Tamiya 1/48 scale conversion
Bristol Beaufighter Mk.Ic

by George Schmidt (builder)
&
Ben Schmidt (photographer & researcher)

Tamiya's 1/48 scale Beaufighter Mk.VI is available online from Squadron.com

This is my father's latest model, a Bristol Beaufighter Mk.Ic backdated from Tamiya's Mk.VIc kit. It represents a heavily sandblasted and weathered workhorse of No.252 Squadron, baseed at Idku, Egypt in December 1941.

This aircraft has recently received heavy damage to it's rear section, and a brand-new replacement rear section with Azure Blue undersides has been added. The front section remains in the early Desert Scheme Sky Type "S" undersides. The code letters are an unusual size, as are the size and position of the serial numbers. The profile of this aircraft can be seen on the IPMS Stockholm website.

Backdating / Conversion

The backdating/conversion involved:

• Scratchbuilt early "tube type" non-hedgehog exhausts,

• a KMC resin "flat" tail,

• a modified vertical tail with two lights as opposed to the one on the Mk.VIc tail in the kit,

• a scratchbuilt tube of some sort (not sure what it is, exactly!) on the ventral surface, and

• early type wheels from a CMK Mk.If conversion kit.

• The short intakes and large early propeller spinners were extras kindly provided (but not mentioned in the instructions!) in the Tamiya kit itself.

Additional Detailing

The KMC resin cockpit set, Squadron vacuform canopies, and Eduard pre-colored etch seatbelts were used.

Many additional interior details were added to both fuselage sidewalls from the "spares box" and scratchbuilt items:

• the landing light was drilled out and detailed with bulbs, reflectors, and wiring,

• the observers' hatch was cut and positioned "open" with scratchbuilt handles, hinges, and latching straps,

• both boarding hatches were positioned open,

• the engines were detailed with two pipes to each cylinder and four internal "V" supports per engine,

• the navigation lights were drilled out and filled with Tamiya clear red and blue to represent the colored bulb in a clear housing,

• the new tail lights are CMK clear resin bulbs (top blue, lower clear), and

• the decals are a mixture of Decals Carpena and ADS Decals, with Microscale red decal sheet being used for the red-doped gun and cannon port coverings.

Click on the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Model by George Schmidt
 Images and Text Copyright © 2005 by Ben Schmidt
Page Created 22 May, 2005
Last Updated 21 May, 2005

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