Mark I 1/144 Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF Heavy Fighter
By Matt Bittner
Introduction
The original idea for the Beaufighter was to create a fighter based on the Bristol Beaufort and while the Beaufort bomber wasn't that successful, the Beaufighter was. The Mk.IF was designed as a night fighter in which it saw success against German bombers flying at night. While it was quite heavy for a fighter it was good enough to catch most German bombers of the time.
The Kit
The Mark I 1/144 Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF consists of 51 pieces of gray, injected plastic meant for the Mk.IF (there are other parts on the sprue for other versions) and five clear pieces (which include clear wing-tips, a novel idea but if you're pedantic you'll need to "drill in" representations of the bulbs). Decals are for four Mk.IFs:
- Beaufighter Mk.IF, No. 68 Sq., RAF, High Ercall airfield (det. Valley, Anglesey), Autumn 1941
- Beaufighter Mk.IF, No.89 Sq., RAF, Abu Sueir airfield, Egypt, Spring 1942
- Beaufighter Mk.IF, No. 604 Sq., RAF, Middle Wallop airfield, Autumn 1942
- Beaufighter Mk.IF, No.252 Sq., RAF, El Magrun airfield, Libya, Spring 1943
As with most airplane models construction starts with the cockpit and interior pieces. There isn't much to Mark I's Beau, consisting of just a seat, control column and instrument panel for the pilot and "just" a seat for the rear gunner. The cockpit floor does have side consoles molded to it, though (hopefully we'll see a release from Brengun that will at least contain seat belts.) While the canopy is relatively clear it is thick, so maybe Bregun will also release vac canopies for the kit. Once the interior pieces are painted and assembled together, the one-piece floor can be glued to one fuselage half and the halves glued together. The next step is to glue the wing parts together, but be sure to paint the interior surfaces first. Now the wings and clear pieces are glued to the fuselage (hopefully we'll see someone like Peewit come out with masks for the clear parts).
Now it's time to assemble the engines and cowls. The engines are decent two-piece affairs but there is room for improvement via wiring, pushrods, etc. Again, maybe we'll see aftermarket replacements. The last steps have you assemble the landing gear, and attach them and the gear doors, although I would leave all this until after painting and decaling.
Conclusion
The Mark I Beaufighter Mk.IF is an excellent model, one that will look great built up. Even out of the box the kit will look super so build it thusly with full confidence.
