FAA Wif

[Dork the kit slayer]

Narse and I were musing over what if the Royal Navy advisers in pre war Japan came back with the "Kate" as
the torpedo aircraft of choice for the FAA.

The original Kate would have been a better choice,it having an engine cowling very similar to the Swordfish,but as usual with most
of my projects I didnt have a Swordfish or an early Kate. ( I believe it is in the pipeline for an Airfix future release)

The rear turret came from Narse and I still have to decide what armament to fit. (Single or twin machine gun) I replaced the original Japanese Long Lance torpedo with a British (Swordfish) torpedo.
(Thanks again Chris)
Paint is Tamiya acrylic mix EDSG Slate and Sky.

[Captain Canada]

Nice one. The camo looks perfect ! Quite a large aeroplane

[Doug K]

Nice job, given the closeness of RN & IJN only a decade earlier the story hangs together really well

[sandiego89]

Looks great! 

A photo of the underside and the torpedo would be appreciated  

[Dork the kit slayer]

 

Looks great!  

A photo of the underside and the torpedo would be appreciated  

Ill see what I can do.

[Joe C-P]

That's a fine whiffing.

[PR19_Kit]

That looks too plausible for its own good. 

The FAA didn't get that far on the evolution tree with its own RW torpedo carriers until the Firebrand, maybe the Barracuda........

[Dork the kit slayer]

That looks too plausible for its own good.  

The FAA didn't get that far on the evolution tree with its own RW torpedo carriers until the Firebrand, maybe the Barracuda........

.....................but its got long wings

[PR19_Kit]

That looks too plausible for its own good.  

The FAA didn't get that far on the evolution tree with its own RW torpedo carriers until the Firebrand, maybe the Barracuda........

.....................but its got long wings

That it has. 

[The Rat]

That just looks right! 

[Weaver]

That's an excellent idea: nice one! 

Just thinking out loud, but imagine a Kate with a Skua/Roc style vertical windscreen, a 4-gun Boulton-Paul turret and a torpedo. Loads of people would look at it and go "oh yeah, it's a Blackburn..wait, what?" 

[Dork the kit slayer]

I agree "Weaver", the Boulton Paul turret was one of the first options. Alas as in all things modelling it was quite an expense to source a kit for just the turret. Hence the retractable Blemhiem turret. Sourced via our mate Narses (as was just about everything else apart from the Kate)

If ,and its a big if,I were to try this in 1:48th I think that would be a great way to go. You give me ideas above my station old mate..................misty eyed Telford trophy acceptance speech,pics in model mags etc.  

[Weaver]

Well you can always do 'something' else with the rest of the Defiant. I've got a half-Finnished* ground-attack one with skis and an Anson turret.



*Nope, not a typo.....

[Dork the kit slayer]

Alas your imagination is writing cheques my talents ( and time) cant cash. 

[Dizzyfugu]

That works surprisingly well! Any the machine looks rather modern, like a Spearfish alternative. A Centaurus in the nose would have been appropriate, too?! Cool.