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With constant rumor of a new Beaufighter coming out and
Revell’s re-released kit in 1/32 scale Aviaeology
has seen good timing and sense in not only releasing two sheets to match
but also some airframe stencils to recreate your Beau into a 404th squadron
kite and alternatively a “Black Friday” veteran. Let’s have a look at these
three sheets which house no less than twelve different aircraft...
Review:
Special Edition – “No
404 Squadron Beaufighters – Black Friday and other late Beaux.”
From: Aviaeology
Scale: 1/32nd, 1/48th & 1/72nd
(1/32nd sets reviewed here)
AOD32010 Part I & II
You can purchase these sheets directly from Aviaeology’s
website:
Prices:
1/32: C$20.39/ US$17.30
1/48: C$14.99/ US$12.72
1/72: C$10.79/ US$9.15
Aviaeology is a
Canadian company who make some very nice decals, books and even prints that
often feature their native Canadians in their service for their country in
World War II. This is a nice little niche for Aviaeology to find as the
cannucks often flew some great aircraft and their pilots were amongst the most
lauded and decorated in that conflict.
The creative force behind this company is Terry Higgins who
has already written and illustrated a book about the exploits of the famous 404
Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force called "Buffalo Soldier" so he would be ideally placed you
might think to research and release a decal sheet focussing on the exploits of
the 404th Canadian Squadron and the Beaufighters who participated in
the “Black Friday” raid and operations after that.
It seems that it is good
timing to release a sheet focusing on large scale Beaufighters as timing is everything with decal releases. Revell re-releasing their Beaufighter in 32nd
scale and constant murmurings of a new tool kit coming out in 32nd
scale (please sooner rather than later guys) it seems Aviaeology’s timing is
spot on in this case. The only thing that could help is for the other “pending”
release to materialize. Up till now this release has NOT be confirmed by any
manufacturer so we all wait - or make do with what we have and that is a lot better than nothing. At least we have a choice of decals now!
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Today we are looking at the 32nd scale sheets in
this review – they are also available of course in the more popular 48th
and 72nd scales as well from Aviaeology but we will look at the
larger ones here. There are three decal sheets we will look at in this review –
all in 32nd scale. Two of them comprise the markings of the ships of
404th squadron and the separate sheet no AOD32S02 covers the
airframe stencil/ data sheets that were applied to the aircraft at the factory.
AOD32S02 PT II contents
Data placement decal sheet contents
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I will look at all three of these sheets separately but firstly
I will point out the shared information and the composition of the decal sheets
themselves.
The instruction booklet.
Both of the decal sheets here have the same booklet/
instruction sheet. The only difference is on the front where it lets you know
which schemes are in the sheet you bought. If you bought both you are in twice
the luck. The thing that I notice first about the decal instruction sheets from
Aviaeology is that they are in rather a drab black and white. This does not
capture your attention like some others do at the hobby shop and I thought that
I might have to use my imagination to conjure up what these birds look like. I did
think as well that maybe sometimes these sheets might suffer in the sales
department because of it. There is however a large format colour instruction
booklet available to you after from the team at Aviaeology HQ.
The Colour
instructions are sent via e-mail in a hi-res ,pdf format when you receive an
e-mail confirming shipment. So my thoughts of having to use my own imagination
were cessated! For the purposes of this review I will stick with the black and
white pics you get in the eleven pages of instruction manual.
And that was the second mini roadblock I faced. The
instructions were so abundant that at first I got lost looking for where to
start! There are twenty four little pages A5 of brochure to get through here
and the page numbers at first did not make sense. Then the penny dropped. In
reality there are eleven pages here – fold these pages flat and put them into
sequential order and you get yourself a little book almost on Canadian
Beaufighters of the 404th squadron.
And what a little booklet it is – I cannot tell you how impressed I was to read it all. The comprehensive nature of these instructions really does leave you in no doubt as to the amount of research that has gone into the making of these decal sheets. Indeed if you read the names of some of the learned people who helped along with the veterans who flew in these planes themselves. It leaves me in no fear of errors or of needing to double guessing the creators.
And what a little booklet it is – I cannot tell you how impressed I was to read it all. The comprehensive nature of these instructions really does leave you in no doubt as to the amount of research that has gone into the making of these decal sheets. Indeed if you read the names of some of the learned people who helped along with the veterans who flew in these planes themselves. It leaves me in no fear of errors or of needing to double guessing the creators.
Now the next bit is common to both of these releases:
Page 1: When it
come to the contents of the sheets there is a single page showing a short point
table of which aircraft had which particular airframe detail, when it is
captured here and who flew in it along with the front cover which shows you of
course the cover graphic and which individual aircraft are in the pack you
bought.
Both covers are not the same!
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Turn over this page to page
2 which gives you a large section of text on the 404th Squadron’s
finishing and markings of the TF.X Beaufighters from January through to March
in 1945. A colour key code (which will make more sense in the coloured PDF that
they send you) as well as an explanation on the code letters and AEAF markings
on these aircraft which cover invasion stripes and letter and number code.
Lastly the main section is about the intricacies of the
colours on the aircraft. The use of Red and clear coloured dope/ primer over
repairs, the three colours the Hercules engines seemed to stain the nacelles
and the effect of sea and spray weathering on the sea grey and two tone camouflages
of the Beaus of the time. This is a really nice little helpful guide to getting
the most realistic colours from your own kite and judging from this author’s
research on the type I do not need to look elsewhere.
Page 3: Turn the
page to see the list of names who helped with this sheet and the handy
inclusion of diagrams and some reference photos of the rockets that these
Beaufighters carried into battle. If you did want to scratch build your own
anti-shipping warheads these scale plans should be the end of your reference
search.
Included with the booklet is a small instruction sheet to
help you get the best out of your application of these screen printed decals. It
explains just the way you can get these working to achieve the promised
results. More on the decals later.
The research:
Pages 4 – 11 - The
Aircraft: Each of the following pages covers two aircraft each on the front
and back of each sheet of paper. Again of course in black and white but the
colour PDF will have a coloured profile. It tells of the features of each of
these aircraft that are summarised briefly on the cover page.
Each of these aircraft is featured in one, two or three
pictures which show to a good degree the markings of each of the captured
schemes and their intricacies. All of the twelve aircraft are featured on these
instructions and although you only get six schemes in each sheet release it
does give you a little more on what you might have missed out on as well as the
other Beaux in the unit. We have pictures of each of the sheets to show you the
aircraft that are included. We could talk about each but it is all there on the
sheets.
Beaufighter TF.X N339U EO-U
As
aircraft EO•U of 404 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Dallachy, Scotland,
1945. Shot down 24 March 1945 on the Squadron's final Beaufighter combat
operation of the war.
•
Flown by the crew of S/L Christison, DFC, and F/L Toon (RAF), DFC, on Black
Friday, 9 February 1945.
•
Flown by F/L Aljoe and F/S Orser when lost on 24 March 1945.
Beaufighter TF.X NE669 EO-A
Aircraft
EO•A of 404 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Dallachy, Scotland, 1945.
•
Flown by the crew of P/O Ramsden and WO Rumble on Black Friday, 9 February
1945.
Beaufighter TF.X NE686 EO-T
Aircraft EO•T of 404
Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Dallachy, Scotland, 1945.
• Flown by the crew
of F/O Flynn and P/O Michael on Black Friday, 9 February 1945.
Beaufighter TF.X NE825 EO-G
Aircraft EO•G of 404
Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Dallachy, Scotland, 1945.
• Flown by the crew
of F/L Stewart and F/O Johnston on Black Friday, 9 February 1945.
Beaufighter TF.X NT916 EO-S
EO•S of 404 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Dallachy,
Scotland, 1945. This aircraft was converted and had the modified tailplane with
enlarged elevator and enhanced balance system during most of its 1945 ops.
• Flown by the crew
of F/O Nelson and WO Gracie on Black Friday, 9 February 1945.
Beaufighter TF.X NV177 EO-Z
EO•Z "Zooperman" of 404 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal
Command, Dallachy, Scotland, 1945.
• Flown by the crew
of F/O Flynn, and P/O Michael on several operations in March, including the
Squadron's final Beaufighter combat operation of the war 24 March 1945.
• Also flown on a
12 March anti-lighthouse combat op by the crew of W/C Pierce (the squadron OC)
and F/L Corder (RAF), CGM, CdeG.
Beaufighter TF.X NV291 EO-H
EO•H of 404 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Dallachy,
Scotland, 1945. (This subject is in part 2, see AOD32010p2 elsewhere in this
eBay store).
• Flown by a number
of crews on combat operations throughout 1945.
Beaufighter TF.X NV416 EO-J
EO•J "Jezebel" of 404 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal
Command, Dallachy, Scotland, 1945.
• Flown by F/O
Savard when written off in an emergency landing not far from Dallachy on 22
January 1945. Savard was shot down in a different aircraft on Black Friday, 9
February 1945, survived and became a POW until liberated. "Jezebel"
was his regular mount prior to her loss.
Beaufighter TF.X NV427 EO-L
As aircraft EO•L "Looie IV" of 404 Squadron RCAF,
RAF Coastal Command, Dallachy, Scotland, 1945.
• Shot down during
combat operations on 8 March 1945, with the loss of the crew of F/O Ridge and
P/O McCartney.
Beaufighter TF.X RD136 EO-Q(1)
EO•Q1 of 404 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Dallachy,
Scotland, 1945. This aircraft had the modified tailplane with enlarged elevator
and enhanced balance system, as well as the Mk.XII wing with its different tips
and fuel system modifications – one of the earliest production TF.X's to have
these features.
• Shot down during
combat operations on Black Friday, 9 February 1945, with the loss of the crew
of F/O Smook and WO Duckworth.
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Beaufighter TF.X RD421 EO-V
aircraft EO•V of 404 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command,
Dallachy, Scotland, 1945. This aircraft had the modified tailplane with
enlarged elevator and enhanced balance system, the Mk.XII wing with its
different tips and fuel system modifications, the dorsal fin extension, the
ASV.XII radar (with thimble nose), F.46 "roof" strike camera, and the
Hercules XVIII engines. RD421 was the most probably the second TF.X to
incorporate these features right from the production line. Retrograded with the
removal of some of these new features, apparently by the Maintenance Unit,
before delivery to 404 Squadron. (
• An attrition
replacement for the losses incurred on Black Friday, 9 February 1945, this
aircraft participated in the squadron's final Beau combat op on 24 March 1945,
with the crew of Bundy and Wright successfully completing the mission.
Beaufighter TF.X RD427 EO-O
EO•O of 404 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Dallachy,
Scotland, 1945. This aircraft had the modified tailplane with enlarged elevator
and enhanced balance system, the Mk.XII wing with its different tips and fuel
system modifications, the dorsal fin extension, the ASV.XII radar (with thimble
nose), F.46 "roof" strike camera, and the Hercules XVIII engines.
RD427 was one of the earliest TF.Xs to incorporate these features right from
the production line. Retrograded with the removal of some of these new
features, apparently by the Maintenance Unit, before delivery to 404 Squadron.
• An attrition
replacement for the losses incurred on Black Friday, 9 February 1945, this
aircraft participated in the squadron's final Beau combat op on 24 March 1945,
with the crew of Coyne and Landry successfully completing the mission.
A large variations of schemes are shown in all of the detail
that that the authors have space to put it as well as the actions that this
kite was known for. The ill-fated “Black Friday” raid on Destroyer Z.33 and her
escort are of course included in the reports.
Page 10: sees the
Beaufighter in three different top down views with little numbers pointing to
the slight differences of each of the 1943-44 production, the late 1944 and the
final types RD420- SR919. The notes are laid out in both aircraft notes in
light grey and decal placement notes in black.
The last page of the booklet brings us to the three types of
modified tailplane /elevator used by these Beaufighters in the selection. Again
you get scale plans that you can reproduce to your preferred scale (helpfully the
ratio is here for anyone for whom numeracy isn’t their strong suit (like me).
The notations to the differing points are included as are the internal
structure of the workings of the tail.
I am sure if the author wanted he could make a book out of
this and the other material he has included here. The pictures in his and his
collaborators libraries are enough to warrant it. Indeed this is the most
extensive decal instructions I have ever read. Almost daunting at first, they
leave you in no doubt as to the decal maker’s knowledge on the Beaufighter and
totally enthused to make even the old Revell kit!
..And lastly (of course) the
Decals:
Finally we get to the meat in the sandwich! These are a specialty of Aviaeology. They are printed in a screen-printed production. I can
say these decals are just as promised as the many colours of the markings on
these aircraft are printed in so the layers of colour are always in line with
each other right to the smallest detail.
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National markings, serial and below aircraft code letters are all here
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Fine details all can be read and are in sharp fucus
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AOD32S02 PT II contents
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National markings, serial and below aircraft code letters are all here
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Again the details are very clear here
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There are three sheets on each of the two decal sheet parts
one and two. Two of these are 8x 11 inches - the size of the booklet and both
include a smaller sheet. National markings for one Beaufighter are included as
well as aircraft codes and serials.
The carrier film is always a bugbear of modellers and I am
really happy to see the film on this sheet almost non-existent – it is so thin
there will be very little to remove when finishing this decaling process. Not much more you can say until you try them
out really. I am still thinking I will wait for the first model company to
crack before I use these on the Revell kit though. I can hold out a little
longer. There isn’t much more I can say about these until I use them and I know
it seems like such a little to say about these decals compared to the
instructions, but know that I am really impressed by them. They really do look
like they will be thin enough to snuggle in tightly to any surface details.
O.K. now we go on to the stencil data provided before we sum up…
Bristol Beaufighter
Mk.I/VI/X/XIC Aircraft Stencil & Data Markings
Scale: 1/32nd, 1/48th & 1/72nd
(1/32nd sets reviewed here)
AOD32S02/ AOD48S02/ AOD72S02
You can purchase these sheets directly from Aviaeology’s
website:
Price:
1/32: C$4.75/ US$4.03
1/48: C$3.25/ US$2.74
1/72: C$3.00/ US$2.53
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Aviaeology have added to their line up an up to date airframe
stencil placement set of decals made to complement their Beaufighters in three
scales (72nd, 48th and 32nd.). This set is
made with the same dedication to accuracy as their decal marking sheets. Applied
in the factory and either worn down over time or re-painted - these markings
were often slightly different in application and the provision for the
different styles has been made here.
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The whole sheet here you can see the variations on some of the lettering
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Just like the other decals the screen-printed decals quality
is great and you can read these stencils down to the smallest one that we have
here in 32nd scale. Here they are next to the biggest 1 pence UK
penny we could find for scale….
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These decals are also applicable to the earlier Beaufighter
variants with the exception of early-service overall Night (matte black)
finished Beaufighter Mk.Is so they can be helpful with your existing build if
you want to use them. They are however a boon for the people who will use these
404th and coastal command decal sheets from Aviaeology.
Well – what can I say in summation?
At first I was a bit put out by the black and white booklet – then I get the coloured booklet which can be blown up to an amazing size. Then I was a little lost in the depth of information provided – but as soon as the sheets were laid out page by page I found the research is just astounding to me. So much is offered up to the modeller I would like all decal makers to show the same earnestness for their subjects. I think a few good companies do care. This is a bit beyond most companies efforts though.
At first I was a bit put out by the black and white booklet – then I get the coloured booklet which can be blown up to an amazing size. Then I was a little lost in the depth of information provided – but as soon as the sheets were laid out page by page I found the research is just astounding to me. So much is offered up to the modeller I would like all decal makers to show the same earnestness for their subjects. I think a few good companies do care. This is a bit beyond most companies efforts though.
Lastly the decals – They are sharp in detail and the thin
carrier film looks like it will just disappear if you apply it right.
Aviaeology’s research, packaging and decals in this release are faultless.
Now do I spring for the Revell Beau or wait????
Adam Norenberg
These new decals are
available directly from Aviaeology's E-bay
Store while they work on overhauling the Aviaeology.com website.
