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1/72 Airfix Gnat's at the double!


Val

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Hi all,

The Seafire is coming to a close, so this is what's up next.

IMG_2605_zpsed599b02.jpg

Ok, I was expecting to do a Revell Lanc (Dambuster) and an Airfix 727 next, but as my other half got me the Red Arrow's boxing of the Gnat for Christmas, which was very special considering she can't stand model aircraft, I thought I'd get that up the build list along with the original boxing from the stash.

Plan is to make them side-by-side, Tamiya gloss red for the red arrow, and Citadel silver for the high speed silver version. I'm guessing the Red Arrow's version wouldn't have an ejector seat in the back? I'm going to put it in anyway rather than have an empty space smile.gif ! They'll be OOB with the exception of seatbelts which will either by milliput or Tamiya tape.

And this is where we are up to, no dramas so far....:

IMG_2607_zps392f31e5.jpg

More to follow.

Val

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Red Arrow Gnats did indeed have ejector seats in the back. Otherwise there would be nowhere for the travelling circus member or fellow pilot to seat. it would also put the weights and balance of the machine out of kilter

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Red Arrow Gnats did indeed have ejector seats in the back. Otherwise there would be nowhere for the travelling circus member or fellow pilot to seat. it would also put the weights and balance of the machine out of kilter

Ahhh cool, yeap makes sense. Thanks for the info, Andy :)

Val

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  • 4 weeks later...

just been given this one my self, the red arrows one, so will need lots of tip's :winkgrin:

Aahhh cool, well I've not done much since last posting as I've had lots of work on. (really gets in the way of modelling, doesn't it? :rofl: ). In fact, all I've done is fit the air intakes. Now, they are a very tight fit... Rumour has it the best thing to do is to fit the air intakes before fitting the cockpit side wall. I didn't do that on either build so the tip is too late for me... Hopefully you've still got a chance to save yourself!!

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I really enjoyed the Red Arrows Gnat I did just after Christmas, easy to build with very little fuss. I'll be checking in to see how you're getting on :)

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Red Arrow Gnats did indeed have ejector seats in the back. Otherwise there would be nowhere for the travelling circus member or fellow pilot to seat. it would also put the weights and balance of the machine out of kilter

They certainly did.

Perk of the job for one of the groundies to pile in the back seat for a ride to a show.

They still do it now with the Hawks.

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They certainly did.

Perk of the job for one of the groundies to pile in the back seat for a ride to a show.

They still do it now with the Hawks.

How cool is that?! I'd love a ride in a hawk :) not much chance of that as a kitchen designer!! Lol

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The Red Arrows Gnat was my first build back. It was pretty uncomplicated although I remember fitting the wing to the fuselage took a while to get right. My main problem was how tiny all the undercarriage pieces were, that called for patience. I did paint the backseat pilot with a blue flight suit as a laugh, got to show respect for the circus.

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Yes Val,but they have to do some work when they get there :work:

To be honest, after seeing some of my work on plastic kits, I wouldn't want to get in a real hawk that I've repaired! :pilot:

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Rumour has it the best thing to do is to fit the air intakes before fitting the cockpit side wall. I didn't do that on either build so the tip is too late for me

Noted!

Just starting mine with a light in the nose at the moment, Seems to be a well made kit.

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your right about the tight fit of the air intakes, took a bit of fettling and got a fair fit, but I hadn't fitted the cockpit yet.

this is my first model in twenty odd years but it's fun getting back into it, lots more info on line know, :thumbsup:

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To be honest, after seeing some of my work on plastic kits, I wouldn't want to get in a real hawk that I've repaired! :pilot:

Ooh I heard some tales of peeps getting into the back seat of kites they'd repaired,I used to work

with an ex-RAF Phantom and Canberra techie.................

Edited by Miggers
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Ooh I heard some tales of peeps getting into the back seat of kites they'd repaired,I used to work

with an ex-RAF Phantom and Canberra techie.................

Cool, I bet you've heard some great stories! I'd love to get up close to a Phantom, I absolutely love them!

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Well, just incase you were getting worried, I'm back with a (minor) update! Essentially I've painted the seats, and glued on the intakes. The intakes will fit better if you fit them before the cockpit side walls apparently. It was too late for me, save yourselves! I've left my self with some minor sanding on the intakes, not the end of the world.

DD7B74D5-EC04-4A4F-A591-5C14EECB5F25_zps

I was hoping to add some milliput seatbelts, but I got everything absolutely covered in milliput before I got it to the model. I was missing the secret ingredient of talc before I got to the model, apparently. So I bailed out of that and decided I'd add some belts with tape or wire next time.

I also managed to snap one of the joysticks off, so I've added a scratch one. The canopy is going to closed on both of these gnats, so not too worried about the pit.

C0151F55-5E06-46F6-933C-BA550C728C27_zps

So next step is belts, picking out details, decal IPs, simple wash, quick dry brush, have a beer and think about buttoning her up.

Cheers,

Val

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Ok, minor update:

F02ADC9A-211A-4BC1-9EC6-51462C46B0FA_zps

339AB11B-6DB2-4018-8216-6AE3F87AD6ED_zps

Basically I've glued the wings together along with the under wing tanks. Although I only need them for the trainer version, I made four so I can pick the best!! biggrin.gif

No dramas here at all. In fact, after doing the Airfix 727, I'm never moaning about the fit of a modern kit again!!

Val

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These new Airfix kits seem to go together very nicely, good work.

Ian

Yes they certainly do. The Seafire I just made was basically a snap together kit because the fit was so good :)

Val

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Hi all,

A little bit more progress. I added wire seatbelts and I added some wire ejector seat handles. They are a bit crude, but as I am going to have the canopy closed on both, they will do. I have then added Citadel Nuln Oil wash, which is a very similar principle to Phil Flory's ink wash. This is the result:

EDE726C6-5918-4FDE-98BF-97D5D055CDC7_zps

5cc0afa3-206c-4a99-9a39-c0b0b3f793a9_zps

It looks dark, but that's ok as the next step is to dry brush, which was just done in the base colour:

D4EEF7EF-12CA-443B-9260-8BD882217018_zps

So basically next step is to highlight again with a lighter base colour, dry brushing a bit more selectively and then painting a few more details. Then the planes can be zipped up.

Cheers all smile.gif

Val

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