RAF Red Arrows - Folland Gnat

[Johnson]

Hi Blitzbuilders,

 

This is my second only Blitzbuild, the first in 2020 was great fun.

 

Nothing much happening this Bank Holiday weekend - I hope! Mrs J. has a Lego 'Tallneck' to keep her occupied (Horizon Zero Dawn... ??)

 

I'm lucky enough to be able to remember the original Red Arrows performing their daring displays in the little Folland Gnat trainer, a fantastic display to enthrall a youngster.

 

I'm hoping that this kit will be simple enough to complete in 24 hours, only one colour!

 

 

 

Looks like a nice little kit.

 

See you Saturday!

 

Cheers,

[Jinxman]

Gotta love a Gnat - best of luck with it.

[Johnson]

If you zoom in, it's 07.45 and I'm off!

 

 

All looks nice, good plastic, nice Airfix panel lines (not everyone's favourite!), decals look good.

 

Back soon. Oh yes - Great Escape, lots on this weekend.

[Johnson]

Time flies...

 

08.45 and cockpit is together, I'll take a break to let the joints set then splash some paint around.

 

 

 

The instrauctions say its's all black, which I doubt. The few references and builds I've looked at have it the usual mid grey (probably dark admiralty grey) so that's what its gonna get. Breakfast calls...

[theplasticsurgeon]

Our Gnat cockpit at Jet Age is grey inside.

[Johnson]

2 hours ago, theplasticsurgeon said:

Our Gnat cockpit at Jet Age is grey inside.

Thanks Tim!

 

OK, breakfast (and a trip out, and fed the dog...) over. On we go...

 

 

with coffee!

[Johnson]

Time for a break. Wings together, fuselage and cockpit 70% complete.

 

 

A lot of time spent getting the cockpit walls/intakes to fit. Instructions say glue the main undercarriage legs in before fitting the wheel wells. That will make painting difficult. I reckon I can get them in later, we'll see! 

 

I'm wondering about nose weight, don't want a tail sitter. Haven't seen anything about it in the builds I looked at. I'll have to experiment.

 

Back soon.

[Bertie McBoatface]

5 hours ago, Johnson said:

Instructions say glue the main undercarriage legs in before fitting the wheel wells. That will make painting difficult. I reckon I can get them in later, we'll see! 

 

 

You can always model a wheels up landing. Typical of the Reds. 😁

[Hockeyboy76]

Nice start dude. 

[Johnson]

Afternoon shift... 1500 - 15.50. Faffing about... not much to show, seatbelts, instrument panels.

 

Evening comes (how time flies) and ready to join things up.

More faffing about. I always spend far too long in the cockpit.

 

That'll do.

What!!! No rudder pedals?

 

And joined!

Better let things set a bit. It's almost Beer O'Clock!!! 

[Johnson]

And the time has finally arrived (this doesn't usually help my modelling...). Anyway, cheers! 

 

The idea is that these get joined up.

 

And as if by magic!

 

Actually the TET and sellotape helped. This is a really nice kit, the engineering is, well, well thought out, if not that well executed which translates to the fit could be better, hence the sellotape and the next pause as I wait for things to irretrievably set.

 

Back later, probably...

[Beggsy]

Nice choice.  I built the same kit for a blitzbuild a couple of year ago.  That particular boxing had a ton of decals, which kept me up very late.

 

 

[Johnson]

6 hours ago, Beggsy said:

I built the same kit for a blitzbuild a couple of year ago

Hi Beggsy, you did a better job on the cockpit than I have! I'll add some bits to the top of the seats, it clearly makes a difference.

 

Cheers,

[Johnson]

Hi Blitzers,

 

Day One - about 4 hours total

 

Day Two started a while back at 10.30;

 

 

Today's tasks are continuing to fill the gaps and tidying the seams, getting the wheel well cover in place, masking the canopy, ejection seat handles, sealing the cockpit and getting some red paint on. The kit has quite a pronounced raised lip in front of the canopy, not sure why, it's not in any photo I've seen. Anyway, it's gone now.

 

A previous BM build referred to an excellent Gnat Walkaround (part of a much bigger Aussie aircraft site - Grubby Fingers). It's excellent and has been really useful, it's here if anyone wants good photos of a Red Arrow Gnat. The Thunder and Lightnings walkaround has some great cockpit photos, well worth a look.

 

 

The seat handles are thin wire pinched from Mrs. J's craft box, soft copper and very easy to work. once painted I can seal the pit.

 

 

Elapsed time is 4h 45m, but I've had to stop quite often to allow filler to set so I reckon I've probably done about 3 hours total so far today.

 

Cheers,

[Johnson]

Ready for paint.

 

 

And all red (Humbrol 19 gloss enamel)

 

Yes, the red looks really weird! . Like someones poured thinners all over it!  .  But it looks OK for real (or at least I hope so). Something to do with the image upload. WEIRD!!!

 

I'll take another pic in daylight, hopefully better. Too late and too knackered now. 

 

Probably about another 3 hours this evening. I was ducking and diving, cooking fish pie (was great) so lost track a bit.

 

Decals and bits and bobs tomorrow,

 

Byeee

[Johnson]

The morning session started with a pic to see if the red looked better in daylight;

 

And for some reason it did.

 

Having read others Gnat builds, and thought about it, I naturally made the wrong decision and left fitting the undercarriage till after assembly and painting. Would it go in? Of course not. So a bit of scalpel work and some Snap, Crackle and Pop, and in it went. Thank goodness for superglue.

 

 

Then out with the dog, forgetting to take the time pic, but I reckon 1.5 hours.

 

Hoping for a better afternoon and get the decals on. Time's running out as usual.

 

 

And must look in on some other's Blitzing!

 

Cheers,

 

 

[Johnson]

Decals done. Remembered to take time pic! 2.5 hours. Must add them up, how long do we get for a Great Escape? 24 hours?

 

 

The tail decal was about as much fun as I thought it would be . The carrier film overlaps the edge a tiny bit, maybe trim when it's all sealed and bone dry?

 

Next, some gloss varnish, but it needs an hour for the decals to dry. Back soon.

[Johnson]

And finished!  

 

 

Finished at 20.00h, 3 hours. Yesterday was about 4 hours, today 7 hours, so 11 hours (give or take a bit). Anyway, done. Still having problems with photos and waiting for natural light isn't an option! 

 

Pics in Gallery shortly 

 

 

[81-er]

Very nice result there, Charlie

 

James

[AdrianMF]

Looks terrific! An iconic scheme...

 

It also makes me glad I built one wheels up a few years ago. The fit is... interesting. Getting the fluourescent orange and silver on was quite enough of a challenge for one model!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Johnson]

On 8/30/2022 at 5:23 PM, AdrianMF said:

Looks terrific! An iconic scheme...

Thanks Adrian.

 

Now I've calmed down from the frenzy of the Blitzbuild, I can be more objective about Airfix's Gnat. It really is a super little kit and I'm glad I made it, which wasn't always the case over the last weekend. Not sure how accurate, but it compares favourably with the walkarounds I visited. Some moan about Airfix panel lines but on the Gnat I thought these were very good. As others have observed, if a 1/72 model was totally accurate you wouldn't see any panel lines at all which would be very boring. As a starter set I can imagine young modellers getting a bit fed up as they try to join up parts that just aren't going to work without a bit of surgery and clamps. On the plus side, the canopy is perfect, fits well, thin and crystal clear.

 

Best wishes,