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Fairey Seafox (es)...Touch down & DONE


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With four builds now completed 2019, time to move towards another subject. The subject this time is the Fairey SeaFox by Matchbox, I can't remember when I last built a Matchbox kit, must be 45+ years ago so hold onto your hats! So, we better start off with the usual stuff:

 

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Boxart

 

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The two options and at the moment it's the H9A option of 1939.

 

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Silver sprue

 

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Green sprue

 

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Clear sprue

 

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Decal sheet

 

The idea with this build is to present it in-flight and about to land on water. So, it'll be crew fitted, a spinner with no props, dropped landing flaps and of course, a water base. A quick look at the glazing shows it to quite clear and  thick but will most probably get used. Decals look like they have seen better days and only time will tell if they are usable or not, suppose I can prep a surface and try the decals.

At the moment this will be a fill-in subject whilst the Avon Sabre is still in progress but hopefully you'll see progress albeit slow.

 

Stuart

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1 hour ago, dogsbody said:

Some intel that may be of use, if you don't already have it.

Intel for most of my builds tends to be sparse and I have none for this until now, thanks Chris.

Do you know of any glaring errors to be dealt with in this kit?

 

Stuart

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Nice one, Stuart; which colour scheme are you favouring? This is quite a nice little kit. 

 

I've previously used clear kitchen/bathroom sealant to simulate water (muddy/sandy river water in this case) with reasonable results, albeit in 1/144 in this case:

 

2017-01-24 17.18.39

 

Chris, that info is fantastic. Thanks for posting. There's a pretty good chance that I'll be referring to it myself sometime!

 

Jon

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Wow! Another of those kits which I remember when it first came out. Back then it was a sweet little kit - today, I guess a it basic but in a closed up landing dio should look neat!

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm

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14 minutes ago, Jonners said:

which colour scheme are you favouring?

Hi Jonners, the plan at the moment is the 1939 option with the aluminium finish. Nice little dio :yes:.

10 minutes ago, Baldy said:

a closed up landing dio

Will be closed up, dropped flaps and be just off the water base.

 

Stuart

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Lovely, I will try and keep up too, I built one as a youngster and will no doubt have to get another for the stash now, SWMBO will not be pleased !!!  You have posted some great references too thank you. 

Should look a great diorama when completed.

Keep up the good work

 

All the best

Chris

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I built the Seafox some years back, unfortunately still before my Britmodeller times, so no build photos available, I am sorry.

The kit is in my opinion really good, I do not remember single issue with the fit, the principal shapes or proportions are right. However, the interior is very basic and you will have to invest reasonable work here, and you will eventually find plenty of small exterior details to add, if you like. I used the Falcon vac canopy instead the "armored" glass provided in the kit, but in the end I left the rear cockpit more or less open as shown on many interwar Seafox photos. I painted the the kit in Cerrux Grey/Siler Dope combination, but my first attempt on Cerrux Grey (Humbrol 129) was not a complete success - at least as far as I can say.

Patrik

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Looks like their is a lot of enthusiasm for this build, just hope I can all your expectations.

22 minutes ago, Patrik said:

I built the Seafox some years back,

Thanks for the feedback Patrik and as you say their is room for deatil in the interior and a few bits on the outside. I wasn't aware of a vac canopy until you said but nothing 'cooking' on Evilbay.

 

I have been to the East of England Model Show at Peterborough today and it was my first time at this venue, great day. Besides starting on the Seafox (more of that later), I managed to come away with some goodies:

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Left is a Sabre, King Cobra and a Vega Gull

Centre is my reference material

Right are a couple float planes, cutting mat, scalpel, micro saw blades and some abrasive sponges. Also acquired another Seafox, just in case, for £2!

A good haul.

 

Stuart

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I'm liking it Stuart. Nice subject matter, Matchbox kit, cracking reference sources (good stuff Chris), and extra detailing in the offing. Got the beer in the fridge and kebabs on order. My only criticism is that I prefer the 702sq camo scheme - oh well can't have everything I suppose ;)

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10 hours ago, stevehnz said:

I'm in. Like many others I have one in stock so letting someone else discover the pitfalls seems like a good plan. :D Thanks @dogsbody for that info, priceless, what publication featured that originally?

Steve.

 

Like the old idjit that I normally am, I forgot to keep track of just where I acquired those pages from. At the bottom of the 4th image, it says Scale Models, so I guess it came from an old issue of that magazine.

 

 

Chris

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@stevehnz,

8 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

At the bottom of the 4th image, it says Scale Models, so I guess it came from an old issue of that magazine.

A BM post in 2007 says that they were published in the September '75 edition of Scale Models and produced by Harry Woodman.

 

Stuart

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Harry Woodman also reviewed the Matchbox kit in the July 1982 Scale Models. He said it was accurate (as the drawings used were his ones, he couldn't really say otherwise), but had some comments...

 

The cockpit has adequate detail, but the gun could do with replacement, and there is a fair bit more that could go in, like an instrument panel and radios.

The exhausts are moulded with the fuselage, making them difficult to paint convincingly, and the venturi are moulded as two flattened dumbells which can be scraped off and replaced.

The nose plate can have the apertures drilled out and pieces of cylindrical sprue inserted to represent the engine cylinders.

The oil cooler is a little lumpy (though is as fine as Matchbox could get it) and can be replaced by one built up from laminated 5 thou plastic card.

The hollow on the cowling top should stay a hollow rather than be filled in as per the kit.

The transparencies are too thick - the rear cockpit ones might be acceptable if closed, but the windscreen should be replaced with thin acetate.

The wings and tail surfaces are the right shape but the large valleys between ribs are inaccurate for a doped fabric - just the rib tapes should be evident.

The struts are a bit rough in cross-section, and the troughs in the bottom of the upper wing for the bars linking them will need filling. Replacement of the interplane struts might be a good idea, and it should be noted that the inner struts were more substantial that the outer ones.

The floats are very good, and just need the rudder control lines added.

General surface detail is accurate, but might need toning down a little, especially the carpet tacks holding down the coaming of the pilot's cockpit.

The lamps on the leading edge of the lower wing are moulded solid, and could do with being cut out and having transparent parts added.

The decals are comprehensive, but do not include the aircraft used by HMS Ajax at the Battle of the River Plate, as no-one had been able to find details of the aircraft.

 

 

 

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  • Courageous changed the title to Fairey Seafox (es)

Thought I'd show a the progress while I done my stint on the club stand from yesterday's model show.

 

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Crew. Seats will stay as-is as you're not going to see much of them. Internals of the fuselage show it as being rather sparse, so, as per above list in Richard's post, an i/p, radio, control stick and bits will be added. Have ordered some MiniWorld Vickers 'K' MG's to replace the kit part. May even put a floor in the old girl. The outer fuselage will also need some attention; at the front end we have four exhaust stacks (molded), two venturis (molded), lower intake and the rear engine cowling. The exhausts will need to be better defined or replaced, venturis removed and scratch fitted, lower intake will need to be opened-up or replaced and engine cowling ports opened-up or scratch ones fitted. The nose plate has engine intakes that should show parts of the engine and oil cooler needs to be refined. I've taken the liberty of removing the blades from the hub.

 

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Surfaces with rather heavy ribbing, needs to be toned down. Landing flaps to be removed as these are going to be presented lowered. List up there ^ says landing lights, so that'll need looking what to do there. Also, I will need to remember that she'll need to be rigged so better drill some rigging holes.

 

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Floats look neat and tidy and just need some rudder control lines.

 

And by popular demand...

 

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...a second Seafox to finished in the 702 Sqn livery, just for @Tomoshenko so he doesn't get upset and I'm a nice guy.

 

Until next time.

 

Stuart

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