SCALE MODEL NEWS

Here’s a pair of videos to give you some interesting weekend viewing. They’re definitely ‘of the era’, clipped accents and all, but these just add to the historical atmosphere. For model makers, there’s nothing like actually seeing a subject in the metal to catch some of those elusive details and perhaps just as important, the ‘sit’ of an aircraft in the air, and on the ground. Sadly, there are no Gannets in flyable condition today, but there are well-maintained examples on display at air museums in the countries that flew them - the AS4 we show here at top is at the Luftwaffe Museum, Berlin-Gatow airfield, Germany. As you can see, the Gannet had a complex folding-wing system, and a tubby fuselage that sat low on the ground - arming her up with torpedoes and sonobuoys must have been a back-breaking exercise for the ground crew! Visit the Luftwaffe Museum here . The Revell Fairey Gannet is available from model stores and online suppliers, including Amazon here .

SMN reports It seems to be something of a Revell week here at SMN, but it's all good news, with this neat 1:72 scale kit a real boon for fans of anti-submarine patrol aircraft. The Fairey Gannet was a British design that first flew in September 1948, and went on to have a long service history with the air arms of the UK, Australia, Germany and Indonesia. At first glance the Gannet seems to be a single-engine design, driving contra-rotating props - in fact, it was powered by the Double Mamba turbine, essentially a pair of side-by-side engines driving the props through a common gearbox. The advantage was that on long patrols, half the Double Mamba could be shut down to save fuel and extend range. The Revell kit is of the AS4 version, with seats for three, and a radome under the rear belly. It’s a new-tool offering, with many of the refinements that we expect of such kits, such as finely-drawn recessed panel detail, decent cockpit equipment including instrument panels and side units, ...