"Smoke on, Go!" - Airfix 1/48 Folland Gnat T.1

[Fatcawthorne]

Hello all,

Having fought and fought and fought with the Italeri 1/48 single seat Eurofighter Typhoon for at least two months, we're tied at a fall apiece in a best of three falls or submissions contest. It needs its stickers, I need my sanity back!

In a bid to enjoy modelling again (I'm sure that I heard a grubby rumour that this is the reason we put ourselves through this isn't it?) I wanted a simple, very British build and what a time to have a Made in Britain GB pull up at the stop - such luck!

I looked through the stash and it's roughly split 50/50 between "British" RAF/FAA types (from between the wars onwards), that would fit the bill for this GB and US/European RAF/FAA types and Jerry targets that wouldn't. Oh and there's a fair few buses too, the Revell Routemaster, the Airfix Old Bill and loads of Kiel Kraft and Tower Models OO scale kits. However the Revell Routemaster was just too daunting for the current mojo levels and the Airfix one just too old to be a viceless build and the others, well they were just too small (no other reason!). Still Red was becoming a recurring theme whilst gazing over the stash and thanks to their recent Winter Sale I have two lovely new Airfix Red Arrow Gnats that stood me in at less than nine quid each (and they've put the picture of the plane upside down on the box!!!).

The intention is to do XS107 in her 1977 markings (Silver Jubilee year, again how much more British do you want!). I have the Xtracrylics Red Arrows Red paint too already in the paint drawer so let's go!

I will start at the beginning, and the beginning is predictably a box top and sprues shot - wahoo!

Now I have had another frustrating afternoon at the shop repairing my IT set up before re-opening for 2016; Grrr a few days back the Power Unit on my main PC gave a little puff of smoke, but in a sick last-gasp joke the surge it caused must have corrupted my operating system boot files as I am unable to boot the hard disk on any of my other PCs despite all the files being visible - Grrr! I know if I overwrite with some new boot files I will probably do something stupid like reformat the disk so will have to copy the old hard drive before I start that. But that's for another day!

I therefore came home a touch on the non-plussed side with the world. Ah the joys of self-employment - I am the Sales, the Production, the Catering and it seems also the IT Department too! Anyways back to modelling.

As I said the Typhoon was now at transfers stage, so had been taken off the workbench and downstairs to the kitchen for a right royal stickering!

Therefore I sat down at my now empty bench and having taken the obligatory photos I started to cut, saw, sand and primer as much of this kit as I could. I was having so much fun I didn't realise that 3 hours had passed in a flash and that Mrs FC was glowering at me for not coming out of the man-cave for tea.

Anyways the reason I was having so much fun was that I was just blown away by the quality of this beautiful little kit. I loved the way the intake trunking fitted to the fuselage and still left a distinct splitter plate (I will try to get a close up of this once construction is a little further down the line). I loved the detail in the cockpit; I think many resin aftermarket companies really would struggle to better in resin what Airfix have produced in styrene.

My only additions if I wasn't going OOB with this build would be a seat belt set and P/E IPs. The choice of plain seats for the "Nosegunner" to inhabit (thanks Debs) or a reasonable stab at moulded-in belts for the no nosegunner option sealed the OOB deal for me as I think the depicted belts are the best I've seen on a mainstream OOB kit. Again once constructed and painted I will back this up with a close up or two.

I wasn't even phased by the short shot headbox on one of the MB 4GT/1s (the diddly little bang-seats that Martin Baker made especially for the oh so tiny Gnat if I'm correctly advised), as cutting the required shape from some Evergreen sheet was a painless experience.

Here's where we have got to so far with everything masked off where necessary to keep paint off of mating surfaces and a shot of Halfords grey primer on everything in sight.

Do you know what, I think I fancy another hour of this. I think I have been Gnat bitten.

Well me luvlies, it's been great chatting but TTFN and thanks for sticking with me on this.

Chris

[Rob G]

Looks like you're having more fun with this one than I am with its 1/72th cousin. The little one is horrible, nothing fits. It reminds me very much of a limited run kit...

I shall be watching this build and envying you every step of the way.

[Fatcawthorne]

Looks like you're having more fun with this one than I am with its 1/72th cousin. The little one is horrible, nothing fits. It reminds me very much of a limited run kit...

I shall be watching this build and envying you every step of the way.

Ah so there is an advantage to having failing eyesight and arthritic fingers then (surely the only true reasons to be a 1/48 modeller)!

Wish you all the best for the little 'un.

Chris

[Col.]

A rather British subject in every way possible

I was about to say I can promise you a far easier project than your troublesome Typhoon but it seems you've found that out already

[CliffB]

This should be a real beauty

Cliff

[Fatcawthorne]

A rather British subject in every way possible

I was about to say I can promise you a far easier project than your troublesome Typhoon but it seems you've found that out already

This should be a real beauty

Cliff

Thanks for your support fellas, I will wear it always!

Made a bit of progress with the intakes and the cockpit. My mojo-retaining plan is to build this OOB so I am aiming to use the moulded on seatbelts from the kit. I do know that the back seat had different arrangements to suit the Reds using it as a single-seater but details like that don't worry me for this build.

Anyways, let's have a look at where we're at with the office.

I picked up some tips from Roy Sutherlands blog on Seat Painting,

http://barracudacals.blogspot.com.au/2015/12/how-to-paint-resin-seat-with-molded-in.html

In particular I liked the future wash idea so have used it for the first time on this build. OK I haven't matted everything down yet but I'm quite chuffed with the overall effects that it gives.

I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't spot the ejector pin marks on the cockpit sidewalls earlier so as to correct them, however in the flesh they look nothing like as prominent as they do in the photos.

The intakes fitted together reasonably but I think the thickness of a couple of coats of paint may make a slight difference to the "naked" fit.

I've used Xtacryllics Red Arrows Red on the intakes but again in a "too late was the cry" moment I have since discovered that the Gnats used a darker shade of red to the Hawks that I now believe that this shade is concocted for.

Again, I will not let this upset me, however I know it will hit nerves with some of you and I apologise for that.

As the photos are larger than the real thing, you get to see mould lines and seams etc that are not visible to my Mk.1 Eyeball (one of the advantages of modelling in the dark!) so I will give the intake lip a bit more of a clean up now I've seen it!

I have to say I really like the way the kit's breakdown of parts allows something as prominent as say the intake splitter plate to be fashioned so realistically in my opinion.

The only snag I've really hit so far is with the fit of the intakes/main gear wells/fuselage as although they dry-fitted perfectly, aligning 100% with the model's centreline, on the real go the rear of the intakes has come up a fraction of a mil too wide and had needed some attention from the sanding sticks to allow the fuselage halves to join without a gap. I'm pretty sure this is my ham-fistedness as I didn't pick this up in anyone elses' builds on here and will keep it in mind for when I build my next one (for there are 2 more in the stash!).

That's enough for now. Next steps are that I'm going to matt down the office with W&N Galleria, install the jet pipes and join the fuselage halves.

Have a good one out there and TTFN 'til next time.

Chris

[Col.]

Looking good Chris. If you leave the jetpipe out it can be installed after painting. That means you can shove a pencil up its bum to hold the model while painting and avoids having to mask it as well.

[Fatcawthorne]

Looking good Chris. If you leave the jetpipe out it can be installed after painting. That means you can shove a pencil up its bum to hold the model while painting and avoids having to mask it as well.

Well, I had already cemented the jetpipe to the back-plate but a bit of wiggling with Stan soon popped them apart. Thanks Col.

The only problem now is that I did stick a pencil up its bum after the main construction was completed and I managed to snap the back plate off. Another bridge to cross later eh!

Here's a couple of shots showing that we're not far off of putting some primer on.

The sharp-eyed might spot a fair amount of Perfect Plastic Putty has been used as the rear fuselage to rear wing join was an absolute pig. I'm pretty sure that was down to the ham-fistedness of constructing the intake ducts earlier, and is something I will be vary wary of when I build the next one.

There was also a smidge needed on the belly, esp next to the slightly off-centre fairing where quite a step formed.

I just need to smooth out the gloop formed by adding the aerials with liquid cement and trim the smoke generator pipes and I can crack open and give a good long shake of the primer.

What do you think would undercoat the Xtracrylx Red Arrows Red best, Halford's white or grey?

Anyways it's time for bed, this going back to work lark after a couple of weeks off has been a real shock to the system.

TTFN

Chris

[Col.]

Nice work there Chris. I had to use filler in exactly the same areas with my one so you're not the only one to have found the fit less than perfect there.

Go with grey for your undercoat; I made the mistake of trying to paint the red sections on my Gnat over both grey and white areas and while it looked fine over the grey it needed a few coats to hide the white.