Aussie Mk21 Beaufighter

Rick:

The TF X kit has the antennas, but the instructions just dont show where they go, since they aren't used on the TF X. The two loop antennas are on the same tree as the fuslelage halves, near the right fuselage half. There are four holes in the upper fuselage behind the cockpit that have to be opened up for mounting the antennas and bubble. The Mk. VI kit instructions show all of this. I noticed that the kit also includes the Sperry autopilot fairing that goes in front of the windshield, as well as the long carbeurator air scoops. I read that the Mk. 21 had four 50 caliber guns in the wings rather than the usual eight six .303's. Head-on photos of Mk. 21's I have seen appear to have all six gun ports in the wing though. The line drawing in the Squadron book shows only two gun ports in the right wing, however. It would appear that all the goodies necessary to do a Mk. 21 are included in the TF X kit.

Jim

Yessiree, Colonel Chaos, the Mk X should have everything in it to make a XXI. Although I dunno about the engines. Hmmm...

Fade to Black...

Blackwolf:

You could be right about the engines. I know the Mk. 10 used the Hercules XVII while the Mk. 21 used the Hercules VIII. I don't know enough about the Hercules engine line to know if there are any glaring external differences between the XVII and the VIII. The Aussies even fit a Mk. 1C with Wright Cyclones to test the feasability of using them in case there was a Hercules shortage. I have even thought about doing a Mk. 21 myself - overall dark green ! Easier to paint !
I built one of Frog's 1/72nd scale Mk. 21's years and years ago.

Speaking of Beaufighters, I know that Israel had a few of them. I have seen a very fuzzy photo of one of them. Anybody out there seen any good, clear photos of one ?

Jim

Hi, I'm currently making a 489 RNZAF sqn TFX. My best suggestion would be the sam publication modellers datafile 6, The Bristol Beaufighter.

Its a very well detailed book that covers the Beau in depth. From the listing for the various Hercules engines it says that the TFX, MXIc and Mk21 all used the Hercules XVIII (At some time or another).

As far as the external differences go, it certainly has the Auto pilot in front of the cockpit windscreen, the early production DAP Mk 21 carried standard 2X4 wing mounted weoponry. the late production had the 2X2 wing mounted .5in machine guns.

As far as photos go, the book has a huge number of colour photos of a restoration project at Duxford, a TFX at Hendon, and a TFX in Ottawa Canada.

Hope I've been of some help.

Cheers

i recently (!) built the Frog 1:72 Aussie mk21 as an IF, first time with stretched sprue for the 5 antenna to the front but didnt manage the port and starboard rigging from the fuselage to tail tho, looks nice and menacing in black with silver details but the build fit was dreadfull. SMAKR reveiw site has some 1:48 Aussie Beu's i think - ( home for the owner )

Royden:

Thanks for the tip on the Beau publication. The only info on the Beau that I currently have is the Squadron book.

MIgs:

I know what you mean about the fit on that old Frog kit !

I can't remember where, but I did see a photo of a dorsal-finned TF X in RAF SEA markings, i.e. two-toned blue roundels and white stripes on wings and tail. Could not tell if the camo was green/gray or green/brown. Anybody else out there ever seen anything similar ?

Jim

Guys,

Thanks for the info. Prior to reading your responses, I found & bought the SAM Beau book. Found out that the Squad book has been OOP. Meteor Productions has the Hercules engine upgrade.

Jim, I Believe the SAM book shows a color profile of a SEAC & Israeli version.

Rick

Rick:

Just discovered another apparent small difference in the Mk 21. Mk 21's did not have two navigation lights on each wing tip, only one - that being in the front of the wing tip. You would just fill, sand, and paint over the rear lights.

Jim

Hey! Generally the Mk21 (foreign production) was built in Melbourne at Fishermans Bend - it often had the frameless cupola for the observer. The Hercules XVlli engines weren't visually much different than the Vll - the main glaring omission in the engines of kits are the missing exhausts stacks that run from the front of the cylinders into the collector ring in the front cowl. Scratchbuilding a set would be tedious. The test aircraft with the Wright Cyclones was a one-off - they never went beyond the prototype stage.
We're lucky enough to have an Aussie built MK21 here at a local air museum in Moorabbin - even has the Sperry autopilot housing installed.
Some late production Mk21's had two .50 cal mg's in each wing instead of the .30 cals. By the way, the hedgehog exhausts in the 1/48 tamiya kit are nicely sized in length and diameter, but the bumps are WAY too small. I found a fantastic book on the Beaufighter and its variants - (this is not an advertisement) "The Bristol Beaufighter - a comprehensive guide for the modeller" by Richard A. Franks published by SAM Publications. I guarantee I have no affiliation with them - I just think it's a really good book. Good luck!!

Lee:

I happened to discover that Cutting Edge has a set of replacement corncob exhausts available as well as many other Beau goodies.

Jim

Hi guys

Bought the replacement hedgehog exhausts from cutting edge (I think) much better than the kit ones.

Also pays to look at plans and whatever other pics that you can as I found that tamiya seem to like adding extras. Something else to note is that the trim tab control actuators on the tailplane are wrong on in the kit, you need to remove the port side one and remake one for the underside, apparently the control in the cockpit worked off postitive, negative movement i.e one goes up the other goes down.

Lastly I spent about 10 hours on each set of exhausts for the engines, drilled out the fronts of the cylinders and inserted solder as the exhausts. the only really difficult part is that the rear exhaust goes to the collector ring with the front exhaust butting into the side of the rear one.

A very fiddly job but one that makes the engines stand out and look a lot better.

Cheers