****DONE: 1/32nd scale Beaufighter VIF, 46 Sqn RAF, Egypt 1943 Group Build

looks like a lotta hard work but the result is superb!

Great stuff mate! 8)

Thanks again gents, your comments make it all worthwhile!
The main fittings, wiring, and pipework have now been added, and when it's all set properly, the whole area will be cleaned up and then sprayed in Cockpit Green.
PIC 1 A slightly 'soft' shot I'm afraid, but this is the forward section of the starboard fuselage half, with the cabin heating duct very prominent. The white rectangles will be painted to represent an electrical junction bo (top) and the First Aid case (bottom), with the wiring and pipes picked out in various colours, whilst the grab rails on the roof will be bright red, as will the fire extingusher, which was made from a piece of scrap sprue, with a thin strip of plastic card for the bracket and retaining band.
PIC 2. Moving further aft, this is part of the mid-section, with the heater ducting again standing out. This was made from sections of the stems from cotton buds (Q-Tips?). The four ammunition tanks will be added after the interior has been painted.
PIC 3. is the starboard side of the radar operators position, with the oxygen regulator and lighting panel visible. The 'wheel' next to it is the reel and feed for the trailing aerial, and the box at extreme left, in the centre of the floor, is the I.F.F. transponder unit. The seat frame, swivel mount, and the seat itself have yet to be made and fitted, and the radios and radar receiver/transmitter will be fitted after the fuselage interior has been painted, as will the radar monitor, on the port side roof, at the rear of the open hatch.
PIC 4. The port side forward section, with the main electrical junction boxes, and the engine pump pressure gauges, which are the instruments on the small angled console at the top of the cockpit roof, at the extreme edge.
PIC 5. This is the port side of the radar operators position. The small disc is the (unfinished) jettison lever for the escape/entry hatch in the floor, and the small 'T' bar underneath is the dinghy release lever. Forward of these is the oxygen bottle and hose, and higher on the wall, forward of the hatch, is the main fuse box and a map table bracket. The repeater instrument panel has been made, and will be fitted into the roof, forward of the observer's cupola, just before the fuselgae halves are joined. There should be quite a few more fittings and equipment, but, as they won't be seen at all, I drew the line at making everything there should be! What's there now is good enough, especially as some of it won't be fully visible. But, if it was omitted, it would be noticeable by its abscence!
PIC 6. The radio and the pilot's oxgen bottle have been made and fitted into the entrance well. This area was boxed - in around the locatring lugs for the wings, as part of this area can be seen clearly, and some of it can be seen when viewing through the windscreen, down the fuselage.
Some of the areas look a little rough in the photographs, but aren't as bad in 'real life', bearing in mind the enlargement ratio of the pics, and it should all clean-up and look fine under a coat or two of paint.
The next stage is the finishing of the radar operator's position, which will include the seat mounting frame and seat, the radar monitor itself, and some other bits and pieces. Once this is done, the radar transmitter/receiver equipment, and the ammo tanks will be positioned on the floor, after painting and detailing. Then, it's time to move on to the cockpit tub, which will be fully fitted - out, as will the side-wall consoles etc. This will be quite complex, as some of the wiring, and the heater ducting, has to be continued over the half-bulkhead, into the starboard equipment console, and the instrument panel has to be scratch-built.
So far, this last bit of work has consumed around 18 hours, with a total build-time to date of something in the region of 40 to 45 hours, although I admit, I've lost count!
Thanks again for your kind comments and interest, and the next pics should show some interior paintwork - I hope!

Splendid work old boy, marvelous!

When words fail me, I turn to smilies... 8)

Simply Fantastic. Can't wait to see the next round of pics.

Fantastic Terry!

Thanks very much indeed chaps! It's eating up the hours, but hopefully it'll be worth it. I just hope there are no major fit problems when it comes to joining the fuselage and the wings, then both to each other!

Well done!!

Another Great Update Terry 8)

Cheers

Peter

Thanks H and Peter, more pics soon, hopefully.

Thaaat was an hour ago, where's pics?

Now, now old chap. Patience don't you know, what!

WOW!

I'm speachless.

Excellent Terry......didn't see the kitchen sink though?.....everything else seems to be in there...

Dam fine work mate! looking forward to seeing it painted!

B*ll*cks! I knew I'd forgotten something! Maybe I can stick it in the back, next to the shower and sauna room.
Thanks very much once again guys, and here you go Daniel, some coloured stuff splashed on!
Before I could paint the interior, I needed to know what height to make the seat and its swivel mounting. The kit parts were designed to go into their own, enclosed cockpit, with an 'Observer' figure, and, for the time this kit was produced, the overall package wasn't a bad effort really. But the parts were totally unsuitable for my needs, so I had to scratch-build the frame, and modify a seat from the spares box.
PIC 1. Is the seat and base as provided in the kit.
PIC 2. Shows the kit seat alongside a spare, originally from the Hasegawa Mustang kit. Yep, I scratch-built an accurate one for that model!
PIC 3. The new seat base and frame were constructed from plastic rod, plastic strip, and a part from the spares box, and it's lying on its side here. Alongside is the modified seat. Plastic card has been grafted onto the back and top, to increase the height, and the sides thinned and rounded. Attachment points for the seat harness have been added to the sides and rear.
PIC 4. A general view of the starboard fuselage half, now painted, and with the seat frame attached. This was done by drilling through the floor, and pushing the elongated 'legs' down until the correct height was achieved. I actually fouled up here, as I drilled one hole 1mm off line, and had to extend the holes to form slots, in order to align the frame. Doh!
BTW, the items in front of the fuselage are the radarreceiver/transmitter equipment and the observer's seat.
PIC 5. The forward section, showing the armoured bulkhead with the doors open, the red grab handle bars, and the wiring and 'plumbing', as well as the fire extinguisher, First Aid box and an electrical box. The wiring and the cabin heater ducting will be extended over the cockpit rear half-bulkhead, once the cockpit has been fitted. The 'bare' white patches are where the areas were masked for spraying, as more scratch-built components will be added here.
PIC 6. is a general view of the starboard mid-section, with all of the fittings and wiring painted. The overhead observer's repeater instrument panel is just visible.
PIC 7. A closer shot of the observer's seat mount, with the oxygen regulator and lighting panel, and the trailing aerial cable reel also visible. The seat itself will be added after the model has been painted, in order to simplify masking of the open hatch.
PIC 8. The bulkhead doors were cut from plastic card, with the latch made from slivers of thinner card, and the hinges from stretched sprue. The floor in this area has been given a scuffed look, to simulate the plywood covering showing through the paint. The penciled rectangles are the rough markings indicating the positions for fitting the radar transmitter/receiver equipment, and the four cannon ammunition tanks.
PIC 9. Is a general view of the port fuselage, with the escape hatch jettison lever, painted yellow and grey, on the left, with the oxygen bottle next to it. The small 'T' bar is the dinghy release handle, and the larger black box is the main fuse and circuit board. This area was painted black on nightfighters, to reduce glare and reflection to the outside. The space to the right of this will be occupied by the radar transmitter/receiver, which will be mounted on the floor. The radar scope itself, along with its tranducer, will be mounted on the bare area, immeciately aft of the open hatch.
PIC 10. The forard entrance well has also been painted, as has the entire surrounding area, as part of this makes up the 'wall' of the mid section. The scratch-built oxygen bottle is on the right, with the scratch-built radio opposite, with the channel and tuning knobs correctly coloured. A bit more detail could have been added here, but as this area is only just visible, I couldn't see the point in spending the time and effort.
So, that's another 15 hours or more of work done, with still a heck of lot to do before the fuselage can be joined. Next step is the cockpit, which will be about 85% scratch-built. After that, I'll probably put this build yo one side for a couple of days, as I need to get the Avenger and it's mini-diorama finished for the PTO build - I almost forgot!
Thanks very much once again for your kind comments, I really do appreciate it, and I hope this build so far has been enjoyable and maybe 'educational'.
Cheers!
Terry.

BRILLANT, OUT OF THIS WORLD

Fu*kin Terry, truly outstanding work my man..... Amazing scratchwork.....

With Dan here. Outstanding...