Page 17 - Tamiya Model Magazine - Issue 292 (February 2020)

The author wasn't happy with the kit-suggested The crew figures in Tamiya’s Swordfish are fantastic and really add life to the model. The author
paint recipe for the exhaust ring, so he mixed his painted the bodies via airbrush, finishing their faces by hand with Vallejo Panzer Aces acrylics
own colour for a darker, more metallic shade for
this heat-stained structure

A SLIGHT MISTAKE.. Facebook hive, I came up with a plan of to be painted a mix of XF-56 Metallic
This is where I messed up with action, using a bit of sprue glue for the Grey and XF-7 Flat Red, with a brass
something that would come back to first time, which I sanded back but still band in the middle and then black and
bite me down the line. The holes are wasn’t happy with. Next up was trying white as per the rest of the fuselage for
necessary so you can attach the braces Mr Surfacer 500 hand brushed over the the rear section. I wasn’t happy with
when the build is complete, I didn’t seam and sanded back and repeated, this colour, so asked the Hive again
make them big enough, and had real over and over until I was happy with for help and the considered decision
difficulty lining up the wires so they the result. was that it should be a darker metallic
didn’t bow in the middle. Try as I Tamiya has a well-deserved tone, I then sprayed the whole front
might, I just couldn’t get them straight reputation for clever engineering and cowling with brass, masked off the
enough to be really pleased with them, ease of construction and for the most centre band and airbrushed a mixture
but we live and learn, and considering part this was true. The only time I 50:50 H406 Mr Hobby Chocolate Brown
this was my second ever build of an came unstuck with regard to this and XF-69 Nato Black with some drops
aircraft, I can live with that and learn was with parts A19, A23 and A18, of H76 Mr Hobby Burnt Iron. U
from it. which are a section
Something else I should have done of the forward upper
here was mask the two windows before fuselage and support
installing them, as they are easy to for the upper wings. I
push through from the outside as I just could not get it to
used PVA glue so as not to mist them fit flush in the main
up and the bond is not that strong. part of the fuselage. I
Again I’m learning from my mistakes… resorted to some radical
I closed the fuselage up, and then sanding to get it to fit,
had to face my demons when it comes but this left me with
to aircraft, the dreaded ghost seam. some gap filling to deal
The first ever aircraft build was a 1:32 with, which is fine, but
Revell Spitfire, and I just didn’t get for the life of me I still
the seams right, so I was determined can't work out why it
to do a better job this time around. My was necessary in the
method on this occasion was to apply first place.
excess glue, not the thin stuff I usually
use but the standard Tamiya white top, WHICH COLOUR FOR
which is a lot thicker. My plan was to THE COWLING?
have a little of the plastic ooze out from The engine
the seam which I could then sand away construction was next,
and be left with a perfect join. You which presented no
need to be really careful not to apply problems, painted
too much excess glue, but just enough black and drybrushed
to bubble out slightly. It worked better with chrome. The
on the wings for me, but when I sanded engine cowling was
the fuselage and spot primed along the another matter. The
seam, there it was, a lovely ghost seam instructions call out for The author came a little unstuck with the upper cowl area, where
staring back at me. After consulting the front of the cowling he experienced some unexpected difficulties. Some sanding and
test-fitting corrected the issue
TMMI 292 February 2020 17