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Airfix Swift


jaw

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Hope you'll reconsider this, while they were a failure, the early Swift fighter variants are IMHO very interesting

Probably, I'm just a bit jangled, having completely futzed up the comparatively simple conversion of an Airfix ragwing Hurri to a tin wing. It seems like more could go wrong than right for me.

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I wish my life were simple like a Hurricane wing transplant. I'm currently battling with the fin attachment to two Fairey Fireflash missiles for my Swift F7. What a job. I've already destroyed the Freightdog pair from their conversion set and now I'm trying it on the white metal Magna ones.

Does anyone have any tips for working with microscopic stuff like this? I managed to glue everything except the fins to the missiles!

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That's a good tip- did they carry 'Firewood' then at some stage ?

I had occasion to 'speak' with Colin Strachan last week and asked him if it was possible to mould stuff like this with the fins in situ. Looking at my desperately bad efforts again, it looks as though the three components of the Fireflash (missile and two boosters) might be more user friendly if moulded in their separate parts. But then again, the instruction sheet shows the missiles assembled beautifully so it is probably just me who is useless and inadequate. The conversion set is scintillatingly well made though.

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The reason my Magna F7 is getting Firestreaks is that the Magna Fireflashes are a combination of resin fins (on a backing of v.thick resin which would take an age to sand down) and white metal bodies in Magna's usual white metal.

Well, that and I do whifs.

I'd still like the Freightdog set as I'd like to do the unbuilt Swift PR6, which would have had the F7 wing.

Edited by The wooksta V2.0
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  • 3 weeks later...

Yaaaaayy!

. . . So how difficult would it be to hack this thing back to a prototype? Other than shortening the nose altering the air intakes removing the dorsal fillet altering the tailpipe and cutting back the wings dog tooth?? eeeek!

. . . Kes (who ambition exceeds his ability, probably?)

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Yaaaaayy!

. . . So how difficult would it be to hack this thing back to a prototype? Other than shortening the nose altering the air intakes removing the dorsal fillet altering the tailpipe and cutting back the wings dog tooth?? eeeek!

. . . Kes (who ambition exceeds his ability, probably?)

Maintrack/Project X did a nice vac Type 510 which is often available on an auction site near you.

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Probably better off hacking around the old Hawk/Testors kit - IF you can find one! I had a plan to cross kit it with a novo Attacker to do the Nene engined predecessor.

You know, I have a Testors Swift! That was plan B, super basic kit from a million years ago but with thorough research and time and patience it's do-able?

. . . Kes (not afraid of a challenge!)

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Maintrack/Project X did a nice vac Type 510 which is often available on an auction site near you.

Hmmmm, interesting? I have a Merlin English Electric P1 vacuform which has been scaring me for ages, really should consider the big V option, I mean whats the worst thing that can happen??

. . . Kes (plunge taker?)

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You know, I have a Testors Swift! That was plan B, super basic kit from a million years ago but with thorough research and time and patience it's do-able?

. . . Kes (not afraid of a challenge!)

The old Hawk kit? Go for it! :):):)

Cheers,

Bill

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Cah! It'd be churlish of me not to now?? How about 'Prometheus' from the 1952 movie 'The Sound Barrier'

. . . Kes (who's considering the difficulties of the task ahead)

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Shalako,

It was years ago - back in the 80's I think - I used the inverted fuselage of an F11F to make the Swift.

I don't have any photos of the build - but it was published in Scale Aviation Modeller IIRC - titled 'The Cat that got the Bird' or something like that - not my suggestion, but the editors with reference to a Tiger becoming a Swift..

I was looking around for a donor kit - and saw that the F11F intakes were similar to the Swifts.

After lots of surgery (butchery!), the F11F nosewheel bay became the basis of the cockpit - I think I even used the Tiger wings with the addition of plastic card to make the Swifts wings.

I might even have used the F11F canopy plus the wheels - it is all so long ago, my memory isn't what it was.

Someone must have a copy of the magazine somewhere......???

Ken

Edit..... Just found out it was in Scale Models - June 1984.

Edited by Flankerman
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Are the Freightdog's Conversion sets for the F1 F2 etc available yet??I emailed their website,but not had a reply yet,and they are not listed on it yet?

I missed all the 510s that have been on Ebay,reaching quite high prices in the end,but did a "Prometheus" 535 out of a Merlin Swift kit from many years ago,and the Hawk Swift I converted into a 541 WJ965,,so a nice F1 and F2 would be great,with the Freightdog conversion.

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I think they have been and gone. Colin on anotehr thread said hwe was doing some more. I have the F2/4 conversion and very nice it looks too. A lot easier than the Pegasus FR5 to F2 conversion i did in the 80s'

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