a US §=6TAMIYA’S FAIREY re ilil mi! SWORD oll GEOFF COUGHLIN DETAILED PHOTOGRAPHS BUILDING THE MODEL AIRBRUSHING SECRETS SPECIALIST TECHNIQUES EXPLAINED ot TAMIA FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF TAMIYA MODEL MAGAZINE INTERNATIONAL 4HAcknowledgements I would like to express my sincere thanks to the following for their help in the writing and research for this book. Without their kind help and time, the project would simply not have been achieved. 1 Most definitely to Sara my wife for her tolerance, support and understanding — not to mention the often last-minute changes to our social diary! Wo Alan Harman and Marcus Nicholls for having the resources and faith to support my idea and to everyone in the ADH team, To the guys down at the Royal Naval Historic Flight, Yeovilton for their outstanding ‘support during the photo-shoot. Their helpfulness and enthusiasm on the day was, fantastic. To lan Sayer who can do more with a camera than you could ever imagine! Many of the pictures, especially in the photographic library are examples of his excellent photographic skills, To Les Rawlins, Pete Stem and many others down at IPMS Barnet for the loan of books, articles and other reference material that make belonging to a scale mode! ‘club so rewarding and beneficial To Edgar Brooks for the considerable time spent chatting on the telephone to larity specific details of the Fairey Swordfish. To the manufacturers of the after-market detail sets and decals, especially Bob Brown at MDC and the guys at Hannants, And last of all, to Commander Charles Lamb DSO, DSC Royal Navy for his book: War in a Stringbag’, the true story of the World War II's most daring heroes - the ‘men who flew the Swordfish Copyright © 1999 ADH Publishing Aight esered, Reproduction in pat or whole of ary textcx photographs wenout ten permieon rom ie publener is tnt pronbted Whe ove cave has bean taken to ensura th cores oft book are accra. the publisher and peters cannot accept abi for eo Fest pubes in he Une Kingdom by ‘ADH Publishing, 31 High Steet. Hemel Hempstead Fests, Untes Kngdom TWlephone: 4 (0) 1442 230077 Fa 4a (0) 1442130868 mal: harmarve@iel com ‘ACKNOWLEDGMENTS FEInt ew to build the Tamiya Fairey Swordfish Mk I kit WEL. LE! To this series of modelling guides. I hope that you find this mts = her invaluable tool to help you get the best from your Mer ject ‘Was ses 9f publications is: — +2 270 for scale modellers who want to build the major kit release ms, ;olcation Baar rues is: . = = -2o\0Ur photographs of the key areas of interest lo the scale . 3 the gaps’ that exist in existing reference material . 3 ew the kit release — in far greater depth than is possible in scale 1" detail the modelling techniques and skils used to build the model 2 ore than one model wherever possible — with one ‘straight from the box rporating more detail ~ including after market accessories where ' ‘Sor; of the Fairey Swordfish in this publication - limited space and time simply ‘eortant to recognise that it is not our intention to go into a detailed Sans t You are however, provided with a detailed bibliography at the end of the book ‘T= 5215 out key texts that will prove invaluable when it comes to selecting a colour S728 or deciding on the amount of weathering required. Itis therefore not our 727000 to repeat in this book what is available elsewhere, Our focus is on assisting you to build a Tamiya quarter scale kit of the ‘Swordfish that you can be proud of. (ion 70 Bid Dats PREY SvoRORSH =10. nN Acknowledgements Intro to ‘How to Build’ Series Contents page An introduction to the Fairey Swordfish Main differences between Mks | - Ill The Tamiya 1/48 scale kit Sprue layout / breakdown; decals; instructions etc The Fairey Swordfish Mk 1 in detail photographic library How to build the Tamiya Fairey Swordfish Mk I kit Without using any after-market sets, techniques explained Aftermarket accessory sets including decal sheets and resin and etched metal updates How to detail the Tamiya kit Wing fold; using the Tamiya etched steel fret Bibliography Your ideas for future ‘How to Build the...” projectsAn Introduction to the Fairey Swordfish The purpose of this short chapter is to highlight the main differences between the various Mks of the type. By doing this, the modeller should be able to ensure that he or she doesn’t make any obvious mistakes in terms of layout and equipment fit A full bibliography is included for you at the back of this book to help. he Fairey Swordfish must surely be one of the Fairey Swordfish Mk I T best kn¢ VWI, Indeed many The initial Swordfish Mk | was powered by a 690hp readers wil stil see either the Mk I or I! (515-kW) Bristol Pegasus IlIM3 radial engine, driving in the UK, a three-bladed, fixed-pitch Fairey Reed metal pro: Starting out as a private venture by Fairey and peller. The wings were of an all metal constructi originating from the TSR | biplane of 1933, the fabric covered and could be folded back around rear Swordfish went on to outlast aircraft that had been _spar hinges. designed to replace it such as the Fairey Albacore. The aircraft had a strut braced tailplane with metal The Swordfish was considered obsolete by many at constructed fin and rudder with fabric covering, The the outbreak of hostilities yet 86 aircraft were locking br ecure the main wings was perma- ordered in 1935 followed by a further 131 aircraft, and _nently located under each tailplane and is clearly visi ail wheel flying at air show it was stil in service on VE day in 1945. Incredible _ble in the accompanying photographs. The though it may seem, the Stringbag was ultimately was fixed, as were the main gear units although the responsible for the destruction of a greater tonnage latter sily interchangeable with alloy floats. of hostile shipping than any other type of allied ‘Armament consisted of one forward firing 0,303 in aircraft (7.7mm) Vickers machine gun with one Vickers 'K’ or Jun mounted in the aft cockpit. The Swordfish y one 18in (0.46m) torpedo beneath the Fairey production _ 692 aircraft Blackburn 1700 Alternative loads of one 1,500Ib (680kg) Total 2392 two 500Ib (227kg) bombs beneath the fuse- lage plus two 250Ib (113kg) bombs mounted on Blackbur aircraft were unofficially referred to as tnderwing racks or one 500Ib bomb beneath the Blackfish fuselage and one 500Ib bomb beneath each wing.This certainly meant that the ‘Swardfish could By 1940, 692 Swordfish had been built but it became apparent that Fairey could not tum out the aircraft in sufficient numbers. Production was trans- ferred to a new Blackburn factory at Sherburn-in- imet, Yorkshire. * 825 Sqn was the first to receive the type in July 936 +N MkII Following 992 Mk | Swordfish (6 burn) came 1,080 Mkills. Fro fal Naval Historic Flight team bi viton, the cockpits of both the Mk | an most identical. The Mk Il Swordfish ent 1943 and differed only in having a strengt lower wing with stressed metal skin undersurfaces for hi rocket-projectie capa by Fairey, 300 by discussions with siHy ABOVE: A selection of MKIl paces - leer exhaust and rocket projectiles armour-piercing projectiles Modelling Vol. 21 No 9 pla texture on lower win, Tamiya Mk | ki. Early production Mk Ih engine Peg is XXX fit engine collector ring and ‘hedge later aircraft. The Swordfish Mk Il wai ed later in by what was to prove the fin ion were 320 Mk Ills built and th ened lawer wings. In addition, Surface Vessel (ASV) radar fitted in a rad between the undercarriage legs. In a cockpit layout varied from the MK I * Final Brtish built * Fitted with more they hak * Distinguished by guppy-type ASV radar carried between main under rails * Had underwing rock: * Could be filed with RA gear). Two solid fue! rockets fuselage and slanted inwar close to centre of gravity as possible — the rockets ‘exhausting beneath and just b lower mainplane MkIV To be fair, the Mk IV was an unofficial desig applied to a number of the 100 Sw had moved fa in support of Naval ai ere fitted with enclo and even had the luxury of heating - a to minimise ects of 3@ aircraft have often been ati Sh Mk lls that nery training. The majority cockpit seemingly vital adcit Canadian winter refered to as M ne were converted for juties and had the tracitional yellow under surface These changes were to bring new life to the sword: fish, which at its peak equipped 26 squadrons. Even at the beginning of 1945, 9 front-line squadron still successfully using the type. ‘AN INTRODUCTION WEawa. Y stor Xx iN = — The Tamiya 1/48 scale kit The Fairey Swordfish release by Tamiya is an outstanding example of 90s tWOlifiy at its bestversion, well detailed Pegasus engine and three crew figures. ‘# Decals are included for the seat hamess but you may well feel that you want to replace these with simply constructed scratched items from aluminium foil. The decals can act as a helpful guide for colour reference plus size and style. 4% Three optional schemes on the decal sheet 825 Sqn, W5984 flown by Lt Commander E. Esmonde, ¢ Slate Grey upper wing surfa Dark Sea Grey / Light Slate Grey top si main wing and Sky undersurt LtAWD Beale’s aircraft that featured in the famous attack on the Bismarck V4372 with similar upper wing and fuselage camouflage colours and either Sky or reducing along the fusela light grey undersurfaces, [ABOVE: A selection of stores Included Inthe Kt: smoke bombs and ‘nthshipping ares shown here LEFT: The 18 neh torpedo included in your kt now finshed in matt black and glen # metalic look by rubbing pen graph dust over {he paintwork using cotton bud } ‘They are well tai’ ina sanding pose The final option is a striking pre- and Black scheme as applied to 823 from HMS Glorious around the tim Coronation Review. Profile 212 mention bibliography has pictures of the ai eatured in the Tamiya Kit K5972, The kit instruction book is typica releases. A Tamiya pai at the front of the booklet with throughout that indicates wt for each of the specif Full instructions on inc s included ar labelling parts are relevant ait featured rporating the separate instructions and even if steel fret is given in you don't purchase this item, the instructions are very helpful when adding rigging bracing wires of your own, Ihave do the pre-war 823 Sqn scheme using fine steel wire ie this in the first kit featured, option C for surgical Taos 798 SCALE KT KERThe Fairey Swordfish Mk | in detail Photographic Library ess to excellent colour reference The purpose of this section is to give you a shotographs that you need in order to achieve the results required when completing your Tamiya model. When combined with the colour photographs contained elsewhere in this book, it is hoped that you will have more than enough reference material to achieve very good results. Bhotographs, | hav {Theatr dominates te ares immediatay above te ain h limited choice and frequently _Unereaiage struts. The tubulr framework that forms the basi of [low 7o Bub TRS FAREY SWORDFISH‘hiss particularly interesting photograph 35 Ithhiighte several estes unique tothe Stingbeg Nati te elongsted buigs immed: Foundel. These are moulded in the kit ables and see how the cable from the upper tailplane Sevator location drops down acros the two from the ‘der an undersige of te elevator. The whip arial ‘ontop of the fuselage Is non-standard and a modt Sdditon, The lue-Red- Ble striping denotes manangs foran rr rom HIS Ack Royal Interesting photograph tht ilustates the outer Wing srt bracing wires. Note the smal se atthe parked aera[how To Bu Tas FAREY SWORDFISHFIGHT: rt splendis poral of W585, one of he to (200 ote tree) Fairey ‘Swordish super restored and mamsined by the ANKE a eowton,Netole a oe ie ees tat ene RIGHT: The starboard release handle that holds the "wing lacking pin n postion. The Randle i seen in the winge-apreed poston. I simply Its up 18000 fold the winge back. The ene Ie best replaced on ‘he ht a ts a moulded tab. Note to the aerofal ould the hoses and cabs | iT how To Bu Tams FARE SWORDRSHnent eables dropping down from 3 oTOGRAPHIC URARY LEDHow to build the Tamiya Fairey Swordfish Mk | kit Useful hints and tips on construction and painting of the standard kit with additional easy to implement detail to improve the overall finish spray job. The painted parts are later assembled once they have received a coat of gloss varnish, Humbrol Gloss Cote is good, and when dry, a brown wash, Washes For washes | use two methods and each works wel depending on your preference. Intemational (TMM) you will probably have read the initial review of this frst release in Issue No 77. This chapter is designed to capture the key elements, of basic construction yet add a lot of new material showing how to rig your model using fine wire and make other simple additions and modifications, I you are a regular to Tamiya Mode! Magazine Planning construction ‘One of the best features of Tamiya model kits is the thought that has {gone into the engineering process when producing the parts and suggested build sequence. This company has a number of ‘Model builders whose job itis to construct the test shot samples at early stages through final develop- ‘ment with modifications being constantly suggested and acted upon. Itis this type of crucial attention to detail that usually results in the precision parts that we have come to expect whenever you open one of their kit boxes, The colour photographs included in this book should give you all the reference material you need to make an excellent model straight from the box. The instructions begin with the cockpit and you can immediately see from the first four stages that the whole cockpit tub makes up into a: eat, complete assembly, that simply clicks into pl in one fuselage hal. Construction commences... Stages 1-4, Assembly starts wit the raised pilot's seat platform and the eight parts that comprise this sub-assembly are very delicate and care is needed to fensure that the parts are removed from the sprue care full and intact. Personally | found it easier to assemble the complete pict platform before painting. Just about everything in this area is ultimately painted RAF Interior Grey Green, save forthe seat cushion that is lat brown and | used Tamiya XF-64 Red Brown which gives {good leather look. The remainder of the cockpit, name- Iy the beautiful textured floor and side tubular framing were cleaned up with a scalpel run along the mould seam lines on each of the parts. They are very minor on this kit but it is best to remove them now otherwise they really stand out when you begin the dry-brushing process. The floor is shown as flat Aluminium but | pre ferred a darker green inline with the RNHF Mk | 1W5856, A good match for this is US Interior Green. [ABOVE: good view of he Sworch MK! wearing #23 Sqn colours) the ines of the aerat are classi, Note the scratch ult ngging brac- ‘ound it easier to set aside the tubular framing, pilot's ‘seat platform and main flooring assembly for one big Ing wirea made trom thin surgeal alee wir. Fine tse wie, stretches ‘Sprue or nvistbleThveod wil sa work wel (EDI HOn 70 BUD TANS FAREY SWORDS‘ber and Burnt Sienna ail fe mixed in very small using white spirit. When sired tone is achieved and x's very thin, just run the mixture into the recess- he floor and into the comers of the cockpit tub ~ re where grime and dirt is likely to accumulate. any reference you have is always helpiul here to OU on track to avoid overdoing the process, that in 1937, say, the pre-war machine =, 10 have a good deal less grime, wear and tet than one later in the war, perhaps Esmi ‘ABOVE: The left tuselag hat suitably pained with RAF Interior ‘Grey-Green ABOVE: The ‘pink’ ff-ed internal fabric hae yet to beaded Detwoon the formers end singers nde's LEFT: The beautifully dellest plot raised plattorm assembled and sisting paint ‘WOW 70 BUILD THE TAMIYA FUREY SWORDFISH mike EDABOVE: Citadel Colour nk applied othe recessed panel ines, Oils can also be used to good eect, en applied, the exce ed with a clean cott handkerchi oil paint tak ually give the part a amish at this stage, such as Aeromaster Fla This is definitely one of the best flat vanishes OVE € BELOW: Tho texture foo etlct stunning on the kt part ‘tnd responds well tothe use of washes ause you seem to be able to ‘gallons’ of the stuff n with gloss varnish as abo jour Brown or Fst ink in just the sa running by c2 The fluid lary action into all th h with about four hairs init and i's very eff kn the recess and minimising the Cient at putting the excess to be cleaned off. | remove using Rotring Airbrush cleaner — a clear liquid that is applied to a co! auantities. The bud is then drawn mes away leaving want it. | understand ton bud in minute the detail and any in the re EET 70 BULD TANS PREY SWORDFISHi STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE Trina ABOVE: Apt to mee om» et hare, out ‘overything ese fe tore ABOVE: The complete cockpit assembly click into the right fuselage sit The Vickers G.0. gun has been temporary addoa ABOVE: The instrument pane! is fe nipping tothe instrument Bos 1 the right fuselage al. Note ring airbrush cleaner is difficult 0 obtain now ¥ again here is to go easy and only use the st amount on your cotton bul, so much so that it s almost dy. I've had my bottle for years! Ordinary acrylic thinner works well 100, but work with areas at a time, cleaning up more often any 25s before it has dried hard Dry-brushing 2 "as y-rushing goes, the whole point of cary- his process Is fo ighight the angles anc 1 parts that would elt the light more th morta areas. To achewe the tnished fect. | ight brown fo the seat cushions and ight grey or the remainder of he inferior Aighter she re base colour provers too song acortest and alist 100k 3 that you need to dois open a preferably old or standing pot of enamel o the coect colout ne handle of an ol paintbrush or ength of >the linet sigh ahd go tothe bottom and a smal quantity of sold pant that gahers at mo! the pol Then wipe ths onto a issue that ARGMBETe ae an ama aba a ny excess ol Taking an old paintbrush | HOW TO BUILD THE TAMA FAIREY SWORDAISH WT KF EDRIGHT: A view into the lf sie of Postion. Note the stor Colours present ‘BELOW: The Vickers G.0. alcooier The Vickers ry well detailed a {he texture on canvas eg below Use a short stubby brush that's by about ten years! — put a small amount of the bristles and then wipe it off immediate tissue leaving the brush, literally, cry and virtually p free. You then ‘dust’ the part to be dry-brushed with the bristles taking great care to ensure that only the small- est amount of paint is deposited on the angular edges you are seeking to highlight. Again — take your time tient it is painstaking and time-consuming, but the end result is well worth the effort. With pract you can become very adept at the technique and for me at least, this is a very rewarding part of modeling, mainly because you see the final result unfolding before your eyes As with all painting itis much easier to add a litle more to achieve your effect but itis near impossible to remove without damaging your paint fin Construction continues. The completed cockpit parts are ready to be assem: pt forthe radio and spare small round m or the Vickers G.O. 'K’ gun mounted in the r Cockpit. The magazines should have a white band EXT ron To eu Tas FREY SWORDFISH «the flat edge and this was painted on. The radio. 18) as isthe instrument er instrument boxes. These can be dy a light grey with extra authenticity in the Chipping. One of the best tools | have dis- covered for this is a Pentel K108 Hybrid Roller Silver ink Pen, available from most good art shops... You just touch in the paint work as desired, kpit decking and pilot's rear bulkhe re painted as described in the instructions and a r ich isthe roll of canwas that sits just under the Vickers GO. 'K’ gun. | painted this in a light buff colour ished it with Citadel Colour Brown wash, The upper c¢ Adding a seat harness As mentioned ear kt items that come prefer a seat har eating your own from me ‘of masking tape. It can be a goad idea to use the kit items as templates for size and style. When you have cut strips tothe correct length, | used a small drawing pen to mark the adjusting holes down the centre ofthe sible to use the like me you oks a little more realist al fol or even small strips.Construction continues... ‘You should be up to about Stage 6 8 s. Each tiny tem is clamped in a ‘bull dry-brushin going to ne s (Stage S) ot interior has b ainting is finished 2 ofc ne origi nternal stinger ‘The Hight fuselage hat awaiting the completed cockpit sesembly core of nnique i nning, ic. Another tip is not to GREY SWORDFISH WK) KT EBD‘Again port side this time - notes that the black pain ‘Sooan' extnd onto the sievatorsuriace and over this with the comes from the etched can pick ou arp point ofa relatively Srey/Green ribbing again afterwards and dry-b t as well, In addition, the ising alight grey or lastic plugs designed to fit into the upper sur A final reminder at this stage is ti Of the tailplane need to be added in Stage 7, i 1g bracing wires. There are two at the you are not going to use Tamiya's steel fret. Late and a further two ich half your own rigging wires can just sit on top of th und the tes - either end of the aperture, instruction bo« Before slotting in th Low 70 Wiad Tuas FAREY SWORD —HOW TO BUILD THE TAMIA FAIREY SWORDFISH Wiki kT EXDABOVE: A helpful shot - showing the dtfernt colours and tones ofthe Pegasus engine (ELTow To uid TTS FARE wor Stage Tamiya have c is the o rotrudes throug aircraft. One or two poi model in 82: ours= ABOVE: The wing assombiy is precisely engineered — just follow ‘he kt insractions Engine assembly ‘Stage 9 The instructions explain at this stage how to incorporate the etched stee ret detail but though this adds considerably tothe frished Pegasus engin, itis by no means essential. There are no less than thin tems that go to make up the engine, without t ats. Most ofthese were painted Tamiya X19 Sem ¢ ck. The cylinder heads have some neat pla detail that responds well to dry-brushng with alurin um. A brown wash can also be added to give a worn look The heat-stained collector People have often asked me at some of the model shows | attend, how | get the metallic heat-stained look to the engine collector ring and exhaust outlet. In this instance, | painted the cow at the same time the Black was in the airbrush for use on the tailplane and upper fusel ing, time being reduced to less than two hours using aint. Again, thoughtfully, Tamiya rrioul tor ring separately, which of ABOVE: The lower wing assombly works in the same way 08 the Upper. Make sure you use the Aight parts though HOW TO BUILD THE TAMA FAIRY SWORDFISH MKT ED[ABOVE: Tho fuselage is together and ust needs to have the cockpit masked with Tamiys tape k at the pictures heat-stained ring urse makes spraying the real aircraft shows the distin with a righter thin strip separating the rin the cowl. | use a mix of Tamiya Semi-Gloss Bla 8), with about half as much again Gold Leaf (%-12) about a dozen drops of Citadel Colour Rust ink. This is all mixed up with a few drops of Halford's ‘own brand car Screen Wash. This ‘thinner is ideal fc aints and is very cheap, the blue colour bein lost because of the small quantities used. This is a very iseful alternative to the high price you need to pay for rpose-made acrylic thinner available in small bottles. f to spray or hand paint the separate parts of 1s the section across the e exhaust outlet as, EXT now To Bui tows FARE SWORDFISH ABOVE: A pinvice disused 1 bore out the location holes forthe Underwing stores cowl. I's a real pain to try and m later if you forget ane of these parts! The thin bright ividing line between the cowl and collector ring face is easily achieved by masking off this line with a long thin strip of masking tape (Tamiya tape works very well, hav ing an almost elastic quality that can be bent around curves). | then applied a small amount of SNJ Polishing Powder (aluminium powder) using a cotton bud and then the whole com was given a coat of Satin Vamish (0 seal in the finish. The final touch to really bring out the metalic-effect collector ring came from using small ‘amounts of graphite pencil dust buffed onto the surface until you achieve the finish you want, but go easy as the raphite will darken the surface considerably.aside unt 3 handlin ne final stages of constr during t part Upper and lo here is two compl poard wing a Stage 11. is sugges in place but | find it muc ly and add it a sks on completion with it detached ays seem to fit exact- it whether they wil itor not. Spread or folded wings? Stage 12 You are n the spread or f with both o ded tions, eat 8 of spars that clic wing sections attac parts are a very snug fit 3 the final assembly holes need to b com the inside dges of the lage. All th inten touse a pin vice dill an a ghtforward. But ¢ thoroughly 2 reated the nei before moving on. | forgo! noles in the d mosh wx xT ELD HOW TO BUILD THE TAMIYA FAREY Sw|ABOVE: The powerful landing ght filed inthe leading edge of both lower wings on the MK! ad to measure the ising the release harness fret. Two bracing wires that extend down fror guide tricky but r fificut! ipper wing Stages 13 € 14 This is where the large do. attach to the ot Stage 15 | would! at this sta ne fusela kway areas also need painting as well as ro explanatory but watch out the areas thal surtaund these on the lower wing. The 2 there is a slight error in the instructions that ter will need to be painted in the inner wing colour. |__ show the need to open iddle hole of three in ti for a camoutlagek op this first build ower wing s¢ ediately outboard of the large te slip of paper sho. with my kit $0 watch out a figuration opened up that will EET ow To Bub Tuas FARE SWOROFSHABOVE: A nice shot showing the itferent Toldea-wing option ‘pure tor nove torpedo is well proauces LEFT: These wooden clothes peg ‘older’ ar over 10 years ol above, the idea is to create two complete upper and lower wing sections that will slide onto the spars that folrude from the wing centre sections. Itis important paint the wing parts before you assemble them and the single-piece main wing strut through the wing sections to attach the rigging cleaning up the holes and then painting, If you feel nappy in using this technique to rig your biplanes, then {go ahead, but personally | find the thought too frighten: ing to contemplate! My own approach that works well for me is explained later. All this assumes that you haven't bought the separate Tamiya steel fret. If want some thoughts an how this goes together go t the camouflaged build later in this text | ound it easier to spray the wing struts along with VE: Practice rounds had red nose cones - masked of here the ht grey metal areas landing lights on the Swordfi sented in the kit and these suggested Main painting 56 based down at the RNHF Yeowiton, Eng rently wearing a very representative finish for a pre- war Fairey Swordtish. This is Siver dope overall with 3, com and fin tailplanes, The blue ng all ofthe fuselag 'san acral fom HMS Ark Royal ft Modeling red The Scale Air ences in particular at the back of this book explain in some depth the arrangements for marking Swordfish aircraft at the time. These are particularly helptul to determine and HOW TO BUILD THE TAMIYA REY SWORDFISH WR KT EXDS856 ofthe RNHF at Yeoviton I ited with a non-s make an informed choice about whether your aircraft had a striped fin, say, or a black band along the top of upper wing, like W5856. Suffice to say here that fe were many variations on a theme and non-s lard or unofficial finishes became commen the longer ne war went on, ‘Stage 19 Tamiya supply a range of stores for their kit, Anti shipping flares, smioke bombs and 25010 (113kg) bombs are included, together with a good ‘1Binch torpedo. The red nosed torpedo depicted in my model represents a dummy drill round that usually had a ted painted nose section. Live rounds were a metalic black colour. The Swordfish could cary a wide range of stores but was unable to carry a full compliment of ‘The ight grey metal areas masked off betore Metalcote ‘Mat Aluminium i appiod 1d sling forthe 18 inch torped, The rer end ofthis torpedo is also bombs under the wings and a torpedo. And so an either / or choice is required. | painted the light grey ‘metal’ areas in a mix of Xtracolor enamel RAF Light Aircraft Grey and Barley Grey and when this gloss paint had dried, sprayed the back upper fuselage, walkway, fin and tailplane. All these areas were masked off using Tamiya maski tape, ready for the ‘Silver finish. | used Humbrol Metaicote Matt Aluminium, Having left this to dry thoroughly overnight and using a very soft duster, | burnished in a small amount of SNU Aluminium polish- ing powder. This gave a really doped look, especially when @ coat of Humbrol Giosscote had been over- sprayed, The purpose of the Glosscote is to bring out EXT To BUD TAM FAREY SWORDFISHRear iow of ful sized 18 inch torpedo ade vide a high gloss finish on es cried for bringing out the lines and detail in the cockpit area is used for the main airframe. Any number of pictures of wartime ‘Swordfish, notably the silver finished aircraft early on in he war had quite weathered finishes, How far you go is entirely up to you, but | try and base miy finishes on ictures of the real aircraft at a particular period vice and theatre of operations. The photographs in this book show the stages of the inking process. I is important to af fore you ink in the the panel process as de Note the twin propellers this are is wel captured by Tamiya is very simple and | only used Micro Set decal setting solution hem settle ver the good surface detail. Don't forget that you are trying to show how the whole airframe weathered in i ferent places and to degrees, so the decals need some treatment. The weathering process is fin- ished off later, by adding small amounts of graph pencil dust using a cotton bud. This can TRADECAL Sofi Mi, NEOIIA 0819S, lest Ai A sic Jue 194 — {7 en After-market accessory sets You can see here the first accessory set Tamiya’s Fairey Swordfish kit | mentioned earlier, one of the after market resin manufacturers will probably pro- \duce a resin ASV Mk X radar housing that sits between the undercarriage legs on the Mk Ill. In addition, | think one of the most useful additions that uld be produced and probably will be by the time you read this piece, are the dropped leading edge slats. These are very often seen on wartime photo: Graphs of Swordfish At the time of going to press, the following detail sets and decals are available: MDC etched brass detail set Many of you with an interest in building a scale model of the Fairey Swordfish will remember the MDC resin example that appeared some time ago. The etched brass detail set that is included in that kit is likely to be available separately. A picture of the fret is includ: ed here and is quite comprehensive. Probably the ELTrow To sui Tams FAREY SwoRDFEH s to become available since the release of ‘most useful items to supplement your Tamiya kit are the underwing rocket projectile racks, bomb rac sat hamess and sway braces. A separate torpedo available, but the kit item is a good replica of the original that is itself a simple cas | believe from Bob Brown at MDC that floats and long range tanks may also be forthcoming, although don't forget that the second release from Tamiya is intended to be the float-plane variant. Bob and his team are probably worth contacting about availabilty @ Mode! Design Construction Suite 4 p/c, Business Centre, North Mill, igefoot, Belper, Derbyshire DES6 1YD Tel: 01773 821182 Fax: 01773 609700 Hannants Xtradecal sheet A picture of the decal sheet from Xtradecal is included here and noteworthy are the Mk lls with inva:ret ages peers pate mea” ee" GS. B nsis B sis crow wart ase aL Lat Se wo Rete =. Lie cit AAG ee Ree: Stein tea yssea ME ONF 410 wo FF. (roe or NF374 rope oc ig tt toate NF aM M N H N - H IH G G ABOVE The MOC iran et aang some ey “uw uae LD L2 ee P Dermisedat —-a8ey vORORSA PCI | eA Reese on” cnome—very | 3559 CS attractive. You wil notice thatthe initial release from Tamiya has rocket projectiles, launch rails and blast plates, together with the later hedgehog exhaust and collector ring for the engine. These are appropriate for the Mk Il and will combine well with the Xtradecal sheet. Xtradecals are available from Hannants Mail orders to Hannants, Harbour Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 3LZ, England Tol: 01502 517444 (8 lines) Fax: 01502 500521 werwhannants.co.uk e-mail Sales@hannants |ABOVE: The Tamiya etched ste! ret. The pars ft pertcty and you ‘can see how theyre added ator ‘ecessony ses BDHow to detail the Tamiya kit The kit is already well detailed but we add a few extras and incorporate Tamiya’s etched steel fret Adding control cables to the rear airframe decided to incor juselage aft of the rou allplane. The photographs ilustrate the location for each of neach siHow 70 beta THe Tana var EXRIGHT: The tine feathred-edge camoutage pater can be soon to (900d erect nor. The areas between each rub onthe main wings Was sgh darkened to ereate aD eect thls alo Mel with 2 ‘Sghty wouthered feel othe altrame ABOVE: Hikchell Pro Competition fine fishing line is dea for cabing| LEFT: The wings folded certainly reduces the size ofthe areraf- the ‘rouble sao obscures from vew much ot te Interior Note ‘toned torpedo aiming sight ight ber immesdetly forward ofthe tain wing contre section Then, using some Ripmax cyano activator designed to set the glue on contact | applied a small amount to the blisters, blowing gently across the area. This evaporates the excess immediately and prevents any damage to your paintwork, but do go easy. This, secures one end of the cabling and leaves you free to take each cable in tum and secure it to the rele- vant fixing point on the tailplane upper or lower sur- face or the rudder. Exactly the same technique is Used for your second join. Stage 9 Involves the replacement of the engine collector ring support arms and prominent ring that surrounds these. Information from ground crew at the RNHF based at Yeovilton is that the ring although brightly coloured on WS856, was in fact much duller (CET row To au Tams FARE SHORDASHA gorgeous closeup of he Pegasus engine. Note the etched inner rig and suppor struts. The Tamiys engine» it mesos the orginal (or matt black on production machine: ‘Stage 13 Folded wing option. Tamiya inclu grey silhouettes of a swordtish with folded wings to guide you through this stage and | found it very help: ul, essential in fact, to constantly refer to these. This will ensure that the correct apertures are opened up to receive not only the rigging wires, but also the main spars added during this stage. | recommend paying particular attention to Stage 14, ally the four small diagrams ind y."*", These demonstrate the need to remove a small part at the rear of the centre wing sections and each need to be just large enough to take the rectangular wing spars. ‘Small guide rails a moulded inside each location to help the fit later on, Painting | used Xt Sky 06 Sky Grey as may have bee find WOW TO DETAIL THE Tana kit KEOo a f ABOVE: Rol out lengths of BkTac so they're about 0.75 cam n ameter. They shouldbe long enough to bend across the wing STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE | 8 |ABOVE: When the paint sary, move te ols o just Inside the demarcation lines for your second colour and mask out orginal paintwork Using cellulose thinners, the drying time can be reduced and the paint sprays on beautifully - but only 182 a few dtops of thinner, jut enough to get the paint thin enough to spray, thereby reducing any possible reaction. For the camoutlage effect, itis important to as fine a feathered edge as you can in order to preserve a realistic effect. | find a good technique for this is to use rolled up pieces of Biu-Tac putty. The accompanying pictures show the sequence but in imple terms, the bigger the roll you use the greater the amount of feathering you get, Here, you can see that | have used thin rolls and I'm really pleased with the final outcome. (inow To su Tams rane SmRORSHoO |ABOVE: Remove al Bu-Tac and masking tape as goon a8 youve cleaned up your aibrush to avold any ol staining from the Bua. You fave s nie fine feathered edge to the demarcation between the camouflage pattern At Stage 18 the upper wing centre sect y research, these were often rarely shown added to the aitframe. | would leave this off at_ combat and sometimes removed as a weight this stage, painting it separately before adding much measure. later once painting of both sides is complete Furthermore, some additional detail can be added «Consider dropping the leading here to this sub-assembly. On the underside are two edge slats? holes and from these protrude two wires that are choice you do ha associated with the winch points when of the main wings is recovered aboard ship in the floatplane leading edge slats. Tr tion, The wires can clearly be seen on one or two of the real aircraft when the arp the accompanying photographs found elsewhere in level and are otter the book. It may be helpful to add the small e ‘Swordfish. | have included un sight for use with the single forward-firing assist you if you want to have a go. One of the ater Vickers machine gun. market manufacturers will HOW 10 OETAL THE tawna eet KE[ow To But ams FAREY SWORDFISHABOVE: Small gaps are evident where the svuts locate to the wings Close inspection of many of these have a section to their shape and are not round as one might expect. ‘Assembly is novel to say the least and with care | would recommend following Tamiya's instructions to the letter during the next stages. The wires them- solves are a dull metallic colour and Tamiya XF-56 Metallic Grey seems OK for the purpose. | just sprayed this straight onto the metal and to be honest. glue - [rarely apply any undercoat as | find with careful han- When dry, the 02 b Ja nth dling, the paint stays adhered without diffcutty. The e 1 real bracing wires shows that wir =