1:72 Fairey Swordfish Mk.I - 815 Sqn Taranto Raider

[Dunny]

Hi All,

 

My latest completion is Airfix' lovely Swordfish. Now I did build the superb Tamiya Mk.II last year, so was not sure what to expect with this kit. I'm happy to report that it's a lovely little kit, well-engineered and detailed (though not quite to Tamiya's standard)! Now those with a penchant for history may realise that today is the 82nd anniversary of the attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto by Swordfish from 815 and 819 Sqn FAA, flying from HMS Illustrious. @mark.au planted the seed for an informal group build with a nominal deadline of today's date, so we decided to humour him a few of us (namely @bigbadbadge, @AliGauld and @iang) decided to jump on board!

 

The aircraft I have chosen to model is L4F of 815 Sqn FAA, crewed by Lt R Skelton and S Lt E A Perkins. This aircraft was part of the second wave of the attack, and after dropping flares over the fleet this aircraft successfully bombed the Taranto oil installations before returning safely to 'Lusty'. I do not know the correct serial number for this aircraft, and chose to omit it, with the reasoning that the hastily painted black distemper covered the serial number over. I'm also aware that I should have fitted the auxiliary fuel tank in the observer's position, but by the time I discovered this the RFI photos had been done - please forgive me these errors!

 

The kit was built mostly OOB, with the addition of an Eduard mask set (not worth the bother) and the PE rigging set from SBS (from Red Roo, and definitely worth the bother). Here's the WIP if anyone is interested:

 

 

Anyway, on to the pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a final couple with the aforementioned Mk.II:

 

 

 

The sharp-eyed amongst you may note the 'Merchant Navy' above the aircraft serial. My grandfather served in the Merchant Navy throughout the war, so it's kind of appropriate to remember him on this most poignant of days - lest we forget,

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Roger

[bigbadbadge]

Looks absolutely superb Roger, I love the faded look with the tinted flat coat.  Great work on this little beauty and another fitting tribute too.

Great to see your Mk.II in the pics too.  A very enjoyable unofficial GB. 

Cracking work 

Lest we Forget 

Chris

[Samuraiwarrior]

Hi Roger, 

That looks like a really nice Swordfish in its Taranto scheme. Something a little sinister about it. 

As you say, all those years ago, brave men went out in outdated aircraft against superior forces and inflicted a heavy toll in total surprise. 

Your model is definitely one to be proud of and a fitting tribute to those involved. 

Thanks for sharing 

Kevin 

[Dunny]

1 hour ago, bigbadbadge said:

Looks absolutely superb Roger, I love the faded look with the tinted flat coat.  Great work on this little beauty and another fitting tribute too.

Great to see your Mk.II in the pics too.  A very enjoyable unofficial GB. 

Cracking work 

Lest we Forget 

Chris

Thanks very much Chris - another fun ride. We seem to be making a habit of this!

59 minutes ago, Samuraiwarrior said:

Hi Roger, 

That looks like a really nice Swordfish in its Taranto scheme. Something a little sinister about it. 

As you say, all those years ago, brave men went out in outdated aircraft against superior forces and inflicted a heavy toll in total surprise. 

Your model is definitely one to be proud of and a fitting tribute to those involved. 

Thanks for sharing 

Kevin 

Thanks very much for the kind words Kevin - much appreciated!

[mark.au]

I struggle to find the right superlatives for your work, Roger.  It will need to suffice that your 72nd scale result with an Airfix more than matches if not exceeds my Tamiya 48th effort.

[Maginot]

What a cracking Stringbag. Superb timing with the completion and post. My Grandfathers served in WW1. Lest we forget.

[Dunny]

5 hours ago, mark.au said:

I struggle to find the right superlatives for your work, Roger.  It will need to suffice that your 72nd scale result with an Airfix more than matches if not exceeds my Tamiya 48th effort.

Should've gone to Specsavers, but you are most kind Mark. Thanks once again for planting the seed - it's been fun!

5 hours ago, Maginot said:

What a cracking Stringbag. Superb timing with the completion and post. My Grandfathers served in WW1. Lest we forget.

Thanks for the kind words - much appreciated!

[Grey Beema]

Looks great Roger.  Nothing like a Stringbag and finished, rather superbly, just on the right day..

[Dunny]

2 minutes ago, Grey Beema said:

Looks great Roger.  Nothing like a Stringbag and finished, rather superbly, just on the right day..

Thanks for the kind words GB - I did have a bit of deadline anxiety which spurred things along a bit! I know you're more of a 1:48 man but this is a lovely little kit if you ever fancied a change of scale,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

[MACALAIN]

9 hours ago, Dunny said:

Hi All,

 

My latest completion is Airfix' lovely Swordfish. Now I did build the superb Tamiya Mk.II last year, so was not sure what to expect with this kit. I'm happy to report that it's a lovely little kit, well-engineered and detailed (though not quite to Tamiya's standard)! Now those with a penchant for history may realise that today is the 82nd anniversary of the attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto by Swordfish from 815 and 819 Sqn FAA, flying from HMS Illustrious. @mark.au planted the seed for an informal group build with a nominal deadline of today's date, so we decided to humour him a few of us (namely @bigbadbadge, @AliGauld and @iang) decided to jump on board!

 

The aircraft I have chosen to model is L4F of 815 Sqn FAA, crewed by Lt R Skelton and S Lt E A Perkins. This aircraft was part of the second wave of the attack, and after dropping flares over the fleet this aircraft successfully bombed the Taranto oil installations before returning safely to 'Lusty'. I do not know the correct serial number for this aircraft, and chose to omit it, with the reasoning that the hastily painted black distemper covered the serial number over. I'm also aware that I should have fitted the auxiliary fuel tank in the observer's position, but by the time I discovered this the RFI photos had been done - please forgive me these errors!

 

The kit was built mostly OOB, with the addition of an Eduard mask set (not worth the bother) and the PE rigging set from SBS (from Red Roo, and definitely worth the bother). Here's the WIP if anyone is interested:

 

 

Anyway, on to the pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a final couple with the aforementioned Mk.II:

 

 

 

The sharp-eyed amongst you may note the 'Merchant Navy' above the aircraft serial. My grandfather served in the Merchant Navy throughout the war, so it's kind of appropriate to remember him on this most poignant of days - lest we forget,

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Roger

 

Well done, it's the week of the Swordfish.

 

Alain

 

[Dunny]

10 minutes ago, MACALAIN said:

 

Well done, it's the week of the Swordfish.

 

Alain

 

Thank you Alain - indeed it is!

[2996 Victor]

Truly outstanding model-making and a beautiful result! The black distemper changes the whole look of the camouflage and makes an unusual and interesting change from the norm. Fantastic!

 

Cheers,

Mark

[Dunny]

2 minutes ago, 2996 Victor said:

Truly outstanding model-making and a beautiful result! The black distemper changes the whole look of the camouflage and makes an unusual and interesting change from the norm. Fantastic!

 

Cheers,

Mark

You are most kind Mark - thank you!

[MACALAIN]

24 minutes ago, Dunny said:

You are most kind Mark - thank you!

Welcome.

I am now going to my grand parents tom and the tombs of British aircrafmen fal here in Ecaussinnes for the 11/11 at 11AM.

 

Alain

[Winded Penguin]

We're rather lucky to have a recent harvest of Swordfish models on the forum.

Your latest is another cracking example 👍

 

I've been indulging in a You Tube channel called 'Amoured Carriers' this week featuring lots of these aircraft, so the timing is really rather perfect.

[Dunny]

1 hour ago, MACALAIN said:

Welcome.

I am now going to my grand parents tom and the tombs of British aircrafmen fal here in Ecaussinnes for the 11/11 at 11AM.

 

Alain

Alain, I lived in Liege when I was younger and I think I remember Ecaussinne. Lest we forget...

1 hour ago, Winded Penguin said:

We're rather lucky to have a recent harvest of Swordfish models on the forum.

Your latest is another cracking example 👍

 

I've been indulging in a You Tube channel called 'Amoured Carriers' this week featuring lots of these aircraft, so the timing is really rather perfect.

Thanks very much for the kind words WP - much appreciated!

[Sky Keg]

Roger………your Swordfish here is absolutely beautiful!!!!!  🥰  I like it and I like it a lot!!!! 

 

Mike

[Ngantek]

What a treat this mini GB is! It's just shame we can't see them all together. Had I been asked to pick an aircraft and scheme, and a selection distinguished BM modellers that I would like to see build it, I couldn't have asked for better than this! You kind souls have also conspired to leave the easy option of Airfix's 815NAS torpedo scheme (4M I think) for me to build when I belatedly try and catch up.

 

I really like the fade you've achieved, particularly making the black distemper look real, which is no mean feat. Fantastic stringbag, all that fiddly work on the stores and rigging look amazingly sharp for 72.

 

Andy

[georgeusa]

Another one of the informal group build Swordfish.  And, it too is done so well only in the miniscule scale for us old 'uns.  This is such a nice Swordfish.   I wouldn't bother with the two "errors" you pointed out.  The intent and honor you put into creating this particular aircraft far outweighs some slight perceived imperfections.  I do not believe if there are still living veterans from this raid they would shake their head and tsk tsk you for your build.  Rather, they would thank you for remembering their service and be embarrassed you were making such a big "to do" about what they were just trained to do.

 

Over on this side of the pond it is Veteran's Day.  I am always in awe of what others have done in the service to our country, but when it comes to my service, I hardly ever mention anything because it is just what I was supposed to do.  Thanks for sharing a wonderful representation of a specific aircraft on a specific mission.

[AliGauld]

Another triumph.

I have no more words.

 

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[Dunny]

5 hours ago, Sky Keg said:

Roger………your Swordfish here is absolutely beautiful!!!!!  🥰  I like it and I like it a lot!!!! 

 

Mike

Thanks for the kind words Mike - much appreciated

5 hours ago, Ngantek said:

What a treat this mini GB is! It's just shame we can't see them all together. Had I been asked to pick an aircraft and scheme, and a selection distinguished BM modellers that I would like to see build it, I couldn't have asked for better than this! You kind souls have also conspired to leave the easy option of Airfix's 815NAS torpedo scheme (4M I think) for me to build when I belatedly try and catch up.

 

I really like the fade you've achieved, particularly making the black distemper look real, which is no mean feat. Fantastic stringbag, all that fiddly work on the stores and rigging look amazingly sharp for 72.

 

Andy

Thanks very much Andy - look forward to seeing your torpedo bird!

2 hours ago, georgeusa said:

Another one of the informal group build Swordfish.  And, it too is done so well only in the miniscule scale for us old 'uns.  This is such a nice Swordfish.   I wouldn't bother with the two "errors" you pointed out.  The intent and honor you put into creating this particular aircraft far outweighs some slight perceived imperfections.  I do not believe if there are still living veterans from this raid they would shake their head and tsk tsk you for your build.  Rather, they would thank you for remembering their service and be embarrassed you were making such a big "to do" about what they were just trained to do.

 

Over on this side of the pond it is Veteran's Day.  I am always in awe of what others have done in the service to our country, but when it comes to my service, I hardly ever mention anything because it is just what I was supposed to do.  Thanks for sharing a wonderful representation of a specific aircraft on a specific mission.

Thanls very much George - it was great to be able to do this, and I'm glad our small efforts to honour some very brave men have been appreciated

1 hour ago, AliGauld said:

Another triumph.

I have no more words.

 

 

Cheers,

Alistair

Thanks Alistair - can't wait to see the big yin done!

[AliGauld]

1 hour ago, Dunny said:

can't wait to see the big yin done!

Might be a wee while but I'll get there.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[Dunny]

18 minutes ago, AliGauld said:

Might be a wee while but I'll get there.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

Of that I have little doubt!

[Stringbag73]

Your swordfish is just as adorable!  Beautiful paintwork and the signs of weathering on the underside look very lively.  The yellow external loads are an additional eye-catcher!  Really great!

 

Cheers!

[Dunny]

39 minutes ago, Stringbag73 said:

Your swordfish is just as adorable!  Beautiful paintwork and the signs of weathering on the underside look very lively.  The yellow external loads are an additional eye-catcher!  Really great!

 

Cheers!

Thanks for the kind words - much appreciated!