Ok I’m not a plane modeler but I have a hankering for a Beaufighter kit. I’m a detail nut so if you had to pick a Beaufighter kit which one would it be?
Scales not an issue but would prefer larger than smaller.
Thanks
I have Tamiya’s MK VI Beau in 1/48 scale. It has great ease of assembly and accuracy. So in my opinion you can’t go wrong with this kit.
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While I have not built either of them , In 1/48 scale Tamiya is never a bad choice, and Revell has a relatively new one in 1/48 as well which has gotten good reviews - check the reviews.
go with the Revell kit if you doing a 1/48th kit. There are several issues with the Tamiya kit. In 1/72, I found the Airfix to be very nice. Seems like I might have a Hasegawa hidden away, but have not seen in it eons
gary
Yes, the Tamiya kit has a number of issues, I have a couple and I’m building one at the moment, the fit is good but those issues are a real pain, lumps to remove and re-modelling of the machine gun covers are the minimum required. I have a diagram if you need it? I also have the Revell kit which actually looks better but I haven’t put any of that plastic together yet.
If you want larger then There is a 1/32 scale kit, a Re-issue (I believe) by Revell. I believe that it is accurate but it’s an old kit and detail is lacking and I don’t think that there are many aftermarket sets for it?
It is an eternal hope that maybe Hong Kong Models will produce one in 1/32 scale?
The Revell 1/32 kit is a few years shy of 50 now, and other than some stuff on Shapeways I’ve seen little to no aftermarket even after all these years.
Interior detail is typical 70’s ‘barely there’ and the big canopy won’t let you hide it. This is an aircraft that deserves a modern kit in that scale.
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I’ll second the new Airfix 1/72. Very nicely detailed and a couple of different boxings with some interesting marking options.
I haven’t seen any of the 1/48’s so can’t give an opinion on those.
I do however have Revells 1/32. It’s impressive in size but very basic on details. Most of the cockpit ‘detail’ is on the decal sheet! It’s a good canvas for old skool scratch built details as there’s very little aftermarket. One day I might actually get around to it.
The Revell kits seem to be hit or miss when searching for them. I almost always seem to be a few hours behind the last one on the shelf! They have announced a very early one, and I want a couple of them.
Looking inside two of the three Tamiya kits, and assuming they were perfect in shape: I see the need for new decals right away. Why can’t Tamiya simply get a different supplier (Hasegawa as well)? Their decals rarely last more than twelve months in the box, and that’s another fifteen dollars. My Spitfire MK.I. decals were brown after six months! Tamiya kits are over priced as is, without having to buy new decals.
I really liked the Airfix kits in 1/72 scale, and would love to see them come out in 1/48th. The nice thing about the Revell 1/32 kit is that there is a ton of aftermarket parts for it. But also not something I’m interested in at the moment. At one time there was another 1/32 kit (resin?) that was very nice, but also needing you to get a second mortgage to buy it!
gary
Thanks folks. As I said I’m not a plane guy but I would like to build one of the versions used by the RAAF. A MK vi with all bits that Go bang. I want detail so happy to buy after market bits.