Modelling a "stringbag": Fairy Swordfish Mk.I floatplane, Tamiya 1/48

[Maginot]

This is the first aeroplane kit I’ve attempted in 30 years. Initially, I was reluctant to post this log as I anticipated lots of mistakes, slow progress and even abandonment. The standard of modelling skills are so high on this forum that it’s a bit daunting. But what the heck? It’s all about having a go, joining in and sharing the experience, isn’t it?

 

I was inspired to take on this aeroplane after watching Fairey Swordfish: Flying a "string bag" on the Armoured Carriers YT channel:

“It was slow. It was big. There was something about it. I don’t know what it was; it kind of grew on you. Eventually, I swore by it completely. Not many aeroplanes that start the war in the front line finish the war in the front line. The Swordfish did. They had a hell of a job to try and replace it.”
Lieutenant Commander John ‘Jock’ Moffat, 818 Naval Air Squadron.

 

The Tamiya Fairy Swordfish Mk.I floatplane in 1/48 soon resolved out of the dense fog of information that is the internet, clearly the one for me. I like 1/48 scale because it’s not too big to display or store, and not too small to work on (old eyes and shaky hands). One pundit declared it; “one of the best kits on the market”. I chose the floatplane version because I love the look of interwar seaplanes. The concept of launching with cordite charge a linen and chromoly airframe off the waist of a cruiser at sea absolutely fascinates. What a way to go to war or peace.

 

So off to my nearest hobby shop I went. The proprietor is a bit of a rogue, as I found to my cost later on, but it’s good to try local first. “I sold the last one a week ago,” he chortled, “and now it’s out of production. How about one of these instead?” pointing to a wheeled Mk.II. “Not on your Nellie”, I thought and went home to check the net. Nothing available in Australia, then Bingo! I found one at a Japanese online emporium and ordered it with PET that night. There followed all the doubts and drama of a long, long wait...

 

One day, nearly a month later, there appeared a brown parcel on my doorstep. I was so excited, so relieved. Carefully packaged inside a larger carton, the kit box and contents were in mint condition, in better nick than many on the shelves of my local shop. There was a cherry blossom card and a Japanese fan to thank me for my custom. Wow! This experience set the benchmark for my domestic and overseas model shopping via the post, unfortunately, a standard that has yet to be equaled.

 

 

And now construction has begun...

[RichieW]

6 hours ago, Maginot said:

But what the heck? It’s all about having a go, joining in and sharing the experience, isn’t it?

Definitely! Any time I get stuck with a project help has always been quick to be offered. Have fun and best of luck with it.

 

Richie

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Though no longer young, this is indeed a great kit.  I see that you have Tamiya’s dedicated PE set for the rigging; your mileage may vary, but I seriously struggled with this - even the tiniest amount of misalignment with the wings and the wires visibly sagged.  Mine (undocumented on here, and still unfinished) was built folded, which probably doesn’t help, I guess.  In the end I gave up and reverted to old fashioned rigging techniques.

 

Welcome to the forum.  We’re a pretty friendly bunch on here - or so I have always found over many years - so you should 100% not be daunted.  i have lost count of the number of times fellow BM-ers have helped with advice, replacement parts, and so on.

 

Look forward to seeing a “Stringbag with it’s boots on” (as my Dad, a Swordfish Observer, used to call the floatplane version).

 

Wartime scheme or pre-war?

[Maginot]

Sound advice and support, fellas.

Thank you, @RichieW.

Thanks for the heads up, @Ex-FAAWAFU. Very interesting that your Dad had first-hand experience with this characterful aeroplane. “Stringbag with it’s boots on”; excellent! It's gratifying to make these authentic connections. Can we look forward to seeing your finished result in Ready for Inspection someday?

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Mine...was built folded...Wartime scheme or pre-war?

I, too, am inclined to build it with folded wings. I have a grandiose vision to build a diorama with the Stringbag, Airfix Steam-pigeon, and scratch-built 'catapult trolley superstructure' with catapult section. Once again, there is an inspirational Catapult Ships Royal Navy Instructional Film (1940) posted on YT. Goodness knows when this might be realised or even attempted, but it's good to have dreams and schemes %~)) And I think the silver-painted linen, aluminium and light-grey pre-war scheme for me. I love the look of these old silver wings, cluttered airframes with clean paint jobs that highlight their forms and insignia.

 

Ordered this yesterday, to get into the spirit of the build, fill in knowledge gaps and just have a darned good read.

 

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

If you’re thinking about a catapult, are you aware of this?  It’s specifically configured for the (superb) Airfix Walrus, but with a bit of work to the cradle you could definitely get the Swordfish on it - that’s my plan, too!

[bigbadbadge]

This is a lovely Kit, good luck with your build will watch with interest. 

Chris

[Marklo]

Love the String bag. A plane I’ve attempted several times in my youth but only ever successfully completed recently, managing to make a fairly decent model From the Airfix kit. Would love the Tamiya version bit i qual at the price. Still will watch with interest.

Edited August 29, 2021 by Marklo

[Maginot]

Disclaimer: Slow but steady progress is evident. Please excuse barely acceptable standard of photography and incomplete documentation of build.

 

 

 

I am very pleased with the quality of this kit, from the box to the instructions to the components. The plastic is firm, workable and sensual to sight and touch, the surface detail crisp and subtle, the fit of components precise, the engineering of the kit almost guaranteeing that it will go together accurately and securely despite my attempts to muck it up. This inspires confidence and the likelihood of seeing it through to completion. I shouldn't be surprised. I made some Tamiya AFVs in the early 70s; same story then. I thought Monogram the best quality aeroplane kits in those days, but they weren't like this. The attention to detail is astonishing. All the 'catapult trolley superstructure' attachment points are there and the tail fin is aligned pointing slightly to starboard, presumably mimicking the real aircraft and so engineered to counter prop wash. I have two minor criticisms so far: i) The fragile aerial mast moulded into the left half of the tail fin should have been a separate component to be attached at the end of construction to avoid bending, breaking and constant distraction (I cut it off eventually). ii) I found the colour guide using codes in the body of instructions confusing and annoying. I went through and penciled in all the colours, a good way to familiarise with the painting task.

 

 

I really struggled getting the cockpit spot on, pleasing sub-assembly that it is. The fuselage halves would not join seamlessly underneath when I installed the cockpit. I was able to half disassemble the sub-assembly and reassemble it properly (that phrase is doing my head in; don't say it quickly a few times whatever you do). In the end, it worked out fine. I've read criticism of them elsewhere, but I found the decal seatbelts great. And I enjoyed my first weathering for decades, a little lowlighting and soiling with charcoal and cotton bud (eco-friendly sugarcane ones among all the toxicants, my friends).

 

 

I'm having a lot of fun with the fabrics of this new age of modelling. Extra thin cement (ETC; wahoo! thanks @Brigbeale, foam-friendly CA, setting solution for decals (er... transfers, init?) all helped me through the inevitable blunders and challenges, both existential and psychological. I've really enjoyed assembling and using all manner of little tools, instruments, materials and bric-à-brac that make up the modelling gubbins. But I must observe that this pursuit of ours is far more an industry than the hobby I once knew. Not sure whether this is good or... Overall, I was clumsy with trimming, gluing, painting and the finer manipulations. I'm not as dexterous as once-upon-a-time, but I hope this will improve with experience. A major hiccup was vision. I'm long sighted now and relying on reading glasses was simply not good enough. So I invested in a nice, big, glass magnifier with inbuilt LED lights on an articulated arm that clamps to the workbench. I'm still learning how best to use this device, but already I'm more comfortable and consistent tackling intricate tasks; a giant leap forward.

 

To be continued...

[Tallyho]

On 8/29/2021 at 9:59 AM, Maginot said:

Sound advice and support, fellas.

Thank you, @RichieW.

Thanks for the heads up, @Ex-FAAWAFU. Very interesting that your Dad had first-hand experience with this characterful aeroplane. “Stringbag with it’s boots on”; excellent! It's gratifying to make these authentic connections. Can we look forward to seeing your finished result in Ready for Inspection someday?

I, too, am inclined to build it with folded wings. I have a grandiose vision to build a diorama with the Stringbag, Airfix Steam-pigeon, and scratch-built 'catapult trolley superstructure' with catapult section. Once again, there is an inspirational Catapult Ships Royal Navy Instructional Film (1940) posted on YT. Goodness knows when this might be realised or even attempted, but it's good to have dreams and schemes %~)) And I think the silver-painted linen, aluminium and light-grey pre-war scheme for me. I love the look of these old silver wings, cluttered airframes with clean paint jobs that highlight their forms and insignia.

 

Ordered this yesterday, to get into the spirit of the build, fill in knowledge gaps and just have a darned good read.

 

I like to read a book about the subject I am building also, sometimes for reference material but mostly for the atmosphere of the story and the role it played. Some of the old Arrow, such as that one, and Pan Books war stories are great!

[Maginot]

 

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If you’re thinking about a catapult, are you aware of this?

Yes, thanks @Ex-FAAWAFU. I picked up on the NeOmega mixed media kit during my meanderings on the net. I really fancy attempting to scratch-build the 'catapult superstructure trolley' and catapult section. There are certainly lots of photos available to inform my effort. There is a series of four photographs (which I won't post for copyright reasons) in the Imperial War Museum Collections showing a Swordfish being positioned on a catapult at Gosport, according to the caption. Would this be RNAS Lee-on-Solent HMS Daedalus? The crane hoisting the Swordfish is an absolute beauty and there may be enough views of it in the pics to at least derive a proximate drawing for a scratch-build. There are some very interesting articles and papers featuring the Fairey IIIF and Swordfish, Supermarine Walrus and catapults:

 

Aircraft Catapults - Scottish firm markets two successful types; Flight February 27, 1931

Catapult Training; Flight November 26, 1942

 

 

Fun fact: The scale catapult that NeOmega produces is referred to as "a MacTaggart Scott design Cruiser aircraft catapult carriage". MacTaggart Scott is still in business producing "innovative naval products", such as; "aircraft elevators, arrester gear and helicopter handling for surface ships; mast (periscope) raising equipment and hydroplane/rudder drives for submarines". They even have a branch here in Australia.

[bigbadbadge]

Good to see the cockpit and fuselage halves together  great work. 

Chris 

[Terry1954]

Welcome to the forum. And I can vouch for @Ex-FAAWAFU's comments re the collective masses here. Very friendly, very welcoming, very supportive and full of lots of good advice.

 

Looks like you have made an excellent start. Looking forward to seeing this one evolve.

 

Terry

[Daedalus72]

This was the first biplane that I attempted as several online reviews suggested that it would be ideal for a first timer.

Everything went swimmingly until the time came to fit the wings.

I used the Tamiya etched set, which tested my sanity on its own. As stated By Ex FAA WAFU, any misalignment made the etched parts either too long or too short.

After finally assembling the wings, on trying to fit them to the centre section, they might as well have been from a completely different kit.

I had been warned that fitting them spread would be difficult, but chose to do so anyway. 
It is the only kit which I have never finished.

Obviously I built in some kind of problem, so I would suggest you take it steadily and test fit everything.

Good luck!

[RichieW]

Good progress Maginot. I had similar problems to you on returning to the hobby. The combination of bad eye sight and loss of dexterity was tough to cope with.  Help from an optivisor, powerful LED lights and practice has made a big difference though. Keep up the good work, this is looking excellent already.

 

Richie

[dogsbody]

16 hours ago, Maginot said:

There is a series of four photographs (which I won't post for copyright reasons) in the Imperial War Museum Collections showing a Swordfish being positioned on a catapult at Gosport, according to the caption. 

 

I have been posting IWM photos on this forum for years without any issue. All of them I found on their website and it lets you copy them. As long as you're not using them for profit, I don't think there is any issue.

 

 

Chris

[Never a Pro]

Hi there.

 

I assembled a Tamiya Swordfish (the non-floatplane) a couple years ago, I have some videos of that build you may want to check at youtube.com/NeverAPro.

 

The metal rigging, I found it not that complicated, but I also took an useful tip from somewhere, on to not gluing them, as thAt can warp the wings and make your life difficult. 

 

In fact, I didn't glue any of the rigging pieces, except for the javelins. I also heard some people having trouble assembling the upper wing, I had to reshape a little the main struct, but I didn't have big problems with that.

 

Look at the videos, you may get some ideas from it.

[wellsprop]

Looking forward to seeing this progress! 

[Maginot]

Only modest progress to report, unfortunately. I'm trying to put in at least an hour or two each day and it was all going rather well. So I thought I might up the challenge a little by crushing the middle fingernail on my predominant hand. Is this a legitimate excuse for not giving the bird and going slow at the workbench? Nah! Just get on with it, man!

 

 

I'm a fan of Joolz Guides - London History Walks on YT. He reliably informs viewers while meandering through Stepney that the latest Cockney rhyming slang out of the East End is Miley Cyrus, as in: 'vis lockdown caper is a right pain in ve Fife and Drum but don't let ve Miley Cyrus get yer darn.'

[Maginot]

On a wet Sunday afternoon, mucking around with quick and simple lighting setups for photo-logging. Now, the highfalutin language that follows might give the impression that the lighting setup is high tech. It isn't. Just an A2 piece of paper, two small boxes (in which goodies arrived), a bed table, a bed lamp and one clamp. Without being presumptuous, please let me know if you'd like an illustration of the setup.

 

i) Broad source ambient window light with fill-in bounce reflector; low contrast on subject, subtle sculpting of detail and form, clean cyclorama.

 

 

ii) As above, sepia toned (thanks to the digital cuttlefish).

 

 

iii) Combination ambient and direct LED light source; stark contrast and glary highlights on subject, sharp detail, deep shadow on cyclorama:

 

 

Which do you prefer?

 

Meanwhile, back at the workbench...

 

Everything goes together with precision and is a treat to work with. The sub assemblies are nicely engineered and logically ordered in the plans. Of course, I'm making a few changes in the order of assembly to facilitate painting; e.g. not attaching lower mainplane stub braces and upper mainplane centre section until after initial painting. Having the aeroplane's form slowly reveal from a heap of plastic components is a satisfying process. Those familiar with the kit will observe that I've committed to the wings folded option.

 

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Looking forward to seeing this progress! 

 

Me too %~))

 

[Duncan B]

Watching with interest as I have this and the wheeled version high up the pile in the stash.

 

Duncan B

[bigbadbadge]

Hope your finger heals quickly.  Great to see the fuselage progress, are you doing both wings folded , or one folded, one extended?

The better photo option IMO would be the last one, as the fuselage is well lit.

Chris

[Never a Pro]

I considered one folded and one extended on my kit, but I went for both extended, I was afraid that the kit couldn’t stand straight.

 

8 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Hope your finger heals quickly.  Great to see the fuselage progress, are you doing both wings folded , or one folded, one extended?

The better photo option IMO would be the last one, as the fuselage is well lit.

Chris

 

he is going for both folded. with the pontoons, it’s going to look very nice.

[bigbadbadge]

6 minutes ago, Never a Pro said:

he is going for both folded. with the pontoons, it’s going to look very nice

Ah yes, I see the other folded spa now , I missed it when I asked!!!

Chris

[Maginot]

Slow progress is still er... progress. How did 10 days since my last post pass so quickly? I will confess, the vagaries of the human condition got in the way a bit.

 

The miniature Bristol Pegasus III was fun to assemble, if not a little fiddly for these old fingers. The moulding of heads and barrels is very fine. No need for after-market splurges here. The PET parts were the hardest to sort out, but I think I got away with it. I know what to do to make it easy next time, but I suspect many of us would make the same claim. The challenge is to get it right first time.

 

 

A little stuck in my ways, I brushed on satin black enamel for engine, ancillaries and inside cowling. To pick out the cylinder cooling fins and other components I experimented with metallic silver permanent marker applied directly for highlighting and dry brushed for a very pleasing subdued finish. This has got me thinking about wider application to weathering techniques.

 

 

For some reason, I also blacked the stainless PET ring thingy. Surfing the web after the fact looking at old pics of the Stringy and a few completed models, I decided to scrape off the black paint, which was easily done. Kinda looks good bare metal, but I will probably paint it grey as this is how it looks in old pics. It seems the ring thingy is an engine cowling frame. That right? I can be a stickler for lexical authenticity if still a little slack about modelling accuracy.

 

 

And doesn't she look a treat with the big, black donk and cowling hanging off her er... pointy end? Starting to look like a faithful reproduction of a very serious aeroplane. But does the Stringy really have a pointy end? Well, she does now.

 

And yes, I've straightened that crooked cowling frame stanchion. Very easy to be clumsy with the finer parts of this sub-assembly, but easy to put right.

 

Making good progress with the wings, but more of that next post.

 

I'm afraid building this airframe and the Bristol Jupiter III has resulted in a terminal dose of inter-war-biplane-with-radial-engine-on-floats-must-haves. I ordered the Armory Fairey Flycatcher in 1/48 from the favourite local supplier last week (in stock; wow!). Really looking forward to tackling the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV 14-cylinder two-row radial in resin one day. Better accumulate more experience before taking on a limited run kit like this, though. Ordered because we're still in hard lockdown here, so it has to come in the post.

 

 

Thank goodness for the postal bods, who are doing a sterling job in difficult circumstances delivering parcels here, there and everywhere to needy modellers in isolation.

 

Hope you and yours are fit, feisty and fabulous in these trying times.

[RichieW]

19 minutes ago, Maginot said:

And doesn't she look a treat with the big, black donk and cowling hanging off her er... pointy end?

Yes she certainly does! This is coming together beautifully. An Interwar float planes project sounds fun. I'm staying tuned!

 

Richie