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New Airfix 1/72nd Gnat


Wez

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Not soon enough?

It's one of 3 kits I've been waiting for this year. Had the Harrier and Valiant, Gnat is next. As long as it is out by mid November, I'll be happy, my dog can get me a couple for my Birthday ;)

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I'm starting to get impatient for this one too! I hope Airfix combine their recent outstanding decal quality with a couple of decent OOB schemes. If they do, I'll be buying a few.

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I heard that it would not make Telford, through the network the otherday, but MAYBE Christmas??????????????

Ali

I tend to ignore shadowy "networks" and "sources" Ali, they're good at predicting kits that never happen and not predicting the ones that do.

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Well Jonathan, We know that it is going to be released it is JUST when that will be? The source was fairly reliable as he does work for AIRFIX, and no it was not Trevor as he no longer works for them, well not officially.

Anyway it will be good to see it when ever it arrives, I just hope they go a little more gently on the panel lines...............

Ali

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Given the more restrained nature of the panel lines on the Harrier GR7/9 and looking at Tony O'Toole's build of the new Tomahawk, I'm quietly confident they'll be ok on the Gnat. Fingers crossed this will be a little gem....

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Test shots were at Yeovilton the other month, panel lines very fine - pics elsewhere on this board.

Really, how on earth did I miss them?!? I must've inhaled too many fumes that day!

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I am so looking forward to this it's not true! First model I ever built was the Airfix Gnat, many moons ago, and I've had a bit of a thing for Gnats ever since.

I'm exactly the same . I too built the Airfix Gnat as my first-ever kit - oh what a mess I made of it !!!

My love affair with the aircraft was further cemented back in 1977 , when I had a trip in the back seat of a 4FTS Gnat from Valley - the CFI was an old boy of my school & prone to inviting people up for a Gnat ride .

Soon as the new kit comes out , everything else is going on the back burner while I build it - just wish I knew the serial of the aircraft I flew in .

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Soon as the new kit comes out , everything else is going on the back burner while I build it.

If someone had told us, five years ago, that we would all be raving over Airfix kits, no one would have believed them! But here we are, with the Spitfire XII, Seafire XVII and Valiant having had excellent reviews, the Harrier GR7/9 having had rave reviews and people being very excited over the forthcoming Gnat, P-40B and Swordfish. How times change! :)

Oh... and lets not forget the Tempest family... ;)

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O.M.G. That's just outstanding! I've got to agree with Enzo's comments, I never thought I'd be raving about Airfix kits like we are just now. Just so long as Hornby keep going with new releases like this, we'll keep buying!

Mark.

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Is it me or does the layout of the kit parts look ripe for a subsequent release of a single-seat variant? There were some great Indian AF markings for the "Ajeet", including one in overall silver with read and yellow tiger stripes across the fin and spine. It would look awesome as a kit.

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Is it me or does the layout of the kit parts look ripe for a subsequent release of a single-seat variant? There were some great Indian AF markings for the "Ajeet", including one in overall silver with read and yellow tiger stripes across the fin and spine. It would look awesome as a kit.

Not sure the single seater can be done, the differences between this and the RAF trainer were so many that a totally different mould would probably be required.

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Things I noticed from the Yeovilton test shots... nice panel lines, think Hasegawa Gnat and you're in the zone; deep wheel wells for nose and main gear, with some plumbing; deep intake trunking, delicate undercarriage with separate doors; cockpit and side wall detail; razor sharp trailing edges; external tanks.

I built the Red Arrows blister packed version of the kit back in 1970-something fell in love with the Gnat, such a sweet aeroplane. Fancy a CFS one myself in silver/dayglo!

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I believe on the single seater at least the fuselage, canopy, cockpit,wings, tailplane and tail are all different. If you lift the twin seater off it's undercarriage, chuck it away and replace it with a single seat model without undercarriage, you will have an idea of the commonality. There was a conversion in an old Airfix magazine - sixties I think, and it was a lot of work.

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and at £5.99 if you can mug enough people for a couple as Christmas presents, well a complete line up of the Yellow jacks?

The new Xtradecal Sea Hawk sheet has 13 options. If Xtradecal were to do a similar sheet for the Gnat they could virtually guarantee themselves (and Airfix) a steady income stream.

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I've had a bit of a thing for Gnats ever since.

You can get a cream for that you know :P:wicked:

Regarding the kit, I'm really impressed with what I see there, the little bugger will be a tail sitter though - the real things were, we almost tipped one on its bottom at Cosford during training. :innocent:

S&M Models do a really nice decal sheet for the Gnat - see here

Wez

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