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Greetings from the Depths of the Old Cold War.

 

Here is my planned build

 

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The recent Hannants re-release of the Gannet ASW complete with bags stuffed full of resin loveliness. Which I'm going to convert into a smart blue COD Bird with these

 

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Xtradecals offering which will need slight adjustment to get her to Ark Royals Bird.

 

Luckily although there are no COD pods in 48th HERE is a cracking thread showing how @Derek B made the 72nd masters. Then HERE HERE and HERE are very useful threads on the other differences. My Thanks to all those who contributed to these posts especially @DamienB for his point by point build. Most of what I achieve is because of their help and generosity providing information. There is also THIS and THIS in the very helpful walk round section here on BM, again my Thanks to those who shared information with us.

 

I've got the 4+ Book and am borrowing Warpaint 23 on the Gannet is there anything else that's useful? Is there any sort of manual for the COD.4 especially showing the two seats apparently in the rear cockpit?

 

See you later alligators

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6 minutes ago, TheBaron said:

Best of luck with this. I'd say of books the 4+ Volume is one of the better offerings.

Tony

Hi Tony. Thanks. Yes the 4+ book looks very good, but the Warpaint is a loan so it's free :winkgrin:

 

I've found that the T.2 had two seats in the rear cockpit and sources differ as the whether the COD.4 had one or two. An e-mail to Yeovilton to see if some kind soul can look into their example I think.

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Brilliant idea!!! I thought I skip this GB but did not think about the Gannet I have in stash.

I like the COD type because of the dark blue grey colour scheme and it will be most interesting to follow your build. You should consider to offer resin casts of the mail pods. I would buy a set - in fact i bought the AlleyCat underwing tanks because I thought the mail pods are the same :-D

I only know I have the 4+ on the Gannet but can check if I have anything else. However I am pretty sure I have nothing seen like detail or interior shots of the COD version anywhere :-(

René

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1 hour ago, TheBaron said:

I've a few close up shots of XA466 I shot back in the summer if they're any good to you? 

No cockpit interiors though as me legs weren't long enough...

Tony

Last time I was at Yeovilton she was hidden away so Yes Please!! If you're up for it I'm sure @Julien would be happy to add them to the walkround section.

 

I can never believe how big some of these aircraft were, falling off one would seriously hurt.

 

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2 hours ago, Caerbannog said:

Brilliant idea!!! I thought I skip this GB but did not think about the Gannet I have in stash.

I like the COD type because of the dark blue grey colour scheme and it will be most interesting to follow your build. You should consider to offer resin casts of the mail pods. I would buy a set - in fact i bought the AlleyCat underwing tanks because I thought the mail pods are the same :-D

I only know I have the 4+ on the Gannet but can check if I have anything else. However I am pretty sure I have nothing seen like detail or interior shots of the COD version anywhere :-(

René

Hi Rene, there doesn't seem to be much out there on the poor unloved COD birds. I've sent an e-mail to Yeovilton so hope for some news. Resin casts of the COD pods could be possible I'll make enquiries. Assuming I can make a good job of them. I made the same purchase you did but we live and learn.

 

Thanks to the threads I linked above I'm confident on the Pilots cockpit and Janet the Gannet's FB page has helped with the back cockpit. I think the middle cockpit should be solvable when I get a copy of the pilot's notes through. We shall see.

 

She certainly looks smart in Dark Blue-Grey although Yeovilton's bird did get EDSG over Sky for a while....


 

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4 hours ago, SleeperService said:

Last time I was at Yeovilton she was hidden away so Yes Please!!

Here you go. They had her hauled out into the 'Carrier Experience' exhibit hall - which as you know is quite dark for photographic purposes - so I had to shoot HDR on the phone, the result being the longer exposures added significant blur. I've tried to tidy them up as much as poss. so hope there's something of use in the following:

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3 hours ago, Julien said:

Always Happy to add more pics to the walkaround.

Hi Julien! Please feel free to link these to the Walkaround section if you think they'd help others. Being long exposure smartphone shots I had to run a sharpen filter over many of them and they're not exactly pretty to look at as a result...

 

Tony

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You've certainly generated a bit of interest with this one S-S :D I'm delighted to see the Fleet Air Arm getting some attention; particularly with a machine so ugly it's beautiful and in such a fetching scheme as well.

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2 hours ago, Col. said:

You've certainly generated a bit of interest with this one S-S :D I'm delighted to see the Fleet Air Arm getting some attention; particularly with a machine so ugly it's beautiful and in such a fetching scheme as well.

I'm glad it has Col. IMHO a machine that deserves rather more love than it gets in any variant. I also hope we can nail down the remaining lost information for others to follow. I'm glad you decided to let it in, no pressure to do a good job here....

3 hours ago, TheBaron said:

Here you go. They had her hauled out into the 'Carrier Experience' exhibit hall - which as you know is quite dark for photographic purposes - so I had to shoot HDR on the phone, the result being the longer exposures added significant blur. I've tried to tidy them up as much as poss. so hope there's something of use in the following:

 

32486388841_d58f8763c8_b.jpg

 

Hi Julien! Please feel free to link these to the Walkaround section if you think they'd help others. Being long exposure smartphone shots I had to run a sharpen filter over many of them and they're not exactly pretty to look at as a result...

 

Tony

That one alone helps immensely. That bulkhead at the rear of the back cockpit suggests no seat facing backwards in front of it. Towel rail under fuselage and look at that wing fold detail! Thank You so much for sharing.

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10 hours ago, Caerbannog said:

Brilliant idea!!! I thought I skip this GB but did not think about the Gannet I have in stash.

I like the COD type because of the dark blue grey colour scheme and it will be most interesting to follow your build. You should consider to offer resin casts of the mail pods. I would buy a set - in fact i bought the AlleyCat underwing tanks because I thought the mail pods are the same :-D

I only know I have the 4+ on the Gannet but can check if I have anything else. However I am pretty sure I have nothing seen like detail or interior shots of the COD version anywhere :-(

René

 

As far as I am aware, none of the Fairey Gannets were ever equiped with long range fuel tanks. The gannet you are building had capacity INSIDE the bomb bay for fuel cells to be added if needed.  Alley Cat does indeed make 100 Gallon Fuel Tanks for the Gannet, only thing is, he assumed when he made them that they were fuel tanks - they are Baggage pods, I have used them.  Check all photos of Gannets with these pods and you will see that the resin Fuel Tanks ARE really baggage pods

 

http://www.alleycatmodels.co.uk/fairey-gannet-100-gallon-fuel-tanks-classic-airframes-6364-p.asp

 

Somebody on here giving more information and views of WHAT "the" pod actually looks like(it maybe 1/72 but, its still the same pod)

 

 

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Fantastic news rayprit Thank You. Were these baggage pods used on anything else?

 

I started looking into the bomb bay capabilities with the intention of having a go at making that as well but decided not to. I think I'll need the front bit for lead to keep the nose wheel down!

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I believe this particular pod was only suited to all marks of Gannet...........being a prop driven aircraft aerodynamics didnt enter into it..........jet aircraft (RAF & RN)had them for deployments of crew for there belongings, but these were aerodynamically styled.

 

As for other bits and pieces for your build, bomb bays and wing fold, check out the links on this site

 

https://www.scalemates.com/search-solr.php?fkSECTION[]=All&q=1%3A48+fairey+gannet*

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Friend of mine bought this kit from Hannants and had issues with the canopy, he showed me at Bolton. The clear parts are too small for the fuselage?! Can you tell me if yours is the same, I hope it isn't though!

 

Will be nice to see one built, a big fan of the Gannet!

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Thanks for the heads up Radleigh.

 

I've taped the relevant parts together and added the resin nose and it looks like this:

 

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As stated the transparencies are going to need 'adjustment';

  • The rearmost canopy is slightly longer than it's opening and there is a small gap each side where it doesn't quite meet the fuselage. I think easing the opening to the front a little will deal with this
  • The windscreen fits reasonably well and the resin nose is pretty good at the top so a strip of 10thou on the bottom edge should be about right.
  • Both front and centre canopies are a little too narrow. I think that thinning the sills to match the transparency thickness then adding a raised inner lip to spread the bottom slightly will deal with them
  • The centre section is very narrow only the tape is stopping it fall into the fuselage here. It does fit well against both canopies so I think I'll add a strip to the outside edge and shape to follow the angled face down and out.

The lower nose fit looks to be more of a problem. I'm tempted to modify the resin part by cutting just outside the braces and inserting a narrow piece. TheBaron's picture above suggests the nose tapers in too much at the bottom.

 

Forewarned is forearmed though Thank You again Radleigh.

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That looks loads better than the one I saw, the front section just fell into the kit. It was tiny, and the replacement they sent was the same. Seems really weird, but I'm glad yours in like that, looks more than workable :)

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1 hour ago, Radleigh said:

That looks loads better than the one I saw, the front section just fell into the kit. It was tiny, and the replacement they sent was the same. Seems really weird, but I'm glad yours in like that, looks more than workable :)

Thank You for the encouragement. However as a man who has battled a Combat Models kit I think your definition of easy and mine may vary :rofl:

 

I've been measuring the resin cockpits and nose wheel well. I think they are going to need serious thinning to avoid spreading the fuselage. That, combined with the marginal fit may explain your friend's issue. It he could cast a resin copy of the transparencies and use to vac-form replacements it may get him out of trouble. There is an annoying flaw in the rearmost canopy looks like a tiny flat bubble. I wonder if the transparencies are moulded by another company?

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Third from Last Already...We'll see about that!

 

Day 1. I cannot be bothered about writing a history of the airframe but found a very well written and informative one about the real story behind the plane, so go HERE and learn all you'd want to know. Go on it's worth a few minutes and I'll wait.

 

OK here we go

 

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Forewarned by Radleigh's post above, Cheers again Chap! I removed the casting block from the intake/ nose wheel-well and checked the nose alignment. Imagine my surprise to find things were a bit squiffy. Looking at the walk-round pictures I came to realise that the nose proportions were off and just blending it in with filler wasn't going to hack it.

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With the thought that I was about to take a saw to a rather expensive kit I carefully made a horizontal cut about 5mm up and back to just past the intake face. A second cut liberated the intake which was then glued to the nose aligning the bulges and intake as seen below. I then shimmed the gap until the top of the resin nose matched the plastic. This gave a good fit down to the scribed panel line each side.

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Feeling rather more confident I next removed the lower part of the lip, slimmed down the main support pylon thingy and removed the diagonal ribs which defined an opening that was too small and wrong in shape IMHO. Plastic card was then glued to the remains of the pylon to lengthen it and be ready to be reshaped into a better taper than the resin managed. The bottom run needs to be 2mm deeper to match the plastic so strip is also glued to the sides ready for further attention.

 

This took nearly four hours as I measured over and over then summoned up the courage to have a go. I'm a brave little soldier I am. 

 

To calm my nerves I've done some more on my KUTA IX build and am well on with my plan to take over the world.

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That's brave work S-S! Well done sir. I'm sure there are quite a few started Gannet kits lying unloved after lesser modellers took fear at this type of major fit issue.

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Gannet Build Day 2 - The toil continues as SS returns from the Bleak Hell Hole that is Warrington RDC.

 

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Here we see the front canopies fitting rather better than they did. I will probably need to do a little when I glue it all together but it's nearly there. From the rear;

 

30 thou spreader at top front of fuselage then the top of the fairing sanded to a rounder profile to match the canopy (which seems right according to the photos I can find). Fuselage sill/canopy channel reduced to 0.75mm thickness (only in the part this canopy occupies) from the inside then a 0.50mm strip added with about 1mm standing proud to fit inside the canopy. Job done.

 

1.0mm card added to inside face of fuselage sanded to match existing top surface. Centre section now sits inside the canopy runner as it should. Job Done.

 

0.5mm card strip added to inside face of fuselage with 1.0mm standing proud to fit inside the canopy. Job Done.

 

Windscreen centered on fuselage. Fit is now good to canopy but the lip on the fuselage is wider than the canopy transparency. This excess is marked and then carefully cut away and the fuselage profile blended in. Job Done.

 

Note that the photo shows the half-way stage and the whole transparency section is about 1.0mm too far forward as the rear fuselage fairing hasn't been modified at this point.

 

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After cutting away the flash on the mating surface I widened the opening at the front until the canopy was a good fit to the fuselage top. Then the rear was eased back until it dropped into place. A 0.5mm strip at the top rear removes most of the gap. The fuselage fairing is then sanded to match the transparency which, again, appears to be right.

 

Now I attend to the front cockpits after which I'll have photos of the final transparency fit. It is fiddly work but not difficult. This took an evening including working out which bits were the problem. For a limited run kit the fit is pretty decent and the plastic is very easy to work. I'd be very happy if the same People did the AEW.3!!

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