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Two old RN "frog fishies" - Swordfish & Barracuda, 1/72


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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:

 

swordfish DSC03945swordfish DSC03944swordfish DSC03942sword DSC04020sword DSC04019sword DSC04017sword DSC04016swordfish DSC03946

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barracuda Mk II from 812 Squadron HMS Vengeance, Pacific, 1945 (decals by early Techmod - thick ....)

 

barracuda DSC03936barracuda DSC03937barracuda DSC03938barracuda DSC04011barracuda DSC04012barracuda DSC04013barracuda DSC04014barracuda DSC04015

 

 

 

Comments welcome

Regards

Jerzy-Wojtek

Edited by JWM
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Nicely done, the pair of them! How did you find the struts on the Swordfish? When I did one I ended up replacing the lot. The rigging looks great - I hope it wasn't just beginners luck!

Regards,

Adrian

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Thank you Beard and Adrian for comment.

With riging was difficult story. I made the model to the very end (I mean I paint it) and then - after some months or perhaps a year - I decided to add rigings. Makings holes on wings I have to paint them back and this is visible, unfortunately... But with the riging itself I was lucky - and still it looks OK for me. I do not remeber any serious problems with struts, but perhaps time is curing here bad feelings... :)

Cheers

J-W

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Makings holes on wings I have to paint them back and this is visible, unfortunately...

Cheers

J-W

Visible? Just barely, if you look hard, know where to look, and have been told you should!

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Thank you Darby and Mitch! Apprecieted :)

I have new Airfix wheeled Swordfish - wanting to make Mk II out of it... someday...

Cheers

J-W

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The Swordfish is one plane that I've always wanted to build, but haven't yet. It's a lovely aircraft and you made a lovely job of her. What did you use for the rigging? :thumbsup:

Cheers,

Martin :)

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Thank you Stosh65, Blitz23, Martin and Joachim for your very nice comments :).

Martin - regarding your question on rigings - I usually (and also here) use just a styrene thin wire obtained by heating and expanding of kit bars (or frames, sprues? - I am not sure about the propper word). I have some experience with thin fishing cable and even with the most thin guitar string - but the styrene seems the best (out of them). I was using black one and recently I turn to silver/grey. The best styrene should be from high presure mould, not a short run (which styrene is typicly much weaker). BTW - I want to get some experience with EZ - it is only available by net and have not bought it yet. But I have Matchbox Fury and Heller Curtiss Heldiver I, which I want to upgrate by adding rigging. EZ is then better since you do not need to drill a holes.

Cheers

J-W

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Thank you Stosh65, Blitz23, Martin and Joachim for your very nice comments :).

Martin - regarding your question on rigings - I usually (and also here) use just a styrene thin wire obtained by heating and expanding of kit bars (or frames, sprues? - I am not sure about the propper word). I have some experience with thin fishing cable and even with the most thin guitar string - but the styrene seems the best (out of them). I was using black one and recently I turn to silver/grey. The best styrene should be from high presure mould, not a short run (which styrene is typicly much weaker). BTW - I want to get some experience with EZ - it is only available by net and have not bought it yet. But I have Matchbox Fury and Heller Curtiss Heldiver I, which I want to upgrate by adding rigging. EZ is then better since you do not need to drill a holes.

Cheers

J-W

Thanks for the answer to my question J-W. I use EZ-line for antennas and I used it for rigging on a WWI Bi-Plane, which was the first time I had ever used it. For my latest build, posted in here, the Revell 1/32 Arado AR196A-3, I used stretched sprue....by heating lengths of sprue over a candle flame, then stretching it out to a thickness I liked.

IMG_0587_zpsaffqb5ry.jpg

Cheers :)

Martin

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Thank you Martin - this is exactly the same method, altough I am using rather gas burner in kitchen, not candle. BTW - from a tube you can produce a long and thin tube - I adopted this method to my work - I work in radiochemical laboratory and I do in the same way much thinner and longer plastic pipets if I need them ...

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Hi Jerzy,

nice duo. I especially like the Swordfish. Nice paintwork and rigging! Generally not too enthusiasic about Second World War topics, found the plane interesting because of it´s role in the Bismarck campain. Have the old Airfix model with wheels in the stash. Haven´t seen models with floats very often.

Cheers,

Mario

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Thank you Mario for comment. Swordfish on floats looks like a fish in water, wheeled is a bit odd for me...

Cheers

J-W

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