Like its huskier cousin, the Mosquito, the Bristol Beaufighter excelled at multiple roles during World War 2. Fierce anti-shipping aircraft is the role highlighted in Airfix’s new tool Beaufighter TF.X, with options to arm it with eight 60-pound rockets or a torpedo. The two decal options are a standard dark sea gray over sky with invasion stripes, and a Far-East bird in green and brown over gray. In common with other new Airfix releases, the kit makes provisions for in-flight display with retracted tail wheel, closed gear doors, and holes to open for a stand.
From the first step, the engineering shines with a pair of hefty spars that form a solid box for the wing. (Look hard and you'll notice there is no detail behind the pilot’s seat.) Cockpit detail is well represented with separate side panels, although the prominent heater hose on the right side wall is conspicuously absent. A decal is provided for the instrument panel.
Don’t forget to install the tail wheel prior to closing the fuselage up. It pins securely to both sides, but it's exposed for the rest of the build so take care.
The fuselage slips snuggly over the spars and the lower fuselage panel fit is excellent. I used just a dab of filler at the nose.
Airfix molded the horizontal stabilizer in one piece, removing any issue setting dihedral for the tail feathers.
Wing assembly was a non-event; they slid easily over the substantial spars. More first-rate engineering!
My limited references on the Beau didn't show whether the cartridge ejection ports remained under the wings even after the wing guns were removed, but you may wish to fill them. I installed the fin at this point and the complex fit needed just a smear of Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty to fill the remaining gap.
I mounted the main gear at this point, as the legs didn’t have a definite mounting point or attachments for alignment, and I was worried about trying to make adjustments with a painted assembly.
I also assembled the multi-piece engine cowls prior to painting the engine. Pay close attention to the instructions — the orientation of the various parts is easy to get wrong. Nicely molded porcupine exhausts are included, but I left them off until the end. I added the carburetor intakes to the top of the engine nacelles, and the fit was great. Unfortunately, I used the short ones instead of the correct long ones that are also included. After painting the engines, I glued the cowls to the nacelles. They were a tight fit and need clamps while they dried.
I painted my Beau in the classic dark gray over sky scheme, and then masked the D-Day stripes — no decals are included for them. A coat of gloss readied the model decals but didn’t help them settle into the recessed details. I resorted to slicing the decals along panel lines and adding setting solution to the edges.
It spent 20 hours on the Beau. With excellent fit, sharp engineering, and great detail for the price, I can highly recommend it to any modelers with a couple kits under their belt.