The newly tooled Airfix 1/72 Gnat Trainer has quite rightly become a very good seller. Although the level of cockpit detail is good, the seats are pretty plain. Pavla Models has released what looks like an excellent resin cockpit including seats.

Contents:

Folland Gnat T.1 Cockpit Set
Inside the vac formed blister packaging is:

-2 x 4GT/1 ejection seats.
-2 x instrument panels.
-4 x side panels.
-2 x control columns.
-1 x cockpit floor.
-1 x small acetate sheet..
-2 x small sheets of instructions.

Resin Parts:The level of detail on the two one piece ejection seats is superb. The harnesses are cast onto the nicely detailed seat cushions. They are far superior to the seats supplied with the kit. Both seats are attached to casting blocks. The two instrument panels look very good, some careful highlighting of the low relief details will certainly pay dividends. The hood of the instrument in the students position is separate, while the hood is attached to the instruments in the rear instructors position. The bulkhead behind the student seat is attached to the instructors instrument block. The instructors instrument panel is attached to a casting block and there is some thin flash around the foot wells, easy enough to clear out.
The instrument panels moulded integrally on the side of the students position in the Airfix kit need to be removed to fit the two separate resin replacement parts. The separate resin instructors side instrument panels are attached to side wall and are a direct replacement for the kit parts. The two distinctive control columns are nicely cast with some fine detail.
The cockpit floor incorporates front and rear bulkheads and also the distinctive bulge where the nose wheel is housed. In the nose wheel bay. There is some recessed and raised detail. Within the bay.
To finish of the construction of this lovely cockpit set there is a blast screen for the instructor. There are three screens supplied on the small acetate sheet. They require cutting, the shape is outlined with a black line. This I suspect will be the trickiest part of construction. Pavla Models has recognised this and supply three blast screens on the acetate sheet just in case.
The instructions: are very well illustrated with black line drawings and written instructions in Czech and English. Painting instructions are provided.

Ref no: C72108
Price: £12.40

Type 4GT/1 Seats:
if you are happy with the level of cockpit detail supplied with the kit, I would recommend highly acquiring the Pavla Models seats. They are available separately, but only one seat is contained in the plastic bag. The seat is also applicable to the Gnat F.1.

Ref no: S72075
Price: £2.25

Conclusions:

This is an excellent resin cockpit set for the Airfix Gnat trainer. The level of detail and the quality of the casting is excellent.