Tamiya 1/48 Swordfish Floatplane

Post by **shortCummins** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 7:30 pm

Originally I was going to build a Seafire, so I'll be keeping a close eye on Jmc's build, anyhow I had to get something from out of the loft and look what I found…

I moved just before Christmas and in one of the boxes that came from the previous move I found this!

Inside the box is a copy of "Flying Scale Models" from August 2004, this issue is a "Fairey Swordfish Special" with 13+ pages specifically about the stringbag including a 'walk around' of the Fleet Air Arm's "City of Leeds" aircraft with around 40 detailed photos of the cockpit and control surfaces.

I know where I got the kit from, the Fleet Air Arm museum, but I'm a little hazy as to when, must be pre 2004 because of the magazine?, and I'm slightly at a loss as to why I bought the kit as I wasn't making models back then as it was during 'my 20+ year holiday' from the hobby

Never mind, why or when I've got a great kit to enter this SiG and if its half as much fun as the Rising Sun one was then we're all in for a treat.

I'll add shots of all of the sprues and artwork in the next day or so.

Now I'm off to Hannants, eModels and models r go to see what goodies I can get for my stringbag

until then
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **LudvigN** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 11:03 pm

Woooah, I like the look of this, I was tempted to buy this kit, but it seems like too much of a challenge for me! Good luck with your build!

Post by **Nige201980** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 7:27 am

ive never seen a swordfish floatplane before so im really looking forward to seeing this come together best of luck with it buddy.

Post by **shortCummins** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 3:12 pm

Nige201980 wrote:ive never seen a swordfish floatplane before so im really looking forward to seeing this come together best of luck with it buddy.

ha ha, thanks Nige, I think I'm going to need it! this is my 3rd build since returning to the hobby and I've a sneaking suspicion that I've bitten off mor than I can chew

, still I'm sure I'll enjoy building her whatever the result

rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **Russ72** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 10:45 pm

Very nice mate. Looking forward to seeing it come together. Its on my to build list.

Post by **shortCummins** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 2:41 pm

here is the box artwork and sprue shots…

camo' guide

six bags of sprues, the clear sprue is included in one of the 'big' bags

twin sprues for the floats

twin sprues for the armaments

clear sprue, no distortion

the decals, these must be over 10 years old, with the tissue you can see how 'yellow' they've become

without the tissue they're typical Tamiya, quite thick

this is the magazine I found at the bottom of the box

hidden in the magazine was this photo-etch from Tamiya

Post by **shortCummins** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 2:48 pm

I've ordered some goodies from Hannants…

Montex mask, I'll probably use the roundels and aircraft IDs instead of the old Tamiya decals

Eduard photo-etch cockpit detail set

Geoff Coughlin's "How to build" guide

next up some history on the Stringbag

until then
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 6:27 pm

a bit of history (from Wikipedia)

Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber biplane designed by the Fairey Aviation Company and W.S. Hunt used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Originating in the 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was an outdated design by the start of the war in 1939, but remained in front-line service until VE Day, outliving several types intended to replace it. It was initially operated primarily as a fleet attack aircraft; during its later years it was used as an anti-submarine and training craft.
The Swordfish achieved some spectacular successes, notably the sinking of one and damaging two battleships of the Regia Marina (the Italian Navy) in the Battle of Taranto and the famous crippling of the Bismarck.

Design and development
The Swordfish was based on a Fairey design for the Greek Naval Air Service, who asked for a replacement of their Fairey IIIF Mk.IIIB aircraft, and on specifications M.1/30 and S.9/30, issued by the Air Ministry, the work having been initiated as a private venture (PV). The company informed the Air Ministry of their work on the Greek order (that country's interest eventually waned) and proposed its solution to the requirements for a spotter-reconnaissance plane, spotter referring to observing the fall of a warship's gunfire. A subsequent Air Ministry Specification S.15/33, added the torpedo bomber role. The "Torpedo-Spotter-Reconnaissance" prototype TSR II (the PV was the TSR I) first flew on 17 April 1934. It was a large biplane with a metal airframe covered in fabric, and utilised folding wings as a space-saving feature for aircraft carrier use. An order was placed in 1935 and the aircraft entered service in 1936 with the Fleet Air Arm (then part of the RAF), replacing the Seal in the torpedo bomber role.
The Swordfish was also capable of operating as a dive-bomber and in 1939 HMS Glorious used her Swordfish for a series of dive-bombing trials, during which 439 practice bombs were dropped at dive angles of 60, 67 and 70 degrees, against the target ship HMS Centurion. Tests against a stationary target showed an average error of 49 yd (45 m) from a release height of 1,300 ft (400 m) and a dive angle of 70 degrees. Tests against a manoeuvring target showed an average error of 44 yd (40 m) from a drop height of 1,800 ft (550 m) and a dive angle of 60 degrees.
By 1939, the Fleet Air Arm (now under Royal Navy control) had thirteen squadrons equipped with the Swordfish Mark I. There were also three flights of Swordfish equipped with floats, for use off aircraft catapult-equipped warships. One from HMS Warspite spotted fall of shot and radioed gunnery corrections back to the ship during the Second Battle of Narvik in 1940, and subsequently sank the U-boat U-64. The Swordfish pioneered the use of air to surface vessel radar (ASV), by carrier-borne aircraft to locate surface ships at night and through clouds.
Swordfish flew from merchant aircraft carriers ("MAC ships"), twenty civilian cargo or tanker ships modified to carry three or four aircraft each, on anti-submarine duties with convoys. Three of these ships were Dutch-manned, flying Swordfish from 860 (Dutch) Naval Air Squadron. The others were manned by pilots and aircrew from 836 Naval Air Squadron, at one time the largest squadron, with 91 aircraft.
When production ended on 18 August 1944, almost 2,400 had been built, 692 by Fairey and 1,699 in Sherburn by the Blackburn Aircraft Company. The most numerous version was the Mark II, of which 1,080 were made.

Operational history
The primary weapon was the aerial torpedo, but the low speed of the biplane and the need for a long straight approach made it difficult to deliver against well-defended targets. Swordfish torpedo doctrine called for an approach at 5,000 feet (1,500 m) followed by a dive to torpedo release altitude of 18 feet (5.5 m). Maximum range of the early Mark XII torpedo was 1,500 yards (1,400 m) at 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) and 3,500 yards (3,200 m) at 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). The torpedo travelled 200 yards (180 m) forward from release to water impact, and required another 300 yards (270 m) to stabilise at preset depth and arm itself. Ideal release distance was 1,000 yards (910 m) from target if the Swordfish survived to that distance.[4] Swordfish — flying from the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious — made a very significant strike on 11 November 1940 against the Italian navy during the Battle of Taranto, Italy, sinking or disabling three Italian battleships and a cruiser lying at anchor. In the aftermath, Taranto was visited by the Japanese naval attache from Berlin, who later briefed the staff who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor. Swordfish also flew anti-shipping sorties from Malta.
In May 1941, a Swordfish strike was vital in damaging the German battleship Bismarck, preventing it from escaping to France. At 10pm on the 25May, HMS Victorious launched six Fairey Fulmar fighters and nine Swordfish against the Bismark; one torpedo hit and caused minor damage.[7]
On the 26th May, two Swordfish strikes were launched against Bismark from Ark Royal. The first failed to find the battleship. On the second, the Swordfish aircraft scored two hits; one did little damage, but the other jammed Bismarck ' s rudders with 15° port helm on, making the warship unmaneuvrable; it sank after intense Royal Navy attack within 13 hours. The low speed of the attacking aircraft may have acted in their favour, as the planes were too slow for the fire-control predictors of the German gunners, whose shells exploded so far in front of the aircraft that the threat of shrapnel damage was greatly diminished. At least some of the Swordfish flew so low that most of the Bismarck's flak weapons were unable to depress enough to hit them.
The problems with the aircraft were starkly demonstrated in February 1942 when, during the Channel Dash, an attack on German battleships by six Swordfish led by Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde resulted in the loss of all aircraft with no damage to the ships. Lack of fighter cover was a contributing factor; only ten of eighty-four promised fighters were available. Thirteen of the eighteen Swordfish crew were killed; Esmonde, who had also led an attack on Bismarck, was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. The courage of the Swordfish crews was noted by the commanders on both sides: British Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay later wrote "In my opinion the gallant sortie of these six Swordfish aircraft constitutes one of the finest exhibitions of self-sacrifice and devotion to duty the war had ever witnessed", and German Vice-Admiral Otto Ciliax remarked on "the mothball attack of a handful of ancient planes, piloted by men whose bravery surpasses any other action by either side that day".
After more modern torpedo attack aircraft were developed, the Swordfish was soon redeployed successfully in an anti-submarine role, armed with depth charges or eight "60 lb" (27 kg) RP-3 rockets and flying from the smaller escort carriers, or even Merchant Aircraft Carriers (MAC) when equipped for rocket-assisted takeoff (RATO). Its low stall speed and inherently tough design made it ideal for operation from the MAC carriers in the often severe mid-Atlantic weather. Indeed, its takeoff and landing speeds were so low that, unlike most carrier-based aircraft, it did not require the carrier to be steaming into the wind. On occasion, when the wind was right, Swordfish were flown from a carrier at anchor.
Swordfish-equipped units accounted for 14 U-boats destroyed. The Swordfish was to be replaced by the Albacore, also a biplane, but outlived its intended successor and was succeeded by the Fairey Barracuda monoplane torpedo bomber.
The last of 2,392 Swordfish aircraft were delivered in August 1944. Operational sorties continued into January 1945 with anti-shipping operations off Norway (FAA Squadrons 835 and 813), where the Swordfish's manoeuvrability was essential.
Towards the end of the war, Swordfish Mark IIIs, fitted with centimetric radar, were operated by the Royal Air Force's 119 Squadron from airfields in Belgium. Their main task was to hunt for German Midget submarines in the North Sea and off the Dutch coast. The radar was able to detect ships at a range of around 25 miles (40 km).
The last operational squadron was disbanded on 21 May 1945, after the fall of Germany, and the last training squadron was disbanded in the summer of 1946.

Origin of the Stringbag nickname
The Swordfish was nicknamed the Stringbag not because of its biplane struts, spars and braces, but because of the seemingly endless variety of stores and equipment that the aircraft was cleared to carry. Crews likened the aircraft to a housewife's string shopping bag, common at the time and which could accommodate contents of any shape. The crews felt that the Swordfish, like the shopping bag, could carry anything.

Specifications (Swordfish I)
Data from Fairey Aircraft since 1915

General characteristics

Crew: Three (pilot, observer, and radio operator/rear gunner)
Length: 35 ft 8 in (10.87 m)
Wingspan: 45 ft 6 in (13.87 m)
Height: 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)
Wing area: 607 ft² (56.4 m²)
Empty weight: 4,195 lb (1,900 kg)
Loaded weight: 7,580 lb (3,450 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Pegasus IIIM.3 radial engine, 690 hp (510 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 143 mph with torpedo at 7,580 lb (230 km/h, 124 knots) at 5,000 ft (1,450 m)
Range: 522 mi (840 km, 455 nmi) normal fuel carrying torpedo
Endurance: 5.5 hr
Service ceiling: 16,500 ft at 7,580 lb (5,030 m)
Rate of climb: 870 ft/min (4.42 m/s) at sea level at 7,580 lb. (690 ft/min (3.5 m/s) at 5000 ft (1,524 m) at 7,580 lb)

Armament

Guns:
1 × fixed, forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun in engine cowling
1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis or Vickers K machine gun in rear cockpit
Rockets: 8 × "60 lb" RP-3 rocket projectiles (Mk.II and later)
Bombs: 1 × 1,670 lb (760 kg) torpedo or 1,500 lb (700 kg) mine under fuselage or 1,500 lb bombs under fuselage and wings.

amazing to think the aircraft was considered 'outdated' at the start of WWII but was still operational at the end of the war!
now to decide on paint scheme and get all of the bits'n'pieces in place to start this build

until next time
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **UKguyInUSA** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 6:31 pm

Looks like a great kit from Tamiya, John! Enjoy building that baby...I'll be following this one closely

Cheers

Martin

Post by **Thumboy** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:26 pm

This looks like it will be an epic build and great to see another swordfish

but it puts my kit to shame

One day I will get myself a nice kit to build

Good luck with the build, looking forward to seeing it come together

Post by **shortCummins** » Sat Apr 11, 2015 11:39 am

a nice reference book

really good 'walkaround' photos along with some 'how-tos', should be useful

masks and cockpit PE

cockpit/interior paints and other colours that will be used during the build

Now these have arrived I can finally make a start

hopefully back over the weekend with some progress shots

until then
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **UKguyInUSA** » Sat Apr 11, 2015 4:25 pm

Yayyyyy!!!!! Let's get this party started! Have fun mate!

Post by **shortCummins** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 7:13 pm

as 'normal' with aircraft builds I'm starting with the cockpit.

the pilot's platform
This will eventually have the pilot's seat attached however as I'm going to add Eduard PE (pre-painted) seat belts I need to doctor the seat by cutting small slots to allow the seat belts to slide through. I'm not sure how I'll do this, probably I'll drill a series of holes and then 'join them up' to make the slot. Once this is done I'll attach the seat, paint and detail and then fix the PE belts.

joystick and foot pedals added

pilot's platform added to the main deck

I know it doesn't appear much but that was an afternoon's work!

getting the platform supports to sit at the correct angle required using the main deck as a jig to ensure that the two support structures ended up at the correct angle. Geoff Coughlin mentions, in the book, that care needs to be taken when building the sub-frame, as far as I'm concerned the book has just paid for itself by saving me a serious pain in the parts by forewarning me

My next steps will be preparing the interior for the PE, this will include removing some raised detail that will be replaced by the PE as well as amending the pilots seat.
Once the parts have been readied I'll then build the rest of the sub assemblies and primer for the interior colours.

any comments or suggestions are always welcome
until then
rgds

John (shortCummins)

Post by **Nige201980** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 7:25 pm

Great start mate.

Post by **martin57** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 8:27 pm

Great start lots of nice extras all the best with it

Post by **rodrant** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 11:00 pm

Great start on this one ! Should be a great build , all the luck on your build mate !

Post by **shortCummins** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 7:57 pm

this is the first time I've used PE and I must say its a little daunting taking a knife and sanders to a £50+ kit!

still deep breath and take my time…

so here is the first (easiest) part to tackle - the insert shows what needs to be removed from the moulded pice

after careful cutting and sanding with a couple of different grade Ultimate thiny sticks, I've removed the unwanted plastic. I'm assuming that as I'm gluing some PE on top of this I don't need to polish the surface as a rougher surface will give better adhesion? If anyone thinks differently please let me know.

next part to tackle is the drivers seat which needs a slot in each side to accommodate the PE seat belts
Having never done anything like this before I've got to say this was quite nerve racking, I'm sure most of you reading this are thinking "what's the big deal" and having done it your right but all I could see is me mucking it up, thats a "M" not a "F" although they are interchangeable

The way I made the slot(s) was to take a fine drill bit, 0.6 it says on the box, and drill holes at each 'end', I then carefully and slowly use a scalpel to join both holes. Now I know these aren't big, thats 99% of the problem

, but I took my time and kept double checking I was doing it correctly and after a while, seemed like hours but was probably only 5 minutes or so, I got them both done. I must admit to being pleased with the result and hope that the PE seat belts will be worth the effort, they do look cracking whilst their still attached to their base plate, once I've bent and scratched them getting them off might be a different story

dry fitting the pilot's seat to the pilot's platform

whilst checking the sprues I've come across a couple of broken pieces, here I've teased apart one the broken struts for clarity. These parts depict part of the holding mechanism for the folded wings, they'll sit underneath the rear stabilisers. This photo doesn't show it very clearly but part 20 has both struts snapped while 21 only has one broken. Not really a big deal as I can glue them back together however this has convinced me not to have the wings folded but in the 'flight' position. I was in two minds about how to display the wings, its really cool to be able to show the wings folded but I think you might not be able to see into the open cockpit quite as easily? as the cockpit looks really detailed I think it would be a shame not to be able to have a good look inside.

The Eduard PE set include 2 versions of the instrument panel, war and pre-war (black or polished aluminium). I've decided against using either, mainly because Tamiya's moulded IP looks really good and I'm sure with a bit of dry-brushing it will really 'look the part', Hannants have a RAF Instruments decal sheet which I've been looking for a reason to acquire, so this could be it.
If it doesn't look as good as I think it should I can always scrape off the detail and add the PE

so next up will be preparing for paint…

I'll be using MiG grey surface primer, letting it 'cure' for a day or so and then start on the interior colours

any comments or suggestions, especially regarding PE, are always welcome
until then
rgds

John (shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:45 pm

so I've spent a really happy late morning/afternoon messing about with my Swordfish

I realise that my progress compared to some of you guys is glacial but I'm enjoying myself and taking my time, I hope I have enough time to finish, if there's not enough time then its my fault for wanting to do a good job, there's a long way to go and I want to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment/learning out of this.

I've just re-read that last paragraph and I've decided its the ramblings of a fool, please ignore

where was I, oh yea build update 03. So today I've been painting the 'base' colours for the cockpit and interior of the Swordfish. These will need weathering but thats for future updates

So the paints I've used for this update are:

Tamiya
X-18 semi gloss black
XF-64 - red brown
XF-71 - interior green
Vellejo
71.010 - Interior Green
72.763 - Desert Yellow

I used the MiG grey primer, and kept it to cure for a couple of days

a collection of bits and pieces sprayed in different colours

different parts still attached to the sprue sprayed either XF-71 or XF-18

fuselage sides, XF-71 and 72.763 Desert Yellow

detail of the main platform (71.010 Interior Green (bottom platform), XF-71 superstructure and XF-64 seat)
The pilot's area needs a fair bit of paint detailing and then weathering

pilot's seat, XF-71 and XF-64

I've airbrushed the 'main semi-gloss black' areas but I still need to paint some of the other sticky-up bits black or 'darker' colours to what they are after the initial spray of XF-71, and then add additional weathering

details of the oob radio, I've sprayed this semi-gloss black with some white and a bit of dry brushing silver or grey this should look very acceptable!

see the above comments
the detail for this IP looks 1st class, I will dry-brush the outside if the dials and use decals for the instruments, if it doesn't work I can always revert to the Eduard PE

so thats where I'm uo to
next will be detailing what I've done and then weathering (including adding the PE where applicable)

any comments or suggestions are always welcome
until then
rgds

John (shortCummins)

Post by **heel** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 1:28 am

Looking really nice, John. Anxious to see this one come together.

Post by **Nige201980** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 8:28 am

Looking great mate.

Post by **Paul** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 8:39 am

Off to a great start, i have this kit too and did consider it, but wanted an easier build, look forward to seeing more off it come together

Post by **shortCummins** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 9:15 am

thanx guys

I've working on the 'detail' this feel-end and also did my first bite of PE

I should have some photos this afternoon

Post by **shortCummins** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 7:36 pm

so my first bit of PE ever…

this is the 'operation' that I'd have to carry out for my first bit of (easy?) PE

this was the state of the moulded bit of the kit after I'd attacked it with a knife and sanders

this is what it looks like after the PE has been glued in place
unfortunately my photography skills are sadly lacking in showing how the 'finished' part looks, please believe me when I say its really good, the detail added by the PE is first class

… so I've added painted detail and started 'weathering' the interior…

here is the pilot's platform and main cockpit base, I've used Windsor & Newton ink burnt sienna as a 'wash'

here's a view of the pilots station, the 'firing button on the joystick has been picked out in 'bright brass'

the radio has been dry-brushed in silver, the dials have been painted flat-white and I've added 'wear and tear' with an HB pencil

the pilot's seat after a windsor & newton ink wash

I think this is the navigator's seat, if not the rear gunner's, also with a W&N ink wash

to be honest I'm not sure what the cylindrical tubes (middleish of the photo) are, I'm guessing that their some sort of flare?

rear machine-gun mount detail

forward machine gun, I've used Mr Color buffable (iron) for the machine gun

left(port) interior of the fuselage

right(starboard) interior of the fuselage

so thats most of the 'detailing' of the interior, next I'll be concentrating on the PE

wish me luck

as always any comments, criticism or advice is most welcome

until next time
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 10:52 am

more PE

instrument faces

pilot's harness

first part added

buckles folded over

'main' straps added

'lap' straps added

seat glued in position

right-hand cockpit bracing

complete bracing

the steps to add this (my first) bit of PE

…so that's my first session using PE, not too bad, in some ways easier than I thought it would be but at 1:48 quite tricky

must get some new glasses!?
This Eduard PE set is pre-painted, I had a wee bit of a problem bending the 'main' harness straps over the seat as the 'paint' cracked and flaked off, I managed to glue it back in place but I'm not sure how I could have bent this without it cracking?

as its pre-painted so it can't be annealed? any suggestions would be great fully received.

There's a couple more seat harness' to add, when the cockpit gets closed, well the top panel added so fitting them through tiny gaps will be 'interesting'

I hope to be back with another update after the week-end, work permitting

until then
any suggestions would be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **DaveTheMinion** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 10:55 am

Outstanding mate, loving your work so far.

all the best
Dave

Post by **Thumboy** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 12:22 pm

Lovely work on the cockpit it is coming together very nicely and you are handling the P.E like a pro ( if you want to see small you should try doing P.E on a 1/72

) good luck with the rest of the build

Post by **DaveTheMinion** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 1:08 pm

Thumboy wrote:Lovely work on the cockpit it is coming together very nicely and you are handling the P.E like a pro ( if you want to see small you should try doing P.E on a 1/72 ) good luck with the rest of the build

Only a crazy guy with nothing to live for would try PE on a 1/72 scale

Post by **martin57** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 9:00 pm

Great job your doing my man looks like a great kit

Post by **shortCummins** » Sun May 03, 2015 8:48 am

thanx for the comments guys, I'm not sure I can even focus clearly on 1:72 let alone try to add PE, I'm sticking to 1:48 as the smallest scale I'll attempt, unless I find Mr Magoo's glasses

Here's the thing with this PE set, its pre-painted and to a far better detail than I could achieve however, from what I understand the easiest way to get the PE to conform (bend) to the shape you want, i.e. harnesses following the contours of the seat, is to anneal/heat the PE? how should I do that without destroying the paint job?
Has anyone seen any tutorial or advice about dealing with pre-painted PE, I'm guessing that you'd have the same issue with the self-adhesive PE not that I've got any (yet) just interested

I should be able to get some time "at the bench" today so I'll be back with an update tomorrow

until then
any suggestions would be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Sun May 03, 2015 7:12 pm

small update (completed the PE harnesses)

so the cockpit sub-assemble is complete, adding the additional harnesses we 'tricky' but I hope you'll agree worth the effort

the joining of the 'top deck' to the cockpit side structure was a little tricky, I had to glue it one side at a time to ensure a good fit, I'm guessing its what you'd call 'over-engineered'?

Next up will be joining the fuselage. However before I can join them together I must work out what to do about the machine gun, it needs to be fitted before the fuselage halves are joined as it pokes through on the pilots right hand side. So my issue is that the part of the fuselage 'behind' the machine-gun barrel needs to be painted (camo) so that means primer, aluminium (I intend to do some hairspray chipping) and then the final camo colour. Now I really only need to paint the bit behind the gun, not the entire fuselage half so I guess I'll make sure the camo colours doesn't split over the machine gun barrel so that I can continue the paint scheme after the fuselage has been joined.

while I'm waiting for the paint(s) to dry I think I'll move on to building the engine or maybe the floats?

until then
any suggestions would be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **FabianAUT** » Sun May 03, 2015 7:25 pm

Awesome work on the details! This is going to be a beauty

Post by **heel** » Mon May 04, 2015 12:02 am

Yep you are doing a fabulous job here John.

Post by **shortCummins** » Mon May 04, 2015 7:40 pm

thanx guys for the encouragement

I managed a couple of hours this afternoon, I had to work this morning, so I'll post a very small update once I've taken some photo's

until then
as always, any suggestions or comments will be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Thu May 07, 2015 7:29 pm

another small update…

after spraying some grey mig primer I masked in preparation for the flat-aluminium

this is the area that will behind the machine-gun once its mounted.

while I was waiting for the primer to cure I made the floats

each float is made up of 4 parts, 2 sides, the top and rudder. The strange thing is that you have to glue the top to one of the sides and then glue the other side, you can't glue each side together and then glue the top on as when I tried (by dry-fitting) the ends of the top are chamfered so they won't sit on top! very odd!

still I'm happy with how they look

next up is spraying the flat-aluminium and then the camo colour behind the machine gun

while I'm waiting for the paint to dry I'll make a start on the engine

until then
as always, any suggestions or comments will be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Sun May 17, 2015 7:45 pm

for various reasons I've not had much 'bench time' this week, however here's another small update

Tamiya Flat XF-16 Aluminium

Tamiya XF-81 Dark Green (RAF)
I decided to spray the entire panel rather than just behind the machine gun, my reasoning is that if the paint looks different to the rest of the camo its better for a 'defined area' to look the same? anyhow we'll have to see how the finished result looks

next up primer for the engine parts

Tamiya photo-etch

various engine pieces

engine pieces sprayed Tamiya X-18 semi-gloss black
I've decided to spray the propellor tips (yellow) before I spray it semi-gloss black otherwise I think the yellow might look a bit 'muddy'

this is what the engine parts look like viewed through my new magnifier/light

you'll notice the engine cowling is only black on the inside the outside will be camo and underside colours although I've seen some versions where the cowling is a different colour to the rest of the aircraft, perhaps due to repair?

photo-etch sprayed semi-gloss black

whilst I had the primer out I painted the floats, I've used MiG grey primer, I like it

This is only my third build since returning to the hobby and, whilst enjoyable, requires careful planning for what needs to be painted before assembly and what can wait. As an example painting the camo colour behind the machine gun, also I'll have to paint the lower wings before the supports and upper wings are fitted, let alone planning for the rigging. I'm sure to most of you this is nothing new but having to think about such things is slowing me down and making me think

all good experience but I've a sneaking suspicion that this kit is just beyond my current capabilities, certainly beyond my comfort zone. Still onwards and upwards, I've learnt so much in a short space of time every challenge is an opportunity to gain a new skill or find a different way of doing something

I'll be adding painted detail and assembling the engine next
until then
as always, any suggestions or comments will be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Sun May 24, 2015 7:46 pm

small update to show some of the paint detail on the engine

this step require the removal of some of the plastic AFTER its been used as a former for the PE

surgery completed

PE bent to shape

this sits at the back of the engine

this is just behind the propeller

the instructions call for chrome, I've used flat aluminium and I think its far too bright so I'll be adding a wash to these

sorry for the out of focus image, I'd painted this semi-gloss black and then dry-brushed with dark grey and then re-painted the rods semi-black

the engine cowling. I've seen a number of different colours used for this part of the cowling from camo to black to copper, this is a pewter(ish) colour, it looks really good in real life.
I used the ratios mentioned in the 'how to' book to achieve this colour
Tamiya XF-18 semi-gloss black - 2 parts
Tamiya X-12 gold leaf - 1 part
Windsor & Newton burnt sienna - 3 drops

the exhaust will need some subtile weathering

the back of the engine cowling can now be sprayed flat aluminium before the hairspray and camo colours are added

I'm guessing this is some sort of radiator, the instructions call for the two upright ridges to be chrome

I've used flat aluminium and I think its far too bright, I'll add a wash and then either respray/overpaint the silver colour or leave it alone depending on how it turns out.

I'm working the bank holiday so hopefully I'll be able to get some time later in the week

next up is the assembly of the engine and nailing the two halves of the fuselage together one the rigging holes have been drilled

as always any comments, criticism or advice is most welcome

until next time and thanks for looking in
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Tue Jun 09, 2015 7:50 pm

sorry for the lack of updates recently, sometimes life can just be a PITA and get in the way! here's another small update

engine assembled

I'm really pleased with the Tamiya PE, it really works on this radial engine

I've got some MIG "oil and grease stain" from the good folks at SnM Stuff to 'dirty up' the engine

fuselage buttoned up

here you can see the partial camo' behind the machine-gun, I'll mask this until I've completed the rest of the camo

here you can see the only gap, I think this is probably down to 'operator error' as I had trouble fitting the cockpit sub-assembly, the trim adjustment wheel caused the whole thing not to sit right?
anyhow a bit of superglue as filler should see it right

next up making the wings and preparing for primer

until then
as always, any suggestions or comments will be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 7:03 pm

here's a couple of 'retaken' photos using CJSomerset's helpful tutorial…

hopefully you can see some of the detail using Tamiya's PE set far better this time.

to see an easy way to achieve these photos follow CJ's advice…
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 20&t=12488

fuselage, wings and other bits 'n' pieces primed ready for aluminium coat (for chipping)

white-tac has been used to mask the machine gun and camo behind it

wings

stanchions and other bits 'n' bobs

here's another photo of the engine cowling, hopefully showing the pewter colour better now that I've used CJ's photo technique

next I plan to mask the fuselage and spray all the parts that are aluminium, I'll then apply hair-spray for some light chipping

until then
as always, any suggestions or comments will be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Fri Jun 19, 2015 5:49 pm

fuselage masked and Tamiya flat aluminium sprayed…

engine cowling masked

bits 'n' pieces sprayed flat-aluminium

aluminium colour added

propellor spinner slightly weathered

I'll let the aluminium dry over night and then add hair-spray and then I'll start the camo'

until then
as always, any suggestions or comments will be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **AAC** » Sat Jun 20, 2015 4:43 am

Your doing a great job on this

, it's a shame there haven't been a few more comments though

, your efforts definitely deserve it.

I'm quite interested in how this goes as I have the Tamiya 1/48 Fairey Swordfish Mk.II (http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM61099) too plus the Tamiya photoetch, so I get to see how it all goes togeather before I start

, whenever that may be

Post by **shortCummins** » Sat Jun 20, 2015 8:11 am

AAC wrote:Your doing a great job on this , it's a shame there haven't been a few more comments though , your efforts definitely deserve it.

I'm quite interested in how this goes as I have the Tamiya 1/48 Fairey Swordfish Mk.II (http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM61099) too plus the Tamiya photoetch, so I get to see how it all goes togeather before I start , whenever that may be

thanks AAC, I guess because my updates have been slower than I'd have liked, life keeps getting in the way, there's not been too much to comment on?

with only 10 days left I think I'm going to struggle to finish in time but so far I've really enjoyed the build, its certainly made me think and plan ahead

good luck with your build, I'm sure you'll enjoy it

rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Sat Jun 20, 2015 8:05 pm

pre shading…

underside colour Akan Sky S

I've also started on the propellor

Next will be the grey/green top camo and weathering the prop

until then
as always, any suggestions or comments will be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 7:00 pm

to prepare for the 'top' camo' I need to do some masking…

I'm hoping that the white-tac will give me a 'soft' edge

the first coat is Tamiya RAF Ocean Grey XF-82

I've kept the coats 'light' to allow the pre-shading to show through

more masking, white-tac and Tamiya tape

next the second colour Tamiya RAF Dark Green XF-81

next up is a first for me, fading/bleaching
until then
as always, any suggestions or comments will be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **Willem** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 7:42 pm

She's looking great John. You're certainly doing justice to a great aircraft. Got one in the stash but not brave enough yet.

Are you going to push through to the end in time?

Lovely job mate. When I tackle mine I'm going to use your thread to show me the way.

Post by **Nige201980** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 8:20 pm

Your doing a great job John really enjoyed watching her come together.

Post by **shortCummins** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 8:42 am

She's looking great John. You're certainly doing justice to a great aircraft. Got one in the stash but not brave enough yet.

Are you going to push through to the end in time?

Lovely job mate. When I tackle mine I'm going to use your thread to show me the way.

thanks Willem, I've been able to work on her a bit more recently but it'll be touch and go for the finish line, at the moment I've built the weapons but I'll leave the painting of them until after the rest of the build, that way the aircraft might get finished "unarmed"

this is a great kit, however you need to think and plan ahead, I'm sure you'll do a better job than I am

Your doing a great job John really enjoyed watching her come together.

Thanks Nige, I really enjoying the build

rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 9:50 am

fading/bleaching…

for some reason the effect doesn't show too well in these photos of the fuselage, 'to the eye' it look OK

I'm really pleased with the 'soft edge' created by using the white-tac, and also how the subtile fading/bleaching turned out, perhaps next time I'll not be so subtile

however I'm sure I'll be using these techniques time and time again

as this is an 'old' kit, I found it after we'd moved recently and it must be at least 10 years old, I'm going to attempt painting the roundels using Mondex masks

…so that should be interesting

I need to paint some other details that Tamiya have supplied decals for…

decals 18, 20 & 17.

...before I can join the upper and lower wings and then make a stab at the bracing

until then
as always, any suggestions or comments will be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **JediBoer** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 6:23 pm

Damn nice cammo work there!

Post by **shortCummins** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 6:26 pm

JediBoer wrote:Damn nice cammo work there!

thank you, the white-tac enables a nice 'soft' line and adding fading/bleaching, the first time I've tried it, really makes a difference

rgds
John(shortCummins)

Post by **shortCummins** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 6:33 pm

a small update…

masking for the black bits

I'm assuming that these are some sort of step so I'll add a bit of wear and tear to them once the black has been added

I've decided to paint these lines rather than use the decals

here's the finished result

next up will be the roundels (more masking

)
until then
as always, any suggestions or comments will be great fully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)