Grundlæggende oplysninger
Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF 'Night Fighter'
The Bristol Beaufighter was a British long-range heavy fighter, developed early in 1939 from the Beaufort torpedo bomber. It became an efficient night-fighter, employing the then novel AI radar. Following short-term development the first prototype flew in July 1939 and the first aeroplanes reached the squadrons in the summer of the next year.
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.IF was destined for RAF Fighter Command units, while the Mk.IC, fitted with an additional radio and navigational equipment, was a dedicated long-range fighter for the Coastal Command. Total production of both variants reached 914 aircraft.
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.IF, R2248, Grey WM-S, No.68 Sq., RAF, High Ercall airfield (detachment Valley, Anglesey), autumn 1941
2) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF, X7671, Red WP-D, No.89 Sq., RAF, Abu Sueir airfield, Egypt, spring 1942
3) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF, T4637, Red NG-O, No.604 Sq., RAF, Middle Wallop airfield, autumn 1942
4) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF, V8318, Sky F, No.252 Sq., RAF, El Magrun (Al Maqrūn) airfield, Libya, spring 1943
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.
Bristol Beaufighter er et britisk tungt, tomotoret natjagerfly, angrebsfly og torpedofly, med en helmetal, halvskallet struktur. Den fløj for første gang den 17. juni 1939, og dens serieproduktion begyndte samme år. Under krigen blev der skabt mange versioner af Beaufighter, bl.a Mk.I, Mk.II, TF Mk.X eller TF Mk.XI. Mk.I-versionen var den første til at fungere som natjager og var udstyret med AI Mk. IV. Den havde også stærk bevæbning: 4 20 mm kanoner og 6 7,7 mm MG'er. Mk..X version. var den sidste, der blev produceret i stort antal og kombinerede fordelene ved et jagerfly med slagstyrken fra et torpedobombefly. Denne version blev drevet af Bristol Hercules XVII-motorer med en kapacitet på 1770 HK. Bristol Beaufighter-fly tjente i alt 53 eskadroner fra RAF, 15 eskadroner fra Royal Navy og den polske 307 eskadron af Lwowskie Puchacze. Alle versioner og modeller af dette fly var ikke nemme at styre og led hårdt af spinning og problemer forårsaget af svigt af en motor. Derudover havde Bristol Beaufighter et meget dårligt ror, hvilket resulterede i dårlig retningsstabilitet. Hovedsageligt af disse grunde blev de fra 1943 successivt erstattet på frontlinjerne af DeHavilland Mosquito. Tekniske data: Maksimal hastighed: 512 km/t, stigningshastighed: 8,17 m/s, maksimalt loft 5800 m, maksimal rækkevidde: 2816 km, bevæbning (jagtversion): fast - 4 20 mm Hispano kanoner og 6 rifler maskingevær kaliber 7,7 mm, ophængt op til 906 kg bomber.
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