At Moson Model Show 2017, Special Hobby will propose its stock of 1/72nd Fairey Fulmar kits: SH72143 Fulmar Mk.I (link) & SH72196 prototype (link) - see box art herebelow. New variants Fulmar Mk.II and NF.Mk.II will be release in June 2017. Source: http://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=95825&start=2805 V.P.

Special Hobby is to release a new tool 1/72nd Fairey Barracuda Mk.II/.III kit - ref.SH72306 Source: http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2016/Bilder_AT/Special_Hobby_11.htm V.P.

Mikromir is to release a 1/72nd Fairey Ultra-light Helicopter kit - ref. Sources: http://www.greenmats.club/topic/3047-mikromir-рисует-fairey-ultra-light-helicopter-172/http://www.greenmats.club/topic/3047-mikromir-рисует-fairey-ultra-light-helicopter-172/ https://www.facebook.com/1416295571781508/photos/a.1416729748404757.1073741828.1416295571781508/1437141239696941/?type=3&theater V.P.

Hi mates! Last August, I started a project for a "quick build" of the 1:72 Special Hobby kit of the Fairey Firefly FR.1. Naively I let my fellow Britmodellers talk me into doing a "dual build" since I also had the Special Hobby kit of the TT.4 in my stash. And then the final elbow - I succumbed to numerous requests to fold the wings on the TT.4. Dementia had finally shown its face. So here we are, six months later and the kits are finally done. You can read the whole sordid work in progress thread here. (It's really not so bad!) I don't think I need to provide a short history of the Firefly. The fine Britmodellers on this forum are keenly aware of their aviation heritage and the important role their aircraft have played throughout the years. Special thanks to Steve Long (NAVY870), our friend from Australia, for his incredible help during this build. No matter how silly my questions were, he always had the answer. Of course, he lives with a real Firefly TT. As usual here is my Executive Summary: Project: Fairey Firefly FR.1 and TT.4 Kit: Special Hobby Fairey Firefly FR.Mk.1 (kit no. 72195) and Fairey Firefly TT.Mk.4 (kit no. 72066) Scale: 1:72 (the only scale that matters) Decals: From the kits, Fairey Firefly FR.1, MB464/272-Y, 837 Squadron FAA, HMS Glory 1945, Fairey Firefly TT.4, VG974/501-TD, 700 Squadron FAA, RNAS Ford, 1955 Resin: Extensive cockpit and wheel well resin components included with the kits; Barracuda Studios Firefly Early Main Wheels (72137) and British 4-Slot 32 inch Main Wheels - Block Tread (72222) Photoetch: In addition to the frets included with the kits, the Marabu Designs British landing lights (72002) were used Canopy Masks: Montex set (72108) Paint: Colourcoats BS 640 Extra Dark Sea Grey, BS 634 Dark Slate Grey; Gunze H364 Interior Grey Green (my own custom counterfeit recipe), H74 Sky Type S, H77 Tire Black, H90 Clear Red, H94 Clear Green, H95 Smoke Gray; Testors 2072 RLM 04 Gelb; Floquil 110100 Old Silver; Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black; Alclad 125 High Speed Silver, 302 Grey Primer, 314 Klear Kote Flat Weathering: Pastel chalks; Prismacolor Silver Pencil Improvements/Corrections/Modifications The FR.1 was built essentially out-of-the-box, the only additions being the aerial wire, IFF antenna, and the landing and navigation lights (made from a clear plastic fork). Most of the extra work was done on the TT.4 as follows: Carburettor intake under engine cowling was left out of Special Hobby kit, so one was scratch built by scabbing formed styrene on the lower fuselage and blending it into the cowling Separated the wings for folding - since the full span Fairey-Youngman flaps fold with the outer wings this made for some interesting cutting patterns All exposed inner wing details were scratch built All wing fold mechanism details were scratch built Wing jury struts made from 0.025" styrene rod Inner fuselage structure and associated details (where the Fairey-Youngman flaps attach to the center fuselage) were scratch built Radiator inlet vanes were replaced with 0.015" styrene Navigation lights were scratch built and added to each wing, made with clear plastic silverware Landing light was scratch built from clear plastic silverware and photoetch reflectors from Marabu Design Rear view mirror and housing added to top of outer port wing Cables on horizontal and vertical tail, to prevent drogue chute from interfering with flight surfaces, made from 0.005" Nitinol wire Cable tie-down brackets on end of horizontal tails made from copper wire VHF whip antenna made from 0.005" Nitinol wire Added photoetch catapult hooks Elapsed time: 6 months! A fair bit longer than anticipated. At this rate, my stash will be exhausted in 2157. At 13:30. How about some photos? First, a family portrait. As can be seen in the following photos, the folded wings are aligned with each other and are at the same height: To achieve this, I designed, built, and used a high precision alignment and gluing jig constructed from the highest technology aerospace alloys: A splendid time was had by all! Cheers, Bill

This is my first RFI as a newbie member of the forum. When I decided to get back modelling I picked up a few cheap and basic kits to practice on with a view to trying out at least one new technique with each. In this instance the goal was rigging but I ended up trying out a whole lot more. Despite the age of this kit it was a real pleasure to work with and it's whetted my appetite for more! I've already started on the next two 'practice pieces' from the (rapidly expanding) stash. As I intend building another, more detailed, Swordfish in the future this one was was built in the radar equipped (pic 3), rocket toting, Mk III guise. WIP is >HERE< Swordfish RFI 1 by Martin Fay, on Flickr Swordfish RFI 2 by Martin Fay, on Flickr Swordfish RFI 3 by Martin Fay, on Flickr Any feedback, criticism and advice welcomed! While researching for the build I found myself intrigued by the aircraft, the missions it was involved in and the men that flew them. As a result I've ordered copies of "The last Torpedo Flyers" and "War in a Stringbag" to learn more on the subject. Cheers, Martin

AZ model is to release in November, at SMW Telford 2017, a 1/48th Fairey Delta 2 or FD-2 kit - ref. Source: https://www.facebook.com/azmodelkits/posts/1416733228351282 V.P.

Trumpeter is to release in 2017-2018 a new tool 1/48th Fairey Firefly Mk.1 (image from Firefly Mk.VI...) - ref.05810 Source: https://www.facebook.com/TrumpeterModel/photos/pcb.718760784949184/718760511615878/?type=3&theater V.P.

XP226 at Newark Air Museum, pics mine.

After the Firefly Mk.I http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234909193-148th-fairey-firefly-mki-by-special-hobby-released/?hl=firefly[/size] The[/size][/size] Special Hobby 1/48th Firefly Mk.V - ref. SH48136 - is expected in 2 or 3 months! [/size] Source: [/size]http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234939129-sh48136-firefly-mkv/[/size] Also here - Mk.IV/V - ref. SH48041[/size] http://www.cmkkits.com/en/aircraft/firefly-mk-iv/ [/size] [/size] [/size] V.P.

AZ Model is to re-release its (ex-Grand Phoenix) 1/48th Fairey Firefly kit in two new boxing incl. the TT.1 variant. Source: http://www.modelarovo.cz/azmodel-novinky/ - ref. AZ4863 - Fairey Firefly Mk.1/F.1/FR.1 - ref. AZ4864 - Fairey Firefly TT.1 V.P

Swordfish Mk.III, NF370 at Duxford, pics thanks to Mark Mills. Swordfish Mk.I W5856, of the Royal Navy Historic Flight, pics thanks to Mark Mills. Swordfish Mk.II LS326, of the Royal Navy Historic Flight, pics thanks to Mark Mills.

Fairey Swordfish Mk.1, (E)5H/P3999. 824 Sqn. Taranto raid, Nov.11, 1940 Pilot: Lt(A) J. Welham Observer Lt. P. Humphreys Model: Matchbox 1/72 When I began this Matchbox build back in March, WIP here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234999297-another-matchbox-swordfish/page-1 I naively assumed it would be a relatively simple undertaking. Nearly six weeks of research and obsession later I feel able to present my first RFI on this forum of a Swordfish from the Taranto raid. I'd like to start start with the words of the pilot, John Welham, describing the run in as part of the second wave: 'There was some light cloud but it was a beautiful starlit night with a rising moon, and I remember that it was surprisingly cold. When we were more than an hour's flying time from Taranto we could see flickering lights on the horizon, and when we were closer this was clearly the mother and father of all anti-aircraft barrages.' (Sturtivant, Ray. The Swordfish Story p.60) A Matchbox mystery... I don't intend saying anything derogatory about the limitation of the kit - it was fun to make as a teenager in the 70s and just as much fun to do again now. However, as I started doing a bit of research online about the 824 Sqn aircraft option offered in the kit (and featured in the typically evocative box art) I started to get rather confused at the lack of clarity on aircraft 5B/K8419, as an aircraft seconded from HMS Eagle with this designation didn't seem to have taken part in the Taranto raid. Not being a naval historian, I put this down to my inexperience and duly posted a query on this forum about the matter. I'm greatly indebted to 'Seahawk' who solved this conundrum, pointing out that John Welham's autobiography (p.85) clearly states that (E)5B was ashore at Deikhela airfield in Egypt at the time of the raid. Indeed, the last page of Stuart Lloyd's magnificent Fleet Air Arm: Camouflage and Markings reproduces a photo of 5B undergoing repairs in the Western Desert in late August of 1940. For the Taranto raid in November, Welham was flying (E)5H instead, so by a process of elimination regarding aircraft from Eagle, the Matchbox box art and decal option would appear to be wrong. The individual aircraft histories in Sturtivant's Swordfish book backs this up by indicating that 5H/P3999 did take part in the Taranto raid. 5B's only engagement is listed as the Bomba Bay raid on 22/23 Aug (when presumably it sustained the damage seen being repaired in the photo in Lloyd's volume?). Last night I discovered an apparently correct illustration of 5H from Replic magazine (issue 100), reproduced online here: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/b/564/9/3 Mentioned in dispatches.... A number of other individuals have also been provided invaluable help on the build: 'iang' did his best to keep my colours and markings matching the historical record (though I'd already applied 'Sky' undersides by that time and decided to live with the shame..). 'John Aero', 'Ex-FAAWAFU' and Nick Millman also weighed in with info and images on the Observer's 'monkey-chain' that stopped him pitching over the side. 'Seahawk' also confirmed the weapons loadout. 'Spadgent' just made me keep buying more gear - watch that lad.... The build... This marked a number of firsts for me: airbrushing, scratch building, photo-etch, custom decals, rigging. Some plan views: And some obliques: Technical matters For those interested the following changes were made to the basic kit: 1. Opened up rear cockpit and added long range fuel tank. 2. Cut Observer in half and rebuilt him as standing figure. 3. Built a new arrestor hook and carved out a recessed channel for it to sit in. 4. Added sleeves to oleo legs. 5. Rebuilt torpedo with more detailed prop/fins at rear and added detonator. 6. Built new torpedo cradle. 7. Added a pitot tube and wiring to port wing. 8. Added torpedo sights. 9. Built a new rear cockpit interior, including a (slightly) more accurate mounting for rear Lewis gun. 10. Added control horns for elevators and rudder. 11. Added control cable shrouds, ballast inspection hatch and catapult attachment to mid/rear fuselage on either side. 12. Scribed sides and undersides of fuselage/wings, added fastener details. 13. Added dinghy housing to port topside wing. 14. Added x4 mountings and azimuth compass to rear cockpit. Also added leather trim. 15. Built (Marabu M72011) PE flare racks and a flare. 16. Added folding wing tie-backs onto underside of tail planes. 17. Added canvas cover to housing for rear Lewis gun. Decals Roundels and tail flash were OOB, serial and tail number added from Ventura V7252 RN number set. (I'm aware that the tail number/letter should be a bolder style but I only had the ones in this sheet to work from...) Weathering Tamiya acrylics for paint scheme, home-made pin wash, various W&N black/umber/sienna oil washes for detailing. Powdered lavender chalk for final fading/weathering prior to final matt varnishing. Thanks for reading and to all who pitched in on the WIP. Now to try and choose the next build. Meteor or Stranraer - anyone any preferences? Regards to all, Tony

Fairey Gannet XG797, pics thanks to Mike.

This is going to be a slow build, because I really want to get it right. Based on the Special Hobby 1/48 Barracuda, I am planning to build this aircraft: It is a Fairey Barracuda Mark III, PM 933 / N6L, of 810 NAS, and it will be depicted as it was when flying from RAF Beccles in Spring 1945 on anti-E-Boat patrols off Holland and Belgium; I was electrified to see that this very airframe is one of the profiles in the Barracuda From The Cockpit book - but note how battered the nose is, in particular. This is a weary veteran! The photo above was actually taken a couple of months later (though the aircraft is unchanged), when the squadron was working up with HMS Queen before setting off for the Far East, though they never got further than the Irish Sea as the Bomb was dropped first (my Dad always used to claim that the bomb had nothing to do with it: they heard he was coming, so just gave up). The Pilot is my Uncle, Ted Hartwell, and the Looker my Dad, Bill Morton (both, alas, no longer with us); their TAG (when flown, which was rarely) was Leading Airman "Tex" Northover. [uncle Ted married my Dad's sister after the war]. For obvious reasons I want to make this one good; though the aircrew are no longer around to see it, my Mum is and it will be a present to her. I have two copies of the Special Hobby kit - one the bog standard Mk II, and one the 'Hi-Tech" Mk II/III - the latter obtained at the weekend via eBay (which at least solves the ASV radome issue). I also have a CMK Merlin III, ready to be modified into a Merlin 32 (following some excellent advice from Britmodellers over in the WWII discussion forum). The Bren Gun Barra II/III detailing kit has been ordered, but not yet arrived. It probably seems wasteful to some of you on here to have 2 kits, but the second kit was bought as an insurance policy to allow me to make the wing fold etc modifications right, with some back-up available in case of disaster. Makes me feel more comfortable when doing radical surgery, anyway! I plan to build it with wings folded and at least one engine cowling open - probably both - with maintenance work going on. I have a different picture of Dad's, taken of a 744 NAS Barra at Maydown in 1946, which has given me some ideas for the diorama aspects. There is also a great pic on p44 of Barracuda From The Cockpit, of an aircraft being worked on at North Front, which has given me inspiration. This will not be a speedy build, because I am working on others at the same time - for instance I plan to do the Gazelle in which I did my first rotary solo for the Helicopter GB starting in a couple of weeks, and something else (not yet decided) for the slightly later FAA GB. The Barra, being a labour of love, will be the thing I turn to occasionally for slow-time relaxation, and might take months! One plea; if anyone has any reference material which shows the engine installation, open cowlings or whatever, than I'd love to see it. I have the aforementioned book (which has some good shots in it), I have the Flight cutaway drawings, and I have photos of the FAA Museum nose (both with and without the restoration which is currently going on), but there doesn't seem to be much else around that shows the engine bay. I may have to make educated guesses, but I'd rather model from evidence if it is available.

Hello, I wonder if anyone could give me information on what seems to be the second Fairey Battle or P4/34 prototype K7555. Wiki isn't too helpful. I have a postcard of K7555 left to me by my grandfather. It states Fairey "Battle" Bomber..."Britain Prepared". I would love to model this aircraft, just as it is in the postcard with the canopy open and the pilot looking towards the photographer in mid flight. From the black and white postcard, I may be crazy but it seems the aircraft may be painted overall yellow. Yes, I seem to be able to see yellow in black and white . I may be very wrong.. I have an MPM Battle, but I feel this prototype on the postcard may be closer to the old Airfix/Bilek/SK model than the MPM? Wikipedia does give some information on shape characteristics, but no plans Any information would be really appreciated Best regards and happy modelling Tony

Fairey Fulmar at the FAA Museum, pics thanks to Merlin101

Here's my first entry, if time permits I may go for a second one too, but will leave details of that until I know if it can be done in time. Here's the ubiquitous box shot: And the contents therein, I bought it second hand and the upper wing had been glued together, but it came apart fairly easily, the only other parts already assembled are the pilot pieces. The kit also includes a stand and a small roll of invisible thread for rigging, don't know if the thread was supplied with the kit originally or if the previous owner provided it. And this is the decal I'll be using: I'm intending to build it virtually out of the box, with just a little scratchbuilding to replace a couple of missing parts or to replace poor representations of certain parts. If I go down the detailing route I just know I'll get bogged down and never finish it in time. Thanks for looking. Ant

Next Special Hobby Fairey Firefly 1/48th kit will be a AS.Mk.7 - ref.SH48130 Source: http://www.mpmkits.eu/2014/10/firefly-mk7-148-scale-kit-boxart.html Box art :thumbsup: Special Hobby Firefly Mk.I: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234909193-148-fairey-firefly-mki-by-special-hobby-released/ Firefly Mk.4/.5/.6: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234939170-148-fairey-firefly-mk456-by-special-hobby-released/ V.P.

Good Morning all from a particularly soggy Nova Scotia, I have been erring on doing this as a WIP for ages. I initially intended to do this as a quick build along with my Skua and therefore didn't bother with a WIP and didn't take any phots of the initial build. But then whilst I was whittling the wings a touch they just shattered in my hand, fortunately they seemed to shatter along certain convenient panel lines so what could I do with this lay out I wonder? : Jiggle the parts around a bit and hey presto! A WIP is reborn! I am going to skirt around the airframe build and just show what has been done so far, the main crux if the WIP will be the wing fold. First up pics of the cockpit. I have used the Eduard self adhesive etch as an extra. Kit detail is ok in this scale but the etch does add more to it although after a couple of years in the stash they aren't quite self adhesive anymore - apart from when they interact with human tissue of course!: And now the Observers station (see I have been paying attention to other posts!). I also added some wiring looms between some of the instruments. Not highly visible but I know they are there! Not too sure about the oxygen bottles in the back. The moulding was very clunky and the parts weren't cast very square (or round) so after whittling they aren't too great. I may pop them out later and redoo. It depends on what they look like under the canopy. The Obs seat is yet to be fitted. I also opened up the cannons on the wing and inserted some brass tube, not quite the right calibre but it will do! And in situ: And also the wheel wells Next up I shall start detailing the wing fold build up More coming very soon! Cheers now Bob

Special Hobbyis to reissue its 1/72nd Fairey Firefly T.1/T.2 - ref.72050 (http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SH72050) - and FR.Mk.1 'ASH radar' - ref.72195 ( https://www.scalemates.com/kits/112251-special-hobby-sh72195-fairey-firefly-fr-mk-i-ash-radar ) - kits. Source: http://www.mpmkits.eu/search?updated-min=2015-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2016-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=2 V.P.

Pics from Martin Laurance, This is the Aircraft at Duxford in Swedish Target Tug Colours

Good day everyone! I am currently doing the MPM 1:48 Fulmar and for some reason I have decided to chop the wings up and fold them I have quite a few good reference shots but was wondering if anyone had any others. The area I am most interested in is the main wing fold hinges and also the locking mechanism. Would anyone have any close ups of this area or if anyone is going to the FAA museum can they get some shots of this area? I have the 4+ and Warpaint series as well as walkarounds here and on Prime Portal, but am just lacking clear detail of that area. Any help would be much appreciated. Hopefully the pics below will give you an idea of what I need. Pic credit to the Britmodeller walkaround Many thanks Bob

Next Special Hobby Fairey Firefly 1/48th kit will be a U.Mk.8 - ref.SH48166 Source: http://www.mpmkits.eu/2014/11/sh48166-fairey-firefly-u-mk8-box-art.html Special HobbyFirefly Mk.I: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234909193-148-fairey-firefly-mki-by-special-hobby-released/ Firefly Mk.4/.5/.6: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234939170-148-fairey-firefly-mk456-by-special-hobby-released/ Firefly AS.Mk.7: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234969322-148-fairey-firefly-asmk7-by-special-hobby-box-art/?hl=firefly V.P.

Hi Folks, This arrived in the post yesterday from Hannants... A quick 'phone pic of the box, I'll post up pics of the contents later, but for now there's a brief description of the box contents below. Two Grey sprues of parts A clear sprue for canopy, windows and landing lights Small photo etch for instrument panel, side consoles and seat harness Clear acetate sheet of instruments to go behind the etched panel Decal sheet which looks nicely in register and contains quite a bit of stencilling Instruction booklet. All packed in a zip-lock bag (Which was a pleasant surprise, no loose bits rolling around in the box.) Photo's to follow. Al

Hi, From deep archive shelf - Fairey Swordfish Mk I and Fairey Barracuda. Both kits by Frog (or rather Novo). Both those Faireys nemes are of fishies. I made them about 1992-3. Swordfish was my first ever build with riging. Swordfish is from 700 Sq. FAA, HMS Malaya, Mediterranean Sea 1941. In some sources I found that she should wear letter "M" on side - some others were not saying this. I made with letter... Here she is: Barracuda Mk II from 812 Squadron HMS Vengeance, Pacific, 1945 (decals by early Techmod - thick ....) Comments welcome Regards Jerzy-Wojtek