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Hello All, In an exercise in sheer perversity, here's the old tool Airfix Gladiator from 1957, upgraded a bit and using the spare canopy from the new tool Airfix Gladiator. I only bought this kit to get the 72 Squadron decals, but then got waylaid into building this as "Hope": It was quite fun, but ultimately you know that there is a much better kit out there (next to this one on my bench!) and so it's ultimately an exercise in frustration. Now to finish the new one! Thanks for looking, Adrian

Hello All, I was looking for another straightforward OOB build to follow the Airfix Heinkel 111. So off to Ebay to order a brand-spanking-new Airfix Gladiator: However, I wanted to do the 72 Squadron colours, so I ordered, again off Ebay, a cheap old Airfix Gladiator (thanks guys!) with a really good decal sheet that includes the scheme: So, a really cheap alternative decal sheet and I have al the things I need for a straightforward build, right? Throw the old one away and off we go?? Well, then I got to thinking,,, I could do a three-blade propeller Sea Gladiator scheme. The spare armoured windscreen canopy from the new kit could be used to replace the dire canopy in the old kit: ... but it's a lot thinner: 77 So whereas the old canopy fits the old fuselage (yes, I've started sanding).... The new canopy can be made to fit the old fuselage if it's sanded down to reduce its width: The fin shows how much has been sanded off to make the canopy fit. I've lost my "pilot on a shelf" in all the sanding and I've sanded down the cowling in preparation for some more fettling. And then I remembered this: I was in LA at the end of last year and made a trip to Everett's model shop in Santa Monica. I spoke to a very nice man behind the counter who used to be in a band that toured the UK (but I never asked him what the band was - doh!) and I picked up a Life-Like re-pop of the Inpact Gladiator. So I thought I might as well drag this one out as well. It's beautifully moulded (as are all the Inpact kits) but it is missing a windscreen (no problem, I will make some new canopies) and it has short-shot interplane struts (slightly bigger problem but hey that's the hobby). Ah, this isn't going to be OOB any more, is it? Maybe next time! Thanks for looking, Adrian

Evening all, Just finished this lovely kit. And what do you know, it's not a bomber. In fact I do a fair share of things that aren't bombers. Anyway, I didn't do much with this apart from a Quickboost seat. The aircraft was rigged with stretched sprue and the decals come from the Pavla kit, which in all likelihood will now never be built. Hope it looks OK in the less than optimal lighting. Cheers, Matt

Hi gents, I've just finished this - the Airfix Gloster Gladiator in the markings of an aircraft of the Norwegian Jagevingen (Fighter Flight) at Fornebu, Oslo in April 1940 - decals from the DP Casper 'Forgotten Operations - Weserübung' decal sheet DPC72015: This aircraft, flown by Sergeant Kristian Fredrik Schye of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, was engaged in combat with the Luftwaffe on 09 April 1940. Sgt Schye brought down a Bf110C of 1./ZG76 (the M8+FH flown by Unteroffizier Helmut Mütschele and gunner Gefreiter Karl Lorey) but minutes later was himself shot down by Leutnant Helmut Lent. Sergeant Schye force-landed his Gladiator, having been slightly wounded by cannon shell fragments but was released from hospital after a couple of days. A more detailed account of the action can be found here I built the Bf110 that Sergeant Schye shot down as part of the BF110 Group Build here - here is the 'Dogfight Double' shot: This is my first Airfix Gladiator and was as much as anything a test-bed for rigging, which I had not attempted before. I learned a great deal in the process and while I am not unhappy with how it turned out the experience gained in this build will make my next one better... I had no issues with the kit apart from some difficulty fitting the engine cowling which could probably have been avoided if I had been more careful. The photographs I was able to find of this aircraft were not conclusive but seem to indicate that ski landing gear was fitted at the time the aircraft was shot down, but while the skis provided with the Airfix kit are fine for the Swedish or Finnish versions they are not appropriate for the Norwegian aircraft which used a different type... in any case the skis and wheels were interchangeable, and there are pictures of Norwegian Gladiators on snow-covered ground with the wheels fitted, so that's my justification and I intend to stick to it I would thank our esteemed forum colleague Procopius for pointing me in the direction of the EZ Line with which the model was rigged, and our equally esteemed colleague Cookenbacher for putting the 'Dogfight Double' idea into my head in the first place - thank you both Cheers, Stew

Being rather intrigued by the night/white underside painting of early-war RAF types, I was wondering what types were so painted. So far I have both the Hurricane & Spitfire, but am curious about whether other types, such as the Gladiator, Blenheim, Wellington, and Battle were similarly marked. Thanks.

Hi All, I have got 2 Gladiators, 2 Hurricanes and a Tiger Moth in this WIP, hopefully there should be some finished models soon. Obligatory kit pics. Gladiator Tiger Moth. I want to build an Aussie plane, on the decal sheet there are decals for a Tiger Moth in New Guinea. I will upload an image of the aircraft colour schemes Hurricane. I was only going to build one but have decided I like both sets of markings. None of these kits came from Toyworld, they came from Hannants. Thanks for looking. Stephen

Hi all. Here is my example of a Gloster Gladiator Mk1 of the Norwegian Air Force in 1940. It is the Roden kit that I built about 8 years ago when I was going through my WW2 fighter phase. Built OOB and if memory serves me correctly, it was a 'measure twice, cut once' type of kit. Also, being my first (and last) biplane, the rigging was a baptism of fire that I didn't particularly enjoy. IIRC, I used Humbrol aluminium as the overall doping colour, national markings were airbrushed on and the numerals were DIY using decal paper and my inkjet printer. Weathering was kept to the minimum using pastels. Thanks for viewing. C & C's welcome.

I'm about to start building the Gladiator that Roald Dahl crashed in Egypt in 1940 (K7911) and am wondering if it would have had any squadron codes applied. Dahl's logbook for the flight lists only the serial, and it was a ferry flight to 80 Squadron from 102 MU at Abu Sueir. Now according to this K7911 was with 80 for it's entire operational life so it's reasonable to surmise the "YK" codes were applied at some point. http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/gladiator_raf_80.htm According to the same source though K7911 looks to have been non-operational for a couple of months before it's final flight (presumably while at 102 MU). So code options are: None "YK-?" (guess letter) "YK-" (squadron code assigned but no individual letter. I've seen it suggested that the codes would have been removed at the MU (as part of a repaint perhaps?), but I'm having trouble finding any sources to confirm this. Does anyone know more about what would have been likely? Would the codes have been removed at the MU to be reapplied on the squadron? Alternatively I could just build it with no codes as it left the factory

Hi All, We have just finished some upgrade sets for Airfix Gloster Gladiator: 72018 1/72 Gloster Gladiator wheel set (covered) for Airfix kit 72019 1/72 Gloster Gladiator wheel set (spoked) for Airfix kit 72015 1/72 Gloster Gladiator engine set (Bristol Mercury) for Airfix kit further info: www.sbsmodel.com Cheers, Csaba

Hi all, I'm planning to build the Airfix Gladiator in Latvian markings using decals from Print Scale and Kora, using the swastikas from the former and the serial number/insignia from the latter. I would appreciate it if anyone could confirm what shade of olive/khaki/green was used- the Insigna Magazine monograph on Latvian Air Force aircraft and the Print Scale instructions say dark green but the Kora instructions say khaki (FS 20040). Thanks in advance for your help.

OOB, the new Airfix kit, a joy to build, fit is very good. Gave me alot of trouble to get the paint scheme right, as reference is very limited, but used information this tread here from Brit modeller. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.p...ay#entry1493798 Decal are from DP Casper. Cheers Jes

Got that new beautiful Airfix Gladiator, checked some available books (Warpaint, Mushroom Gladiator monography and "Desert Prelude", Kagero 112 squadron, other)... ...and I'm confused. I know that in the early period of 1940 desert fights Gladiators were in "normal" Dark Earth/Dark Green camouflage. But later? In Egypt/Lybia? In Sudan, East Africa? In SAAF? Mushroom in "Desert Prelude" for example even gives some strange colours I've never heard (light blue, some browns other than Dark/Light Earth)... What was the "desert camouflage" for Gladiator? Truly desert, I mean, not the DE/DG/Night/White?

Hi folks a little fun build as there was a set of BoB markings on a sheet I have for a camoflaged Gladiator.nice simple little kit to build,apologies for the rigging not a strong point of mine,used the thinnest grade of evergreen strip which would be better for 1/48 scale thanks for looking.

The new tool 1/72 Gloster Gladiator from Airfix is due into stock tomorrow. We received an advance copy so we have uploaded some sprue shots for you. The kit comes in two sprues, plus one for the clear parts. http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/airfix-172-gloster-gladiator-mki/ There are 2 sprues of parts - sprue A. The kit only comes with the 2-bladed propeller And logically enough Sprue B. This has options for weighted and non-weighted tyres. The clear parts include options for open and closed canpoies and there are 2 different windscreen designs. Decal options are for the Shuttleworth Collection's aircraft in the markings of K7985 73 Squadron and aircraft 26 of the Irish Air Corps in 1940. One nice touch in the instructions is the inclusion of a rigging diagram.

Hi All, Here are some Finnish Gloster Gladiator aircraft pictures; 79503 79205 20742 21535 21536 159365 159366 All images SA-kuva. More Gladiator pictures can be found here at the Finnish Wartime Photographic Archive. Cheers, Daniel.

RAF Gladiator 1:72 Hobbyboss The Gloster Galdiator was developed as a private venture with the aim of fulfilling Air Ministry Specification F.7/30. This called for a fighter aircraft armed with four machine guns and capable of 250 mph. Rather than opting for a new design, Gloster opted to develop a proposal from the existing Gauntlet fighter. The resulting aircraft featured aerodynamic improvements, cantilever undercarriage, an extra pair of machine guns, a more powerful engine and, finally, a completely enclosed cockpit. The Gladiator flew for the first time in September 1934 and entered service in January 1937. Such was the pace of aeronautical development in the late 1930s that the Gladiator was becoming obsolete even as it was entering service. Nevertheless, over 700 examples were built (including navalised Sea Gladiators) and it saw action in most theatres of the Second World War. Despite being more demanding to fly than the Gauntlet, the Gladiator was popular with pilots. Perhaps the Galdiators finest hour was the defence of Malta in 1940, when a handful of aircraft formed the entire air defence of the besieged island. Before I get any further, I think its only fair to underline the fact that this kit is part of Hobbybosss easy assembly range. Those demanding the last word in detail should look away now; you are not the market that Hobbyboss is targeting with this kit! The kit arrives packed into a very sturdy top-opening box adorned with a rather quaint photograph of the finished kit superimposed onto a simple image of the sky. Inside the box are two sprues of grey plastic, one small clear sprue and a separately moulded lower fuselage/wing and upper fuselage. In common with other Hobbyboss kits, the parts are extremely well packed. All of the sprues are individually bagged and the more delicate components such as the canopy are wrapped in foam for extra protection. The plastic parts are nicely moulded and surface detail is comprised of fine, engraved panel lines and stretched fabric effect where appropriate. As you might expect from a kit designed to be easy to assemble, the cockpit is a relatively simple affair. It is comprised of a floor/rear bulkead, a seat and a control column. There is no instrument panel to speak of, and no decals to represent luxurious details like flight instruments. The finished assembly clips into two large sockets on the inside of the lower fuselage/wing section. This, in turn, joins to the upper fuselage/tail and completes the substantial part of the airframe. The Bristol Pegasus engine is moulded inside the cowling. This obviously keeps the part count down, but it is a compromise in terms of detail. It also means that the bulbous shape of the cowling has been missed, resulting in a more tube-shaped piece instead. A choice of two airscrews is provided. One has a spinner fitted whilst the other doesnt, but both are variants of the two-bladed version found on the Mk.I. The fit of the upper wing to the rest of the airframe is reminiscent of the old (and in my opinion pretty good) Matchbox kit. The inner struts have to be trapped between the forward fuselage and the separately moulded section that sits forward of the cockpit. The outer struts are parallelograms that fit between the lower and upper wings. A little care will need to be taken to ensure that everything lines up, but Hobbyboss have made things as easy as possible short of providing a jig. The fabric surfaces of the wings, tail planes and rear fuselage are fairly well done, but the underwing machine guns look a little clunky and overscale. The cantilever undercarriage is moulded with separate port and starboard legs, and the wheels are fairly nice. The exhaust pipes that run from the back of the cowling underneath the fuselage are also separately moulded. The canopy is moulded in one piece but is thin and clear, with nice canopy frame lines. Two marking options are provided: K7985 in overall silver. This aircraft forms part of the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden; and N5519 Charity. This is actually a Sea Gladiator, which is a bit of a puzzle as the kit features no arrestor hook. The decals are fairly well printed and look reasonably thin and glossy on the sheet, but only major markings and serials are covered. Conclusion As with most of the Hobbyboss Easy Assembly range, this kit wont be to everyones tastes. Ease of assembly is clearly the principal design philosophy behind the range, which means compromises have been made in terms of detail and, in one or two instances, shape. The kit is not entirely spartan, however, and Hobbyboss have done pretty well to cram in as much detail as they have. If you want a richly detailed kit, you might want to hang on and see what Airfix produce later this year. If you just want a quick build (or a model for a youngster to make), then this kit is well worth considerating. Review sample courtesy of