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Hiya!

talked to Mike today which finally convinced me to enter (hopefully) my first model! :cheers:

Needing a break from my usuall Ruskie fare, I decided to embark on a small project ive wanted to do for a long time, the kit: Airfix's ANCIENT Folland Gnat!

This kit is tiny: roughly the legenth of a hobby knife! thankfully moulded in grey plastic (despite red arrows boxart) this kit is about 2.5 times older than me!! (20) and It definatly shows....recessed control surfaces and a couple raised lines, and 'fun' fit.....

I have something special planned for this gnat, while on KP id seen pics of a Gnat from the movie "Hotshots" (which i havent seen) was posted, wearing USN markings and "THE NAVY" loud and proud on the nose!!! :rofl:

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ever since then "THE NAVY" Gnat seemed a nice fun build, so what better time than now to build it! if anyone has Hotshots on DVD id be grealy appreciative of screenshots! is the back cockpit jsut covered over?

for this conversion one will need to find 2 droptanks aka rocket pods. I plan to make mine out of WW2 drop tanks, also needed are some 1/100 US stars 'n bars plus warning intakes from spare decals, using a spare seat form a italeri Kfir.

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First i had to hide the fact you can see into the fuselauge through the intakes side on!! so i simple added some plasticard to block up the hole:

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then i had to cut out the front cockpit a bit...the rear cockpit hassnt been touched as it will be covered over

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now for the fun part! cockpit was painted and decals for sidewalls...it will be hardly visible though the canopy...so i decided to be cheaky and add a glass cockpit for those who peer inside for such details! :thumbsup:

4av7.jpg

5bg8.jpg

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7rh1.jpg

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now for the fun part! cockpit was painted and decals for sidewalls...it will be hardly visible though the canopy...so i decided to be cheaky and add a glass cockpit for those who peer inside for such details! :cheers:

Cool, a Gnat 2000 :thumbsup:

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hiya!

Cheers mike!

busy nite tonight: remade rocketpod/tanks out of 1/144 MiG-29 drop tanks (as they have the same shape)

8kh0.jpg

found another seat for the back, paintd black and added 'straps' but wont be seen anyway...

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with cover on:

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tanks:

11lc8.jpg

I will wait a bit before the epic putty job required on this kit!

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hiya

ill be using 1/44 decals for the roundals and markings, and custom printing 'the navy' :cheers:

glued the horrid canopy on today....lots of imperfections, and some dust got caught on it :cheers:

hope no one minds the 'detail' added on the rear seat cover, it looked similar to whats in one photo, but not in another! :D

img1931ww5.jpg

Edited by Raymond
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Got a question for you re. the Gnat decals- since you're doing a movie bird on this one, are you willing to part with the kit decals? Or, at least the "XR" under wing code letters?

Got the Red Arrows set, and did the first Gnat as a RA but didn't look far enough ahead in the planning to pick a serial that didn't conflict with the Yellowjack build that's coming. Airfix only put one set of "XR"s in the kit and I used them for the RA...

Joe

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hiay guys

well had some bad luck: there was these little flecks of dust in the cockpit...so i removed the canopy....whcih damaged one seat and the front.....fixed that up.....and replaced canopy and puttied...then got dust inside, so tried to wash it out....whcih resulted in blue 'Mud" all over the cockpit, which i coudetn get out! :( ...all starting from 2 flecks of dust in the cockpit! :D

alls not lost though...got the wings..and next weeks my modelshops 50th Bday sale...the kits $8 regular....so we will prevail!!!

if anyone can get my DVD referance shots from the movie to help me add all these golden little touches for my Mk.2 model, please get in contact! :D

regards

Raymond

Edited by Raymond
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  • 4 years later...

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