AIRFIX INCOMING 2014: FOLLAND GNAT 1:48 SCALE TWO-SEATER JET
Fans of British jets will welcome the new Airfix 1:48 scale Folland Gnat, well-known as the high-speed mount for RAF aerobatic teams of the past, such as the Yellowjacks and the Red Arrows. This Gnat is a step up in size for Airfix, which already has a new-tool 1:72 scale Gnat in the range. The Folland Gnat was a small, swept-wing British subsonic jet trainer and light fighter, the pic (below) taken at the 1957 Paris Air Show. It was developed by Folland for the RAF, and flown extensively under licence by the Indian Air Force. The design was simplified, allowing for construction by countries without a highly specialised industrial base. Although never used as a fighter by the RAF, the Gnat T1 trainer variant (below) was used from 1962-78, after which it was replaced by the hugely successful Hawk, which is still widely used, with new versions currently under development by BAE Systems. In service with the Indian armed forces, the relatively small Gnat achieved distinction in 1971 as a ‘...