Matchbox PK-112 Fairey Swordfish Mk.I/Mk.III — 1/72 Scale Plastic model kit

Manufacturer: Matchbox / Lesney

Kit number: PK-112

UPC: 035995421271

Aircraft: Fairey Swordfish Mk.I / Mk.III

Scale: 1/72

Type: British WWII torpedo bomber / naval strike aircraft

Original tooling: 1974

Original parts: approximately 68 pieces

Status: Out of production as a Matchbox kit

Later history: tooling was subsequently reissued under Revell/Matchbox-related packaging, with a later 40120 Swordfish II/III version.

The 1974 Matchbox release is particularly recognisable from its orange-series packaging. The original kit was produced in three plastic colours and contained approximately 68
Matchbox and the history of the kit

Matchbox's plastic model range was produced by Lesney Products, the British company best known for the Matchbox toy-car range.

The plastic-kit division developed a distinctive approach during the 1970s: relatively inexpensive kits, often moulded in several colours, with colourful packaging and subjects that covered a wide range of British and international aircraft.

The Swordfish was one of the company's early 1/72 aircraft subjects, first appearing in 1974 as PK-112. The tooling subsequently went through several box-art and packaging changes. Specialist kit records identify releases in 1974, 1979, 1983 and 1992, followed by a later 1998 version with revised box artwork, decals and the new 40120 catalogue number.

This means that the barcode you supplied is especially useful: it identifies the classic PK-112 rather than one of the later reboxed versions.
Kit contents

The original PK-112 is a relatively simple vintage 1/72 kit by modern standards.

Contemporary modelling examination records approximately:

56 principal parts

additional rockets/ordnance

display stand

approximately 68 pieces overall depending upon how the separate weapons and stand are counted.

The kit includes the principal Swordfish airframe, wings, struts, undercarriage, engine, propeller, cockpit components and weapons.

One of the interesting features is that the kit allows the modeller to represent either a Mk.I torpedo bomber or Mk.III rocket-armed aircraft. The documented markings include:

824 Squadron, HMS Eagle, associated with the Taranto attack period in 1940;

No. 119 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command, 1945.

The Mk.I version uses a torpedo arrangement, while the Mk.III option uses eight rockets and their launch rails.

The kit was intentionally designed as an accessible model rather than a highly detailed museum-quality reproduction. Contemporary reviews describe the cockpit as sparse, while praising the representation of the radial engine and the fabric-covered surfaces.
Vintage Matchbox characteristics

The model displays several features typical of 1970s Matchbox kits:

coloured plastic;

relatively low parts count;

simplified cockpit;

relatively deep panel lines;

separate struts and biplane components;

useful alternative weapon configurations;

colourful packaging.

The deep recessed panel lines—often jokingly described by modellers as "Matchbox trenches"—are characteristic of many kits from this period.

For a collector, however, those features are part of the identity of the original Matchbox tooling.
The real aircraft — Fairey Swordfish

The Fairey Swordfish was a British carrier-based biplane torpedo bomber developed for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.

It first flew in 1934 and entered service in 1936.

By the beginning of the Second World War it was already technologically old-fashioned compared with modern monoplane fighters and bombers.

Nevertheless, its combination of low-speed handling, robust construction, long endurance and excellent carrier suitability allowed it to remain in front-line service throughout the war.

More than 2,300 Swordfish were produced, and the type remained operational until 1945.

That makes the Swordfish an excellent example of an aircraft whose operational usefulness lasted far beyond the period in which its basic design would normally have been considered modern.
Design

The Swordfish was a conventional-looking but highly capable biplane.

It featured:

two-seat/three-seat configurations depending upon version;

folding wings for carrier storage;

fixed undercarriage;

fabric-covered wings and control surfaces;

a large radial engine;

torpedo-carrying capability;

bombs or rockets depending upon configuration.

The aircraft's relatively low speed was actually an advantage for some naval operations.

Its low-speed handling allowed it to operate from aircraft carriers and conduct torpedo attacks at speeds that were manageable for the crews.

The drawback was that the Swordfish was extremely vulnerable when exposed to modern fighters.
Engine

The principal wartime Swordfish Mk.I used the Bristol Pegasus radial engine.

Depending on the specific installation, output was approximately 690 hp.

The aircraft's relatively modest power and large biplane wings resulted in a maximum speed of only around 140 mph / 225 km/h.

That figure seems astonishingly low when compared with contemporary fighters.

Yet the Swordfish was never intended to compete with fighters. Its purpose was to deliver torpedoes, bombs or rockets against ships and coastal targets.
Armament

The Swordfish could carry a variety of weapons.

Its most famous weapon was the 18-inch aerial torpedo.

It could also carry:

bombs;

depth charges;

rockets;

machine guns.

The later Mk.III incorporated equipment particularly useful for anti-submarine work, including radar.

This made the Swordfish useful even after its torpedo-bomber role had become increasingly dangerous.
The Taranto attack

The Swordfish's most famous operation was the British attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto on 11–12 November 1940.

Aircraft from HMS Illustrious attacked the Italian naval base using torpedoes and bombs.

The operation demonstrated that carrier aircraft could inflict serious damage on heavily protected battleships inside a major naval harbour.

The attack damaged several Italian battleships and other vessels.

It subsequently became one of the most important examples of carrier air power before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Heller/Matchbox kit's 824 Squadron HMS Eagle marking is especially interesting because the Swordfish also played a central role in Mediterranean carrier operations during this period.
The sinking of Bismarck

The Swordfish is also inseparably associated with the destruction of the German battleship Bismarck.

In May 1941, Swordfish aircraft from HMS Ark Royal attacked Bismarck.

One torpedo struck the ship's stern and damaged the steering system, leaving Bismarck unable to manoeuvre effectively.

The battleship was subsequently intercepted and destroyed by British surface forces.

The Swordfish therefore played a critical role in one of the most famous naval actions of WWII.

The episode also demonstrates the remarkable effectiveness of a seemingly obsolete aircraft: slow and vulnerable, but capable of delivering a weapon that could fundamentally alter the tactical situation.
Why the Swordfish remained in service

The Swordfish was gradually replaced in the torpedo-bomber role by aircraft such as the Fairey Albacore and later the Fairey Barracuda.

However, it remained useful for other missions.

Its low-speed characteristics were particularly valuable for:

anti-submarine patrols;

convoy escort;

reconnaissance;

naval attack;

night operations;

mine-laying;

rocket attacks.

The Swordfish eventually became an important anti-submarine aircraft.

This explains why it remained operational until the end of the European war despite its obsolete appearance.
Swordfish Mk.III

The Mk.III introduced a distinctive radar installation and was primarily intended for anti-submarine warfare.

This makes the Matchbox PK-112 particularly interesting because the modeller can depict two significantly different stages of the Swordfish's career.

The Mk.I represents the famous early-war torpedo-bomber period, while the Mk.III represents the later anti-submarine role.
Production

Approximately 2,400 Swordfish were produced.

Production was undertaken by Fairey and other manufacturers because the aircraft remained in demand for much longer than initially anticipated.

The aircraft's longevity is particularly notable given that it had first flown before the outbreak of WWII.
Survivors

A number of original Swordfish survive in museums and collections.

Several examples have been preserved in the UK, including aircraft associated with the Fleet Air Arm Museum and other aviation collections.

Unlike many less famous WWII aircraft, the Swordfish has a reasonably strong surviving historical presence, making it possible to compare the Matchbox kit with real aircraft.