Kuwaiti Swift

[The Rat]

This is going to (hopefully) be a quick build. I looked at another project I was going to try, and felt a bit overwhelmed, even though it shouldn't be that difficult. But this modeling funk needs a good swift kick, so drawers were opened and contents checked...

YES! Yet another old Hawk/Testors Supermarine Swift. And laying within eyesight was a decal sheet left over from the recent Czech Hunter/Postolka build, with Kuwaiti markings. HAHAAAA!

The box



The contents



First order of business whenever I build one of these is to thin the intakes



Yes, much better



Some plastic sheet to lessen the see-through effect



Thin the tailpipe, compare the before, on the left, with the after



And fill in the engraved markings. This one only had them on the rudder, all the others I've built have also had them on the fuselage and wings 



Might get this done by the end of the week. It will be on a stand, anyone who has seen the landing gear on this model will understand why. 

[TheChronicOne]

This sounds really cool! Personally, I've never seen a Kuwait model.  And, I'm not even familiar with the Swift...(I know, I know, y'all don't kill me..  lol  )  Definitely looking forward to your build completion. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Nice idea! The Swift has a lot of whiffing potential, looking forward to the results of this build. 

[The Rat]

Nice idea! The Swift has a lot of whiffing potential, looking forward to the results of this build. 

It's one of those kits that's a whiff out of the box. The overall shape is pretty good, but it's a bit of a mash-up between variants, and it has four wing fences, which AFAIK the Swift didn't have. Add four bombs under the wings, again spurious, and you get the idea that someone was confused about how to make the model. But it's got a good fit, and as you said the potential for whiffing is almost unlimited.

[NARSES2]

Always thought the Swift was a little to short and tubby to be truly attractive and when they added that huge belly tank ?? Mind you without it, it wasn't going any where fast.

I have seen a Hawk Swift but not in that box. Looking forward to the scheme you put her in.

[zenrat]

Always thought the Swift was a little to short and tubby to be truly attractive...

I'm with you there.
Perhaps it should have been the Supermarine Seagoon? 

[The Rat]

Always thought the Swift was a little to short and tubby to be truly attractive and when they added that huge belly tank ?? Mind you without it, it wasn't going any where fast.

I have seen a Hawk Swift but not in that box. Looking forward to the scheme you put her in.

It was originally designed around a centrifugal flow engine, so that dictated a fatter fuselage. It certainly looked ungainly compared to the Hunter, but really, wouldn't anything?    But it was a lot tougher, and was a much better low-level aircraft. As I have said here before, ad nauseum, if the RAF had realised what they had, the PR role, and perhaps even an attack variant, would have made quite a career for it.

[NARSES2]

Yup very good at tactical recon but not sure about an attack variant unless you could increase it's payload potential ? Mind you we are talking 50/60's I suppose so cannon and rockets/a couple of 500 lb bombs would probably be ok.

[PR19_Kit]

As I have said here before, ad nauseum, if the RAF had realised what they had, the PR role, and perhaps even an attack variant, would have made quite a career for it.

But they did, the FR5 was very good in its specialised role and won numerous NATO PR competitions in the period. But the PR Hunter was even better and replaced it.

[The Rat]

As I have said here before, ad nauseum, if the RAF had realised what they had, the PR role, and perhaps even an attack variant, would have made quite a career for it.

But they did, the FR5 was very good in its specialised role and won numerous NATO PR competitions in the period. But the PR Hunter was even better and replaced it.

My point was that the FR role may have come a lot earlier. And according to Swift Justice, by Nigel Walpole, the Swift was actually a better FR platform than the Hunter. It was much steadier at low altitude, whereas the Hunter bounced around enough to give some pilots motion sickness.

[The Rat]

Yup very good at tactical recon but not sure about an attack variant unless you could increase it's payload potential ? Mind you we are talking 50/60's I suppose so cannon and rockets/a couple of 500 lb bombs would probably be ok.

My backstory will probably involve it getting an Avon 207, with afterburning, giving it a lot more power. The Avon RA.7R/114 in the FR Mk5 was rated at 7,175 lb dry, 9,450 lb with reheat. A 207 was rated at 10,145 lb dry, so with reheat, hmmm, maybe 13,000 - 13,500? And I've often thought that the extra space around the engine, left over from replacing the Nene, could possibly be used for fuel tanks. (figures from Wikipedia)

And Tiltman Langley Labs will probably be involved again, they did such sterling work on the real world aircraft that they should have gotten equal billing with Supermarine. If not for them it may never have seen any worthwhile service.

[sideshowbob9]

....And according to Swift Justice, by Nigel Walpole, the Swift was actually a better FR platform than the Hunter...

By coincidence I'm reading through this at the moment (next is Black Box Canberras). The Swift really found it's niche in low-level recce albeit belatedly. I think the replacement by the Hunter was more to do with commonality than capability. The Hunter was of course by far the better fighter but the Swift was pushing around RF Voodoos at the NATO comps! Now that's impressive!

Really looking forward to seeing this. Since as you say, there is a fair bit of space left from the earlier Nene installation, what about a cropped-fan Conway?

ETA: An early Conway has approx the same diameter as the Avon RA.7R but is significantly heavier. Near twice the thrust will go a ways to offsetting that though!

https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1961/1961%20-%200996.html
https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1954/1954%20-%202510.PDF

[Captain Canada]

Why wait ? Ku-wait ! 

Look forward to seeing some pics Davey.

[The Rat]

Okay, first dab of paint has been applied, second has been done since this (crappy cel phone) picture was taken. Can't be bothered scratching a cockpit so the canopy has just been painted blue on the inside, hasn't actually been glued on yet, decaling soon.

[Dizzyfugu]

Sexy!