This is an Airfix 1/72 Scale assembly and painting required plastic model kit of the Swordfish Mk.I floatplane, a variant of the Fairey Swordfish, a single-engine biplane torpedo-bomber used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Model kit features: Kit features excellent fabric over frame effects, engraved panel lines, well appointed cockpit and gunner's station, separate internal truss framing, highly detailed radial engine with separate exhaust collector ring, individual control surfaces, choice of folded or extended wings, wing assembly jig, injection-molded windscreen, torpedo (with handling trolley), drop tank and 100 lb bombs (x6). Also includes new tool float undercarriage with beaching gear. Decals and color painting reference for 2 Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm aircraft: L9768 of 814 NAS during 1938 and K8363 'Mitzi' assigned to HMS Valiant, July 1940 - includes instrument markings and wing root walkways. By the outbreak of the Second World War, the Fairey Swordfish was considered outdated, as its fabric covered light metal frame and slow flying speed made it extremely vulnerable to anti-aircraft armament and fighters of the era. However, the Fairey Swordfish's low flying speed made it an excellent platform for launching torpedoes, and in that role, the Fairey Swordfish enjoyed a great deal of success. Most notable engagements involving the Fairey Swordfish include the Battle of Taranto (1940), where several Italian warships were heavily damaged by waves of Swordfish bombers, and the famous attack of the Bismarck (1941), where Swordfish bombers crippled the German battleship, which led to its ultimate sinking by the Royal Navy.
