Chris Jephcott Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Is it just me or... Is the fit really not as great as I was hoping for? I've had to do a lot of sanding, fettling, readjusting, dry fitting, moving, dry fitting and I've still ended up with a step where the rear of the wing joins the fuselage??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedfellows Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Hey Chris, Its not just you, the kit wasn't as good as the fit of the Sabre, but its not too bad, just persevere! My wing to fuselage is spot on after a bit of sanding :-) Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 I'm keeping on going - of course, there's no problem there - it's just not quite what I was expecting if I'm honest. There's been a few places where I've had to use filler in order to fill out joins, level joins and support various things. That aside, I'm sure it's going to be lovely when it's done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewE Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Not just you. I am making one at the moment and the fit on the wing tanks was poor and the wing/fuselage was not great. On the plus side the cockpit, undercarriage and tailpipe detail is excellent, the canopy is nice and clear and although I have not used them yet the decals look very nice. My biggest bug bear with the kit is the panel lines which I find still too deep and wide so I have filled them all in with milliput and then smoothed off while still wet so that under the paint they are still just visible. For just under £5 though I am still tempted to buy another. With regards the rear of the wings/fuselage joint I ended up removing the wings before the glue had set and taking off some of the plastic to try and eliminate the step. This was mostly successful but there is still a visible band over the top of the fuselage at the rear of the wings. Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Mine wasn't great, either. The wing to fuselage join was really bad. I thought it was my ineptitude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasweir Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I had trouble too with the fit. Surprising really as the other new Airfix mould kits go together without much effort although trying to fit the new Mini's chassis to the bodywork takes a few attempts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Agreed. The undercarriage bays are at best, a dubious fit to the bottom fuselage insert, which itself needed considerable fettling. The wing-fuselage fit also needed some fettling and brute force applied while drying. Fit of small parts, like undercarriage, into locating holes is also poor. The retracting jack for the nosehweel also appears a bit too long. HOWEVER, it is a lovely kit in terms of detail, I've built many more poor-fitting kits, and it's ages since I've seen a kit that looks so "right" once built. It really does capture the looks of the Gnat perfectly. A quantum leap over the old one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 it's ages since I've seen a kit that looks so "right" once built. It really does capture the looks of the Gnat perfectly. A quantum leap over the old one! I second that, and I suppose we become better modellers by overcoming minor fit "issues" and after all it does retail for less than £6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I ahve a suspicion that the soft plastic used has shrunk sightly and that has affected the fit - test shots seem to have had better fit and were a harder plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Puff Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Is it just me or...Is the fit really not as great as I was hoping for? I've had to do a lot of sanding, fettling, readjusting, dry fitting, moving, dry fitting and I've still ended up with a step where the rear of the wing joins the fuselage??? You and me both. I was actually rather disappointed at how badly some of the bits fitted - intakes, tanks, belly panel, wings ... That said, it's STREETS ahead of the old one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albeback52 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Agree largely with the fit comments but, nothing that cannot be overcome with a little patience and effort. The original Gnat was the first ever kit I built ( way back in 1967!!!) . This one is as said already, STREETS ahead of the original. To be honest, I don't really mind a bit of effort. Somehow kits which can be assembled merely by putting glue in at one end, Shaking the box & having a complete model pop out the other end are BORING!! Certainly, the Gnat has a long way to go to match the worst fitting Airfix kit EVER ( my opinion only) - the TSR 2 (1/72) . Even the 1/72 Concorde was an easier build!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Agree largely with the fit comments but, nothing that cannot be overcome with a little patience and effort. The original Gnat was the first ever kit I built ( way back in 1967!!!) . This one is as said already, STREETS ahead of the original. To be honest, I don't really mind a bit of effort. Somehow kits which can be assembled merely by putting glue in at one end, Shaking the box & having a complete model pop out the other end are BORING!! Certainly, the Gnat has a long way to go to match the worst fitting Airfix kit EVER ( my opinion only) - the TSR 2 (1/72) . Even the 1/72 Concorde was an easier build!! On a dry fitting most of my Gnat seemed ok, apart from wing and tanks. Worst fitting Aifix kit, Spad VII, Yak 9 or IL2 seemed pretty dire at the time (1980ish) Merlin TSR2 was definitely awful, mine had bits of mould attached. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don McIntyre Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 The only problem I've seen with the Airfix Gnat, is that it's not in 1/48th scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy K Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 The only problem I've seen with the Airfix Gnat, is that it's not in 1/48th scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) The only problem I've seen with the Airfix Gnat, is that it's not in 1/48th scale. Agreed... I would LOVE to make a 'Hot Shots' Gnat! Edited April 2, 2012 by Parabat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
square-peg Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Hi there, I'm well into my second Gnat, having thrown the first one against a wall in disgust! I was upset by the step abaft the wing, the poor under wing joint and the sloppy steps between the fuselage halves. OK, so on number two.... The fuselage is actually more cut outs and gaps than continuous airframe and its all just a bit wishy-washy and sloppy, and this is where the poor fit seems (to me) to originate. Rather than just apply glue and bash the fuselage halves together, I took a bit of time to "stitch" the fuselage one section at a time from back to front. This means that the fuselage joint took three modelling nights work but its worth it when you put the wings on, the saving in filler and no need to rescribe all of those panel lines that are a tad heavy but look ok under primer and paint. Im now waiting with bated breath for another three Gnats to come into my local shop, so I can ignore the bad weather and the lousy easter TV and the family and give them the attention they deserve. square-peg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viscount806x Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Hi there,I'm well into my second Gnat, having thrown the first one against a wall in disgust! So now you have some decorating to do as well? I was upset by the step abaft the wing, the poor under wing joint and the sloppy steps between the fuselage halves. OK, so on number two.... The fuselage is actually more cut outs and gaps than continuous airframe and its all just a bit wishy-washy and sloppy, and this is where the poor fit seems (to me) to originate. Rather than just apply glue and bash the fuselage halves together, I took a bit of time to "stitch" the fuselage one section at a time from back to front. This means that the fuselage joint took three modelling nights work but its worth it when you put the wings on, the saving in filler and no need to rescribe all of those panel lines that are a tad heavy but look ok under primer and paint. This is exactly how I tackled the much maligned Matchbox Meteor NF kit fuselage after the second or third on the line - suffered by too much floppiness - brace it internally is perhaps the answer. Sounds like you have it cracked now anyway. Im now waiting with bated breath for another three Gnats to come into my local shop, so I can ignore the bad weather and the lousy easter TV and the family and give them the attention they deserve. square-peg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 10, 2012 Author Share Posted April 10, 2012 I finally overcame the fit issues, but now I'm struggling with the paint. To be honest, I'm half tempted just to bin the project and start again having learnt some lessons! The Humbrol Dayglo paint is actually horrific. I've never used paint that doesn't actually want to be used as paint before. I've also had moments of sheer ineptitude in the painting too, and then entire thing just looks scrappy and really not my best effort ever. Oh well... It was good fun while it lasted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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