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Aussie Gannet, 2020 Christmas gift (Classic Airframes1/48)


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Apparently it's the time of year when people gather around, exchanging gifts and whatnot.

Our local IPMS community always runs a little Secret Santa gift exchange even in these trying times of the plague.

Christmas Eve is the normal time in Sweden to exchange and open the gifts but this year it was just the closest family(that is the wife and kids, no grandparents, cousins or similar)
The gifts I received ranged  from  T-shirts to Gaston LaGaffe albums,  but the most exciting thing was this beautifully wrapped box.
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Inside it, I found this:
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What!?

A Classic Airframes Fairey Gannet, from the Hannants repop a couple of  years back?
Wow! That's some rare piece indeed!

 

Although, I have a hunch that this was not totally a coincidence since the IPMS Club manager asked me a few months ago if I were interested in acquiring one from  a recently passed member, instead of it ending up in the notorious hoard/stash of another member.
 

So, this looks like a typical late style Classic Airframes kit, with a VERY shiny surface.
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(I forgot to take a photo of the last sprue)

The white/pink thing is a Swedish treat called "Skumtomte" which directly translates to "shady Santa" or "foam Santa".

It is a shaped piece of artificially sweetened and shaped marshmallow, sort of...


Anyhow, the Gannet is a big brute of a machine, but how big?
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Compared to a shady Santa and a Spitfire, it's enormous!
A nice piece of decals, and I immediately fell for the Aussie version, due to the charming combination of green nose and kangaroos.

I shall call it "Kangaroo Kate" from now on.

The decals look quite nice though!
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The canopy is injected.  That's a relief, sort of.
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As per other CA  kits, a big load of resin is also included
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Yummy!

The only thing missing is a masking set,  and some  better belts, but I plan to raid some shops for this old Eduard set

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The blue belts  are just the right sort, according to some.

 

Others  claim that the canopy is overly large as well which will  lead to issues later.
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Well, let's go for open canopy's then!
 

I'll make  a proper start soonish, I just need to finish up that deHavilland Hornet first. And maybe that fourlegged E-75 Rheintochter launcher too...

(But not the Tonka....sorry)

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Great gift Christa, I recently came across the old vac-formed kit as what up until now prepared to build it. I may have to rethink that! I will however finish mine in the day-glow red and silver scheme, as it was the first aircraft type I worked on during my career in the Fleet Air Arm.

 

I'll follow your build with interest,

 

Colin

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What a fabulous Christmas gift, if I modelled 48th scale it is one I would have loved.

 

Now as I am sure Colin would attest the 4+ Wessex book is a must when modelling Wessexes and so I would say is the 4+ Gannet book when Ganneteering

 

Here is a scan from a page from the said work of wonder referring to your query Christer I hope

ganscan2.png

 

Truly is a wealth of information in the book and I can recommend buying it if you have an interest in modelling Gannets of the non-AEW variety.

 

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Why more of the old Classic Airframes kits have not been reissued baffles the (&*()*&*&^&^%^& out of me.   The tools are sitting somewhere, not earning anyone any cash.  Dumb.  The unreleased Gannet AEW come to mind, plus the released but hard to find Venom/Sea Venom would make money.  

 

 

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Thank's a lot @perdu and @heloman1!

That's was all the confirmation that I needed, but not really fortunate since I only have one shoulder strap for the GiB. I'll nick one other then and paint it blue...

 

I couldn't agree more @Ad-4N Sword probably has them all, but might be bound by some legal agreements perhaps?

But didn't CA restart fairly recently?

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Now when the Hornet is completed, lets break in the new year with some Gannet work!

To make things a bit different I started with the main gear bays. These are supplied as resin inserts that fits very well towards the plastic after that pour block has been removed.

However, the opening to the wheel part does not match between plastic and resin...

And this was discovered by Sword/CA who promptly cast up a set of fill-in parts to attach to the wing.

Like so:

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The inserts, tough fragile, actually fit quite well and I didn't CA-glue myself to the wing more than a few times. (a new bottle of CA-glue was used, and this stuff works a lot quicker than my old one, even though it's the same brand. There's definitely a expiry date to this stuff!)

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With some supports in place I tried to fit the bay in place, but it was kind of hard to see when it was in the correct location.

Out with a permanent marker and mark the edges on the bay then:

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Then one can just wiggle the piece in place and when you don't see any red (or just very little) the alignment is good enough,

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I wonder how much this red colour will bite me later on or if the primer will actually cover it?

 

The other side wasn't cooperating though, since the little resin insert actually wasn't thick enough.

A little plastic will have to to for that.

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Also not the thickness of the plastic. I think the wing is close to 2mm in material thickness😨

This sort of leads over to the next issue with the wings. The trailing edge!

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Yeah, that's a bit too thick even for me.

Time to sand!

 

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Looking forward to seeing the finished aircraft, have just finished the revell 1/72 aircraft.I am now going to add as many different versions as i can to my collection, so iam very interested in your work. 

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On 12/29/2020 at 8:08 PM, Christer A said:

Quick question about the Guy In Back's position

 

Is this seat with just lap belts or are there back belts too?

The Aussie Gannet walkaround here on BM shows only lap belts, I think?

 

 

Lap belts only,

The rear seat swivels and there is no back as such only a large fold out metal cover that latches across the cockpit

and covers up the black boxery forward.

 

The CA rear cockpit is rubbish and very inaccurate and simplified.

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Folded wings?  You know you want to really.

 

[I have one in my stash, so I am making a rod for my own back with this comment!]

 

You HAVE to love a Gannet; got my attention.

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Exactly my response when this mob of unprincipled rogues, ruffians and reprobates tried to get me doing it to my little Froglet.

 

Stand by your guns, never surrender!

 

Do you have pictures of the bomb bay?

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4 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Folded wings?  You know you want to really.

 

[I have one in my stash, so I am making a rod for my own back with this comment!]

 

You HAVE to love a Gannet; got my attention.

Indeed Crisp, even ashore they were folded to slot them in the shed and think of all that extra detailing! When I joined 849, they were still at Culdrose but then in '65 they packed up and moved to Brawdy. Thankfully I stayed behind.

 

Colin

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