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  1. Announced as released today is a set of 1/32nd WWII Pilots of British Naval Aviation - ref. 32118 And what do you see in the box art background? A Fairey Swordfish ! To put alongside the 1/32nd Trumpeter kit or the ICM's Gloster Sea Gladiator? A subliminal message ? Just as two years ago with the 1/48th US pilots and crews sets in South East Asia with, in the box art, the - at that time not yet announced - OV-10 Bronco and AH-1 Cobra. Wait and see. Source: https://icm.com.ua/figure/pilots-of-british-naval-aviation/ Instructions: https://icm.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/32118_instr_web.pdf V.P.
  2. Now that I'm more or less done with some builds that took far longer than they ever should've, and appear to be on the near edge of done trying to figure out whether or not I owe my school or am owed for a term I'm already 90% of the way through, I broke into the old FROG Swordfish I had thrown in with a Blenheim and Firefly a while back. I've got the new Airfix Floatfish, but I don't dare tear into that just yet before I end up with another 4 month project. @bigbadbadge gets the credit for inspiring the topic. First, the boxart - It's quite honestly one of my favorite box tops, though I don't think much will ever pass the Matchbox Siskin or Fury. So far I've gotten most of the interior together and painted. By that, I mean I added both interior parts - Ok yes, there is still a gun mount and gun to attach, but otherwise it's a fairly plain. I may just have to paint up a few figures for once. The lower wing has also been assembled, though this was notably difficult as the tabs were somewhat smaller than necessary. With any luck the fuselage will be joined to it tomorrow morning. More soon, Tweener
  3. Good evening morning. A relatively simple build here, aiming for OOB (apart from the bracing wires). Having built my first "modern" Airfix kit with the 1/48 Blenheim in the recent Bristol GB, I'm looking forward to this one. Thanks for looking, Icarus
  4. Hi all, Just finished my Airfix 1/72 Swordfish 😬 Firstly the good stuff - it’s a beauty of a kit. I ended up going off piste and constructed/ painted/ rigged the wings separately to the fuselage. I added them right at the end and - they just clicked into place! Not even any glue required. The decals were sublime, as good as anything I’ve ever used before. Secondly the less good stuff - the surface textures looked, frankly, awful! 🥴 So poor in fact I thought there must have been an issue with the moulding. Everything was gritty. I contacted Airfix with pictures and they very efficiently sent me a complete new set of sprues. However, these weren’t much better! I ended up having to sand down pretty much everything. This seemed slightly odd? Anyone else have that issue? But once that hurdle was crossed, a great fun build 👍 I’ve added a couple of pictures of the offending surfaces. It sits very nicely next to my recent Armstrong Whitworth Siskin and Hawker Demon ☺️ Anyway, here she is... Thanks Guy ...and the not so good....🤨
  5. Well thanks for the comments on my little man - rear gunner 😆. Been waiting for some sun and no winds to photograph outdoors but alas, Storm Ceira and previous rain put paid to that and now moving house under way wanted to get at least some photos of the completed???? model on the web site. You may remember my previous attempts to sort out the fixing of the upper wing to lower by cooking at gas mark 1/2 and all I ended up with the upper wing slumped forward and the straight struts as beautiful 'S' bends - if had wanted to do it I couldn't... It's a bit of a walk around... The radial engine before the fitters got on with the propellor And at this time I'd made two torpedo aiming sights form wire and the little bits I use for the rigging (Uschi the thinnest elastic, the little bag is in the a removal box somewhere) attachments. On one of its missions one of them got blown off together with the pitot tube! A very fine CD - "Best of the Rolling Stones 71-93" Tamiya Paints - I don't go along with you can't paint with them. My technique was mix up with Mr Color levelling at the time of use and use thin mixes. I think where the paint don't stick I think there's some grease. Anyway... I'd applied about 3 coats and sprayed with Tamiya rattle can varnish and the paint crazed. So burying my head in the sand ignored that and carried on. Then came the cooking fiasco. My remedy was try to over paint but it didn't really work and cut out the bent struts and make some more... In hindsight after making fixing and painting found a set of struts in the box that would have been used if I had gone along the wing hinging possibility of the kit. Well what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger... Atlas watch out! Starboard side (the half baked side!) Starboard wing and rigging More rigging - For the Eagle eyed the pilots cockpit perspex windscreen didn't want to fit, so I used so I used a Hurricaine front screen. My little gunner - (sung to the tune of My Perfect Cousin - The Undertones) and rear rigging Which reminds me - the transfers weren't great and I lost the serial number ones so again the yellow roundels come form either a spitfire or Hurricaine kit. Rudder and tail plane. The rigging was too fine so i tried to beef them up with Tamiya Paints - it worked of sorts but the slightest touched bent the "wires" - remedied by cellulose thinners so the the Uschi line was allowed to spring back but after touching the wires 3 times and getting high on the cellulose fumes decided my lungs deserved better than the looks of the model. The vertical red and white and blue stripes on the fin also got washed away so had to remake from the other kits mentioned Port Rear view Port side Port Front And now I have just noticed the flattened tyres have been put on the square axles incorrectly! Oh well another Atlas moment From the front Port And finally top front Weathering The first major one was using the salt technique along the fuselage, ground sea salt on a water base dried and then a thin wash of a sandy colour. When dry I washed the salt away and then blended the resultant wash with more thinners - Liked the result and I am using it again on 1/700 liberty ship. Finer details used the Daler Rowney acrylic inks, Chipping Prisma Colour silver pencil Tamiya weathering powders? Review of my time with the kit For the main part enjoyed this kit but didn't like all the filling and sanding around the struts, very time consuming. Transfers I didn't enjoy. New house move, finish the Liberty Ship (really for practice at rigging) and then get onto F2b Wingnut Wings kit, which I've been striving to up my modelling skills to do it and me justice. Any comments gratefully received especially where improvements could have been made.🤪
  6. Where ever possible I like models to have personnel in or around them. My dad has completed many aircraft models but they look static, crew give the aircraft scale and blur the edges of reality. It could have been me in the swordfish as the pilot or rear gunner. In reality it couldn't because of poor colour vision, green flags waving me off the deck would have left me asking "what colour?" The Airfix kit didn't have any crew so using a pilot from a Hurricane and Spitfire I made a pilot and rear gunner. The pilot "Orf with his head!" well everything but... I tried to cut in line with how the human body articulates, so cuts were made at the shoulder and hip joints. Arms, thighs, knees I hadn't really a clue the actual position in this area of the cockpit of where he would be standing so I decided to put his legs back onto his torso and stand him in the rear gunner position and hoping the Airfix kit had some fidelity it might be obvious... standing on the cockpit floor. Looking at the length of his legs to his body they appeared too long, so off with his feet at ankle level. Ignoring he had no feet the leg length to head and body ratio now looked right. Gluing limbs...a dab of humbrol cement to tack limbs into position and once happy superglue. Legs on his waste was wrong so had to sand down his thighs. Positioned in the cockpit the next part was positioning his arms and hands so they fitted the gun. dab of Humbrol cement and superglue to fix permanently. So happy with with his position ... painting He had a quick shower using bathroom bleach and a tooth brush he was painted with Tamiya paints. None of the problems mentioned. Got my other half to mix a orange for his Mae West. And a wash to bring some depth and features to his face. A thick dob of superglue Gel on the cockpit floor and positioned him so his hands and arms would convincingly meet the Lewis machine gun. A bit more superglue to lock everything in place and little more painting. A photo at more natural viewing distance
  7. On my quest to my first Wingnut model I decided to try my hand at the Airfix Swordfish with rigging. My Airbrush is still in storeage so had to be brush painted using Tamya Paints. Things I've learnt along the way....... 1) BiFocals from spec savers 2.5 and 3.5 times magnification have worked really well 2) I read some where of putting the colour call outs down the side fo the modelling mat. This prevented a lot of time wasted trying to find the correct colour form either the instructions or the side fo the box. 3) Rigging can be really simplified and predictable! I used a set of drills for the holes, stretched sprue to fix superglue and an accelerator to fix the Uschi item code 4007 0.001O.D. line to the stretched sprue. Not shown is the 2mm stretched sprue already in the white tack and the Uschi line already cut in 3-4 inch lenghts. One pot is accelerator and the other superglue. Superglue applied to the tip of the stretched sprue by cocktail stick and the end of the Uschi line brushed on the accelerator and the two brought together with the tweezers, (£22.00 from boots and worth every penny. Onto the builed Cockpit first Then two fuselage halves brought together... and brush painted The painting I found soul destroying because much as I tried I couldn't get a smooth deep finish. The fuselage received more coats and was rubbed down with wet and dry but all I seemed to do was remove the the delicate shape of the fabric covered longerons! Ploughing on to the wings, I eventually did get a good finish but this was crackled by spraying Tamya varnish on from a rattle can! I ploughed on... The rigging was applied at this stage but my technique mentioned above hadn't been refined at this stage. With the wing rigged al I needed to do was fit it to the Fuselage. Calamity, CALAMITY CALAMITY. The wings didn't fit the body!!! I thought put them in a cooking oven and soften them to bring them back into shape. I tested the oven with a thermometer but that only went up to 50degrees Centigrade - to cool to enable me to bring about any wing warping!! As I type this I can't help but laugh... So the gas oven was set at Gas Mark 1/2 Googled that, this would be about 150C decided I would time the wings in the oven by minutes. Got my phone to do the timing and by the time I had opened the oven door, the wing struts had melted on one side and the top wing had slumped forward and the struts that were straight formed a beautiful "S" curve (must remember that for when I need an S curve in a strut!?) I decided to fix to the fuselage the best fitting wings and then sort out the warped side. To do this I had to remove the lug on the Starboard lower wing. But the rigging was still in place. Thought long and hard decided to cut the S curve struts out and make some new ones with two filaments of stretched sprue sanded into some where near the correct shape. Using a jig made with wooden stirers fixed the Starboard wing into place. Even after all this manhandling I only needed to replace 2 lines. That done fitted the the four new struts sanded and painted. The control lines at the rear of he fus' took a little time to discover which control horn they went to but using my modified technique this was completed in next to no time. Pushing the 2mm stretched sprue plastic end into the body and glueing then gluing onto the control horn. So nearly there... Here is a photo comparison of the Uschi line and a human hair
  8. Hello Folks, I wanted to invite you to follow me through the journey with this Trumpeter Swordfish Mk I, as I'm pretty sure you've seen some before. Nevertheless the Stringbag in it's matchbox incarnation was one of my first models I build together with my father way back in the seventies. While I type this, I just can't help slipping into a bit of nostalgia, remembering the three coloured model from their "Orange" range of model, summer holidays in the seventies, the toy shop where I spent a fair amount of my pocket money... (Ok, let's stop here now. For those interested - this one: http://www.matchboxkits.org/product_info.php?cPath=27_35_53&products_id=712) I decided to go for W5984 with the "full" camouflage, mainly as it seems more like the one at the FAA Museum in Yeovilton I visited last year and I hope I can use some pictures for details. As I planned to do this one straight OOB and followed this direction so far, I start here with the body already put together and having received it's clear coat: The pictures are not 100% perfect (I take this as an excuse for considering the acquisition of a nice Macro lens), but you get an idea. I used Lifecolor Dark Green and Dark Seagrey for the camouflage and Revell Sky for the bottom, airbrushed the camouflage pattern from hand and blutack-ed beween upper and lower painting. I'm ok with the result so far, as it comes close to what I imagine as a quick "field paint", applied not in the factory but on an airfield and far from being perfect. Something like the birds from that aera as exhibited, like the Walrus and the Stringbag in Yeovilton.
  9. Good day to all! Here is my latest completion, Tamiyas venerable Swordfish in 1:48 dressed up as an aircraft from one of my former squadrons 810 NAS from 1938 (obviously before my time lol). I bought the kit last year from the HMCS Shearwater Hobby show for a decent price and it also came with the rigging etch as well. I invested in the Eduard cockpit set mainly for the harnesses but it also came with a nice instrument panel so used that as well. Im not a great fan of Tamiyas decals and wanted to do something nice and colourful, luckily I came across a set of decals representing a recent incarnation of an RN Historic Flight aircraft which itself was a version from 1938, the sheet also provided information and alternative decals for the original. The sheet was from Scale Model World, and the decals went down very well the only snag i felt was the blue/red strip had a tiny bit out of register, apart from that perfect really. The build itself was relatively painless as you would expect from Tamiya, but I did find a big snag (which may be down to my own hamfistedness or Tamiyas engineering.....you decide lol!) I followed the instructions to a T when assembling the wings. It says to do them separate (even if spread) and then insert the rigging wires, before fitting to the aircraft. I got this all perfect but then when I fitted the wings it forced the rigging out of shape! So in the end I just removed it and as it was badly distorted ditched the kit rigging and replaced it with wire AFTER I had fitted the wings. The only other touch I added were the control wires for the rudder and elevator. I also decided to tool her up to the max, whether she could take off in this configuration is debatable but I think it looks better fully laden! So here she is!...... Apologies for the crappy phots, taken with my crappy phone! Cheers now Bob
  10. I came across this photo and video about Swordfish target tugs in the Indian Ocean. https://www.britishpathe.com/video/trai ... See film from 0.20 onwards. Can anyone point me in the direction of any additional photos, plans etc of this TT setup on the Swordfish and give me some idea of how easy or otherwise it was to mount / dismount on the aircraft. Also, as it seems to fill the Observers space, does anyone know if it could be fitted at same time as the ASV IIN set or was it an either / or fit. Thanks in advance
  11. I think this link might be useful and interesting; I was looking for BPF Wildcat schemes and discovered this website. Not a ship guy, but I found this a very interesting read and a wonderful photo chronicle of life aboard an RN escort aircraft carrier. Attacker was evidently built on a C3 merchant hull, and was originally to be named USS Barnes in USN service, but was transferred to the RN under lend Lease. A very active ship that saw a lot of action- a shame she couldn't have been preserved as an example of her class. I hope you enjoy looking at the photos. (How about those Swordfish flying over NAS Alameda?) Mike http://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/ESCORT/ATTACKER.htm#.XCVFZmeWxdg
  12. Greetings chaps, First attempt at a wingy thing for many years and first attempt at a work in progress so forgive me any mistakes. First one being I've already done quite abit of the build before I've plucked up courage to post ! Interior and engine are assembled, painted and fitted, body is sealed and any gaps sealed, thought I'd give it a blast of primer next and see how it looks ?. Not sure if I should attach the supports or photo etch struts to the wings before painting ? Need to mask the lights off on the wings too before I prime the wings ! Really enjoying the build so far, and the kit does not seem to be fighting me too much, just nervous of starting painting it !, let alone weathering it....gulp ! Any hints tips or suggestions greatly received ! Thanks, Alan
  13. Eduard Photo Etch Detail Sets for Airfix Fairey Swordfish Kit 1:72 Eduard Of all Airfix’s recent kits, the 1:72 Swordfish seems to be the one that has set the benchmark for future releases. Airfix really seem to have hit the mark with their Stringbag, as the kit features a perfect blend of fine detail, clever engineering and buildability. Now Eduard have released a brace of photo etch detail sets to build on the kit’s tremendous foundations. Swordfish (self adhesive) 1:72 Eduard The first set is a one-stop-shop for producing a super-detailed Swordfish. There are a multitude of parts for the kit’s already lovely cockpit. Starting from the bottom, the floor of the cockpit receives some additional details which help to add a realistic finish to the kit part. Belts are provided for the crew seats, as well as a new multi-part instrument panel and similar pre-painted parts for the radio kit. Details are provided for both the fixed, forward-firing Vickers Gun and the rear-firing .303 in Lewis Gun, including a tiny ring and bead gun sight. A whole host of smaller parts, such as throttle levers and cables for the control column, are provided as well. The overall effect will be a superbly detailed cockpit – no bad thing for a biplane with no canopy to get in the way! Eduard haven’t stopped there, however. The rest of the airframe benefits from a number of extra details too. There are quite a few surface panels provided which represent various access hatches. Having used a set of these on my recent Ju 88AA-4 build review, I can testify that they look excellent once in place. The Bristol Pegasus also receives some attention by way of ignition wiring and other details. As with the cockpit, there are literally dozens of small parts for detailing the undercarriage and inter-wing struts. Lovely as the Airfix kit is, the wing fold is one area that looks a little spartan. Happily, Eduard have this covered with some nice etch parts that capture the look of the real thing. Details are also provided for the ordnance supplied with the kit, including the torpedo. There are even details for the floats supplied with the brand new float plane version as well. Swordfish Zoom (self adhesive) 1:72 Eduard This ‘Zoom’ set is comprised of just the pre-painted self-adhesive fret from the set reviewed above. It is therefore cheaper and, presumably, zoomier. Conclusion How do you make an excellent kit even better? Add some fine photo etched details of course! If the Airfix Swordfish wasn’t brilliant enough already, Eduard have now enabled us to wring even more detail from the sprues. With the new floatplane version of the kit now available, it’s the perfect time to get stuck into what should be an absorbing build. Highly recommended. Review samples courtesy of
  14. Hello all, Here is my recently completed project for the Carriers Ahoy! Group Build Airfix's 1/72 Fairey Swordfish Mk.I. The model is completed out of the box and is brush painted, rigged with EZline and weathered with Tamiya weathering master powder. A thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding kit to build and heartily recommended. The build thread is here: Cheers, Mark
  15. Does anyone have any good shots/ drawings of the swordfish leading edge wing slats please? Thanks
  16. Hi folk's,another entry for the simple reason I was given this kit a month ago by my eldest who inherited a box of about twenty old biplanes and he has a recent Revell re-box in the stash. I built this kit donkey's years ago and re-visited it a couple of years back adding detail and rigging which after looking at some of the work in this GB I think would be nice to do again.I'm hoping to do the all black version which doesn't seem to get done very often.Sprue colour's are muted by usual standard's. I personally think this kit was superior to Frog and Airfix's offering despite the heavy recessed lines but not as nice as other Matchbox Bi-planes and is "clunky" by comparison.Here's my recent effort. Another effort is sitting in the big box of doom.
  17. Hi all,another build in the Matchbox GB is the Swordfish,same as the other's OOB like we used to with hopefully a better finish than we did as kid's I got the kit given it's a second edition boxing with poor decals I replaced the roundel's but lost the starboard codes so made the port ones from an old fin flash and may have got the sequence wrong and left of the rigging in the spirit of the build,Aircraft in a night scheme I believe this aircraft was based on the continent late war and used in anti U-Boat patrols,many thank's for looking in.
  18. 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
  19. Hello Again All, I'm continuing work on my 1/32 Trumpeter Swordfish, and am now ready to begin painting. I would like to model the aircraft that got the rudder hit on Bismarck. I understand that the aircraft commonly identified as the one that scored the hit may or may not be correct, but I have a few questions regarding the painting. Any pointers on a corrected aircraft for the hit would be appreciated. I'd love to hear the other side. 1. From things I have read (mainly Mark Horan's article on the kBismarck website and other published stories), the plane is Swordfish 5C from 818 Squadron, s/n L9726 flown by S-Lt John Moffat. 2. I have ordered IANG's Fleet Air Arm book from Amazon, but it will be several weeks until it gets here. I am assuming the paint scheme is the S.1.E. scheme of 5 colors, although I have no idea where two of the five colors go. Hopefully the book will answer that question! 3. In an older post I read awhile ago IANG mentioned that there were some photos of the Ark Royal's planes including a partial shot of 5C. Those photo links are no longer functional. Would it be possible to repost them please? 4. The bottom color is still Sky-S I assume. How high does it go on the airplane? Drawings I have seen show it going to a point two thirds of the way up the fuselage basically to the demarcation line between metal and fabric below the cockpit. 5. For this time period I understand the 5C would have been moved from the vertical stabilizer to the fuselage just forward of the Royal Navy marking. 6. Is the demarcation between the colors on the wing tops a hard line (masked) or a soft line (oversprayed)? 7. In line with what I've seen in photos, I painted the front of the Pegasus engine all black, with silver highlights (faint) on the cooling fins, and an overall brush of wet gunmetal pigment, to give it a metallic sheen. I assume the inside of the cowling is painted in Sky? Any comments on what I have posted would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
  20. Hello all, I'm building the Trumpy 1/32 Swordfish Mk I, and I have a couple of questions mainly regarding British torpedos. 1. On most photos, the steering vanes are absent on the torpedos being carried by Swordfish. They are present on some, but on others, you can see the fixed portion of the tail appendage, the twin screws, and nothing behind them. Was it common practice on aerial torpedos to remove the steering gear as they were only intended to go in a straight line? Did the crew have anyway to set a course for the torpedo as a warship or submarine could, or did they just trust it to run straight? 2. Color schemes for torpedos. Is there any kind of standard scheme for warhead colors on torpedos in the Royal Navy. I assume the body is polished and oiled steel, but what color were the warheads? 3. In the center cockpit of the Swordfish, there is a long lever on the right side that according to the instructions leans to the front. Try as I can, I can find no info on this lever on the internet. Just for info, does anyone know what it's for? Thanks in advance for your time.
  21. Fairey Swordfish Mk.1 1:72 Airfix Every now and then I like to go into a mdel shop and just pick up something on a whim. The new tool Airfix kits, particularly the 1:72 kits, often appeal as the are small enough to be realtively quick builds while I am working on bigger projects, and also reasonably priced. I've always liked the Swordfish, and it needs no introduction other than to say it is an 824 Sqn machine from the Taranto raid. So here it is, a random choice bought and built just for the pure fun of it like when I was a kid! the kit comes with a torpedo handling trolley. And finally, a 'With something else' shot for comparison. A Tiggie, also 1:72 Airfix, which helps show how big the Swordfish was. Thanks for looking John
  22. I enter this new airfix kit of the Swordfish a very nice kit, have already build one, I have just read the exelent book by Tony Otoole, No place for beginners, very recomedable, and been inspired to do som Malta a/c. cheers Jes
  23. I have learned, through a friend, that John Moffat, ex RNVR pilot who flew on the Bismark raid has sadly passed away over the weekend. i was fortunate enough to meet John on a couple of occasions & have a signed copy of his autobiography which I must now re-read. Blue skies & calm seas John
  24. Calling all Swordfish experts! I am building the Tamiya Swordfish floatplane and I was happily going to depict it carrying the torpedo as shown on the boxart and on various drawings in my references and on the net. By coincidence I was doing some reading on the Warspite at Narvik which is one of my next projects - the book I was perusing was "Warspite" by Ian Ballantyne. I was reading the account of the exploits of the Swordfish floatplane that Warspite had at the time, and I was surprised at the following statement by the pilot P.O.Fred Rice who had just spotted a U boat { U64} and I quote " With floats on a Swordfish you couldn't carry a torpedo. What we carried was 250lbs armour piercing bombs " { page 98}. Surely the pilot should know - are all the drawings etc. wrong? I have quite a lot of reference on the Swordfish, so I went through looking for photographs of floatplanes carrying torpedoes and could only find three, all of K5662, the first Swordfish on floats - two in the "in action" title and one in an Air enthusiast mag.Can anyone shed any light on this? Thanks in advance, Malcolm
  25. 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.
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