1:48 Fairey Gannet AS.1/AS.4 (Airfix)

The real subject

The Fairey Gannet was a carrier machine of the Fleet Air Arm intended to search for submarines and to attack them. Its unmistakable feature is the pair of contra-rotating propellers in the nose, that is two sets of blades turning against each other, and a deep fuselage into which the crew and the equipment for finding a target fitted. The wing folded for life aboard a carrier, so that the machine took up as little room as possible. The AS.1 designation belongs to the early anti-submarine form of the aircraft, the AS.4 to a later rendition of the same purpose.

What the set solves

This is a masking set for painting a model in 1:48 scale, cut for the parts of the Airfix kit. A mask defines a sharp boundary between the area that is to stay unchanged and the area the paint is to go on. That does away with lining in with a brush and with repairing paint that has bled. The scope of the set, that is which areas of the model it covers, is given by the instructions in the package.

Building and painting tips

The masks are stuck down before spraying, not after the paint has dried. The base must be clean and degreased, or a mask will not seat and the paint will bleed. Press the edges down along their whole length with a blunt point and apply the paint in several thin coats; one thick coat will be drawn under the edge and the line will be blurred. Remove a mask at the moment when the paint is dry to the touch, and pull it back diagonally over itself.

Who it is for

For builders of British carrier equipment in 1:48 scale who are building the Gannet from the Airfix kit. The model, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.