1:72nd Scale FOLLAND GNAT T.1 (Fluorescent Fire Orange)

[T2B]

This was my first attempt at a new tool kit, although I did have others in my stash. But I loved the orange and silver colour scheme and wanted to try the panel wash method which I had never tried before. The kit was purchased and the Humbrol 209 Flourescent Fire Orange tinlet was ordered. Yes I'm a dinosaur and I still use Humbrol Enamels and I brush paint.

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However the kit did not get off to a good start as no matter how long I mixed/stirred the 209 Fire Orange, it still came out thin and gave no colour coverage. After a little research on various forums I tried a base coat of white, then HSS (High Speed Silver) as was suggested but still  with no success. I then tried my own method which was to mix the 209 Fire Orange with a matt orange and I even tried a signal red. But I still couldn't get the colour finish I desired. And at this stage the kit panels were becoming ruined and loosing the panel Line detail due to the number of coats of paint that had been applied!

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So I decided to scrap the Gnat and the sprues of parts - fuselage and wings etc, that were no longer required became a test bed of mixing paints and trying out panel wash methods?

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During this failed process I still loved how detailed the kit was compared to the old Red Arrows Gnat kit, and other older tools. Therefore I subsequently bought a further 2 Gnat kits but these were the Yellow Jacks Starter Kits and they were completed in quick time. I have done a separate forum post briefly covering the Double Jacks. 

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After the Double Helping of Yellow Gnats I did a few more new tool kits, namely 3 Lightnings, 2 Harriers, 2 Vampires, 2 Swifts and 2 Jet Provosts, plus some AFV from another manufacturer. But I couldn't shake off the thoughts of that lovely colour scheme of Fire Orange and Silver. So I kept testing other colours and mixes etc. And a 4th Gnat T.1 was ordered 😀!!   

[John Symmons]

Hi T2B

Sorry to  hear about your troubles with fluorescent paint , it seems you're not alone in this regard. Maybe you should leave the dinosaurs behind and evolve to a mamal and leave the Humbrol enamals behind and try Vallejo or other well known acrylic paint. Fluorescent paints are usuall translucient and therefore are best airbrushed, so maybe it's time to upgrade to an airbrush. Still retain your old trusty brushes and enamals as there;s always some parts that are better brush painted.

Good luck and hope to see the fluorescent Gnat soon.

Remember we do this for fun                    John the Pom

[Kenneth ONeill]

I've no idea why, but I've never had any real issues with H209 over "high speed silver" finishes (brushed at that). If it helps, when fluorescent orange on silver was painted rather than sticky back plastic (eg Vampire schemes) it was thin and wore through fast on the real aircraft too.

Addl comment on the Yellowjacks; I see that you picked up that the black tail (black or yellow rudder) was only on the leader.

[Dad Paul B]

Fluorescent Oranges are tricky. I have tried both the Humbrol and Revell acrylics. I managed to get reasonable results with the Humbrol after 5 coats (the Vallejo is also described as Translucent). Other posts suggest using a base coat of Orange. Saying that period photos suggest this colour was pretty uneven as they aircraft often look blotchy so it is not entirely unrealistic.

My son has done the Gnat in this scheme and after a couple of coats the orange looked OK. I tried to get something smoother looking when I did the Vampire in the same scheme.

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Gnat by Daniel (7 at the time)

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Vampire T.11 by Dad

[T2B]

@JS 

Yes the Orange/Silver Gnat will be appearing soon but the Humbrol 209 Fire Orange is still eluding me but after many mixes, and trails of other paints I think I have managed a pretty good subsitute? Well I like it and I'm normally quite critical if I don't think the colours 'look' right.

@P4T

Thanks, but yes I did realise the 'Black Tail' was reserved for the 'Yellow Jacks Filght Leader'. I copied the box artwork as I liked the thought of the 2 aircraft in reverted formation, and the instructions gave you the combination of serial letters, which if I recall had 2/3 options on the decal sheet. I have just tried to uplaod a picture of it but it says 'exceeds maximum file size?' Never had that before!!

  

[Kenneth ONeill]

@T2B - What I said was that you were correct about the single black tail Yellowjack (with an additional note that its rudder actually started black and changed to yellow mid season, probably due to damage).

[T2B]

WoW that Gnat looks pretty impressive to have been done by a 7 year old! That was about the age I started and my first kit was a Red Stripe boxed BAC Jaguar (shows how old I am). But no paint was involved, and probably far to much glue was used and it was finished in a day and left in the bare grey plastic finish (with glue blobs)! 

[T2B]

I meant to update this post a week or so ago but sorry a holiday abroad got in the way. Things you have to do when your married!

As I mentioned earlier I tested many paints and mixed a few too, and eventually found that the Revell Matt 25 Flourescent Orange, with a finishing gloss varnish coat it gave a pretty good match to the Airfix 209 Fire Orange Flourescent. 

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So that is my Fire Orange & Silver Gnat. I hope you will agree the colour is a pretty good match. Maybe I should do a Red Arrows Gnat sometime soon to complete my Gnat collection as I have already done the Yellow Jacks Gnat. 

My current build is the orange/silver DH Vampire T.11 

[Kenneth ONeill]

It's a bit spread out over 2 sets of fora, and multiple threads, but my view of "RAF fire orange" is that it weathers very easily/heavily so it's pretty much impossible to prove a specific model "wrong".

Having said which, the Vampires were done using sticky back plastic, so use the decals like the RAF did, and don't worry too much if the don't conform like paint (like the RAF didn't).

[T2B]

My post of the Vampire build will follow soon and as you say P4T the orange does fade easily so my colour could just about be right. The Vampire will be painted rather than decals because I can imagine it would be impossible to curve an orange decal sheet over the nose (I haven't even considered trying to source a fire orange decal sheet). I've got pictures of a RN Vampire T.11 from a static display in the orange/silver which I'll post with the Vampire build.

[T2B]

What I forgot to mention is that the Revell Flourescent Orange is quite translucent aswell (but gives a much better coverage than the Humbrol paint equivilant and only requires a maximum of 2 coats) and I discovered halfway through the build that if I did the panel wash first then apply the orange paint colour, the panel line still shows through. This actually works to a lesser degree with the silver paint, I used the Humbrol Metallic 191 so therefore only needed minor touching up of the panel lines. 

It may help you, I certainly found it worked better for me and I used the same method from the start on my Vampire build!