**** DONE: 1/48 Fairey Swordfish MK.I - Defense of Britain/Atlantic.

[fubar57]

User Name: fubar57
Name: George
Category: Advanced
Kit: Tamiya
Accessories: Photo etch

My subject is a Mk.I Swordfish, s/n V4388 serving with 838sqn. in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, circa late 1941.

Geo

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Good on ya George, the kit from what I understand is a cracker and I recon you will have great fun pulling this one together.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Wayne Little]

NICE!

 

[fubar57]

Thanks guys. One photo I found has the caption stating this aircraft was in mid war FAA colors which I believe was from '43 on. I'm thinking the colors were in Dark Sea Grey and Extra Dark Slate Grey with the upper surfaces of the lower wings being in Dark Sea Grey and Light Slate Grey to provide shadow compensation from the upper wing. The under surfaces are in Sky Grey.



Geo

 

[rochie]

Good choice Geo

 

[fubar57]

Thanks Karl. Further investigation has two shots of the same photo as posted above. Squadron in action says the aircraft was coded 2B and Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939 to 1945 says 2X. As the photo shows, no codes were carried.



Geo

 

[T Bolt]

I've been tempted to buy that kit but never did. I'll be watching with interest

 

[Wurger]

My subject is a Mk.I Swordfish, s/n V4388 serving with 838sqn. in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, circa late 1941.

View attachment 298038


Geo

Geo , I have found in the Crowood book about Swordfis that the 838 squadron used Swordfishes from May 1942 to February 1945 .... Dartmouth, attacker 1942-1943.

 

[fubar57]

Thanks Wojtek. This is from the second book I listed...

...so I'm thinking the aircraft I want to model is just being tested before shipped to 838sqn, hence, the lack of codes. Fair enough. The first 3 of many, many cockpit pieces together and resting on the cockpit floor. This took about 15 minutes.

Though I have 7 books on the Swordfish, I have nothing that shows the interior colors and other model builds are all over the place. This is what Tamiya call for...

...I'm assuming the XF-59 is representing the doped linen.

Wojtek, on pg. 40 of the Crowood book, it shows two other Mk.I's with close serial numbers and the caption says, "...in the earlier naval colour schemes...". The top looks like a single color(not sure which) and looking closer at my photo, it looks like a single top color as well though when faded, the Extra Dark Sea Grey/ Dark Slate Grey can look similar. A discussion on Britmodeller states the Blackburn made Swordfish used the EDSG/DSG plus the counter-shading on the lower wings up to '44. This aircraft was made by Blackburn.



Geo

 

[Wurger]

Yep... I know the pic. Here the one found via the net..

 

[Wurger]

The camo looks like the Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey/Sky Grey or Sky in the pic of these two planes. However the colour in your image looks differently , IMHO.

 

[fubar57]

I agree and I'm still searching for an early war Swordfish with a single top color. I believe I read that 4-7 aircraft were sent to Canada and I've found two, one serial number apart, V4387 V4388. It seems odd that these aircraft would be painted different than the others made at Blackburn. Off to the interwebs................




Geo

 

[Wurger]

I have gone throug a couple of Swordfish references. But no info about solid painting. However I noticed that the EDSG/DSG colours look in pictures taken with sunlight like one solid colour. So it might have been the kind of picture where the two colours are without noticable contrast. As far as the date of your shot , I have found that. The source ... Fairey Swordfish ,Warpaint Series No. 12. According to the previous info I had found this caption sounds much authentically.

 

[fubar57]

Sounds right. I'll go EDSG/DSG top side, LSG/DSG for the lower wings and Sky Grey for the under as per the Blackburn color scheme. Many thanks again for taking the time Wojtek. Off to add some color to the innards.



Geo

 

[Airframes]

Good choice and good info so far.
There's a definite demarcation curve showing two (upper) colours on the ground shot of the nearest aircraft - on the curved cowling panels, forward of the wing, but aft of the main engine cowling. There's also possible evidence of the sensor being at work on the rear fuselage, just forward of the serial number. Note the 'upsweep' of the undersurface colour, wih a 'hard' edge at it's rear. Possibly covering a code letter, but equally possible it's just a re-paint, possibly covering previous code letters ?
Are you sure this is Dartmouth Nova Scotia, and not Dartmouth UK?
The other entries in the in the aircraft's history indicate UK bases - Stretton, in Cheshire, only a few miles from where I live, and Arbroath, Scotland.

 

[fubar57]

You had me scrambling for a bit Terry. There is a Yarmouth, N.S. and a Dartmouth N.S.. Yarmouth was home to No. 1 Naval Air Gunners School and Dartmouth was home to Royal Navy Station at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, both had Swordfish. There are photos of aircraft from both bases in Squadrons in action book and I thought at first I had misread the caption.



Geo

 

[Wurger]

" The squadron officially formed for the first time at Dartmouth, Canada in May 1942 as a torpedo bomber reconnaissance Swordfish squadron for service with escort carriers. "

According to the info it is very likely the pic was taken there.

The source.... Fleet Air Arm 838 squadron profile. Squadron Database of the Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945

 

[Airframes]

OK - I'll admit the background of the terrain in the aerial shot looks more Canadian than British. Just seems slightly odd that an aircraft would be transferred from Canada to the UK, if the serial number history is correct.

 

[Wurger]

Terry, looking at the pic background I thought exactly the same. Found this as well...

and a word about Swordfishes in Canada ...