1:48 Folland Gnat T.1 wheels and canopy paint mask outside only (for Airfix 05123 kit)

A small machine on which a whole generation began

The Gnat was born from the idea of a light and low-cost combat aircraft, which the designer William Petter promoted. The single-seat form did not find its way to the Royal Air Force, but the two-seat T.1 training version became the standard of advanced training, and from 1962 future pilots of jet equipment sat in it. Power came from a Bristol Siddeley Orpheus engine, the span did not reach even seven and a half meters and the machine was fully capable of aerobatics even so. It was precisely with this type that the famous British aerobatic team performed in the years 1965 to 1979, before moving on to a larger type.

Small dimensions, precise edges

Even at 1:48 this aircraft stays small and its glazing has fairly dense framing. Laying such fine strips on with a brush is thankless work and every flaw shows at once on a glossy surface. The cut shapes fit the part and hold the edge exactly where it should be. The discs prepared for the nose and main landing gear wheels do the same service.

Before you reach for the airbrush

Curved frames call for patience. Offer the film up by one end first and only then press it down gradually along the curve. Where it puckers somewhere, a small nick with a sharp blade releases the tension and the material seats again. Once spraying is done, let the varnish set and pull the film back over itself at a sharp angle, not straight up. The shape of the parts matches the Airfix kit at 1:48 and concerns the outer face of the glazing.