A Taranto Swordfish - 815 NAS “4A” ***** FINISHED *****

[MeneMene]

Hopefully it's not too late in your construction process, but I don't believe the engine should have that ring in front of it. I think Tamiya and other companies have inaccurately based that on some modern anti-fire equipment on restored airworthy Swordfish. If you look at period aircraft or other museum birds, they only feature the support struts and not the ring that sits in front of the cylinders.

 

[PattheCat]

What a neat build and perfect detail painting.

And after seeing what you did with HMS Wren, I'm sure we'll see a great result down to the minute rigging details.

[AliGauld]

You are cracking on with this one.

Looks good to me.

Finished by the weekend then..... 

 

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[dogsbody]

2 hours ago, MeneMene said:

Hopefully it's not too late in your construction process, but I don't believe the engine should have that ring in front of it. I think Tamiya and other companies have inaccurately based that on some modern anti-fire equipment on restored airworthy Swordfish. If you look at period aircraft or other museum birds, they only feature the support struts and not the ring that sits in front of the cylinders.

 

 

 

And DO NOT and Parts K3 & K4 under the rear fuselage. These are not parts that were on the real aircraft. Someone mistakenly identified the tails of the underwing rockets on a photo of a Swordfish with it's wings folded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Navy Bird]

Just caught up with this one - outstanding work on the cockpit and interior surfaces. I've bookmarked this one to refer to when I build the Airfix 1:72 kit.   

 

Cheers,

Bill

[mark.au]

8 hours ago, dogsbody said:

The IWM has a collection of Fairey Swordfish photos. I have posted a link below:

 

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=Fairey Swordfish&pageSize=&media-records=records-with-media&style=image

 

To see each photo better, click on each one and it will open separately. On the lower right, you will see 3 icons. A +, a - and a bracket icon. Click the bracket icon the see a larger view of the photo. You can then click on the +/- to see even larger views.

 

 

...and not one of them attributed to 815 NAS unfortunately.  I've gotten much better at working with the IWM site than I was to start with.  I still don't think it's very intuitive but now I understand its architecture I can usually find what I want.  But, there's always something that pops up, see below....

 

6 hours ago, MeneMene said:

Hopefully it's not too late in your construction process, but I don't believe the engine should have that ring in front of it. I think Tamiya and other companies have inaccurately based that on some modern anti-fire equipment on restored airworthy Swordfish. If you look at period aircraft or other museum birds, they only feature the support struts and not the ring that sits in front of the cylinders.

 

 

Thanks!  I did not notice that at all before you pointed it out.  Luckily, I'll be able to make that correction quite easily with snips as I still have access to the PE ring.

 

5 hours ago, AliGauld said:

You are cracking on with this one.

Looks good to me.

Finished by the weekend then..... 

 

 

Cheers,

Alistair

 

...I see what you did there...

 

3 hours ago, dogsbody said:

 

And DO NOT and Parts K3 & K4 under the rear fuselage. These are not parts that were on the real aircraft. Someone mistakenly identified the tails of the underwing rockets on a photo of a Swordfish with it's wings folded.

 

 

 

 

Ahh yes, this one I did know about though perhaps it's only the Mk.II kit because there's no reference to those parts in my kit.

 

From responses in this thread;

 

 

...a consensus is building towards high black paint demarcation on 5F.  As this was a Fairey-built airframe it would have left the factory with high demarcation.  Even if later repainted to TSS - either factory repaint or field - it would likely have kept the high demarcation and so when the black was painted over the sky (or grey, if not repaired) it would have gone high up the sides.

 

I might be able to slap some upper surface TSS colours around soon.

 

Cheers.

[Fritag]

 

9 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Just caught up with this one - outstanding work on the cockpit and interior surfaces.

 

As with Bill - just 9 hours later.....  

 

You always seem effortlessly in control of the painting process Mark.

 

 

[TheBaron]

Mark: I don't know whether you've come across this yet in your own researches but there's an oral history interview with George Going up on the IWM archive here.

 

 

[mark.au]

13 hours ago, Fritag said:

You always seem effortlessly in control of the painting process Mark.

Thank you, very kind.  It’s an image I craft with carefully understated prose and thoughtful lighting 😊
 

57 minutes ago, TheBaron said:

Mark: I don't know whether you've come across this yet in your own researches but there's an oral history interview with George Going up on the IWM archive here.

Thank you Tony, I hadn’t found that.  I’ll listen to George tonight while I try an replicate one of his old aircraft.

[mark.au]

So, this happened last night…

 

 

I was running a test on the central top wing for the TSS using Hataka paint instead of my usual artist acrylic (looks pretty good to me so I’ll likely go with them for this one) when I thought I’d play with how I’d approach the black distemper.  Long story short, I had some excess paint left in the airbrush so I did the fuselage.  
 

It’s a bit tricky doing a deliberately bad paint job, knowing when to stop in particular.  My experiment was in using the grey of the plastic to simulate the sky/grey under a black distemper which had been field applied, perhaps hastily.  I would expect it to look a bit patchy IRL and that was the effect I was aiming at.  When it was done, I gave it a quick once over with Future to seal it which also exaggerated the effect a little.  It will become a bit more subtle when I put on the flat coat later on.  I like how it looks; perhaps erring towards representing rather than replicating, but that’s ok in scale.

 

Then I returned to my current obsession with the collector ring.  Having stripped it I approached the paint plan a bit differently this time.  Starting with a base of Burnt Umber, I highlighted with glossed up thinned mixes using yellow and red added to the burnt umber base colour.  I tried to vary the application and density to create a randomness to the overall tone. I think this looks much better.  It still needs a little highlighting per @bigbadbadge Chris’ suggestion which I’ll do in the next little while, but overall I’m satisfied with how it looks now compared to contemporary colour photos of the real thing.
 

 

Over the weekend I expect to complete the base painting, hope everyone else’s weekend is a good one.

 

Cheers.

 

 

Edited July 22, 2022 by mark.au
Lack of proof reading

[Dunny]

14 minutes ago, mark.au said:

It’s a bit tricky doing a deliberately bad paint job, knowing when to stop in particular.

Ah yes, as opposed to my normal trick of accidentally doing one 🤣

14 minutes ago, mark.au said:

I think this looks much better

I agree - well worth the extra work

 

All looking most impressive Mark - I do like your distemper effect over the Sky, and the plastic is close enough in colour underneath the black,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

[dogsbody]

That collector ring looks great!

 

 

 

Chris

[Grey Beema]

You need @iang to help you with your black distemper for 815 NAS.  I think he might be able to guide you.

[Grey Beema]

You need @iang to help you with your black distemper for 815 NAS.  I think he might be able to guide you.

 

May be a bit late but this is a really good Swordfish build, with excellent advice on how to paint the collector ring..

 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Great job Mark, looking forward to seeing the contrast of the DSG, EDSG against the night. 

The collector ring colour looks spot on fella.

Cracking work 

Chris

[mark.au]

2 hours ago, dogsbody said:

That collector ring looks great!

 

Chris

Thanks Chris, I like now.  I’ve done the highlights now and I’m satisfied.

 

18 minutes ago, Grey Beema said:

You need @iang to help you with your black distemper for 815 NAS.  I think he might be able to guide you.

 

May be a bit late but this is a really good Swordfish build, with excellent advice on how to paint the collector ring..

 

 

 

Thanks Grey,.  As it turned out, the process I used for the collector ring was pretty close to the one in the link, though I used an airbrush instead of the regular brush.  I love how that one turned out, and hope that mine looks nearly as good when I’ve finished it.

 

Further up thread someone else had pointed me to iang with a link to some of his wisdom.  If I understood him correctly, a high demarcation is the most likely for this airframe and I’ve begun accordingly.

 

7 hours ago, Dunny said:

Ah yes, as opposed to my normal trick of accidentally doing one 🤣

This made me spit my coffee.

 

2 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Great job Mark, looking forward to seeing the contrast of the DSG, EDSG against the night. 

The collector ring colour looks spot on fella.

Cracking work 

Chris

 

Cheers Chris.  I am fond of the TSS colours, and looking forward to seeing how it looks against the black too.

[iang]

On 15/07/2022 at 13:17, mark.au said:

 

 

[iang]

On 16/07/2022 at 10:18, mark.au said:

I’ve settled on L5F crewed by Lt. E. W. Clifford and Lt. G. R. Going of 819 Squadron.  This crew’s action had a disastrous start, a miraculous recovery and a successful outcome; they were also the last to return to HMS Illustrious.  
 

This one gives me the black underside and also some latitude, artistic license even, in some additional markings on the wings and fuselage.  L5F was set up as a bomber, so the fuel tank will be mounted between the wheels.

 

 

Afraid not. Only 815 Squadron swordfish were finished in scheme S1E with black distemper over the Sky Grey.  All 819 Squadron Taranto Swordfish were in scheme S1E.

[mark.au]

31 minutes ago, iang said:

 

Afraid not. Only 815 Squadron swordfish were finished in scheme S1E with black distemper over the Sky Grey.  All 819 Squadron Taranto Swordfish were in scheme S1E.

Oops. Dammit, I knew that.  A bit of a brain fart, somehow transposed 815 and 819 in my mind.  

[heloman1]

Hi Mark. You are getting a lot of reference input and advice here, very interesting to read. The black looks good.

Your photo above of the fish having it's wings spread whilst the engine is running on a wet and windy deck looks very precarious!!!

 

Yes the extension is very welcome. I can now revisit the tail wheel break . I think I'll re-measure and start again.

 

Colin

[mark.au]

4 hours ago, iang said:

Afraid not. Only 815 Squadron swordfish were finished in scheme S1E with black distemper over the Sky Grey.  All 819 Squadron Taranto Swordfish were in scheme S1E.

Thanks for saving me from a serious faux pas!  I’m going to switch to one of the first wave torpedo 815 aircraft.  Probably Swayne’s 4M (or is it spelled Swain, I’ve seen both spellings used? - will check).

[iang]

One thing worth remembering is that the black distemper on 815 Squadron Swordfish was only black when first applied.  There are photos of 815: 4M in my book taken in August 1940 during accelerator trials at Scapa, where the distemper looks fresh and, well, black. After service in the Mediterranean for a few months the distemper faded to what might best be described as a dirty dark grey. The vintage of 815 Swordfish participating in the attack varied considerably. Some were long service aircraft (with 815) others were replacements. I assume the replacements would have freshly applied distemper:

 

 

9          3/8/40 all aircraft to Donibristle for modifications and repairs and several replacements allocated. Williamson takes over as C/O

9          12/8/40 Accelerator trials, Scapa

9          28/8/40 Joined by force H off Gibraltar

8          31/8/40  Night flying practice, Macauley hit port side pillar lights and finished up hanging over the ship. Aircraft eventually ditched (possibly original 4B)

8          2/9/40  arrived off Malta to rendezvous with Eastern Med Fleet

8          4/9/40 Bombing attack Calato, Rhodes. Three 815 aircraft take part (plus 9 from 819 Squadron)

7          4/9/40  815 U3P/L4P: P4153 ditched on t/o for AS patrol (Oglivy/Allum- Oglivy killed)

9          5/9/40 Arrived Alexandria. 2 replacement aircraft collected from Abu Sueir (assume new 4B and 4P).

9          17/9/40 All squadron aircraft (nine) flew off to bomb Benghazi

9          12/10/40 Macaulay’s aircraft damaged by friendly fire from Fulmars (presume  repaired as flies on 13/10/40)

9          13-14/ 10/40 Attack on Portolago, Leros. Six 815 aircraft attack Gonia Cove (4F, 4B, 4C, 4K, 4L, 4M)

8          15/10/40. Swayne’s aircraft (4M) disembarked to Dekheila. Remaining aircraft had LR tanks fitted

8          18/10/40 Hangar fire. One 815 aircraft damaged.

8          23/10/40  Remaining aircraft disembarked Dekheila. Four 815 aircraft attack Tobruk harbour (4P, 4Q, 4R, 4M). 4Q F/L Alexandria-Mersa Matrub road 150 miles 

            east  of Bagush, having run out of petrol. Aircraft extensively damaged (Williams/Bowler not injured).

7          24/10/40 Aircraft at Dekheila

9          28/10/40 squadron re-embarked at full strength  (implies two replacements - new 4Q and replacement for hangar fire casualty or this aircraft repaired).

[AliGauld]

Looking good that man.

Cracking work on the collector ring.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[mark.au]

8 hours ago, iang said:

One thing worth remembering is that the black distemper on 815 Squadron Swordfish was only black when first applied.  There are photos of 815: 4M in my book taken in August 1940 during accelerator trials at Scapa, where the distemper looks fresh and, well, black. After service in the Mediterranean for a few months the distemper faded to what might best be described as a dirty dark grey. The vintage of 815 Swordfish participating in the attack varied considerably. Some were long service aircraft (with 815) others were replacements. I assume the replacements would have freshly applied distemper:

That’s gold, thank you.  The weathering opportunity just got exponentially more interesting!  What’s the title of your book and author’s [your] name so I can get one?  I assume/hope the serial numbers might be in there too?
 

One question if I may; the numbers on the left  in your list, is that the number of aircraft on strength on those dates?

 

Thanks again.

[mark.au]

3 hours ago, AliGauld said:

Looking good that man.

Cracking work on the collector ring.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

Cheers Alistair, I did the highlighting yesterday and like how it turned out.  I’ll get a phone up later on in the next update.