James' Gnew Airfix 1/72 Gnat T1 **FINISHED**

[ShaunW]

This is looking really good now James, great build thread and I particularly like your approach to the dayglo issue. Just remind me to stick to plain old camo

[JamesPerrin]

Not a lot of time this weekend but I think I've got it near enough to call it a completion (YMMD). Yesterday I spent 4 1/2 hours changing all the sockets in the house two of which were behind full bookcases. This evening I'm out celebrating our first anniversary.

I've managed though two 1 hours decalling sessions today and place everyone of those 100+ stencils. Note it is missing the blade aerials, like others I knocked the lower one off but towards the end of the build I realised I must have binned the two spine aerials - schoolboy error! I'll just have to scratch some more. Apart from that it just needs a coat of klear and whatever weathering I choose to add.



The dayglo looks a lot more red in the picture than it does in real life. I'll post some nicer pics and my summary in the next day or so if the the GB doesn't turn back into a locked pumpkin on the stroke of midnight.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Good Job !

None of my aerials survived. I knocked off the lower one early. I put on the upper then knocked them off. Only the molded on lower one is Airfix' problem, the other two are mine.

[Dirkpitt289]

Stunning build James. She looks great. Bravo!!!!

[JamesPerrin]

Firstly let be clear this kit builds up into a superbly detailed and accurate model of the diminutive RAF trainer and the initial ride of the Red Arrows. Airfix are to be applauded for producing a period training jet that only saw service in the the UK, though I suspect this is largely due to the massive sales of Red Arrow kits to Aunt Flo who wouldn't care to know the difference between the Gnat and the Hawk.

The decals are excellent as you would expect from Cartograph. The full stencilling does not drown the aircraft as you expect on something so small which goes a long way to saying how crisp and delicate the stencil decals are. If you do apply the stencils it really is worth taking you time and making sure you get them on straight, fiddly they may be but wonky scribblings across your model will detract from the finished build. The outer "no step" decals on the control surfaces are too long each end and the inner ones to short. I placed the inner first and then positioned the outer overlapping it and trimmed the excess at the wing tip.

There are the usual minor inaccuracies in the instructions, the undercarriage legs and wheel hubs should be Aluminium not grey and white. I think the specified grey for the cockpit is too light and plumped for DSG instead. I wish they had included the internal windscreen as I forgot to add one!

OK the bad, this kit just does not go together as easily as it should, especially as Aunt Flo will be buying these for Little Jonny. The skill of the engineering/design has frankly not be match by the skill of the tool maker. The fit of the intakes will make any beginner despair and the care required to get the cockpit/wing/fuselage aligned so that the canopy fits will be beyond a lot of seasoned modellers (the reviewer in Airfix Modelling World, had just this issue). With care it does fit and extremely well, but I should not be having to make the parts fit beyond a little seam scraping.

All I'm going to say on the about the panel lines is that for some there may be too many, though many of those lovely stencils do match up to access panels. I've seen better and worse on other mainstream kits by Revell et al and I'm fine with them in the main.

Will I build another, without doubt. Yes it blows the old kit out of the water, however if you want a nice buildable Gnat model I strongly recommend the Matchbox kit, you get the wing tanks and none of the headaches. The panel lines on the other hand .....

[JohnRatzenberger]

Just beautiful !!!

[Jagewa]

A top build James, but did you enjoy the build? ..... Hang on... look at the result you must have!

Cheers
Jim

[Brickie]

I'm sorry, but to me "a present from Aunt Flo" is a euphemism for That Time Of The Month, which rendered some of your comments a little ... weird!

If mine looks anything like yours when it's done, I'll be a happy GBL, if a late-finishing one...

[MerlinJones]

Language can be such a beautiful thing!

[JamesPerrin]

Aunt Flo was a character in the children's cartoon Bod!

[ShaunW]

That looks excellent, really nicely done. I've not heard the Aunt Flo thing, as understood by Brickie (I've had a very sheltered life ) ditto Bod, it was Watch with Mother when I were a nipper