MATCHBOX 1:72 A.W. SISKIN 111A
Conversion to Siskin DC

 

Reviewer: Steve Hedworth  (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted:  7 December 2008

Aircraft History:

The Siskin evolved from the Siddeley SR2, a fighter designed during WW1 and intended to use the Dragonfly radial engine. Although the engine turned out a failure the aircraft design received favourable comments. After the war Siddeley was taken over by Armstrong Whitworth and the type remained on the back boiler until the RAF were ready to take on newer machines. Now powered by a Jaguar radial engine the aircraft had been further developed into the Siskin 111 and was delivered to No 41 squadron in May, 1924 and No 111 in June. Sixty two were built, twelve of which were dual control conversion models. The improved Siskin 111A followed and served from 1927 to 1932. Over 380 were built and more than 50 DC’s. Siskins served with Nos 1, 17, 19, 25, 32, 41, 43, 54, 56 and 111 squadrons of the RAF. A small number were used by the RCAF and some were still in service in 1939.

The Kit:

Acquired via e bay it was an early Matchbox. The plastic was blue and cream in colour and flash free. There are ejection marks on the underside of the upper wing but they really are very fine and hardly worth the effort of removal. My attempts were creating more blemishes so I quit while I was ahead.

Instructions:

Standard Matchbox. A short history and nine exploded views showing a step by step build. Easy to follow.

Construction:

I have always had a fancy for the two seater Bristol Bulldog TM but have never really pursued the issue with much ardour. Conversion kits on e bay always seemed to go for prices way beyond what I was prepared to pay for a single seater and it is only recently that I have discovered that such kits are still made, so I may treat myself yet. However, in the meantime, I managed to pick up for reasonable prices several Matchbox Siskins. I have an excellent photo of the Siskin DC and managed to locate some side plans on the web so I thought if not a Bulldog why not a Siskin. Thus so armed the project began.

First, all the formers on the side of the 111A fuselage have to be filed flat. The kit has panels on either side of the forward section and these can be retained. The stitching along the sides, both upper and lower can also be kept with careful filing. The locating pins came in very handy and combined with a bit of tape kept the two halves in place while filing took place.

The forward upper section of the 111A slopes down to the engine and needs to be filed flat. A section just over a tenth of an inch, or 3mm, should be left intact immediately in front of the cockpit coaming. The separate nose section needs to be filed flat also. This will result in a step when they are located together and a piece of 30 thou card was cemented onto the nose section and filed to shape.

Next, you need to cut off the tail at a point about 0.1 inch ahead of the stabilizer slot. Then I removed the next half an inch of rear fuselage. This is because the DC is three feet shorter than the 111A. My next step was to create the rear cockpit. This is in the centre of the outlined area behind the pilot’s office. I used a saw to make a cut in the centre of the new cockpit then followed the cut with a circular file.

Now that all the pieces, bar one, were ready I started to build the model following the Matchbox instructions. The seat and pilot are assembled together and glued into the side of the fuselage where a raised bar supports them. I needed an instructor and glued a piece of card at right angles to the back of the front seat. This was cemented to a piece that was shaped and fitted into the fuselage behind the second cockpit forming another seat. The fuselage was joined together and the next stage saw the tail parts reunited. They have to be spread out as the fuselage is wider where it was cut and the gaps are filled. More filing is now required to gain the correct rear fuselage shape which needs to taper more towards the tail. A piece of 30 thou card was fitted on top of the fuselage from the instructors cockpit to just in front of the stabilizer slot. Then this was blended in, by more filing, and the gaps were treated to filler.


© Steve Hedworth 2008

The engine and prop sub assembly is now built and MB’s centre struts are assembled. These take a lot of the guesswork out of the wing construction but they have to be put together correctly. Previous forays with Fury, Siskin, P12 and Gladiator have all come out OK but the reason I acquired these Siskins so reasonably was because some of the struts were missing and of those remaining some were broken. Two of the centre section struts were snapped off and the two interplane struts were also broken. In my arrogance I assumed I could reassemble the sub assembly as new. This was done and left to dry overnight after some very careful measuring and eyeballing. I then finished off the fuselage. This entailed applying the side transfers, installing the struts and bonnet section and the exhaust pipes. A dry run with the wings indicated that a little bit of shortening of the right side struts was in order but it became apparent that my so careful measuring had not been so careful as my wing was crooked. By cutting and chopping here and there I managed to get it to the it doesn’t look too bad stage but I’ve lost height on the struts and would definitely employ wing supports if a similar situation arose. This loss of height also influenced my decision not to modify the wings to incorporate the wing dihedral many of these aircraft exhibited. 

According to my rather limited research there are two types of Siskin DC. One type was based on the earlier Mk 11 fighter prototype while the other was converted from the production Siskin 111’s. The 111 had a greater dihedral angle than the 111A and it can be clearly seen on photos of the time. On the side plans I printed from the web this is also very evident of former Siskin 111 fighters. However, on photos and side plans of other DC’s this angle appears much reduced. I’m open to be proven wrong but I took this to be my cue and decided to leave the wing unmodified.

Construction continued and the undercarriage, coolers etc were fitted. The stabilizer cut out needs to be levelled off and the stabs positioned. A tail was cut from 40 thou card using the original as a template for the forward section and the rest was filed to match the side elevations I had from the web. The tail strut has to be cut and filed from plastic card and that’s about that. Rigging was a piece of cake after the Snipe. There is plenty of room between the wings and I returned to drilling holes all the way through both wings and can report no problems this time.

Colour Schemes:

Siskin DC’s were issued in ones and twos to the squadrons using the fighter types as well as the flying schools. From what I have gathered they were painted in the squadron’s colour scheme. I already had a Siskin 111A in 29 Squadron colours so I painted the DC in colours based on the Matchbox interpretation on the back of the box. This is predominately silver/aluminium with Nivo upper decking and I took a little artistic licence and painted the struts and undercarriage red, No 29’s colours. 

Decals:

Two options, both RAF, representing No’s 29 and 32 squadrons.

Accuracy:

I haven’t heard anyone calling the Siskin 111A kit and wingspan, fuselage length and height all check out OK to me. As for the conversion, length and span are right but I did lose a little height due to my strut corrections. This would not apply to anyone with a complete kit.

Recommendation:

This is an easy conversion that should be within the skill range of anyone who has built biplanes. There is scope to carry out far more changes than I have and I recommend the kit in it’s original form and as a starting point for several possible conversions.


© Steve Hedworth 2008

References:


© Steve Hedworth 2008

 

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