Special Hobby 1/48 scale Fairey Barracuda Mk.II

Kit: No. 48021
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Special Hobby, available from Squadron Mail Order, 1115 Crowley Drive, Carrollton, TX 75011-5010, 979-242-8663, www.squadron.com
Price: $44.98
Comments: Mixed media, 147 parts (84 injection-molded, 23 resin, 40 photoetched metal), decals
Pros: Crisp surface scribing, good representation of fabric-covered areas, excellent resin and photoetched parts
Cons: No ordnance or pylons, no internal framework, minor fit problems

Looking nothing like its sleek and scaly namesake, the ungainly and slow Fairey Barracuda was a replacement for the Swordfish and Albacore torpedo biplanes in Britain's Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. Although its first flight was in 1942, insufficient power and teething problems slowed its debut to operational service until 1943.

The Barracuda drew first blood at Salerno, then went on to serve in the Atlantic and Far East. One of its more notable missions was the surprise strikes against the German battleship Tirpitz April 3, 1944. It scored many hits but failed to sink the ship.

In the Far East, Barracudas participated in raids against Sumatra and the Japanese home islands while serving with the British Pacific Fleet. Various marks (versions) of Barracudas served the Fleet Air Arm into the early 1950s.

Special Hobby's plastic moldings show crisp detail and minimum flash. The resin interior parts are beautifully cast, and the photoetched metal details (by Eduard) are top-notch.

Alternate exhaust parts hint at a different mark Barracuda to come. The 10-page, 12-step pictogram instructions include three pages of paint and markings diagrams. Decals are included for three aircraft, including one Tirpitz raider.

I started by building the main interior components to test-fit them inside the fuselage halves before adding the details. All mating surfaces butt together so precision is needed to make everything fit.

When finished, the interior looks good, but it's missing some of the fuselage internal structure visible through the long greenhouse canopy and under-wing windows. I added bits of strip styrene to enhance the interior's appearance.

The radiator intake duct (part No. C8) does not fit well. I glued backing tabs to the inside of the fuselage halves to hold it.

I opened up the small side windows just below the canopy on each side of the fuselage. The kit provides the small windows in the underside of the leading edges of the wings. They afforded the pilot a better downward view, so I opened corresponding ports in the fuselage to make them look right. The rest of the interior parts went in without trouble.

To get acceptably thin trailing edges on the wings, I sanded the insides of each wing half. The underwing strakes were 1/4" short and 1/8" too deep, so I made my own from sheet styrene.

I left the horizontal stabilizer, landing gear, and other small parts off until after painting. The greenhouse parts required test-fitting and minor corrections.

I used Xtracolor, Humbrol, AeroMaster, and Testor enamels for the camouflage scheme. The color diagrams don't show that the dark sea gray carries diagonally over the greenhouse and onto the trailing edge of the left wing.

The outline color of markings for the aircraft marked "4A" differ from those found in Squadron/Signal's Fleet Air Arm, British Carrier Aviation 1939-1945 and Warpaint No. 35 Fairey Barracuda, so I don't know whether white or yellow is correct. In any case, I chose the markings for an aircraft on one of the Tirpitz strikes.

After painting and decaling, I added the detail parts and horizontal stabilizer. The location of the landing gear retraction struts is vague, so I had to consult my references.

I reinforced the landing gear with brass wires in holes drilled in the oleo struts and torsion boxes. I also pinned the weak tail-wheel strut.

The outboard wheel covers need to have the forward corners clipped (refer to the box top artwork). A stretched-sprue lanyard was added from the back of the greenhouse to the inflatable dinghy panel under the left tailplane brace.

Special Hobby's Barracuda is a challenging kit even for experienced builders. I spent nearly 35 hours on mine, but it makes a great addition to my 1/48 scale Fleet Air Arm.

- Ross Whitaker