The Little World

I’ll just round up the usual suspects…

I can’t think why I have not pulled a new Airfix Beaufighter off the shelf at Hobbytech sooner. Goodness knows they have had them for some time – both this version and a later model with a radar dome nose. And it is not that I have not seen Airfix beaus before – there were a number of them in the hands of other kids when I was in the 8th Grade. But, like the Boulton Paul Defiant – not mine.

And it’s not like the Beau is a stranger to Australia. They were extensively used here in the Island campaigns and in Burma. But until I turned over the page in my Canadian Warplanes of WW II, I felt no great pull. All is changed.

I can see that I will need to make several version of this basic airframe – Just as I made the Blenheim I and then the Bollingbroke variant. I’ll start Canadian and then progress to the Australian ones – there are specific aftermarket decals for these and I reckon they’ll have a set at plastic model shows. With a bit of luck I will be able to avoid the Ventura versions…

This is a new-mould kit. The parts upon opening are a pleasure just to gaze at – and the degree of kit engineering with interior detail is delightful. I have entire confidence that it will fit perfectly. I also have entire confidence that at some stage of the game I will make a blunder, but I am hoping it will be a small one that can be covered up. This also applies to daily life.

Note the multiple tailplanes provided – no idea which one will be needed, but the fact that they are dihedral types makes the plane all that more attractive.

Oddly enough, I once had a patient – a physician – who was a night-fighter pilot flying Beaufighters in the UK. He kindly leant me his set of pilot’s notes from the period and it was fascinating to see the contortions the pilot needed to do just to get in and out of the cockpit.

Note the SEAC roundels – for a future build – and fact that Airfix have very sensibly opted to instruct builders to paint the wing or invasion stripes rather than providing giant decal sheets. They’ve provided measurements in millimetres for each position – if you fancy them, they should be simple to mask and spray. Far better than the decals because these are always a difficult application, however they are mapped out on the paper sheets.

Also note that the crew members of this plane are a couple of new faces – we’ve seen the Welsh chap and the Indian accountant – now we have the Worried Guy and Beardie. I call shenanigans with him – nobody outside the FAA flew with that much face fuzz in an oxygen mask. But leave us not deny the printing department of Airfix their little Easter eggs…