1955 Folland Gnat

[Fatboydim]

The Airfix 1/48th scale Folland Gnat T.1 will be my entry for The Year I Was Born Group Build. 

 

1955 was the year Airfix released their first scale model which was the, Supermarine Spitfire. 

 

Other events in this year were as follows.

 

The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R09) was commissioned. The USS Nautilus (SSN-571) made her maiden voyage. 

 

Bill Gates was born and, Albert Einstein died in 1955. 

 

Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be hanged in the UK. This was also the year Winston Churchill resigned as the British Prime Minister. 

 

The Dam Busters and, The Ladykillers were both released in this year. 

 

The first edition of The Guinness Book of Records was published as was, Ian Fleming Moonraker during 1955. 

 

Finally, on the 18th July 1955, the Folland Gnat made its first flight. 

 

 

 

 

Folland Gnat T Mk1 XM693. The Gate Guardian of the former Folland site at Hamble which is now part of GE Aviation.

This aircraft was manufactured at the Hamble site in 1960.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2019 by Fatboydim
Gate guardian information added.

[Rabbit Leader]

Some great historical facts for 1955 there Fatboydim and funnily enough the only one I knew about was the Dambusters movie release! I also had no idea that the Gnat / Midge made its first flight back in that year, so that's a great pick up too. This'll be great to watch as I also have this kit stashed as well.

 

Cheers and warm welcome.. Dave

[Fatboydim]

 

I found this poster on a site called, The Classic British Aviation Industry Advertisements.

I did ask permission before posting. Follow the link below and see what an excellent site this is. 

http://www.aviationancestry.co.uk/

 

The Airfix Folland Gnat box art.

 

Frame A

 

Frame B

 

Frame C. 

 

The transparencies 

 

Option A markings.

 

Option B markings. 

 

The kit supplied decal sheet. 

 

Eduard Set 49707 cockpit detail. 

 

Airframe detail. 

 

 

Thanks for looking. Joe. 

Edited August 3, 2019 by Fatboydim
Missing photo

[Fatboydim]

Hello gentleman. 

I've made a start by attaching some of the etched parts to the kit pieces. I use a pair of Tamiya scissors designed to cut through metal, and a fine file to clean up any tags that are left.

 

The scissors and, file. 

 

 

The photo above shows some of the etched parts I've attached to the kit pieces.

As you can see, they are very small. I can't see myself using all the etched parts from the set. I'm slow enough as it is without getting bogged down with something I'll struggle with.

 

Below is another 1950s poster advertising the Folland Gnat. 

 

Thanks for looking, Joe. 

 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

Nice start Joe and hats off to anyone who uses every single PE part provided. The period Gnat advertisement is also a great blast from the past. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Fatboydim]

7 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Nice start Joe and hats off to anyone who uses every single PE part provided. The period Gnat advertisement is also a great blast from the past. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

Thank you Dave, thank you also for you welcome message.

There are lots of different adverts on Aviation Ancestry, there are also a section of Airfix posters.

I've added the link again in case any one missed it first time round. 

Cheers, Joe. 

 

https://www.aviationancestry.co.uk/blog/

[Fatboydim]

Hello gentleman.

 

I've made a start of gluing some of the plastic kit parts together. This gives me a chance to see how the model will go together and make a bit of progress at the same time.

 

 

The fuselage is made up of the main section, and a panel which runs from the jet intakes, to just past the undercarriage bay. 

The other sections fitted to each half are, the remaining intake section, and the undercarriage bay. 

As you can see, in the photo above, the tail plane is only moulded on the port side. The starboard section is added separately, along with the rudder. 

 

 

The rudder is held in place by the two tail sections. This is movable after gluing the tail together. I placed the rudder on the port side, holding in place with masking tape while the two halves were glued together. 

When fitting the tail pipe, there was a gap between the fuselage halves. I thinned the pipe, and the fuselage halves slightly where they touched, and the fuselage halves fitted fine. 

 

 

This photo shows the jet intakes, and undercarriage bays test fitted. 

The two fuel tanks are also shown. They are assembled from three parts each, and need a little cleaning up after gluing together. One has been started, and the other shows the glue seams. I used Revell Contacta glue for this. I like the way it leaves a bead of glue. Leaving it harden over night, it can be rubbed down avoiding the need for filler. 

 

 

I've glued the main wing sections together. The top is in one piece, with a port and starboard lower half. Like the rudder, the ailerons are movable after the model is completed. The tape I used to hold them in place can be seen at each wing tip. This was to hold them level in case I accidentally glued them to the wing. At least, that why they would be where I wanted them. 

Visible on the starboard leading edge, is a glue bead that helps me avoid using filler in some places. 

 

Thanks for looking Joe. 

 

 

[Hockeyboy76]

Cracking build thread so far. Loving the Gnat info. 

[Rabbit Leader]

A lovely start Joe and the photographs and accompanying text is really good to read. This should come up a treat I think. 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Fatboydim]

13 hours ago, Hockeyboy76 said:

Cracking build thread so far. Loving the Gnat info. 

Thank you Hockey boy. That's much appreciated. 

I'll try and add a bit more information about the Gnat as well as the excellent posters from Aviation Ancestry. 

Joe. 

 

2 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

A lovely start Joe and the photographs and accompanying text is really good to read. This should come up a treat I think. 

Cheers.. Dave 

Thank you Dave. I'm pleased you like it so far. 

 

[Colin W]

Good to see you progressing this kit. I've built a couple of Aeroclub Gnats, a vacform single seat version and the injection moulded  2 seater from the early 2000's. This seems to be a nice kit so I'll try and get one if yours comes out ok.

Colin 

[Fatboydim]

On 8/13/2019 at 2:50 AM, Colin W said:

Good to see you progressing this kit. I've built a couple of Aeroclub Gnats, a vacform single seat version and the injection moulded  2 seater from the early 2000's. This seems to be a nice kit so I'll try and get one if yours comes out ok.

Colin 

Thank you Colin. From what I remember, the Aeroclub Gnats were very nice. If I recall correctly, I remember seeing one on display on the Aeroclub Stand. It was in Red Arrows colours, and the navigation lights worked. 

 

I've started to clean off the glue on the parts that have been glued together. 

 

 

I use a homemade flat file to keep the edges straight were possible. I also use a, scrapper, and, to finish off, a loose piece of Micromesh on a Flex-I-File Frame. This is to maintain the curve on the leading edge of the wing. 

 

 

The small parts of tape you can see attached on each side of the wing, are to hold when I positioned them in place. I use this tape method a lot, as I find it easier than using my fingers to hold pieces when gluing them in place.

 

 

Starting with the seats, I'll make a start on the cockpit in the next few days. 

Airfix provides two types of seat backs. They can be seen in the above photo in the bottom right corner. One is plain, while the other type has seat harnesses moulded on. 

 

The poster below shows what a small aircraft the Gnat was, and still is! 

 

The instructor can instruct the pupil from ground level without the need for a ladder.

 

 

I would like to thank Dave from, Aviation Ancestry who suggested putting a boarder to highlight the poster. 

Thank you Dave, they look much better. 

 

https://www.aviationancestry.co.uk/blog/

 

Thank you for looking, Joe. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jinxman]

That scraper looks like a mean beast, and not to be messed with!

[Rabbit Leader]

There’s plenty of effort and care going into this build Joe, so thanks for showing us your tools of trade. There may be some good tips to try although old habits do die hard for some of us hackers! 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Fatboydim]

On 8/14/2019 at 5:48 PM, Jinxman said:

That scraper looks like a mean beast, and not to be messed with!

It certainly does!  It's made by Zouku-Mura. 

 

22 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

There’s plenty of effort and care going into this build Joe, so thanks for showing us your tools of trade. There may be some good tips to try although old habits do die hard for some of us hackers! 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

Thank you Dave. I often pick ideas from other people on Britmodeller. Even people who have just started making models, come up with some good ideas with a fresh pair of eyes. 

[CedB]

Missed the start but caught up now Joe - I'm in!  

[Fatboydim]

12 hours ago, CedB said:

Missed the start but caught up now Joe - I'm in!  

Thank you Ced.

[Fatboydim]

Hello gentleman.

This is a model Gnat I was lucky enough to have shown to me while ago. I only wished I owned it! I believe it was manufactured by Follands in the 1950s. Being a manufactures display model, it came in a purpose made box for safe keeping. It really is a superb piece of aviation history. I can't remember all the details from when I saw it, but it comes apart like a jigsaw to demonstrate different components of the Gnat. I can recall, the main wing is removed to reveal the engine. The current owner saved it from a skip!

I would like to thank him for sending me these photo. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, it really is a thing of beauty. I hope you found this interesting. 

 

Thank you for looking, Joe. 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

My lord, how on earth could someone think that this is throw away material? What a display model and thankfully something that is now in good hands and lovingly conserved. 

 

Cheers and thanks for showing us.. Dave 

[CedB]

Thanks from me too Joe - a lovely thing  

[Fatboydim]

20 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

My lord, how on earth could someone think that this is throw away material? What a display model and thankfully something that is now in good hands and lovingly conserved. 

 

Cheers and thanks for showing us.. Dave 

Thank you Dave. It's is in good hands now. The gentleman that owns it is a genuine aviation enthusiast. 

 

10 hours ago, CedB said:

Thanks from me too Joe - a lovely thing  

Thank you Ced. It's in safe hands now. :)

[Fatboydim]

Hello gentleman,

I've not made much progress after my holiday since I returned to work. 

 

The cockpit has some nice detail, which I test fitted together.

 

 

The cockpit tub has 25 parts, and none have been glued into place.

There is also detail on the inside of the fuselage halves. 

The different seats can be seen. One is moulded with the harness in place. The other is left plain should you wish to use the pilot figure, or use your own harnesses. 

 

 

The parts still need to be cleaned in the areas where they have been removed from the runner. 

 

 

The instrument panels also come with a decals. 

 

 

The cockpit test fitted in the fuselage. 

 

 

Thank you for looking. Joe. 

[CedB]

Nice work Joe, love those internals  

[Rabbit Leader]

That cockpit does look lovely Joe. Now tell me, does Airfix provide two sets of seats with moulded harnesses or just the one? I do have this kit, however it’s stored high and I need a ladder to get it!

 

 Cheers.. Dave 

[Fatboydim]

On 8/25/2019 at 10:27 AM, CedB said:

Nice work Joe, love those internals  

Thank you Ced. It does have some nice internal details.

 

On 8/28/2019 at 1:20 PM, Rabbit Leader said:

That cockpit does look lovely Joe. Now tell me, does Airfix provide two sets of seats with moulded harnesses or just the one? I do have this kit, however it’s stored high and I need a ladder to get it!

 

 Cheers.. Dave 

Thank you Dave. Airfix provide two sets of seats. I just included one of each to show the difference.