Bristol Beaufort and Beaufreighter

[ysi_maniac]

This has big chance to reach the Styrene status ...



a variation

[NARSES2]

That would be interesting to see

[PR19_Kit]

The old Frog kit is the only game in town for a Beaufort, isn't it? Or maybe I missed one somewhere.....

[Gondor]

The old Frog kit is the only game in town for a Beaufort, isn't it? Or maybe I missed one somewhere.....

Special Hobby did one if I remember correctly

Gondor

[Old Wombat]

Which is all a bit rude, really, because the old Beaufort deserves a decent quality (mainstream) kit in production.

[rickshaw]

The old Frog kit is the only game in town for a Beaufort, isn't it? Or maybe I missed one somewhere.....

High Planes has some - http://www.hpmhobbies.com/

[sequoiaranger]

My future Beaufort (one of the few RW aircraft I will do in my lifetime) will be made with the fine Elliot vac-form (c.1988), but I will use as many injection-molded Beaufort/Beaufighter parts that I can.

I like the look of the triple-engined one.

[raafif]

Frog, HighPlanes & MPM/Special Hobby are all available.  I supplied factory drawings to MPM but they renegged on the free kit in exchange.  HighPlanes is a bit rough but buildable.  Note that there were differences in the P&W R-1830 installations between the RAF MK.II & the RAAF's DAP-production types - as well as the many turret variations.
        Learn from my mistake -- don't build a 1:1 scale version

Here's my mod of the HighPlanes boxart for the projected Beaufort Mk.III (Merlins) ...

[NARSES2]

I've got both the High Planes and SH kits. As said the High Planes is a little rough but buildable, the SH kit is really nice but will probably have a few problems along the way, don't know for sure as I havn't even contemplated building it yet.

[ysi_maniac]

IMO High Planes used Frog's molds.

[raafif]

IMO High Planes used Frog's molds.

If they did, then they heavily re-worked the moldings.
Their kits have a very different wing-join assembly with large inter-connecting fingers not the tabs like Frog, Airfix, Revell etc use - separate fuel-dump tubes.  You have to add your own bulkhead for the turret & its base, lower nose glazing is vacform that incorporates the window divider + the wing landing-light cover is seperate.  Reasonable cockpit detail with nav's seat & mount.  Engines are separate from the cowls with white-metal scoops above & below - metal undercarriage too.  Radar array on the fuselage sides is PE.

A very nice model results with a choice of marks & markings available.

[PR19_Kit]

A radar array on a Beaufort? Perhaps there's a little confusion here between the two types?

[NARSES2]

A radar array on a Beaufort? Perhaps there's a little confusion here between the two types?

Here you are Kit - DAP production aircraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bristol_Beaufort_production_DAP_Melbourne.jpg

[The Wooksta!]

IMO High Planes used Frog's molds.

Balderdash!  Totally different toolings.

[raafif]

Operational aussie Beauforts had many mods & changes to the Brit ones apart from the P&W engine installation -- they kept the retractable radio "diamond" on the roof, radar lines down the side, radar Yagi aerials on outer wings, roof window with mg mount (always leaked rainwater) & Boomerang flame-suppressor exhaust pipes -- items that most modellers miss when looking at photos.

Prototype DAP Beaufreaighter had an extended belly making the bombay larger for freight.  Don't know if access to it was possible in flight as there is normally just a 6" x 12" hole to manually release bombs but they may have cut a big hole in the floor.  Access to the "bilge" areas was thru the normal removeable side floor-panels (found 2 shell-cases in trapped there).