Tamiya 1:48 Bristol Beaufighter Mk.Vi (kit # 61064) - Reveal

[Neils]

Tamiya 1:48 Bristol Beaufighter Mk.Vi (kit # 61064)

And so my first Tamiya kit build has drawn to a close. So, what did I think and how was it to build?

Kit fit 8/10
Can’t really fault the kit in general fit quality. The under carriage construction while looking simple was a real pain to get in correctly as the order in which the instructions seemed to want to it turned out to be the hardest way of doing it(step 7). The trick was, to insert part D22 into the wheel well first and glue that into position, then fit and glue part D8, then part D9 and then finally D1 and D16/17. That way you don't get any of the awkward twisting and pushing you did if you had done it by the 'book'

Ease of Construction 9/10
Being a simpler and much smaller kit than my first GB kit (Revell 1:32 JU88) the main construction parts were done within a day or so of each other. Apart from the undercarriage trickiness I couldn’t fault it.

Kit detail 7/10
Not really sure what level of detail I expected from a 1:48 Beaufighter but while the interior was ok there was limited scope to bring out controls, instruments and the like. Also I felt the panelling and riveting were a little simplistic compared to newer 1:48’s but what there was, was well done, seemingly to scale (apart from a couple around the nose) and nice and sharp.

Decal Quality 6/10
The decal’s kinda let the kit down imho. I had several instances where the decals snapped and had to be adjusted back in place(one after Micro’setting it) and some seemed not to want to be parted from the backing paper So while they were in register and looked ok, it was a little fraught in places. I also felt that there should have been maybe more of them, particularly in the warning notices and the like. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by cartograf decals or my inexperience shows dunno.

Instructions 7/10
Can’t really fault the instructions. Apart from the undercarriage issue they were easy to follow and allowed rapid construction. I was a little sad ‘Tamiya Man’ didn’t appear again as it was a cute Japanese style touch but I’m sure he and I will become firm friends in the months to come

Value for money
The kit cost about £22 which for a 1:48 seemed to be about right.

Accidents and mishaps.
As seen in the build thread I had left the model alone for a few days and on coming back to it all the filling and sanding work I’d done had been the victim of a nasty sinkhole incident and just shrunk away. I’m not really sure what happened as firstly the seam wasn’t that large in the first place and secondly nothing like it had happened before.

What it did provide was lots of experience in filling and sanding in that I laid down a thin line of Vallejo putty(the stuff with the pencil thin applicator), waited for it to dry and shrink back, then more putty followed up by several coats of Mr Surfacer 500 and 1000. Finally sanded it off using various grades of sanding sticks and rescribed. The corrected seam was then re-primed using AK-primer(and more waiting) before adding in some more Tamyia NATO black.

Lessons Learned
The rest of the kit went together so well I was a little surprised at how fiddly the undercarriage was, so I guess one lesson is don’t believe the way the instructions tell you do something is always the best or only way

I felt the pre-shading with white and dark colours gave the overall black a nice tonal variation(even if the camera doesn't pick all of them up ) . I did do tiny parts of post shading but too much I think would have spoiled the effect I was after

I like the weathering effects of the washes I used (black, dark dirt and grime) and I felt they did a great job of dulling down the previously super shiny copper. I still don’t think I’ve got the hang of post shading and making convincing looking oil stains but there are plenty of kits and plenty of time to learn 

For the great sink seam incident I could have used superglue I instead but I didn’t have the means or the thick enough glue to make it look good. Besides, I’ve never tried it before and wanted to do something I knew would work, even if it would take longer

Summary
An enjoyable build from an enjoyable kit and it cemented in my mind of Tamiya’s reputation for great kits. I took the chance to try and experiment with some new techniques which I’m sure will hold me in good stead for the future. Overall I felt as though my skill has increased thanks to this build which is something I always strive to do.

The build thread can be found here http://www.intscalemodeller.com/posting ... 254&t=6378

Anyway, enjoy the reveal shots and see you next time 






Peak inside the cockpit and prongs ready to snap off if handled roughly


Seam all fixed - phew

Pesky undercarriage

[Joesdad]

A lovely job Neils of what is (in my mind) a great aeroplane. I've got one that I really want to get on with so your undercarriage trouble is a great heads up, and well done with that damn seam.......

[patrickroos]

Very nice and informative posting mate, and a great build!!
Looking good

[Pabbi]

Very nice
cheers Pabbi

[chief5437]

Great job! Weathering looks brilliant.

[UKguyInUSA]

Great job Neills and a nice informative breakdown prior to the photos!

Good luck!

Cheers

Martin

[rodrant]

Very Nice Build and very informative

About the weathering seems very nice , in overall you done a fantastic job and a great Build !

I Like it a lot !

[T3hGuppy]

Cracking job dude.

Always liked the look of this Aircraft.

[eoinfinnegan]

You done a fantastic job, I love that aircraft, well done

[Rob]

Brilliant outcome. I've enjoyed watching this one come together and it looks great

[Nige201980]

Fantastic build mate love it.

[DBMiller]

This is a plane I don't know anything about so it is nice to see one built up! Nice work on this.

[Lego]

That is a cracker!

Gonna git me one of those soon.

[Polly]

Big Thumbs up from me cracking build mate

[Willem]

Beautiful Beaufighter.