Special Hobby Barracuda Mk. II "Home Fleet" - 1:72 Special Hobby

[Paul A H]

 

Barracuda Mk. II "Home Fleet"

1:72 Special Hobby

 

 

The Fairey Barracuda was an all-metal torpedo/dive bomber, designed to replace its Fairey stablemates, the Swordfish and the Albacore. Although vastly more modern than the aforementioned aircraft, the ungainly Barracuda had a mixed service career. It achieved some fame for the part it played in the successful attack on the German battleship Tirpitz in April 1944, but when deployed to the Pacific theatre, the high temperatures and high altitude requirement were not a good match for the Barracuda's abilities. Despite the fact that in excess of 2500 Barracudas rolled off the production line by the end of the War, none survive intact today. The Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton is, however, slowly rebuilding an example from recovered wreckage, so there is hope for fans of this rather interesting aircraft.

 

This is Special Hobby's second attempt at the Barracuda. Their first was a traditional, short-run injection moulded kit initially released in 1999 under the MPM label. Although that was a massive improvement over the old FROG kit, the world of scale modelling has moved on since then. Happily, Special Hobby have moved with the times, to the point that they are now able to offer a completely new kit produced from all-metal moulds. As you might expect, the new kit is a quantum leap over its predecessor, both in terms of detail and overall quality. Apart from three sprues of nicely moulded grey plastic, the box also contains a single clear sprue and a decal sheet with marking options for two aircraft.

 

 

 

Construction starts with a reasonably well detailed cockpit. This sub-assembly is effectively split into two main parts. The forward cockpit includes a pilot's seat in three parts, a floor pan, side consoles, rear bulkhead and control column. An instrument panel and rudder pedals are also included. The rear cockpit includes the other two crew seats, radio kit and other details. The inside of the fuselage halves also feature some sidewall detail. The overall effect is a pleasingly detailed cockpit, which is just as well given the large canopy that is a characteristic of their aircraft. The only improvement I could suggest would be the addition of a set of photo etched harnesses, if you happen to have some available. Before the fuselage halves can be joined, the shackle for the torpedo must be fitted to the belly of the aircraft. The fuselage side windows are fitted from the outside, so there should be no danger of them popping out of the frame and rattling around inside the fuselage.  

 

 

 

Construction of the wing is fairly conventional. The wing itself is split into upper and lower halves, between which are sandwiched the walls of the main landing gear bays. These might be slightly fiddly to fit, but the level of moulded detail should mean they look terrific once finished. The light in the leading edge of the port wing must also be fitted at this point. Ailerons are moulded in place, but the Barracuda's distinctive dive brake flaps are separate parts, as are the wingtip formation lights. The horizontal stabiliser has the elevators moulded in place, and rudder is moulded as part of the vertical stabiliser. The Barracuda's ungainly landing gear is quite nice and each wheel is split vertically. The distinction between wheel and tyre could be clearer, but with careful painting they should look fine.

 

 

The airscrew is moulded in six parts, which each of the four blades moulded separately. You will need to take care when assembling this part in order to make sure that everything lines up properly. The canopy is moulded as a single solid part. The canopy is thin and clear but the frame lines could be a little crisper. Ordnance comes in the form of a large torpedo and a single bomb. Bombe racks for the underside of the outer wings are also included. The outer wing locking plungers and radar antennas are both present and correct. The exhaust parts can be fitted from the outside, which means they can be painted separately and then added at the end of the build.

 

 

Two decal options are provided:

• Barracuda Mk.II LS556 (or LS550) of 829 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Victorious, May 1944. This was one of the aircraft that successfully hit the Tirpitz during Operation Tungsten.
• Barracuda Mk.II BV937 of 830 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Furious, 1944. This aircraft also took part in Operation Tungsten.

Both aircraft are finished in Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey over Sky. The decals themselves look great on the sheet and a full set of stencils is provided too.

 

Conclusion

 

It's great to have a brand new tool of this important (if not especially attractive) aircraft. The overall shape looks ok, while the quality of moulding, treatment of surface detail and the rendering of parts such as the cockpit are all very good indeed. Overall, this is a really nice kit which is already tempting me to build it, if I can find the time. Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

 

[Mick4350]

About the only thing missing in this kit are the twin rear guns for the Radio Operator. On part A-33 you can see the spare magazines for the Vickers K machine guns that are moulded atop of the part.

[TANK63]

Nice review as always and having seen the pics will no doubt get myself one.

[dogsbody]

Nice to see that it comes with a 1600lb. A.P. bomb, as used on the Tirpitz raids.

 

 

Chris

[kapam]

Nice review.  I'm not especially a Barracuda or FAA fan, but as a 1/72 fan, I appreciate a look at a nice new kit.   Quite tempting actually.