Kagero Publishing TopDrawings #95 Fairey Swordfish (9788366148871)

[Mike]

TopDrawings #95 Fairey Swordfish (9788366148871)

Kagero Publishing via Casemate UK

 

 

The Swordfish began life in the early 30s as a speculative development by Fairey that was later re-designed to fit a 1933 specification that added the torpedo bomber role to its previous remit of spotter ‘plane.  After many changes and tests that resulted in the loss of at least one airframe, an order was given for around 70 airframes, with production transferring to Blackburn as war become inevitable.  The airframe was essentially outdated by outbreak of war, but improvements gave it longer legs, more power in what became known as the Swordfish I.  The II added radar and hardpoints under the wings for rockets, the III adding a more capable radar, and the IV with an enclosed cockpit used as a trainer by the Canadians.  the Stringbag outlived the Albacore that was intended to replace it with over 2,000 made, and was instead supplanted by the Barracuda, which kept it within the Fairey family.

 

It saw substantial action in the torpedo bomber role, some more famously than others, and often suffered heavy losses due to in part to the task it was assigned, as well as its relatively slow speed, but it invariably got the job done and is credited with delivering the torpedo to the Bismark that disabled its rudder and allowed the British fleet to catch and subsequently destroyed it.  It was well-loved then and is still a welcome performer at airshows, especially when the still-airborne crew stand and salute in tribute to its brave pilots and crew during the war.

 

 

We have kits in almost every scale from 1:144 upwards, some old, some new with some major and minor manufacturers having releases in their arsneal, showing that it's a popular niche subject.  The TopDrawings series majors on scale plans, which is the main thrust, but also includes a little background information, some pertinent profiles, and separate A2 sheets printed on both sides with drawings of various versions of the aircraft.

 

 

The book is written in English on the left of the page with Polish on the right, which translates to top and bottom for the captions to the various drawings within.  The book itself is bound in a card cover and has 20 pages, and the rear cover is devoted to additional profiles of two Swordfish Is.  After the introduction the first half of the plans show the Mark I from every angle with wings folded and deployed ready for flight.  After this are the colour profiles with four pages of profiles of Mark Is and IIs wearing some interesting camo schemes, including one of the Bismark attackers.  After the break there is another set of plans for the II and III, including many scrap diagrams of equipment, warloads, as well as fuselage cross-sectional shapes.  The lesser known Seaplane version and Mark.IV with its bubble canopy are shown toward the end, and cross-sections of the wing ribs are given on the last page. Throughout the book, there are numerous smaller diagrams that show equipment layout such as the cockpit, landing gear, engine and prop

 

 

 

Conclusion

These books are essential for the modeller that enjoys comparing their models against scale plans, and wants them to be as accurate as possible, with the separate large scale plans quite useful, especially if you model in 1:48 or have a large stain on the wall that could be beautified by posting the plans over it to enjoy.

 

Currently (at time of writing) on offer at a discounted price from Casemate UK

 

Review sample courtesy of