Thanks Brian, kdappen, Rick, Bossman, and howdidyoudothat !
Rick - I’ve built Hasegawa’s bubbletop & razorback. I still have another bubbletop to go. I don’t think I’ll pay almost twice as much for the Tamiya kit. Hasegawa’s kit looks fine to me.
There’s really nothing difficult about this kit that the average modeler couldn’t do. I just prefer to work a little harder on my builds, that’s all. Thanks again !
Another fine bird, Mr. Pix. I also have that kit. I paid just $4 for it from a guy’s private collection (he never built, just collected), and it happened to have the aftermarket PE parts in the box, as well. I’ve been too chicken to start it, but again, like your Hurricane photos did, I am inspired to now consider the Swordfish! Stop it, already! I can’t concentrate on finishing my Ju88!
that model looks stunning!
being a lazy bum (really, i am ! i gotta be the laziest modeller on these boards!) i love tamiya kitis cos they are shake n bake. howwever, your analogy about the 3 blind mice rendition makes me want to build more challenging stuff ! [:)]
Pix,
Great job on the Swordfish. It is truely beautiful. The only Tamiya kit I have built is the 1/32 F/A-18C about a year ago. It does build into a very nice kit without any real big hassles and I kinda like that. I don’t mind some puttying or modifiying parts to get them to fit, but I don’t want very much of it.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
Thanks ModelNerd, reggie, and yardbird !
ModelNerd - I’d suggest that you get the Eduard PE for the kit. You’ll see what I mean about this kit if you look at the interplane struts (both attached to each other by a bar that runs through the bottom of the top wing) and the tail struts (molded to the bottom fuselage piece-nearly impossible to airbrush).
reggie - many people are happy to stay with these kits, as the chance of having a build go wrong is minimal. Likewise, not much chance of screwing up “Three Blind Mice.” I realize that there are other modelers who want it to be a different experience than the one I want. After all, we’re all individuals.
yardbird - I prefer overcoming the rough spots of some kits. If I have to do more work to get there, I find it pleasurable.
Thanks again !
an excellent finish as always Bill. i stradle the fence on the difficulty thing. i enjoyed the Classic Airframes challenge that i had a while back, and i know how rewarding the fight can be, but i also like to get a hold of one that just falls together now and again. cause me, i’m always anxious to get to the fun stuff…like painting and weathering and such. i’ve never assembled a hasagawa kit…course i’ve only assemble 8 kits in my whole life!!LOL i got some hase’s in the stash though. again, GREAT job friend. later.
To digress slightly.
Wasn’t it bloody criminal to send men to war in this thing!
Talking of Bismark, my late uncle was there on HMS King George V. As an electrician his battle station was at the top of the funnel ready to splice cables between the gun directors and gunnery control should they be shot away. From up there he got some pics of Bismark burning.
Pix,
For as much griping you did about this kit you sure turned it into something beautiful 
and to think I only really gripe when the build is a pain in the A$$ and I cant seem to get it right. Heaven forbid I build a model that just falls together
Thanks saltydog and Awood !
saltydog and Awood - Yes, there are a lot of modelers that prefer the “fall-together” kits. When I build one, I just don’t get the same feeling of accomplishment that I do when I need to put work into the kit. One preference or the other is not better, it’s only different. I guess I find more pleasure in the journey than I do the destination.
snibble - it is amazing that the FAA actually used these in combat. I picture someone in the Admiralty saying, “When I fought in the Great War, biplanes were perfectly suitable. I see no reason why we must must expend our resources in order to satisfy these young lad’s cries for something new and unproven. The biplane was good enough for me, as it shall be for them.” The old case of the generals (and admirals) fighting the last war. I find it amazing that these guys agreed to fly these kites, mission after mission. The crews were definately unsung heroes.
Do you have any of your uncle’s photos? They would be interesting to see !
Thanks again !
Regettably I have no idea what happened to those pics.
The way the FAA ended up whith such poor equipment was that carrier aviation was carried out by “The fleet air arm of the Royal air force” until about 1938 and was starved of resources in favour of the RAF’s land based force. By the time the navy got their air arm back it was too late. The Swordfish was not that old at the beginning of the war but ancient in concept. The one duty this aircraft was called upon for which I believe it was ideally suited was anti submarine patrol ahead of convoys where its helicopter like performance was a bonus.
Well you just can’t have it all. Here in the Philipines we don’t have access to what you guys have there in terms of aftermarket parts but that same Tamiya Swordfish goes for only about 20 US dollars. Adding shipping still would be a lot cheaper than what they offer you guys there.
I respect your opinion, but look at what you are saying. Companies want to put out a product so people can enjoy it and be proud of their accomplishment. Tamiya kits, while straightforward, offer a nice finished product. Even with that said, you have to have the skills to make it look good. If you are so discontented with these kits, why not grab a piece of wood and a penknife? That is scratchbuilding at its finest. For those of us who love the hobby and don’t want to spend hrs on the internet looking for that certain angle that will tell us how to put something in place, or those of us who want to put two pieces of plastic together and have it line up properly, Tamiya is for us. Why in the heck do I want to have to fill, putty and sand every piece, once I figure out from******poor directions where it goes. Come on now, you build incredible kits, but give us a break.
Yes Pix - I am with you - I do find on occasions that the more refined kits do need some stamina to finish them. However not all of the expensive kits tare not a challenge - my vac form Dynavector Javelin has presented a real challenge (quite a lot needed to be butchered and reassembled) and I have enjoyed it so far - but it is not far below the Swordfish in price. Admittedly the number of sales is far less - hence the price. The contenst are a bit basic. I have one or two Tamiya kits to build but do tend to put them at the back of the pile! However the 1:48 Lanc 1/III should be interesting being an older kit. I have bought the Belcher bits however. I am not sure of your age but if you are 45 - 50 or so ( and I am older) it is probably a generation thing. Younger people (and I am sure I was the same but memory fails) do seem to want things rather “instant” - to wit their form of entertainment - all push button and it is there. Nil desperandum then. Modelling for pleasure should be just that.
On the Swordfish - unlike some - e.g the Barracuda - it was OK to fly - or so I as told some years ago by a chap who flew both. It did also perform some functions others could not, and was sturdy. Throughout the second world war there are examples of the young men being called upon to carry out tasks with inferior unsuitable or dangerous equipment. Some of the aircraft used for training were so tired and worn out that (I was told) it was considered less hazardous to go on “ops”. However as has often been said - that is war!
Im indeed surprise that Tamiya kit cost so much over there. Here, in Malaysia or Singapore the Swordfish cost me about $35 . And I enjoy seeing the detail of their fine engineering.
Hey Pix,
your Swordfish looks fantastic! I have always wanted to build one of those, and always thought that it would be too big a challenge for me. Whatever you feel about the kit you have done an amazing job and I take my hat off to you. I really enjoyed the pictures and hopefully, one day I’ll build one myself.
Darren.
Thanks f_baquiran, nsclcctl, miduppergunner, cupcai, and Darren !
snibble - that’s a shame about the pics. Would have been wonderful to see them. Your explanation for the use of this AC when it was clearly obsolete makes sense. Thanks for the insight !
f_baquiran - that seems like a reasonable price for this kit. I regret paying so much, and would never again.
nsclcctl - why do you automatically assume that if I don’t care for E-Z kits, I need to carve them from wood? I care for neither extreme. There are people in the world that have very hard lives, and you’re whining about having to fill a seam? I think that you’re only concerned with the finished product, and not the process or dedication of time required to successfully complete a model that you’ve BUILT, not merely ASSEMBLED. If you’re too spoiled to put some work into your hobby, you’re stuck with only the limited selection of overpriced kits. Mores the pity.
miduppergunner - I’ll be 50 this summer. I know exactly what you mean. It seems that the younger a person is, the more impatient they can be. And they have all this time ahead of them ! When you get older, and have less time to go, you aquire patience. It’s pretty ironic. When was the last time you saw a senior citizen with “road rage?”
Darren - I don’t think you’d find any difficulty in building this kit. It’s VERY easy, but I think it cost too much over here. How is it priced on your side of the pond?
Thanks again !
Great job,very nice build
fantastic
Pedro
Beautifully done. I myself am rather fond of Tamiya kits, but I don’t build too many as they don;t make that many of the subjects I am interested in. I usually build revell and ahsegawa and academy.
Thank you Pedro and Tankmaster !