This month (26th May) marks the 70th Anniversary of the sinking of the BISMARCK, led by the Fleet Air Arm Swordfish of HMS VICTORIOUS and HMS ARK ROYAL.
This is the (old) Airfix Swordfish, which is, frankly, well past its sell-by date.
A new tooling is promised for this year which looks to be superb. In the meantime, this one really isn't that much worse than the other 1/72 Swordfish kits currently available. This is the 2009 Airfix Club issue, which came with a nice set of decals for one of 810 Sqns aircraft, plus a second set for the scheme currently worn by one of the RN Historic Flight aircraft (HMS RAIPANA in 1943).
The same 810 Sqn markings have been included with every Swordfish Kit I have ever bought (Frog/MPM/Airfix/Matchbox & Revell), plus they have been included in several after market decal sets. All claim to be one of the BISMARCK attack aircraft, but unfortunately, every reference that I can find suggests that this particular aircraft did NOT actually participate in the battle.
As always, FAA wartime colour schemes are open to argument, but I have changed this one to the low demarkation factory applied finish for a Blackburn built aircraft and changed the supplied "2Q" code to "2P", L2826, also of 810 Sqn, but which was flown by Sub Lieutenant AWD Beale, with Observer SLt C Friend and TAG L/A K Pimlott, during the critical action against the BISMARCK on 26 May 1941.
Beale became disorientated in the poor visibility and flew back to the shadowing cruiser HMS SHEFFIELD for directions. As a result he eventually approached the BISMARCK from a different direction from the other aircraft, so we can say with some confidence which torpedo hit was his.
Apart from the decals, the kit is largely "out the box", with lycra rigging and some small (sprue based) additions to the cockpit. It's a reasonably easy build; easier than the Frog kit, but more difficult than Matchbox (as one would expect).
FredT
.... a "school" of my Swordfishes together (Frog(MPM)/Matchbox(Revell)/Airfix):
Lyell
