1:48 Fairey Gannet AS.1

The real subject

The Fairey Gannet AS.1 was the first production form of the British carrier-based aircraft intended for finding and destroying submarines. The stocky fuselage hid a weapons bay and under its rear part there was a retractable radome. The power was provided by the coupled Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba turboprop unit with two contra-rotating propellers; during sustained patrolling one half was shut down and the machine stayed in the air longer. The crew was made up of three men in separate cockpits one behind the other.

What the set contains

This is a photo-etched set of metal parts for detailing a plastic model in 1:48 scale. The parts are held in the fret by thin tabs and are separated with a sharp blade. The extent of the set and the procedure of assembly is described in the manufacturer's instructions. The particular item is set apart by the manufacturer code FE1424.

Building and painting tips

Metal parts will take shapes that would come out coarse in plastic, but they want a different procedure than the rest of the build.

• Cut on a hard surface with a sharp blade and hold the part down while you do it.
• Level the remains of the tabs with a fine file or with abrasive paper.
• Run a bend along the whole length at once, over the edge of a ruler or in a bender.
• Glue with cyanoacrylate glue drop by drop, and on larger areas with epoxy.
• Before painting, degrease the metal and lay on a primer intended for metal.

Who it is for

The set will appeal to modelers who like to carry the fine details of carrier machines through and do not mind the slower pace of work with metal. It is an accessory to a kit: the model itself, the paints, the glue and the tools are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.