kit number AC400-29

Reviewed By Paul Bradley, #35554

Heller’s recent re-release of their 1/400 scale HMS Illustrious kit was a pleasant surprise; however, like most aircraft carrier kits, insufficient aircraft models are included to form a representative air group.  In fact, only 6 Martlet fighters and 6 Swordfish attack aircraft are included in the kit and these are quite crude, reflecting their 1960’s origin.  L’Arsenal, a French company, rides to the rescue with this set of 5 Swordfish.  Martlets are already available and Fulmars, Sea Hurricanes, Seafires and Avengers are promised for the future, enabling you to create almost any British air group from WWII.

The Fairey Swordfish needs little introduction.  Designed in the mid-Thirties as a naval Torpedo-Strike-Reconnaissance aircraft, the Swordfish proved so versatile and tractable that it outlasted its designated successor, the Fairey Albacore, and served alongside its “grandchild,” the Fairey Barracuda, seeing action in the front lines from the first day of World War II right through to the last.

Each tiny Swordfish comes with 18 pieces, including a resin fuselage, torpedo and wheels.  The rest is done in etched steel.  Assembly is fairly easy; anyone with experience of ship model photo-etched parts will have little trouble here.  My biggest problem was getting the inter-wing struts placed at the correct angle.  L’Arsenal’s instructions are rather perfunctory – a couple of small photos and diagrams are it.  These do not show the subtle dihedral of the wings, nor that the outer struts need to be angled outwards a few degrees.  These small measures make all the difference to the look of the model, even in this scale, so it is worth digging out those references to get it right.  The major error of the model is the lack of the third undercarriage strut that attaches the undercarriage to the wing at the junction with the inner struts.  Look at any Swordfish photo to see what I am talking about!  This could be fabricated with fine wire – I didn’t have anything to scale to hand, so it does not appear on my review model.  Otherwise, the completed model looks very much like a Swordfish.

No decals are provided, L’Arsenal perhaps assuming you will use those in the kit.  These will not necessarily be suitable, depending on the paint scheme you wish to portray.  Even if you go with the kit decals, they only provide enough for 6 aircraft, so you’ll have to find some alternative source that I was unable to find… or do as I did and paint your own!  Swordfish wore at least 4 different major paint schemes over their naval career, not including the black RAF version.  My chosen scheme was the later Temperate Sea scheme of Dk. Slate Grey and Dk. Sea Grey over White,  though with 5 models in the set, you can do them all if you so desired!

All in all, this a nice set that would benefit from better instructions and a decal sheet.  Recommended to those with experience with tiny photo-etched parts.

L’Arsenal products can be ordered directly from their website at www.larsenal.com  - prices do not include priority mail shipping costs.  My thanks to L’Arsenal for supplying the review sample.

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