I'll say straight off, I never expected to see a book like this devoted to the Beaufort - long something of an unfairly overlooked aircraft among most modellers. Of course, the release of new-tool kits by Airfix and ICM in 1:72 and 1:48 have changed all that and the Beaufort is finally getting its fair share of the limelight.

Richard Franks' new soft bound A4 volume covers 98 pages and will be a huge help to anyone building either of the kits if they want to take things beyond what's in the box, but it will also appeal to anyone simply interested in the Beaufort from an historical perspective. 

Introduction

Things begin with a concise 14-page Introduction which provides a very informative account of the Beaufort's development and service. The story's a lot more involved than I'd previously imagined and the aircraft had a more varied career than I'd realised. The chapter covers the Beaufort's production in Britain and Australia with the multitude of variations that sprang from that, plus its service with RAF and Fleet Air Arm squadrons and the air forces of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey.

The surviving airframes (complete and partial) are described, along with a very useful list of serial numbers to help you pinpoint the particular production batch of an aircraft to ensure that you get the details correct.

Technical Description

For many modellers the Technical Description alone will be reason enough to buy the book. It combines colour shots of preserved airframes with period photos and technical drawings and diagrams to give a superbly detailed "walkaround" of the Beaufort, with the vintage material ensuring that the coverage is historically correct, instead of relying solely on incomplete or incorrectly restored warbirds.

The material is spread across eight main sections:

1. Fuselage, Cockpit Interior & Canopy

2. Undercarriage

3. Tail

4. Wings & Controls

5. Engine, Cowling & Propeller

6. Fuel, Oxygen & Hydraulic Systems

7. Armament

8. Miscellaneous

Each of these is then sub-divided into multiple sub-sections, the 41-page section providing enough detail to satisfy even the most demanding superdetailer - and, to be honest, more than I ever thought was available.

Camouflage & Markings

Richard Caruana provides over 30 high quality colour profiles and plan views for the Camouflage & Markings chapter, which describes the schemes carried in service with the air forces listed above. The range of camouflage should certainly whet the appetite to go beyond the usual OOB subjects, and there's an Australian Mk.IX with a modified rear fuselage for anyone feeling really ambitious.

Backing up the profiles are a number of useful B&W and original colour photos, plus a page devoted to nose art.

Beaufort Builds

Beaufort Builds sees Libor Jekl and Steve Evans tackle the Airfix and ICM kits to their usual very high standards, with Libor once again displaying his uncanny knack of making a 1:72 kit appearing to be a larger scale. I haven't had a chance to examine the ICM kit personally, so I was a little disappointed that Steve found the interior rather empty - but a little scratch building using the Technical Description above will no doubt come the rescue there. Steve also dresses up the exterior with some effective riveting and, all in all, the two builds will be very useful references and inspiration for whichever kit you tackle.

Appendices

Rounding everything off are a series of appendices, the first three of which cover Beaufort kits, accessories and further reading. The fourth lists all the units which operated the Beaufort, with a brief history of the type's service with them. 

Conclusion

This is an excellent guide to the Beaufort for modellers and historians alike and I'd go so far as to call it a "must have" reference for anyone wanting to add detail to the Airfix or ICM kits. It's actually tempted me to get one of the latter and I always think it's a great recommendation for a book if it causes the itch to build its subject.

Airframe Detail #10 - The Bristol Beaufort - ISBN. 978-1-912932-21-4 is available now from Valiant Wings - Price: £18.95 +P&P

Many thanks to Valiant Wings for the review copy

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