Airfix 1/72nd Beaufighter TF.X Completed

Looks like a great kit.

I've been itching to make a crack at this one too.  

It does look like a nice kit, what i have come to expect from Airfix over the last few years. Have not had a chance to put much together yet, so i am hopeing for no fit issues.

Bish

i am hopeing for no fit issues.

Hi Bish, that's looking good so far, I'm looking forward to seeing another gem. 

I'm busy with this kit (Op Firedog option) for the Larry Wolf Memorial Close Air Support GB .  It is a very nice kit, if lacking a bit in cockpit detail, but I did find gaps at the wing root/fuselage join, mainly at the leading edge.  It might have just been down to my clumsiness, but I have since seen another build video with the same problem.   Another one  I found (expected, since I'd already read about it elsewhere) was a gap at the front of the fuselage, between the canopy & the nose - easily dealt with & hardly worth mentioning.  Lastly, the engine cowlings were more awkward to assemble than I'd thought & the fit of the engines was very tight - I sanded down the outside of the cylinders & got enough leeway to ease the problem (I'd read about that one, too, possibly in this forum).  On the other hand, some people report no problem with these - again, maybe it was me.  None of these is a biggie, certainly not enough to put anyone off the kit - I've added another one to next year's buying list, to do the aircraft Ken Gatward flew on his Paris raid in June 1942.

One thing I didn't like the look of was a couple of the builds I've seen showing the cockpit assembly being pushed - with some force - and snapped into place once the fuselage halves are joined.  I didn't fancy that, so I glued the rear of the fuselage together, then inserted the cockpit assembly & closed the fuselage around it.  Maybe I'm just a wimp.  Enjoy the rest of your build, I'll be watching to see how it should be done!

Cheers,

           Hutch.

Oh boy, I see another reason to go downstairs and throw rocks at my 1/48 aircraft models coming.

For some reason, it's been a while since I watched one of your 1/72 builds, Bish. I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks guys.

Hutch, thanks for the heads up. The pit is not as detailed as some of the other Airfix kits i've built over the last couple of years. But the PE will dress it up and i doubt much will be seen through the small canopy. I have found them to be hit and miss when it comes to fit. I think the worst i had was their He 111P. But generally its been pretty good. Like most of us in the UK i grew up on Airfix in the 80's. But from the late 90's i completly avoided them for 20 years after being spoilt with the like of Hasegawa kits. I have been really impressed by their move to more detailed and better fitting kits and look forward to the new releases every year, so i won't complain to much.

Oh yeah.....I'll be watching this one Martin. Good start up on this.

Is this a new issue from Airfix? I know they have a Beaufort in the works which I'll snatch up quickly, but when I checked for a new Beaufighter all I saw were "available for preorder." Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places. I built their old one many years ago.

This boxing is the original new tooled boxing from 2015. Its ben re-boxed 3 times since tehn, last one last year. Maybe you just haveing issues getting it on your side of the pond. There is plenty of sellers listed on scalemates with it in stock, but most are in Europe. Have you tried e-bay.

Thanks Joe.

Hutch, i got the wings fitted last night. I can confirm its not you, had exactly the same issue. At first i thought i might have not trimmed the sprue tab up properly but i sanded all the joins down and still had the gap. It was only after i had the same with the second wing that i remembered what you said.

Hi, Bish - glad it's not just me

Bish

At first i thought i might have not trimmed the sprue tab up properly but i sanded all the joins down and still had the gap

Yep, that's what I did, thought I might have botched it - thanks for clearing that up!

Progress has ben slowed a tad by my Wellington build, but i finaly have something to report. I got the pit installed, completed with the coloured PE. The floor alon with the seat, goes in after from underneath.

The floor went in well, certainly easier than the Airfix stuka.

After that the wings and tail were fitted. Some filling was needed at the join of wings and fuselage, more so at the front. Hutch had the same problem with his kit.

And the eduard PE flaps were fitted.

I'm now working on the engines so i can get them painted and fitted and get the rest ready for painting.

That looks great Bish. Did the kit have an option for open flaps too or did you have to cut them out to fit the Eduard set? 

Thanks Chad. No, the kit didn't have that option, i had to cut out the lower part of the flaps and thin the top.

Finally able to get an update posted. I was able to get the missiles ready for painting. I am useing Plus Models resin set for this. I originally bought just one, i was planning to have missiles laid out on the ground ready for loading. then i saw some photo's of Mosquito's and beaufighters being loaded with the missles on Type C bomb trailers. I thought that would make a much better secene, but decided i needed another set of missiles, which arrived mid week. I'd already attached the resin mouthing plate to the kit, these are the missiels and rail ready for priming.

I got the aircraft primed and painted. This is my first time doinf invasion stripes. I had to tidy them up a little after spraying, but didn't worry about them being perfectly neat.

And then the DK decals.

The decals include 2 Australian flags to go one either side of the nose. But the photo's i have seen of this aircraft which show the right side there is clearly no flag. But pics of other aircraft show one of the left side. So either way, DK have got that wrong, and in light of having no pics of the left side of this aircraft, i decided to put the flag there.

Now for some light weathering.

I have a bit more work done on the Beaufighter. I gave it a light flory wash followed by a flat coat. With the masks removed i have started to add the final bts, exhausts, rockets exhaust ring and rear canoopy.

I have the last few bits to add as well as sort out some figures and i'll have this wrapped up.

She sure does look smart with those invasion stripes.

Thanks, i do like the look of it. Makes a change from yelow stripes.

I got the beaufighter finished off today. With the last few bits added, it was attached to the base. The tractor and trailer are from the Airfix bomber re-supply set. The 2 figures are also Airfix, and i never thought i would get to use these 2 figures, i must have a dozen of them in my figures box.

Another nice kit from Airfix, well detailed and nice to build.

Well, I said I'd watch to see how it should be done, and this is it!  Another beautiful job, Bish, and the base shows off the aircraft very nicely.  And those figures are old friends of mine, too - I seem to remember them from many years ago!

Thanks Hutch. Theres not really much choice when it coems to 72nd ground crew, have to make do with what you can get.

Bish

have to make do with what you can get.

Those blokes look just the job to me.

To resurrect the 'ultimate' high praise from my high-school days in the '70s:

"Righteous!"

Really gorgeous, Bish.

Thanks guys.