Special Hobby Fairey Battle

[galgos]

Paul Lloyd states in speaking of the CA kit: (and I paraphrase)

The main problem is that it has been based to a large extent on the set of drawings by K A Merrick originally drawn for the old Aeromodeller magazine.......unfortunately Mr Merrick does not appear to have had access to a complete Fairey Battle and he also seems to have overlooked some very important photographic evidence. Fairey Aviation's own archives were of little use with no complete assembly drawings. Alfred Grainger's drawings proved to be misleading, repeating many of Merrick's mistakes......etc etc.

Max

[Don McIntyre]

Sure it's not Ian Huntley, as he is probably one of the authorities for all things Fairey ?

@ Don, Ian Huntley related the story in some old issue of SAM, but probably more in the mid to late 80s. Airfix asked the Fairey PR office (though I'm not sure what Fairey did in the mid 60s) for some material on the Battle and was duely provided with drawings. Unfortunately, they were sent GA drawings that (IIRC) were a cross between P.4/34 and the Battle. When Ian came to know about that fact, he sent Airfix better material and a kind-worded reminder that if they expected something to work from, they should rather ask someone who is in the know and direct themselves immediately to the drawings office.

I think the CA 1/48 Battle was based to some extent on the MAP/Argus drawing by Mr. Merrick. SMI re-ran them around 1985 with nice large photos printed accompanying the drawings that showed some areas where the drawings wer possibly not quite correct.

That's pretty much the way I remember the Fairey drawings issue. I just got my Ians mixed up, I guess. Glad to see, though, that I'm not completely out to lunch.