Tamiya 1:48 Swordfish Mk 1 float plane

[Guest]

No I think the red of the linnen/dope you got there is just abouth right if one remembers that the fuselage will be dark on the inside, I think you nailed the rest of the cockpit wery nicely aswell
Remember that the "darkness" of the dope on the inside would be directly proportional to how much they brushed on over the outside and let it seap through the fabric, if they applied it a tad "lightly" on the outside it would look exactly like that ...

Theuns

[colin m]

A small step in the right direction.
I've started work on the torpedo. Which meant cutting off the 8 blades of the propellers to add 8 photo etch blades. Fiddly work, was it worth it ? Anyway, it's done now.
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Speaking of propellers, the big one is done. OK, not much to look at really. I might just add a few little paint chips later.
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But wait. Proper work. Not only have I painted the fuselage, it also stands on its floats.

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No camouflage here, this is the pre war version.

[papa 695]

Coming along a treat Colin

[yak face]

Excellent work colin , like most of the new airfix kits this looks like a pain free enjoyable build so far, cheers tony

[Snowman]

Beautiful!

[colin m]

Well this seems to be a bit of a slow build, but here is a bit of an update. I've started work using the Tamiya PE rigging. This stuff is tough. So in the below picture I tried to attach the upper and lower wings together and glue in the first pieces of rigging. Don't do this. Connect the top and bottom wings via the struts and when all set, carefully bend the rigging into place. It will bend a long way without danger of permanently deforming. Some pieces of rigging seemed to be too long and needed shortening a tiny bit. Lots of trial fitting is the order of the day here. Also, don't try gluing both ends of the rigging at the same time. Attach one end, let it set, then glue the other end, carefully bending the rigging into place.
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And finally, one wing complete.
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The fuselage has had a bit of work to. I haven't built many Tamiya kits before, but these decals lived 'down' to Tamiya's reputation for thick decals. They were a bit of a pig. To be fair, the large blue decal does have to conform to quite a rough surface. I'll either touch this blue bit up, or call it wear and tear !
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[Guest]

That looks very smart.

I think that tamiya etch is steel rather than brass very similar to what Dragon used to add to some of their kits.

I found it more difficult to work with but yours has turned out really well.

[colin m]

I found it more difficult to work with but yours has turned out really well

Ah well Tony, no you are quite right, it is difficult to work with. But maybe being steel (which I hadn't realised) is why it bends so well without deforming.

[Snowman]

Very nice with the rigging!!

[Guest]

That looks really good, Colin. Which acrylics do you use?

[colin m]

Which acrylics do you use?

Thanks Rupert. I've used Vallejo for this build, but for spraying, I always use their medium retarder in the standard colours, but it's not needed for the metal colours.

So, right now, I think I'm right in saying all painting has been done. It's now just a question of slapping a few bits together. Simple really.
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[colin m]

Very nice with the rigging

Thanks Gavin. This was Tamiya's own photo etch rigging set. I'm still a bit undecided if it was the right way to go.

[Guest]

Thanks Rupert. I've used Vallejo for this build, but for spraying, I always use their medium retarder in the standard colours, but it's not needed for the metal colours.

So, right now, I think I'm right in saying all painting has been done. It's now just a question of slapping a few bits together. Simple really.
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Thanks for the reply Colin. I use Vallejo too but I don't use the retarded. I tend to go 50% paint, and then a 50/50 mix of Vallejo thinners and water. That's for general painting.
How did you get on with the PE for the rigging? I've seen the eduard sets and they look good, but I'm not sure I've got the bottle for this kit yet!

[colin m]

Thanks for the reply Colin. I use Vallejo too but I don't use the retarded. I tend to go 50% paint, and then a 50/50 mix of Vallejo thinners and water. That's for general painting.
How did you get on with the PE for the rigging? I've seen the eduard sets and they look good, but I'm not sure I've got the bottle for this kit yet!

I've done a fair bit of rigging in the past using EZ line. This Tamiya rigging is meant to replicate the flat bars used on the aircraft so I decided to use it. I'm not sure how it will effect the overall look of the finished model but I am starting to think it was the right thing to do. So, how was it ? Well at first, it was a bit of a pain, but then again so is normal rigging when you first try it. After I had fitted a couple of pieces, I developed a method that suited me and things worked ok. However, it still took a lot longer using Tamiya rigging instead of using my normal method.

50/50 mix of Vallejo thinners and water

That's roughly what I do as well. Often the Vallejo clogs the needle once or twice, then it remains clear - strange that. I've got a few AK interactive colours as well, these are very nice, In my view, better than Vallejo.

[colin m]

Right, this time I'm sure the fuselage is complete having installed the control wires and leather padding around the cockpit.
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Onto the torpedo. A touch more PE to fit around the torpedo, will they fit ?
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