Subject: Re: Gallery Article - HAL Gnat Mk 1
From: "Steve Bamford" <[email-masked]>
To: "Aibara Darius @Consult" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 09:55:08 -0800

----- Original Message -----
From: "Aibara Darius @Consult" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 5:07 AM
Subject: Gallery Article - HAL Gnat Mk 1

Gallery Template #05
"1:48 HAL (Folland) Gnat Mk 1"
by "Darius Aibara"
--------------------
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This is the Aeroclub 1:48 vac-formed kit of the Folland Gnat Mk 1 built as a
Hindustan Aircraft Limited built aircraft as operated by an Indian Air Force
operational conversion unit.  The single seat Gnat was evaluated by the RAF,
however they procured the two seat trainer version, which was also used for
aerobatic displays by the "Yellowjacks" and later the "Red Arrows" before it
was replaced by the BAe Hawk.   The single seat Mark 1 was sold to Finland
and India, the latter country using it in combat with the North American
Sabres of the Pakistan Air Force.
The kit is your basic vac form with fuselage halves, jet pipe, upper and
lower wing and tailplane halves gear well walls and underwing tanks  formed
on a single plastic sheet.  The undercarriage and ejection seat are nicely
moulded in white metal and a single clear vac-formed canopy is provided.
Decals are included for a Finnish Air Force Gnat but it was the side view of
the IAF aircraft with tiger stripes shown in the instructions that caught my
attention.

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The vac form pieces were removed from the backing sheet and sanded down in
time honoured way.  I scratch built a cockpit to fit the ejection seat and
added generic instrument dials to suit the aircraft's 1950's gestation.
Filler was required on the lower fuselage joint and the wing to fuselage
join but overall the fit was OK for a kit of this vintage.  I sprayed the
completed fuselage with grey auto primer and then sprayed the black nose and
tail areas before masking and spraying the aluminium.  SNJ powder was used
to polish the natural metal areas before the spine and tail were further
masked and yellow Humbrol enamel was applied from a spray can.  I painted
the orange tiger stripes by hand.  The IAF roundels were spares from an OEZ
Su7 kit and the serials came from the spares box.
A straightforward kit of a neglected subject, I look forward to the 1:48
forthcoming Aeroclub RAF Gnat T2.

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Photos and text © 2003 by "your name goes here"

 <>  <>  <>  <>  <>

Darius Aibara
TPS Consult

Tel:  020 8256 4090
Fax: 020 8256 4082

www.tpsconsult.co.uk

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