Fairey Swordfish Mk.I Floatplane - 1:72 Airfix

[Paul A H]

Fairey Swordfish Mk.I Floatplane

1:72 Airfix

Although somewhat antiquated in appearance when compared to its all-metal monoplane contemporaries, the Swordfish turned out to be a formidable warplane which earned itself a place in aviation history. The fabric-covered biplane took to the air for the first time in 1934 and entered service with the Fleet Air Arm two years later. Designed principally as a torpedo bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, the versatile Swordfish also found itself used for other roles such as anti-submarine warfare. It remained in squadron service longer than most of the types intended to replace it and was still in use at the time of Germany’s capitulation in May 1945.

Nicknamed the ‘Stringbag’, not because of its biplane configuration but because of the wide range of ordnance it could carry, the list of actions the Swordfish was involved in is the stuff of legend. It took part in the attack on Taranto Harbour which many believe heralded the end of the battleship and played a key role in the destruction of the Bismarck. Engagements such as these demonstrated not only the rugged, dependable qualities of the Swordfish, but also the bravery and skill of the crews that flew them.

When Airfix’s all-new Swordfish was released at the tail end of 2011, it was greeted with much enthusiasm by the modelling community. With its combination of rich detail, clever engineering and ease of assembly, the kit hit the sweet spot for many modellers and has now set the bar by which Airfix’s subsequent kits have been judged. The kit is packed into reasonably large top-opening box and is comprised of five sprues of grey plastic and a single, small clear sprue. All of the parts unique to the floatplane version are contained on a single sprue and the kit is otherwise identical to the earlier release. The part count has now risen from 125 to 149 parts.

The kit looks impressive on the sprues and the parts are crisply moulded. In contrast with some other recent airfix kits, the sprue attachment points are quite fine. Although there aren’t too many panel lines on a Swordfish, those that are present are reasonably subtle. Airfix have managed to create a very realistic stretched fabric effect on the wings and rear fuselage too.

As I mentioned when I reviewed the first incarnation of this kit in 2011, it looks as though it has been designed with the enthusiast in mind. The cockpit is made up of eighteen parts including the floor, fuselage framework structure, crew seats, a neat little radio set and both the rear-firing Lewis gun and the forward-firing Vickers gun. Instrument panel detail is represented by a decal, which seems strange as the radio set features beautifully moulded detail, but that aside this is one well-appointed cockpit.

It would be a shame if the rest of the kit didn’t live up to this promising start, so I’m happy to report that it does. The oil cooler, engine and cowling are all beautifully detailed. The cowling is made up of no fewer than four parts, which makes construction more complex but is another indication that the kit has been designed for enthusiast modellers.

Airfix continue the good work with the flying surfaces. Both elevators and rudder are fully poseable and feature nicely detailed hinges. For fans of folded wings (and modellers with small shelves) the kit can be finished with wings extended or folded. The interplane struts are joined at the bottom which will make the finished kit stronger and will also help make sure everything is properly aligned. Unlike older biplane kits, the horizontal part that helps align the vertical struts is then hidden between the upper and lower halves of the lower wing – nice work Airfix!

If you decide to build your Swordfish with the wings unfolded, a spar must be inserted in the centre wing section. If you want to build the kit with wings folded, this part is left out and the two jigs that can be seen on in the fourth picture above are used to align the wings. This makes a complex stage of construction as simple as possible, something that will go down well with all the biplane phobics out there.

A plentiful selection of ordnance is provided, including bombs, a flare, an auxiliary fuel tank and a torpedo. Airfix have also included a ground handling trolley for the torpedo and beaching gear for the aircraft itself. The floats themselves are each made up of three parts. You’ll need to remember to drill through the flashed over holes in the fuselage halves at the start of the build, otherwise you’ll be kicking yourself at the end!

Two options are included on the decal sheet:

• L9768 of No. 814 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, HMS Ark Royal, 1938. This aircraft is finished in the pre-war light grey and silver scheme.
  
• K8363 C8C “Mitzi” of the Royal Navy battleship HMS Valiant, July 1940. This aircraft is finished in Dark Sea Grey/ Slate Grey and Extra Dark Sea Gray/Dark Slate Grey over Sky.
  

The decals are printed by Cartograf and look nice, although they are a little matt so you’ll need to keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t silver.

Conclusion

Such was the high standard set by this kit the first time around that the floatplane version was never going to be a disappointment. This kit packs in enough detail to please even the most demanding modellers, whilst retaining an ease of construction that shouldn’t put off those with a more casual interest in the hobby. Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of