Brisfish just arrived from Eduard and I need help

[melsharkskin]

After I finish my magazine review build of this Eduard Fokker E.V, I have to immediately jump to the latest Eduard incarnation of their Bristol F2.B, a/c no. B1288, the bizarre "Brisfish" which came with the May Eduard releases today. Admittedly, the molds for this kit make it among the two or three finest injected WW I kits I've ever seen, but the poor thing is being stretched by Eduard until it screams. It is now out in its third incarnation in six months, following the nightfighter version and the original. In this kit, the fish scheme is the only one offered, and it is well and truly elaborate.

My question is, can anyone shed light on the Brisfish? I have never seen a photo of it, but it is so bizarre it is oddly beautiful in Eduard's no doubt highly speculative markings. They admit they gave their best guess on the colors -- and we're all used to speculation here -- and the colors are logical, the fish scheme painted over the usual PC10-over-CDL and grey metal cowling. However, there are several questions. Eduard says the a/c was unarmed, but that photos show it with a Scarff ring with no gun. But the box top shows that ring armed and aimed, and the front cockpit has its telescopic sight mounted atop the rear of the cowling.

Since this is for a review, I would especially desire to get it as correct as possible, and it being a review, I am restricted to OOB on this one, though I can change the colors to anything I find to be more accurate than the callouts. So if anyone knows anything Eduard doesn't, please let me in on it.

Also, the parts map crosses off all those nifty bombs that came with the original kit (they're still on the sprue and will be really nice to have in the spares box), but leaves the bomb racks on the aircraft, which seems odd and probably wrong to me. If Eduard knows enough to be sure it carried no bombs, why the bomb racks remaining? To fill all the holes in the lower fuselage? We have materials for that purpose.

I guess, in short, can anyone illuminate me on this fascinating machine? Both me and, I am sure, my magazine's readers will thank you.
TOM

[THE GREAT WALDO]

Hi Tom

There are a couple of photos in Chaz Bowyers book Bristol F2B Fighter
King of two-seaters. It´s a good read with plenty of photos.

ANDREW

[Lugarno67]

I just received Windsock Datafile 115 ("Bristol Fighter"), and it has 3 photos of the Brisfish. The accompanying blurb implies the bird itself was in a training squadron, and claims it must have belonged to some high ranking officer because of the time and effort required to paint it up.

The final photo shows the plane after it crashed, and it indicates the plane's fin was overpainted (presumably in PC 10), so the fish upper fin no longer appears, and the serial No. (1288) was also reapplied.

The other photos do show the ring without the rear gun, but they are not clear enough to show the presence or absence of a forward gun. I cannot detect the telescopic sight, either. These details do seem to support the notion that this was a training bird.

The bomb racks appear to be attached, though I am again not certain either way.

HTH.