Tamiya 1/48 Fairey Swordfish Mk.I

TAMIYA 1:48 FAIREY SWORDFISH MK.I

Reviewer: Geoff Goldfen (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 16 December 2001

Aircraft:
The Fairey Swordfish is one of those aircraft that was probably well out dated by the time WW2 broke out, however, it was still being used in service in 1945, indicating how great a contribution it made in various parts of the war and even outlasted its supposed successor in the Fairey Albacore. The Swordfish appeared in nearly every theatre but was utilised to best effect in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean where it attacked Axis shipping trying to resupply Afrika Korps troops in the region, particularly devastating on Italian merchant fleets where it sunk some 50,000 tonnes of shipping on average per month. It was also used as a U-Boat hunter in the North Atlantic where it was often launched from small escort ships and converted merchant ships as an airborne early warning and protection platform for Northern Atlantic fleets by the Allies. It's most famous moment of glory is undoubtedly the contribution in the sinking of the Battleship Bismarck, and while to this day debate continues over exactly how the ship was sunk one storyline suggests that a Swordfish flown by Lt Cmdr Edmonde successfully torpedoed an aft section of the lumbering beast.

The Fairey Swordfish Mk.I was effectively only in the war until about 1941 when it was replaced by updated Mk.II models. It was developed to meet a requirement for a carrier-based torpedo bomber/observation/reconnaissance aircraft and first flew in 1934. Almost 2,400 Swordfish aircraft were built and the type was considered to be the last of the truly operational biplanes to be used in a combat type role, such as the torpedo bomber. The Swordfish fulfilled a multitude of roles including torpedo bomber, observer/spotter, reconnaissance, anti submarine, merchant fleet protection platform, mine-layer, trainer and general utility type.

The Kit:
State of the art Tamiya kits nowadays [when they are released] cost an absolute packet, and unfortunately this one is no exception at some $70US and if you want the Photo-etched set version then you may as well add on another $15US, although you can pick it up a bit cheaper if you shop around. So, of course you expect an absolute pristine looking kit that should be packed with detail and engineering like no other - and in most cases Tamiya delivers on this promise. Of course this kit depicts the Mk.I version with landing gear and a promise at the time it was released that a floatplane version wouldn't be too far away.

Inside the box you are greeted with a jam packed collection of sprues - seven of them! There are over 200 parts in this kit on the sprues, molded in typical Tamiya high quality light grey injection mold, and of the highest engineering standard - no flash and as crisp as you can probably get. There is no way of course that one could sit down and whip this kit up in a weekend, there are just too many parts and assemblies to be able to do this. My kit also came with the optional Photo-etched detail set which does enhance the kit particularly for the rigging but if you are more attuned to using other rigging methods then the set is not worth getting. The rigging parts provided though are of course like EZ masks in that they are cut to size and ready to put straight into place!

The kit does, however, suffer from living up to expectations in the detail department - not so much from the scribing aspect but from simplified moldings mainly in the cockpit department and seam lines visible on nearly every small part. There are also some ejector pin marks evident, the main ones that need attention are on the tailplane undersides and there are also a couple in the cockpit area that need sanding smooth. The instruction sheet is what you expect from Tamiya with a front page showing a Swordfish picture with brief history and then sprue diagrams and large easy to follow assembly steps throughout the pages to follow, including directions for the optional components for the three versions you can build out of the box, and a separate sheet showing profiles for markings and decal placement.

Construction:
Assembly commences in the cockpit which is beautifully detailed from the sprue, including frames, seats, boxes, ballast, panels, rudder pedals, sticks and just about everything else! There are three figures supplied also, all having at least one arm separately attached so you can have them posing in appropriate positions. Framework is provided for the cockpit sides and a fairly well detailed floor forms the basis upon which to add the pilot seat and navigator's stool and then the front section where the instrument panel is attached to. The main instrument panel has some detail molded onto it but it is simple and underdone. If you are not going to use the figures supplied then spend a bit of time on the interior, because it will be quite visible on completion. Leather was the colour used for the seats and stool and on the decal sheet you will find harnesses for the seats. These were used on my Swordfish to good effect. The decal sheet also has the instrumentation but I passed on them. Some ejector pin marks on the fuselage interior need removal before adding in the cockpit frame.

Mounting the cockpit frames onto the fuselage halves is very tricky and seemingly easy to snap. From other reports and reviews I have read it is recommended to mount it in the middle first where some control boxes are in place and then carefully fix in the rest. This does require exact placement, because one of the drawbacks to such a well engineered kit is that there is no room to move for any errors! The result of not an exact mount will mean a non-flush fuselage half join that will need putty and I am sure will also compound the fit of other components at a later stage. The cockpit was painted Interior Green with boxes and panels as dictated, drybrushed in black. Although some Swordfish planes were not fitted with guns - especially when sub-hunting in the Northern Atlantic, the instructions do suggest that you fit the completed assembly up against the forward firing gun rack and then affix to the starboard fuselage half - this is where test fitting is needed because even the slightest misalignment will muck up the fit from hereon in. For the fuselage interior fabric section it is best to get a very flat buff colour and apply it in a drybrush or wash format. While I used Humbrol linen, other examples could be a sail or bone colour.

Prior to affixing the fuselage halves together, once I was satisfied the cockpit assembly would be an exact fit, you need to open holes in the tailfin for rigging and bracing wires and the small observer windows also need to be added under the pilot. Neither of these things should be left to add afterward in my opinion, as the window only fits from the inside and drilling holes inward may damage the fin. I masked the windows with Masksol so they would not be painted over later. In fact you need to open all holes (that you need to) prior to fuselage and wing assembly from the interior of these parts, because externally there is no marks to indicate where these holes are going to appear and you will never be able to open them up!

For the next part you can follow the instructions or do as I did in doing some preparation for later work, in this case I opened up all the holes for rigging and all the stores I wanted to display. Clearly though, if you do follow this line of work then you need to research the instructions and any other information (such as errata sheets) provided in the kit first to make sure that you know exactly what you are doing. I mention the errata sheet because it is easy to overlook opening mounting plate holes that are not needed! Furthermore, to make the folding wing version you need to also make sure that you do not slice off the wrong alignment tabs where the wings are meant to hinge! I was then ready to proceed with the main wing assembly.

The wing halves all fit together very well and with the rigging holes open it made the construction process even quicker. The struts were added to the lower wing halves and carefully tested against the top wing to ensure it would fit perfectly later. Once I was happy that there would be no problems when the lower wings were later added to the fuselage I proceeded. Small gaps around the strut joins were filled in with a bit of fine Mr Surfacer liquid filler and this was kept on hand for the anticipation the same would happen when the upper wing was added later (which there were). Both wings provide clear parts for landing lights but my Swordfish Mk.I reference library suggests that the type only carried port lights - at least during the war. I used a small piece of foil on the inside to try and represent a little globe and painted silver around it. The rudder and tailplanes were then attached.

It was then time to perform the first stretch of painting with the top wing still unattached (and lower wings not yet affixed to the fuselage), to make this task easier. The sky undersurfaces were sprayed on first before the dark sea grey and slate grey camouflage scheme was added with lighter versions of these shades applied to the uppersurface of the lower wing. Tamiya suggest Garuviolet and Dark Green as the camouflage scheme, and while very close to the mark my reference and research indicates this is incorrect, hence my colour choices above. Once the first stage of painting was completed then it was onto getting the engine installed prior to rigging and final assembly of the airframe which included attaching the wings to the fuselage.

Tamiya have reproduced the Pegasus engine very well with cylinders, engine block and crank shaft molded separately. The engine received a satin black wash as directed in the instructions over a metallic grey base. It fits in beautifully and the cowling sits lovely over the front – all of a sudden the odd looking biplane is transformed into the distinctive Swordfish!

Options for stores in the kit is reasonably catered for although some parts are not used – for instance rockets were not used on the Mk.I and were in fact installed later in the war on subsequent variants. The fact that these were included on the sprue of course suggests the Mk.II and Mk.III variants as likely candidates from this mold later on. The bomb racks were assembled and then added pre-painted to the underwing undersides and are clearly intended to have the bombs affixed to them – you will need to alter them if you want to add them without the bombs. The bombs were also pre-painted and attached to the racks with super glue, following the painting instructions outlined by Tamiya. The kit also provides the torpedo to attach to the belly of the fuselage…. and what Swordfish would look complete without one of these? Flares are also provided as the final stores option in the kit.

Versions:
The most famous Swordfish examples flown are provided for in this kit, including a camouflaged 818 SQN (HMS Ark Royal) flown by Lt AWD Beale in the attack that crippled the German battleship Bismarck and OC 825 SQN flown by Lt Cdr E Esmonde. I've read with interest elsewhere and on the newsgroup that the painting instructions for both these aircraft may actually be incorrect as both should have sky undersurfaces and upper Dark Sea Grey/Slate Grey camouflage (touched on in painting info above), with lighter versions of these shades on the upper surfaces of the lower wings. If you are depicting Esmonde's aircraft prior to the Lorient strike then it seems that the sky undersides were painted black. A third option is an interwar example in overall silver and slate grey scheme, which operated from HMS Glorious.

Decals:
Tamiya are renowned for providing the modeller with rather thick and glossy decals and this kit is no exception, although because I have built a number of Tamiya quarter-scale subjects now, I no longer have many concerns with them. The colour register is very good as it usually is and with the assistance of decal setting solution they conform well to the surface although the fuselage roundels needed a fair bit of coercing to lie flat against the almost corrugated-like surface. I find it best to give the model both an under gloss coat, and then one after applying decals to seal them and to help counteract any silvering effect before applying the final matt coat. The decal sheet also has a little bit of stencilling and seat harnesses for the pilot but one needs to apply the decals as stated, as some cannot be interchanged on different sides etc.

Final Assembly/Rigging:
Embarking upon a new type of rigging concept - the photo-etched set provided in the kit - was something akin to walking out to face the first ball in a cricket match, even if you know the pace attack should be relatively easy to counterattack against. You can of course dispense with the idea of photo-etched rigging, but then you best buy the kit without the set in it, otherwise you have paid effectively for nothing!

I’ve found over the years that rigging is best started from the outside of the aircraft and without the top wing firmly attached, using drops of superglue to affix the rigging wire in the taut position both at the upper strut joins and in the small rigging holes of the lower wing. The lower wings were attached to the fuselage with very careful and exact placement. Once this was achieved the upper wings were carefully attached to the struts and again it is Tamiya’s superior engineering technology that ensures this is less a headache than what you might be given with another kit of lesser quality. The interplane struts closest to the wingtips almost clicked into place when the top wing piece was pressed down. The rigging took an eternity to get into place and it is not perfect, you can’t really touch any of the wires lest they pop out of place! But I was happy with the final result and it looks realistic if left alone and admired from a distance.

By this time one really felt the model should have been completed, particularly after the gruelling and often frustrating exercise of rigging but the undercarriage and final painting bits still had to be done. These were added fairly easily although the main undercarriage needs a bit of care in construction for a flat resting profile. The mast and aerial were placed with the wire taken from a trusty stretch of tiny fishing line. The prop was the final part added to the aircraft, pre-painted and fixed on with super glue. A big sigh of relief as the whole project was finally finished!

Overall:
This is really a well engineered kit from Tamiya with all the trimmings and detail we have come to expect from this Hobby King. Overall it is also a fun build but the rigging can really be quite taxing, especially for those who are not very experienced at it. Everything fits as it should and providing you follow Tamiya’s exactness to the letter you will get through this project unscathed. This is an excellent offering but it is very pricey so you need to decide whether you really need one and if you do then there really is no other like this one. Don’t expect it to be a weekend project, this took me four months to complete as an ongoing concern.

Reference:
There are two very good reference sources that I used primarily in building my Swordfish Mk.I. SAMI magazine (Scale Aviation Modeller International) November 1999 issue (vol 5 # 11) had an excellent article on the Swordfish providing a great reference point for those who are building this kit, it was specifically done with this kit in mind. There are colour profiles, photos and scale drawings of the aircraft - a highly recommended source. Online I visited the Hyperscale site which has an excellent walkaround series of photographs of a Swordfish on display at the Imperial War Museum. In addition to this my vast reference sources were also consulted in the completing of this quarter-scale subject.

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