Beau Finale Beaufighter TF.10

The Bristol Beaufighter is an aircraft I’vealways liked although an example hasnever made its way across my workbench because it is essentially a World War II aircraft, which means that it is outside my usual area of interest.

- Peter Doyle

Built as a heavy fighter the Beau, as it was often called, went on to fulfil a wide range of fighter roles including as a night fighter and also ground attack roles using torpedoes, rockets, cannon and bombs. Reputedly called the whispering death by the Japanese the name was a result of the quiet gentle purring of the Bristol Hercules engines, various versions of which powered the aircraft through its career. The final RAF version was the TFX, which following the late 1940s change in RAF designations became known as the TF10. To my mind the thimble nose radome and dorsal forward extension to the fin, presumably compensating aerodynamically for the radome, made it a particularly purposeful and menacing looking aircraft. Also, the medium bomber post war camouflage of Medium Sea Grey upper surfaces and black lower surfaces, seemed to suit the aircraft particularly well, especially when set off by postwar brightly coloured D type roundels, and it is this latter attribute that conferred upon it its eligibility to join my collection. This scheme was the final scheme worn by 45 Squadron, the last front line unit with the Beaufighter, and it swapped its last aircraft for Brigands in February 1950. Some TF10s were converted at about that time to target towing TT10s, with the fin fillet but without the thimble radome, and these lasted in service until May 1960.

The Airfix Kit