Christmas Airfix!

So the Swordfish is complete…

I used to hate biplanes with a vengeance – horrible trying to get the wings on and lined up without everything turning into a horrible gluey mess, fragile when finished, impossible to paint. The idea of rigging one never even occurred to me. The one exception I recall was an Airfix (I think) Swordfish in white plastic. It was still a sticky mess, but it was actually robust enough to last the course.

So as a bit of a challenge – having got most of the basics to a passable standard – can I get a biplane together and rig it…? At that point memory pointed me in the direction of a Stringbag and here we are…

The rigging element was a lot of thinking and planning first. I ended up painting all the wing halves individually, assembled the lower wing upper surfaces and the upper wing lower surfaces onto the fuselage, getting all the wiring done (Uschi line – impressive stuff) through predrilled holes, then sticking the outer surfaces on to hide the grot. Somewhat stressful, and I can’t say I’m desperate to do it again, but I know the theory works now!

Anyway – the pics…

Booo! Pics don’t link. I need to see.

EDIT: now they link and it looks epic. Really nice rigging on a great build. 👍🏼

Nice.

Is that a fuel tank between the pilot and gunner? 😯

That’s stunning, excellent work!

Is that a fuel tank between the pilot and gunner?

Yup. Battle of Taranto they apparently left the observer behind in preference for a bodged in tank of juice!

I’ve just started a Swordfish. It’s going back in the box now…

Stunning work. Is that 1/72?

That looks fantastic. I’m with you on biplanes though.

And god forbid sailing ships

Stunning. The mind boggles at the prospect of sitting in one of those going up against Bismarck! Every single one of those airmen deserved a VC I think!

That’s a lovely Kit JonEdwards, you must be well chuffed.

Speaking of Swordfish, reading the other day, on raids into Taranto to torpedo the Italian fleet, on the way in, they cut their engines, and glided down to to 150ft to drop torpedoes, thinking that they Italians wouldn’t her them coming. Then re-start (keep you fingers crossed!) and escape…Madness.

Is that 1/72?

It is…

The mind boggles at the prospect of sitting in one of those going up against Bismarck!

Yup. Even flying one onto or off a ship in good weather must have been terrifying. Let alone at night, including finding the damn ship in the first place to land on. As for fighting from one 😳

Speaking of Swordfish, reading the other day, on raids into Taranto to torpedo the Italian fleet, on the way in, they cut their engines, and glided down to to 150ft to drop torpedoes, thinking that they Italians wouldn’t her them coming. Then re-start (keep you fingers crossed!) and escape…Madness.

You see in the first pic – there’s a black handle poking out the side between the engine and the lower wing brace? That’s the inertia starter crank. Wind it up and a big spring/flywheel can then be released to turn the engine over. So restarting in flight is limited to how well wound the clockwork is! Terrifying!

Which kit? I’ve got the Revell which is nowhere near as detailed.

I did think after asking, “no way that’s 1/72” but, wow! Well done again!

Wow 1/72!

Top marks, I’ve strung a few 1/32 biplanes (had a things for the old Revell kit series) and it was a pain enough to do that, 72nd scale rigging gives me fear!

It’s an Airfix kit – bought off eBay, as I think it’s currently out of production – A04053A.

A decent camera and Lightroom don’t half help. I think most of my models have come across in the pics way better than in real life!

Rigging on 1/72? Blimey, I doff my cap to you. Looks superb.

I thought the cockpit sides looked a bit thick but I really didn’t think it was 1/72 as your detailing and weathering is so good.

That is a very nice Swordfish JonEdwards, fantastic work. Seeing that makes me wonder why I bother! 🙂

I thought I’d post a little update on where I am with my Stug III. It’s nearly finished apart from a few paint details and the exhaust, and also an ID flag on the rear stowage. I decided to add some figures to make it look ‘alive’ and not just a static museum piece. I’ve modified two figures so far to show them as they may be after just getting out of the vehicle after a tough battle. Figure one (still needs filler smoothing) is sitting against it exhausted, and figure two will be bent over as if vomiting. not decided one the other two yet, maybe one bandaging the other? Comments/criticism always welcome.

That Swordfish is top work, Lightroom or not.

Even flying one onto or off a ship in good weather must have been terrifying.

But with a Swordfish’s forward view and stall speed, much nicer than a Seafire!

spursn17, those figures look great – very realistic postures.

I went to IWM Duxford a few years back, they have a Swordfish hanging from the ceiling just like a young child’s bedroom. Surprisingly large

It’s on the ground in this pic:
https://images.app.goo.gl/Gu8fL2yMRwNQGA2C6

Not been to Duxford for 30+ years when it was just a like an aircraft jumble sale. I need to get back some time.

Been to Cosford half a dozen times in the last few years. The Cold War Hangar is based on my bedroom from the 1980s.

In model kit news I got a £5 voucher from Jadlam, so an Italeri Sikorski MH-53 is in the post.

It was a work trip to Duxford that sparked me starting models again.

We were touring a national hairdressing fashion show, Duxford was the “Eastern Regional Final”. The tourbus arrived sometime in the night with us all in our bunks/coffins.

Anyway – the nest morning we staggered out after our regulation 4hr broken doze into a bright spring morning. We’re 10 days in and feeling pretty rough – the light HURTS. We were parked up next to the runway, but facing towards the hangar. We’re all brushing teeth, drinking coffee, wedging feet into boots, all whilst staying in the shadow of the bus. The light still HURTS.

Then
WEEEEEEEEEEE.
THUD
THUD
THUD-THUD-THUD
THUNKATHUNKATHUNKACLATTERPOP BRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAA

We all stagger round the bus and discover we’re parked up maybe 20feet from a twin seat Spitfire that’s just coughed its guts into life. We’re gobsmacked – its almost alien, its so unexpected. It sits there warming up for a couple of minutes, then the pilot revs it up and does a power test. Thunderous. Stunning. What a way to wake up!

Later in the day I popped out from the event space in the big hangar for a cuppa and someone is practicing aerobatics in a Hurricane directly overhead. The shape of the hangar facade seemed to amplify and focus the noise. Proper special!

(as for the rest of Duxford – a lot of it is a little bit sad – lots of dusty, dead, planes. The American gallery is quite cool – the only place you’ll see an SR71 outside of America, and also to appreciate just How Damn Big a B52 is, but the best part is the workshops with the on going restoration and maintenance of still alive and flying aircraft)

While I summon up the courage to get back onto the T54, I’m working on Zvesda’s 1/48 Lavochkin La-5FN and it’s getting close to going back into the stash.
The engine & interior are quite detailed but the instructions are dreadful. Imagine a 1960s Airfix instruction Sheet that’s missing some pages…
And it doesn’t give you ANY paint instructions for the interior, so I painted it cockpit green. Turns out a blue-grey is more appropriate so that’s next up for a fix. Think I’ll get back onto the Bandai X-Wing tomorrow

JE – awesome effort.

“We were touring a national hairdressing fashion show”

I am sorry, but what?

Some things are better left unsolved.

We were touring a national hairdressing fashion show,

Wella? A housemate is one of their models. 1:1 scale.

Wella? A housemate is one of their models. 1:1 scale.

Wella, Wella, Wella, tell me more, tell me more, did you get very far?

IGMC

Got sent a £5 discount voucher from Jadlam.

£12 and a few days later and this arrived…

Recovered the La-5FN but it’s definitely more of a sow’s ear than a silk purse 🙁

All that work on the engine – apart from the exhaust that I abandoned – and it’s all sealed up inside the cowling so no great loss.

Awful fit, worse instructions. I won’t be buying another Zvesda kit

The Force is strong with this one

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Just needs painting & decals now

What is the kit? We’ve got a Revell one, but it doesn’t look a nice as yours.

It’s a Bandai kit, with I think a Revell badge also on the box

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Proper 1/72 scale, unlike some of the Revell Star Wars kits which seem to come in all sorts of funky scales like 1/100, 1/56, 1/79 & three quarters.

Unlike the Zvesda kit, the instructions are excellent & the parts fit is superb. Almost doesn’t need glue.

Available at Hobbycraft, of all places

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Nice tanks shooterman.

I might have to get back onto the T-54 soon

Thanks. I drop in and out of it as the mojo waxes and wanes!

A couple more

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They are rather good.

Liking the mud on that Sherman

Thanks folks. Sherman was my first attempt at modulation and using oils given the single colour scheme. I got into the hobby via figure modelling. Took it up when I was quitting smoking to take my mind off nicotine in the evenings.

Apologies for the clumsy image posting but that was the first time I actually managed to get any images posted on here.

Sailing ship:

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NEVER AGAIN

😁

That rigging! You must have the patience of a saint!