Kaeone57 Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Greetings to all LSP'ers, I am seeking help/info on USAAF Beaufighters. I know 4 night fighter squadrons, 414th, 415th, 416th, and 417th operated them and I am seeking photos of as many of these aircraft as possible. All the ref., profiles, or photos, I have seen, continue to show the same aircraft, KV912 of the 416th, KW147 of the 415th, MM934 of the 414th, "I" X7929 of the 416th. Interior shots of a Mk.VIf, between the cockpit all the way to the rear of the radar operators compartment would be a plus, also, If anyone knows did any of the aircraft in the above squadrons have the "K"gun installation? I am gathering as much info as I can so I can do my REVELL "Beau" some justice, inside and out. I THANK YOU or ALL in advance... Alfonso "Kaeone57" Rodriguez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loic Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Hello Alfonso, that is one interesting subject... and the revell kit leaves a lot of opportunities to show your skills As a start, may I suggest you to have a look at the walkaround section of this site, you should be able to find some interesting info there. Cheers, Loic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaeone57 Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 THANK YOU!!! Loic, First, for the response. I am new to this site, and I am sure due to not being known, I may not get many responses anyway. Second, for taking the time to do so. It is appreciated and I THANK YOU. I know of your WIP on a Beaufighter as I saw it a while back and I have the same treatment in mind for mine. I won't be doing much on the engine rear area as I plan to have closed cowls, maybe slightly open cowl flaps, so just what is visible. Who knows?, I am not in that area yet as I am still trying to gather info on how these USAAF aircraft differed to the RAF on the insides. I am using the Tamiya 1/48, w/ CuttingEdge and Eduards sets as guides to kind of have a 360 of what to fabricate. Also the Modellers Datafile, and Squadron in action book. None of the references, as you may know, are 100% clear on insides of the MkVIf. Also, whatever photos I have gathered on the Net., and of course all that is on this sight as well. With your permission, I would like to use the photos of yours as 360's also, if you allow me to. The work you did is great and the angles of the photos show detail not visible in some references. VERY NICE WORK.... PEACE AND BLESSINGS to you and yours, Alfonso, Kaeone57 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaeone57 Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 LSP'ers I one of the new guys was trying to add a photo to my profile, which did not work, and stated I must speak to an administrator. How do I do that? I also replied to someone, Loic, who replied to my question, yet I still do not see the reply... What am I doing wrongs??????? THANK YOU, Alfonso "Kaeone57" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaeone57 Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 As I tried to add on earlier..... I am using the Tamiya 1/48th Beaufighter MkVIf kit, Cutting Edge cockpit, and Eduard detail sets as 360 representations of what to fabricate, also the Modellers Datafile and Squadron in action books. I also have gathered as much stuff as I have been able to find on the net, including what is on this site, and with the permissions of Loic and Derek B. would like to use the images of the work they have done on their Beaufighters as 360's for my build as well. The issue I have is the Revell/Lodela/Modelcraft kit with the Condor vac. and decal sheet and the small Eduard set for the cockpit. I will probably get a Craftworks set for the hedgehog exhaust as I don't wanna even think about scratching something like that right now.... I am kinda busy scratching my head at the moment looking for more USAAF Beaufighter pics. It looks as though I will be doing KV912 of the 416th NFS,12 AF, USAAF. THANK YOU or ALL once again for any help, it is most appreciated. Alfonso "Kaeone57" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdthoresen Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Alfonso- I have been in the process of trying to info on those birds for quite awhile- and unfortunately, there is not a whole lot- I would recommend the Modeler's datafile for the interior stuff you need- Also- Vector was producing the Bristol Hercules engines for the Beau in 32nd- while a tad expensive, they are worth their weight in gold IMHO- I know Derek B has been tooling up patterns for some Beaufighter bits, namely interior and wheel wells I think- Hopefully when his Tempest patterns are done he will jump on them again- I have been holding out on it for awhile- Some great detail shots on the net, but, the markings are a bit tougher to find- Good luck- Anyway- Good Luck- I hope you find what you need! THOR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaeone57 Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 Thor, Thanks for your reply. I have the Modellers datafile and I don't think I could do without it. The info in the book is great, the only problem is it's vague concerning USAAF aircraft. I may just have to do a RAF build with USAAF markings as it is all I can do without knowing if the equipment varied any. I know about the Vector engines,THANKS anyway, but I am doing closed cowlings to avoid going that route. As you may have noticed my last name is Rodriguez and not Rockafeller, so unless I win the lottery or come into some large sum of money I gotta scratch mine. :rolleyes: The kit engines ain't that bad anyway, a little work here and there and they will do. THANK YOU AGAIN, Peace and Blessings to you and yours, Alfonso "Kaeone57" BTW, I noticed you are also from Florida. Did you attend Modelpalooza in Orlando last month??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Alfonso, Welcome to LSP. Sorry for missing this post - it is very remiss of me. You can indeed use any of my pictures as you wish for your own personal reference purposes (I also provided the Duxford Beaufighter DAP.21 pictures in the aircraft walkaround section of LSP). This is my progress to date on the Beaufighter interior detail set that I am mastering. As stated, I am very busy on several other more urgent master patterns right now, but as soon as I can, I shall be resuming work on these patterns (and a wheel well set - Loic did a brilliant job on his Beaufighter). I have no more information on the USAAF Beaufighters than you do. From my own research, the Beaufighter VIf differs little, in terms of basic internal layout, from that of the earlier Mk.Ic/If aircraft, other than having Hispano 20mm cannon belt feed tanks as opposed to the drum fed Beaufighter If/Ic versions. If you study the SAM Beaufighter datafile book equipment layouts for the various marks of Beaufighter, you'll begin to get an idea of the common equipment fits common to all Beaufighter aircraft - I would use this as a minimum interior detail fit. Each mark had variations, depending upon whether the aircraft was to be used in the fighter role (If/VIf), or the costal Command role (Ic/VIc, and X). Aircraft fitted with thimble nose radar had additional radios, accumulators and radar scope equipment within the fuselage (refer to the TF.X equipment fit). Costal Command aircraft also had additional navigation aids (such as the RDF loop antenna just behind the cockpit and its associated internal equipment). Other differences were confined to repositioning of equipment/role equipment, and (apart from the K gun) the use of one or two armoured (removeable) bulkheads (with doors). Beaufighter interiors are complex and detailed, and can be something of a minefield for the unwary - hence the time taken to produce mine. I intend to cover all of the major marks of Beaufighter interiors (If/Ic, VIf/VIc, X and DAP.21), however, once complete, they will, at best, only represent someting like 90 to 95% of what was in most aircraft - the variations are too great to go any further. Hopefully, other Beaufighter parts will be produced in the future, such as the hedgehog exhausts, dihedral tailplanes, NF.2 conversion and a complete TF.Mk.X conversion set.Good luck with your Beaufighter build, I'm sure that it will come out splendidly. Best regards Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaeone57 Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Loic, THANK YOU for the permission to use your photos as reference 360's. I just saw the reply I originally sent on the post, very strange, must have been added late. Who knows????? I am off to a good start on reference, so, with the FATHER watching over I, and my wife and daughter's blessings, and of course approval from them as well........................................... ................................. I A GO BUILD I A BEAUFIGHTER NOW, 1 more question, when I got something to show, I start a new thread on member builds right??? THANK YOU AGAIN, Loic, your pics are most appreciated... Alfonso "Kaeone57" Rodriguez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Mike Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Alfonso, You've picked a tough subject. I have 2 Beaus and am waiting for Dereks interior set. The scarcity of ref material probably accounts more for the lack of response than anything else. The guys here are all pretty helpful, and ussually know their stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaeone57 Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Derek B., THANK YOU for the reply . I have gathered, and came to the same conclusions as you, as far as equipment, and as long as she is in the 90%'s, high 90%'s, I will be more than happy. I was just giving it one more shot at trying to see if anyone knew if there was any differences internally on the "Beau's" used by the USAAF. I was just trying to prevent a rivet counter debate, not that I care, but you know what I mean we all strive for authenticity, and I(WE) try and get as accurate as I(WE) can. THANK YOU for the permission to use your pics, I greatly appreciate them, I will get back to this in about a hour Breakfast is served and I gotta go play with the baby girl, its my day off so I will be BACK. Alfonso "Kaeone57" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Derek B., THANK YOU for the reply . I have gathered, and came to the same conclusions as you, as far as equipment, and as long as she is in the 90%'s, high 90%'s, I will be more than happy. I was just giving it one more shot at trying to see if anyone knew if there was any differences internally on the "Beau's" used by the USAAF. I was just trying to prevent a rivet counter debate, not that I care, but you know what I mean we all strive for authenticity, and I(WE) try and get as accurate as I(WE) can. THANK YOU for the permission to use your pics, I greatly appreciate them, I will get back to this in about a hour Breakfast is served and I gotta go play with the baby girl, its my day off so I will be BACK. Alfonso "Kaeone57" No problem Alfonso. Like the P-70 Havoc/Boston nightfigter, which was used as a 'stop gap' until the USAAF managed to get the P-61 Black Widow (my favourite WWII aircraft - just in case you hadn't already noticed ), the Beaufighter was used likewise. I don't think that the Americans modified the aircraft in any way, unless someone else has some evidence to the contrary - I therefore believe that they would have been loaned and used by the USAAF in the same manner as standard RAF Mk.VIf aircraft. As for your avatar, it maybe a size thing - keep it as small as possible, and it should work OK (something like a maximum size of 64 KB?, or some such like figure?). Cheers Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaeone57 Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Mike in California, THANKS Mike, I appreciate the help I have gotten already and I hope you get that Beaufighter out.......soon!!! Alfonso "Kaeone57" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaeone57 Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Derek B., Loic, or any other(s) that may know.. I had a question regarding the floors in Beaufighter's. The Modellers Datafile shows wood, while Tamiya's 1/48th kit shows diamond plate. Which is it for a Mk.VIf???? Also, the rear most frame with the rack for oxygen, etc., should it be added?, as according to the Modellers Datafile in "wartime" aircraft there was an armored bulkhead with outward hinged doors. I just thought I would ask before I get there. Not that I would mind using some artistic freedom and adding it anyway as it is adds visual interest, but I would like to make as accurate a representation as possible. I also wanted some clarity as to use the K gun or not, as according to the info in the book on page 161 under Mk.VIf designation in the armament section it states it was installed. Then going back to "understanding the subject", Chapter 10, it goes into 6 different Mk.VIf, some do and some don't. The photos, and profiles, of "KV912" show it without, but they, photos, also show it with the larger carburettor air intake filters fitted, and in Chapter 10 they only show the late production MkVIf with this install.........AMS= Another Modeller Stressed... some other points here and there, but I will await the reply on these first. THANKS AGAIN, Alfonso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 ....AMS= Another Modeller Stressed... Now that's a good one! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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