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Folland Gnat T.1

History

The Folland Gnat T.1 is a small swept wing, subsonic jet trainer. It was first developed as a light weight, manoeuvrable fighter. However, the RAF never accepted the Gnat into service in that role. Folland redesigned the aircraft, installing a second seat, a larger engine, a different wing and tail, and a revised control-surface installation. After being redesigned, the aircraft found its niche as a superb training aircraft. Its small size and excellent aerobatic qualities made it a natural choice for RAF aerobatic teams.

The Gnat was used by the British Yellowjacks/Red Arrows aerobatic teams from 1964 through 1979, when it was replaced by the British Aerospace Hawk T.Mk.1. In the Indian Air Force the Gnat came into its own as a fighter aircraft. During the 1965 war with Pakistan, the Gnat was credited with downing seven Pakistani F-86 Sabre jet aircraft.

In their training role in the UK, Gnats were effective training aircraft for several generations of student jet pilots, and were a common sight in the skies above the UK before their retirement in November 1978. In the UK and the USA, a handful of Gnats enjoy continued life as privately-owned sport jets.

The Kit

The Airfix Folland Gnat T.1 kit provides 3 sprues in pale blue plastic and one clear sprue. The kit also includes a decal sheet that has airframe stencils and walkways. The decal sheet gives you a choice of two aircraft, both RAF. They are: Central Flying School, Little Rissington, Gloucestershire, England 1964, and No 4 Flying Training School, RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales, 1973. The instruction guide is twelve pages in an A4 booklet with exploded views running to 38 construction steps. Construction

The kit provides options that you need to decide on before construction begins. You can build the model with the undercarriage retracted, using a stand that can be purchased separately. The canopy can be open or closed and separate clear parts are provided. Flaps and control surfaces can be built in the down position. One pilot figure is provided but if don't wish to use it, there are separate seat cushions that have the seat straps moulded in. Finally, the hatch to the nose avionics bay can be posed open or closed.

Building the Gnat was straight forward just by following the very well illustrated instruction guide. The parts fit was good, but even so, there was some seam filling and sanding required. I chose to have my Gnat with a closed canopy and the flaps in the up position. Since I chose not to have a pilot figure, I installed the seat cushions with the molded seat belts. I also chose to have the avionics bay hatch closed.

Painting

For my Gnat I chose to use the paint scheme for the Central Flying School. A four view illustration indicates the areas that are bare metal finish and areas with high visibility paint. For the metal finish I used Floquil Bright Silver. For the high visibility paint I used Model Masters International Orange.

Decals

The kit provides decals for two aircraft. I chose to use the decals for the RAF Central Flying School. The decals performed well. They were easily placed on the model and responded well to decal setting solution.

Conclusion

Building the Airfix Folland Gnat T.1 was a delight. The parts fit was good, the detail was excellent, and the decals were superb. Airfix produced an excellent kit for the Gnat. This kit is one that any modeler can handle.