The Little World

Normally you escaped from the USSR – it rarely went the other way.

In this case the mould for this FROG Swordfish did cross to the east when the British company closed their shop. The Soviets made a few printed additions to the box and instructions then just wiped its bum and sent it out to earn foreign currency. It was a good mould in the hands of FROG and evidently was not worn out by the time it was sold.

There are a few signs of the period – the crew members are crude with gouged-out holes in their backs. there is a tiny bit of misalignment on one sprue tree – hardly enough to worry about. The struts are set into grooves in the wing – and in this I applaud the original designer – it makes for a much easier assembly process.

And the tiny bit of filling or scraping needed for fuselage joining can disappear into the canvas structure. Once there is colour there under a matt finish, all will be well.