1/48 ICM Bristol Beaufort Mk. IA - No. 217 Sqn Royal Air Force - Malta 1942

Depicted as aircraft DD959 operated by No. 217 Sqn Royal Air Force from Malta 1942.

The Beaufort as another of those funky looking early British bombers from World War II that really appeals to me.  So I was happy to see ICM produce one.  

As is my way I chose a kit before deciding on an exact subject.  And I wrongly assumed that all the sprues for aircraft itself were the same in all boxings knowing I would paint the markings on it anyway.  

However once I was into the build proper I realised all the subjects I really wanted to do were early Mk I's, with the twin Lewis gun turret and that cool turret under the nose But while the clear parts for rear facing turret are in the kit, the plastic bits for the inside parts are not.  This resulted in a change of plan with me eventually settling this Malta based aircraft.

Although there is a well known photo of this aircraft (see below) and it has been included in other kits (I think) and on other decal sheets I do confess to have some doubts about that colours ICM and Xtraecal call out. I am also unsure it's truly a Mk.1a as the IWM caption it a Mk.1 .  A link to the image is here

IWM Photo - Bristol Beaufort Mark I, DD959 'Q'.

But after spending to much time down the Beaufort rabbit hole I decided to just build and and finish it as I wanted too, rather than try and be a slave to accuracy.  I leave that sort of things to Bruce's Scale Models, because, as he never ceases to remind me,  he's all about the accuracy (yeah right).

The Kit

• ICM 1/48 Bristol Beaufort Mk.1A Tropical (Kit No 48311)

Aftermarket

• Aerocraft Cowls and Oil Cooler Intakes

• Eduard Space set

• Eduard mainwheels

• Eduard Lewis Guns

• 3D Browning's from Cults 3D

• 3D Printed Torpedo (my print)

Reference Builds

There are couple of excellent build threads at Britmodeller that I referenced extensively for this project.  Much of the enhancements I added to the cockpit and engine /cowls came from one or both of these.  Links to them are 

• ICM 1/48 Beaufort +Aerocraft Cowlings
   
• 1/48 ICM Beaufort as AW207 BX-H of 86 Squadron.

The Build

Riveting

ICM's Beaufort is a little sparse on the surface detail so I decided I'd try something I'd not done before an rivet it. 

I did have some information showing the actual rivet pattern and I began trying to follow it but that soon went out the window as there appeared to be lots of double rivet lines.  So I ended up creating a series of rivet lines spaced roughly equally across the various parts, just to give an impression of detail rather be something accurate.

ICM's soft plastic made riveting relatively quick using the Galaxy Tool Rivet tools.  There is a great review of these tools by Gary over at Scalespot Models.

At this stage I also fitted the Aerocraft replacement Oil Coolers although I'm not sure if they were worth the effort.  The vent wanes had some tiny circles which were very difficult to remove. 

Wing's Riveted and Aerocraft Oil Coolers fitted

Cockpit and Interior

Once the major pieces were riveted I moved to the interior. ICM's interior is adequate but there is a bit of scope for adding extra detail, although a lot won't be seen.

I used an Eduard Space set, which provided a 3D-printed instrument panel and console details for the Wireless Air Gunner (WAG) station.  The additions in the WAG area will not be visible so it’s debateable what value they add.

  

One of the Britmodeller builds indicated that the pilot's seat and navigator's seating position featured cushions, which were not included in the kit so I created these using Magic Sculpt.  

The Space set did not provide components for the console adjacent to the pilot, so I utilized old colour PE from my spares box.  Additional scrap PE was used to add black details to the desk and an map decal I found was also used to add some visual interest.

SMS RAF Interior green was used for the base colour and details picked out with Vallejo Acrylics. As you can see from the WAG station Eduard are still miles away with their colours. 

Cockpit with some Eduard and spares box additions

Eduard's 3d printer panel is a nice addition

WAG Station - Eduard's colours are still a bit off

Navigator/Bomb Aimers seat with Magic Sculpt Seat 

Fuselage Assembly

The ICM plastic is very thin and quite soft with just a few tiny locating points. So to try and add some strength to the joints I added some tab's from plastic card and some rod along the aft fuselage join.

I didn't bother with any weathering other than a wash as in many places nothing will be seen.  And even where you can see through the glazing I doubt much actual detail will be that clear.

Overall the fit is very good on the kit and the spar's help ensure everything goes together.

Ready to Close up the Fuselage

Ensuring everything stayed in place while the glue set.

Despite my best intentions the Ham-fistedness struck and I ended up with a step along the  centreline seem. Perhaps the clamping was a little over vigorous.  A couple of applications of VMS Black CA resolved this.

Centreline Seam Restoration

Fit of the nacelles to the wing was pretty good.  I had got a bit carried away removing material to fit the oil coolers so I needed to resolve this as well.  A bit of card and then some  CA/ Talc was used to smooth this out.

Nacelle Fit is excellent

Engine Enhancements

Another thing mentioned in the reference builds was that the rear of the kit cowl flaps had didn't have the raised detail that is apparent in reference photos.  I added it from plastic strip. it's probably a bit over scale but I can live with it. 

Plastic Strip added to Cowl Cooling Flaps

IWM Photo - Beaufort L4502

The engine is really nice from the box but is missing the bolts on the crank case. These were added from plastic rod. You won't see much of the engines once the corrected Aerocraft cowls are fitted.

"Bolt heads" added 

Clear Part Problems

The clear parts are very thin.  This is a good thing for clarity and bad thing for assembly, getting a decent bond proved challenging.  I ended up gluing small strips of plastic to the clear parts to try and provide a bigger mating surface for the glue.

Plastic Strip / Tabs added to increase the bonding area.

First I trued various white glues (AMMO Ultra Glue, Deluxe Materials Glue and Glaze) but these didn't provide a bond that I thought would survive all the handing the model will experience when painting / final assembly. 

Next I tried non fogging CA but the bond was quite brittle due to the small mating surfaces.  Eventually I settled on plastic cement. Even then I knew I'd have to be careful handling it.

Another issue I struck was a large gap at the front lower end of the fuselage.  If I had the lower piece flush with the fuselage there was a 1mm step at the join between the upper and lower clear parts. In the end I added card to the front of the lower fuselage.

Plastic Strip to fill the gap for the Lower Clear Piece

The next issue was a step between the lower edge of the lower clear part and the curvature of the fuselage.  This was quite large. This isn't on the real aircraft so I ended up sanding a considerable amount of material off the bottom clear piece to match the fuselage.

I haven't heard any other reports of fit issues with the clear parts. From what I remember everyone reports that everything fits well.  I'm not sure what I have done to upset this but I suspect my vigorous riveting combined with the soft plastic has deformed the fuselage.

CA and talc was carefully applied to the joins in the clear parts to fill the seams and provide some more strength.

Lower Fuselage and Clear Piece fitted

On the plus side, the main canopy piece over the cockpit fits very well.  I did add some 0.005 thou card under the front to raise it slightly as there was a bit to much of step between it and the clear parts forward of it.  It is only attached with a few drops of white glue as I want to be able to remove it after painting in case crap gets in there.

This took a lot of time and was extremely frustrating at times, but at others I found I was enjoying the challenge of resolving the issues.

Eduard's Wheels

It blows my mind that, today, aftermarket manufacturers make parts specific to a kit and yet they don't make the parts fit the f%^ken kit.  There's lovely detail on the Eduard hubs but why does the axle connection not fit the landing gear.

In the end I fitted sleeves made of plastic tube into the Eduard wheels and enlarged the hole slightly to fit the kit parts.  Sure it was easy to do... but it would have easier for them.

I also decided the Eduard tail was more trouble than it was worth.  Sure the wheel is separate from the leg, unlike the kit one but it looked like it wouldn't be very strong when assembled, so I stuck with ICM's single piece assembly.

The Torpedo

I painted tI know I've said multiple times that modelling is my hobby not designing bits in CAD,  But I am beginning to get a little more understanding on how to do things using Fusion 360. 

I wasn't happy with the ICM Torpedo after I'd assembled it as I'd lost a bit to much detail. S as it's a pretty simple set of shapes I decided to design and print a replacement. he front of the Torpedo SMS Steel and the rear silver. I flat coated the metallics which turned the rear silver a nice dark blue metallic colour. Scratches and scuffs were applied with a sponge.  

The wooden tail was painted with Vallejo Iraqi sand then burnt Umber oil paint was used to simulate the woodgrain. I don't think the propeller blades were brass but I painted them that colour using  AK 3rd Gen because I wanted too.  I did use the Kit spinner.

Painting

First coat was  Tamiya XF22 (RLM grey).  This is my go to for for Coastal Command Dark Slate Grey.  I added some variation with splatter masks although its not that visible in the first photo.

First pass of XF22. The wings are just dry fitted for the photo.

Next was masking using Therapy Putty and wet paper towel. Usually I like to use paper masks but decided to do it this way for a change.  

Masking with Therapy Putty and Paper Towel.

After pulling off the putty and paper towel I was reminded why I use masks....It's easy to mask the wrong side of the line  -  DOH!    And It's much easier to get an accurate pattern using the paper masks stood off from the surface.  Thankfully it was an easy fix.

Paper Masks - You can't go wrong

A bit more weathering on the upper surfaces.  I used thinned versions of the base colours along with lighter greens and greys.  Once the washes go on it will tone it down a bit.

Weathering Coats using Splatter Masks

I also realised I had glued the vents on the top of the wings in the wrong space.. Popping it off sent it into space and it couldn't be found.  Rather than spending hours looking for it I quickly drew one up and printed 2 new ones.

Wings and New Vents

Markings

When using masks I like to make the edges of masks along panel lines. Yes it uses more masking material but makes alignment a breeze.

ICM's B roundels (wing tops) are larger in diameter than the standard 55 inch ones scaling out at 62.3 inches.  After checking the references ICM's dimensions looked close.

Making Masks with edges on the Panel Lines.

I chose tape rather than masking film as it burnishes down better than vinyl.  Making the edges of masks line up with panel lines makes it easier to line things up.  And to transfer the mask to the model, transfer tape is your friend.

Transfer Tape is your Friend

Lines on the Mask Help with Alignment

Painting and Markings Complete

Base colours are Tamiya XF22 and a grey made from Mr Color Extra dark sea grey with white, green , tan and god knows what else.  Various other greys, browns and greens have been used to add some tonal variation. 

Markings are painted. The Red and blue are Tamiya mixes made up from the ones you can find online but altered to suit my eye. The white is SMS insignia white (the best white paint I've used) and the yellow SMS trainer yellow (again my favourite yellow paint).  

The light grey tropical filter is Mr Color Light aircraft grey and the metal parts are SMS Light bronze. 

At this stage I secured the wings.  This was pretty straight forward as they fitted pretty well although a bit of stray glue on the wing root on one side meant a little sand and re-spray.  

A bit of CA was used to secure where the trailing edge joined the fuselage as it wanted to sit a fraction high.

Wings On

Side View

The underside was painted with Mr Color Azure Blue. AK Real Colour Azure Blue, aloing with some greys and browns were used for tonal variation. 

Underside

The one photo of this aircraft doesn't show it as weathered as this but I decided to paint it the way I wanted rather be a slave to image.

Underside Fiddly Bits

I was a bit dubious about the undercarriage when I assembled but once installed it's pretty robust.  Some oils for streaking and Tamiya Weathering Masters for some grime and dust.

Underside bits and pieces.

Final Topside Weathering

Topside weathering on the ICM Beaufort. Most of the variation in the paint was done as part of the painting process.  A wash of Sepia oil paint was applied and then a flat coat applied.  Scratches and some other fading etc was added using various coloured pencils and Tamiya Weathering Sets.  

Chipping was done with some enamel silver and silver pencils.

All that was left to so was fit all the antennas, guns, barrels and other bit. This took a fair bit longer than I'd anticipated and by now I was ready to move on to the next project so I didn't bother with photos.

Conclusion

ICM's Beaufort is a pretty solid kit. Fit is pretty good overall and detail is adequate, but not outstanding. I really do think it would have been better with rivets, but I get that this would increase the complexity of the tooling and thus cost and time to get it to market.  

The worst thing about this kit was the use of butt joints rather than using locating tabs, lugs or pins.  Even when there are pins, they are so small as to be useless.  The worst  use of butt joins is where the nose side clear pieces attach to the fuselage.

All that said I'd still build another one, but not for a few years.  I do fancy a early Mk I with the under nose Turret.  It would also be nice to see a Beaufort MK II and an Australian version(s).  Unfortunately I think ICM have already said those won't be coming.  I guess I will have to build the Hampden once it comes out.

The Pictures