Bristol Beaufighter Mk.VIF/C 'Formidable Fighter' (RAF, RAAF)
The Bristol Beaufighter was a British heavy fighter, developed from the Beaufort torpedo bomber and its first prototype flew in July 1939. The first Beaufighter variants - the Mk.IF and Cs - were high performance fighters and long-range fighters, respectively, while the former Mark also became an efficient night-fighter, employing the then novel AI radar.
The Beaufighter was a two-seat, twin engine, all-metal mid-wing cantilever monoplane, fitted with a retractable undercarriage. It was powered by two Hercules radial engines and the armament consisted of four cannons in the nose, four guns in the starboard wing and another two guns in the port wing. The Beaufighter Mk.VIF, introduced in 1942, was fitted with more powerful engines and its wing mounted guns could be replaced by additional fuel tanks to extend the aircraft's range.
Like its predecessors, the Mk.VIF was produced for Fighter Command and the Mk.VIC for Coastal Command. Some 1,840 Mk.VI aircraft were produced and this type remained in service until the summer of 1944.
The Beaufighter had a long career and served in almost all theatres of war during the WWII, at first as a night fighter, then as a fighter-bomber and eventually being used as a torpedo-bomber.
Colour schemes included in the kit:
1) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.VIF, X8023, Red BQ-I, No.600 Sq., RAF, Predannack airfield, summer 1942
2) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.VIC, T5273, Grey H 'Benghazi Bus', No.46 Sq., RAF, Idku airfield (LG-229), Egypt, December 1942
3) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.VIC, X8035, Sky J, No.227 Sq., RAF, Luqa airfield, Malta, August 1942
4) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.VIF, X8005, Red EW-R, No.307 (Polish) Sq., RAF, Exeter airfield, late 1942
This injection-moulded kit contains 53 parts and six clear parts (cockpit canopies, position lights etc.). A comprehensive instruction leaflet and a decal sheet are included.
The Bristol Beaufighter is a British heavy, twin-engined night fighter, attack aircraft and torpedo plane, with a full metal, half-shell structure. It flew for the first time on June 17, 1939, and its serial production started in the same year. During the war, many versions of the Beaufighter were created, including Mk.I, Mk.II, TF Mk.X or TF Mk.XI. The Mk.I version was the first to function as a night fighter and was equipped with the AI Mk. IV. It also had strong armament: 4 20mm cannons and 6 7.7mm MGs. Mk..X version. was the last to be produced in large numbers and combined the advantages of a fighter plane with the strike force of a torpedo bomber. This version was powered by Bristol Hercules XVII engines with a capacity of 1770HP. Bristol Beaufighter planes served a total of 53 squadrons of the RAF, 15 squadrons of the Royal Navy and the Polish 307 Squadron of Lwowskie Puchacze. All versions and models of this plane were not easy to pilot and suffered badly from spinning and problems caused by the failure of one engine. In addition, the Bristol Beaufighter had a very weak rudder which resulted in poor directional stability. Mainly for these reasons, from 1943 they were successively replaced on the front lines by the DeHavilland Mosquito. Technical data: Maximum speed: 512 km / h, speed of climb: 8.17 m / s, maximum ceiling 5800 m, maximum range: 2816 km, armament (hunting version): fixed - 4 20mm Hispano cannons and 6 rifles machine gun caliber 7.7 mm, suspended-up to 906 kg of bombs.
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