New Beaufighter Resin Cockpit Set from Model Monkey!!!

[Rick Griewski]

I bought the kit years ago for $11 bucks (box and decals gone) so some $55 AM to save time is reasonable for me.  More of a struggle for me to shed that money is that not much of the cockpit is visable after the kit is built.  I am more in line for external accessories and improvements.

 

Rick

[petrov27]

on the note of possible external improvements, a set of the under-wing rocket fairings with rails might be good.... There is at least one nice set of 1/32 decals catering for Beaus that would have these fitted.

[Model_Monkey]

5 hours ago, Rick Griewski said:

I bought the kit years ago for $11 bucks (box and decals gone) so some $55 AM to save time is reasonable for me.  More of a struggle for me to shed that money is that not much of the cockpit is visable after the kit is built.  I am more in line for external accessories and improvements.

 

Rick

 

Dihedral tailplanes are in design now.  A torpedo will be offered, too.  Research for other external features continues.

[Out2gtcha]

Cant wait.......

 

I've got my TF. X pit coming, and will place my order for the tail planes and torpedo as soon as they are available. 

 

Does anyone know what the exact differences in the TF. MK X engine intakes are?

I'm sure I can use the vac ones, but I'm not even really sure how they differ from the easier intakes.

[Rob Colvin]

I would guess your going to do the extended part of the vertical and the "thimble nose".....how much for the full blown TF X set?...not my kit in the image....cred to the modeler who built it

 

Edited April 7, 2019 by Rob Colvin

[Model_Monkey]

Hi Rob,

 

Good question. 

 

I won't know what a full-blown set would cost until all the components of a set have been selected, the parts have been researched and designed, and test prints completed.  We're still many weeks away from that. 

 

As of this writing, I intend to offer a radar operator/observer's cockpit, dihedral tailplanes and a torpedo.  I have not yet committed to designing other products.

 

I'm not yet sure what a "full blown set" might consist of.  I have to be very careful in what is offered.  For some Beau features, there may not be sufficient authoritative, dimensioned 2D references to create a  3D design.  Or there may be technical reasons frustrating the completion of a 3D design.  For example, it may not be possible to design a fin extension or thimble nose part in 3D that will fit the Revell kit's fuselage's and fin's complex curvature well enough to offer for sale.  Some features may have to be left to the modeler to create by hand.

 

Also, I don't know yet what the market will support.  This is a big consideration and why I read these threads closely.  Experience with 3D-printed model ship conversions has taught me that if I offer so many products for a conversion that the whole set altogether becomes prohibitively expensive, none of the component parts will sell, spoiling the entire design effort.  Feedback from ship modelers was that if they could not afford to buy every product available for a specific conversion, they would abandon the conversion entirely, move on to other projects, and buy nothing.  We can see from posts in this thread and others that some modelers have already balked at the $55 price tag for the cockpit alone.  Posts like those do cause me to proceed with caution for fear my family be stuck paying for a very expensive design project that does not sell well enough to pay for the time and effort to create it.  Designing expensive conversion sets that do not sell is not a sustainable business model. 

 

Market rejection in fact happened with two very costly design projects each of which nearly put me out of business.  They were a set of conversion parts to help build a 1945 USS Pennsylvania BB-38 from sistership USS Arizona BB-39 kits, and a set of conversion parts to help build the highly decorated USS Portland CA-33 from sistership USS Indianapolis CA-35 kits.  The model ship market clamored for both conversions, pushing hard for them.  Donor Arizona and Indianapolis kits were readily available from multiple manufacturers in more than one popular scale, in both injection molded plastic and resin.  The projects seemed like sure winners.  Each of those projects took months to research and design, and grew to include many parts.  But the sets of parts together became too expensive for the market to bear.  Although they are among my best work, they remain among my worst sellers, neither project coming anywhere near to paying for the time and effort to create them.  Each project was a huge, business-crippling loss.  They directly led to my decision to shift away from designing products for model ships toward creating products for model aircraft.  But as a business, I can't afford another hit like that.

 

The good news is that the Beau cockpits are selling very, very well.  Because of that, dihedral tailplanes are in design now and the observer's cockpit and torpedo will be designed next.  Hopefully, they will sell well enough to support designing more Beau products.

 

I'm afraid there are still too many unknowns to answer your question.  But thanks for your interest and the opportunity to talk about it.

[PhilB]

10 hours ago, Out2gtcha said:

Does anyone know what the exact differences in the TF. MK X engine intakes are?

I'm sure I can use the vac ones, but I'm not even really sure how they differ from the easier intakes.

I dug out my Modellers Datafile and there's good and bad news..........

It lists ten versions of the TFX in the outline drawing type thing.

Most had the full length intakes as per the model above.

Some of the earlier versions had a shortened intake that stops at the back edge of the cowling ring.

The cockpit can o' pee is different from the base kit and if using the kit one some frames need sanding off and sorting out.

I've seen models of some X's with a Vickers K gun mounted at the rear.

Not quite right.

The K gun was a local mod particularly for Malta where they cut the back off the observer's dome and installed the K gun.

X's had the revised rear observer's canopy which is a different shape and with frames and they had a 30 cal Browning installed.

If I get a chance I'll scan some stuff and email it over to you.

 

[Artful69]

 

18 hours ago, Rick Griewski said:

I bought the kit years ago for $11 bucks (box and decals gone) so some $55 AM to save time is reasonable for me.  More of a struggle for me to shed that money is that not much of the cockpit is visable after the kit is built.  I am more in line for external accessories and improvements.

 

Rick

 

12 hours ago, Model_Monkey said:

 

Dihedral tailplanes are in design now.  A torpedo will be offered, too.  Research for other external features continues.

 

The 32' Beau is one of the first kits I bought ... right in with the Hasegawa Bf.109E and Revell Bf.110C-4 (which were, by ALL definitions - accuracy, fit, finish - complete dogs of the soul destroying nature!!) ...

 

Though the others were deposited in the round filing cabinet, the Beau, strangely, I could not let go of. I agree with Rick ... in that the current canopy clarity won't allow much view of the innards (a newer clear resin replacement might change that opinion!) ... so I'd tend to focus on externals ... and what's there is sparse to say the least. definitely exhausts and props need some TLC, perhaps undercarriage too? ... I'd leave the panel lines as they are.

 

If the AM ever became available - I'd want to mod up something like a D-Day RAAF 455 Sqn kite ... underwing rockets (available elsewhere), big angled tailplanes, observers defensive weapon and masks/decals etc

 

Rog

Edited April 7, 2019 by Artful69

[Rick Griewski]

The D-day ac you mention sounds great and...  So far I have the rockets for it and one resin engine is now on order; another is needed but they seem to be scarce.  I was thinking of smash molding a canopy.

 

Rick