Having swung over to trying my hand at self conversions of some test aircraft subjects, I chose the Tamiya TF-X 48 scale kit as the base for my Prototype Mk I envisaged for the 40mm large calibre cannon.
Background History:
Although the 40mm bofors weapon was initially specified, which was soon replaced by the Vickers Type 'S' and the Rolls Royce B.F.40mm weapons, these were fitted to the Starboard and Port bays respectively on the Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter R2055 and test fitted at Duxford during 1941.
However the Vickers unit was considered the better but was never adopted to the Beaufighter series and was later fitted to the Hawker Hurricane IId.
The Build:
On the lower fuselage centre section, the inboard 20mm ports were filled in along with their respective ejector shutes, Evergreen tube was cut to fit onto the outer 20mm blast tubes, as a replication of the 40mm mountings.
Extra cockpit control levers were made from fine wire, which were CA glued into the fine holes drilled into the sidewalls of the kit's cockpit tub.
Next stage was converting the kit supplied dihedral tail planes pieces back to the Horizontal type, this was simply done by using a small steel ruller and a sharp scalpel blade, following the recessed lines on the 4 tail plane pieces and bending them straight prior to gluing the halves together.
Then the actuator arms were cut off, to be replaced by 2x scratch built arms relocated on the lower tail plane surface.
Unwanted detail on the two kit bulkheads were removed and the cockpit tub was cut and then refitted which changed the height by 3mm to the centre floor plate.
My reference photo: {Sorry for the poor quality}.
Kit tail plane assemblies, with Evergreen strip fillet.
40mm weapons made from Evergreen tube. Other added or altered kit parts also shown.
