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John Healy
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1/48 Fairey Gannet AS.1/4

February 21, 2024 · in Aviation · · 35 · 565

This is the new kit which I was fortunate to receive as a surprise for Christmas from my wonderful wife. She heard me discussing it with a friend and lamenting that it probably wouldn't get to the US til mid 2024. She found a UK eBay shop called Inwood Hobbies who sent this one to south Alabama at a very reasonable price with shipping.

I really can't say enough good things about this model. It's probably the most enjoyable kit that I've built in 55 years of modeling. The production quality is very reminiscent of a Wingnut Wings model. The surface detail is really delicate. The fit is so outstanding that I only used a bit of filler at the nose cap/fuselage joint. A little more test fitting and sanding before gluing would have probably made that unnecessary. The plastic is a harder medium gray than the soft blue gray we usually get from Airfix. I know I'm in the minority on this, but I actually liked the softer plastic. It was easy to cut and sand. The harder plastic on this kit and the fact that some sprue attachments are molded on the part's mating surface means a little extra work with blade and sanding sticks.

Airfix provides excellent decals for three RN examples. I used the common stencils from the Airfix sheet and a Classic Airframes sheet to render an Australian bird. The main colors are Xtracolor enamel Sky and Extra Dark Sea Grey. I added belts from Eduard and made a windscreen wiper from decals. Airfix provides windscreens with and without molded wiper blades. I chose the wiperless screen and scratchbuilt a tiny wiper from scrap PE. This of course disappeared sometime yesterday so I substituted a wiper made from decal spares. I think it works.

If you build one of these, plan on filling it with massive amounts of weight to keep the nose gear down. I lost track of how much I used but you can see what I did in the photos. Bullet sinkers, coins, liquid gravity.

Another home run from Airfix. I can easily see two more boxings of this kit. COD, trainer and EW versions and a foreign operator boxing. Happy modeling!

Reader reactions:
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23 additional images. Click to enlarge.


35 responses

  1. Beautiful work, John! Nice clean build the way I like it. Thanks for sharing.
    Best,
    Mike

  2. Impressive build, John.
    Too expensive for me. I am considering to take your approach It worked in the past...

  3. Excellent work again John!
    Looking forward to your next build!
    Just wish that kit would make it over to this side of the pond sometime this year.

    Keep up the excellent work.

    Tom

  4. An amazing looking Gannet, John @j-healy
    It must have been one of your best ever Christmas gift you have gotten from your wife.
    Making the build of this aircraft even more pleasureful.
    Beautiful details and superb paintwork.

  5. That's a mighty fine result, John.

  6. Very nicely done!

  7. That looks great! Airfix even posted up an interview with the designer who tried to make the model easier to build.

    Btw this just pushed the Gannet higher on the wish list.

  8. Great looking Gannet John, well done. Remember 3 of them visiting RAAF ESL , gathered quite an crowd to watch them leave, very noisy show they put on.

  9. Superb. I have resisted building one so far, not that I am anti Gannet, far from it, it just doesn't fit my collection. Having seen one on the airfix stand recently I might have to diversify. The Gannet was also the second recipient of the radars previously carried in the AEW Skyraider. Beautiful job chap.

  10. Excellent job and awesome result, John! Was really great following your thread!

  11. That is one fine looking Fairey Gannet. Very nice work. @j-healy

  12. Looks very cool John (@j-healy) - well done sir!

    My dad would have seen this aircraft a lot during his time in the British Royal Navy during the 60's & 70's on board various aircraft carriers at the time.

  13. Great work @j-healy. Super result!

  14. A very merry Christmas indeed, John, it’s always good to see a well made Airfix kit.

  15. Very nice, I did a Revell 1/72 one and really missed the bomb bay - it's very nice in your model!

  16. Thanks, Maurits!

  17. What a great build!
    Awesome pictures too.
    BTW, guess the model weighs a ton by now with all that counterweight 😂 and I love the windshield wiper. 👍

  18. A beautifully built Ganet. It is a complete pleasure to look at such a building.

  19. That is a great-looking Gannet! And that Airfix kit looks like an excellent kit. Well done - love the spinner colors on this.

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