Thanks.
Morne Meyer said 6 years, 5 months ago:

Thanks for the compliment!
Morne Meyer said 6 years, 5 months ago:

Just a short update on the Beaufighter undercarriage. I have added pieces of Evergreen plasticard and fashioned hydraulic plumbing from copper wire and joined it in a T-shape with pieces of removed insulation from insulated copper wire. The copper wire will be glued in place and fastened with Tamiya tape or foil strips.
2 attached images. Click to enlarge.
david leigh-smith said 6 years, 5 months ago:

I swear, Morne, you must have a team of nanobots working on this detail. Thanks for sharing this in such detail (literally) and helping me raise my own standards.
Morne Meyer said 6 years, 5 months ago:

Thanks David. I will include more detailed shots once I finished installing the plumbing.
Morne Meyer said 6 years, 5 months ago:

I managed to finish the undercarriage. Plumbing was fashioned from copper wire. Evergreen bits and pieces were used to add more detail to the landing gear.
6 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Viewing 61 - 71 of 71 posts

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SAAF Bristol Beaufighter