An Airfix designer's introduction to the Fairey Gannet
Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.
With the frenetic activity of range launch week now behind us, it's time to settle back into more comfortable Workbench territory and to get on with following all the new Airfix kit projects through their various development stages as the head towards release, obviously including all the recently announced new model toolings. With this in mind, we wanted to embark on a new year of blog updates with real impact and what better way could there be than by featuring one of our headline new tooling announcements for the year, our spectacular new 1/48th scale Fairey Gannet AS.1/AS.2 kit. For this first update edition of the year however, we will be doing things in a slightly different format than usual, breaking down the early development of the kit, but from two different angles and from the perspective of two different members of the Airfix team.
Firstly, we will be speaking to our researcher Luke, to find out what he has to do in preparing a project of this magnitude for hand over to the kit's assigned product designer, what he must consider in his role and any particular challenges he faces in doing so. Next, we will speak to the Gannet's designer about the initial design phase of the project, what he receives from the researcher at the start of a new project and how a new model kit design actually gets underway. Specifically, we will be looking to find out if the complexity of the real Gannet's design posed any particular problems and from a scale perspective, if this kit was any different to other projects he had worked on.
As you would expect, both team members have been extremely generous with their time and have provided us with a fascinating selection of images to illustrate many of the points covered, so you really are in for a bit of a treat. Get ready for our first project update review of the year, as we are about to go scale submarine hunting in this latest edition of our Workbench blog.
The Fleet Air Arm's submarine killer
One of the most distinctive British aircraft to see Fleet Air Arm service, the Fairey Gannet AS.1/AS.4 will be a popular addition to our 1/48th scale kit range. This image is a computer rendered version of the CAD files produced by designer Paramjit Sembhi.
When contemplating the subject of distinctive British aircraft types of the post war era, it's difficult to think of a type more distinctive or unusual than the Fairey Gannet, particularly if you narrow the criteria to aircraft which operated from the decks of the Royal Navy's relatively small aircraft carriers. The first British designed aircraft in Fleet Air Arm history to combine both search and strike roles when it came to protecting ships from enemy submarine activities, the Gannet was developed in response to a 1945 Royal Navy requirement for an advanced carrier-based turbo prop powered anti-submarine hunter killer, one which was rugged enough to withstand the rigors of operation at sea. Intended to counter the recent expansion of the Soviet submarine fleet at the start of the Cold War era, the Gannet was equipped with all manner of the latest electronic detection equipment and if an enemy submarine was detected, it could be marked, tracked and if necessary, attacked, using bombs, depth charges, rockets and air-launched acoustic torpedoes.
Despite its rather portly appearance, the Gannet was a highly manoeuvrable aircraft and when this attribute was combined with the excellent visibility its pilot was afforded and the considerable power available from its unusual and innovative Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba powerplant arrangement, proved to be ideally suited to the harsh aviation environment of operating from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Offensively, the Gannet was definitely not to be messed with, as its large weapons bay was able to carry around 30 different combinations of detection and attack stores, so if you attracted the attention of a Gannet, you were unlikely to escape the encounter unscathed. In strike configuration, the Gannet could be equipped with up to 36 rockets mounted on stations below each wing, which could be used against any number of potential targets, from ships to coastal defences. Just as the Short Sunderland was regarded during the Second World War, the Fairey Gannet proved to be one prickly aviation customer.
With its position as one of the most unusual and effective aircraft of its type to see Fleet Air Arm service, the Gannet has long been on the radar of the Airfix development team, in addition to always appearing high on the list of new tooling suggestions modellers regularly communicate to us. With our 1/48th scale Blackburn Buccaneer kit joining the Airfix range to such overwhelming acclaim in 2022, the time seemed right to give it a deck-mate, even if the two types service only overlapped for a short while and boy are we glad we did. The announcement of the new Gannet has been met with huge positivity and we are all looking forward to the day when this new kit can take its place on the shelves of the world's model stores. The question we are asking here is what does it take to transform one of the world's most distinctive and complex aircraft into an accurate scale model kit design? Thankfully, we knew a couple of chaps who were in the best position possible to help us answer that question and they were only too happy to help.
Fairey Gannet, a future Airfix kit classic
As the first project completely administered by Airfix Researcher Luke Slaney-Hewitt, the Gannet will always be special to him and across the wider Airfix team. Luke arranged to scan a preserved example at the Midland Air Museum, but as this was an incredibly challenging project, would also end up scanning two other aircraft.
Over the course of the past seven and a half years of Workbench blogs, our readers have probably become quite well versed in the various stages of development any new Airfix project has to negotiate on its way to eventual release and even though every new project will have its own particular fascinating design nuances and challenging aspects, many of the processes involved follow a very similar pattern. Nevertheless, there are always opportunities to shake things up a little from a blog review perspective and that is what we intend to do throughout the coming year, with several Workbench Specials planned, in addition to bringing you project reviews in a slightly different format. We begin that journey here, as we look at the early development of our new 1/48th scale Fairey Gannet model kit, from both the point of view of our Researcher and the Product Designer taking on the project.
Since he joined the company two years ago, Researcher Luke Slaney-Hewitt has had quite an impact and has been involved in all the fantastic products we have featured in Workbench during that time, not to mention all the ongoing projects which have to remain top secret for the time being. As knowledgeable as he is personable, Luke is a great ambassador for the Airfix brand, but perhaps more importantly than this, is extremely effective in his important role. The first question we asked Luke was regarding new project selection and what part he plays in preparing a new project for the allocated product designer.
Luke told us that the development team usually work quite far in advance of presenting a designer with any new project, often two or three years ahead when it comes to proposed subject matter, but for a great many reasons, intended projects can often move up or down this proposed list of subjects. These reasons range from the availability of research information, designer workload and the time available for particular projects, because even though we modelling enthusiasts may not often consider them so, these decisions are all commercial ones and have to be viable in that regard.
As far as the Gannet project is concerned, Luke said that this was already on the schedule when he joined the company, even though there were still some outstanding considerations to be decided, such as which versions were to be replicated and which features the kit should include. In fact, the Gannet proved to be quite a significant project in Luke's Airfix career, as this was the first project he was completely responsible for researching, so it will always have a special place in his heart.
Luke began his work on this project well in advance of the project being handed to a designer and even though the Airfix Development Manager would have already allocated a designer for the task, that designer would still be blissfully unaware of the fact at that point. Although the idea was very much in existence, Luke did not inherit a research file and was therefore responsible for creating it and including all the relevant information the designer was going to need. This would include obtaining details from books, drawings, photographs and web searches, then trying to check the validity of that information, something which is crucial to the success of any project. Luke told us that he was rather surprised to find that for an aircraft which is so distinctive, the amount of written information out there isn't actually all that robust, so obtaining this information proved to be quite the challenge.
A complex aeroplane, the Gannet was designed to be rugged enough to survive the rigors of operation at sea and to protect the fleet from submarine attack.
In addition to this, he also tried to locate people who had knowledge of anything Gannet related, from those who may have worked on its design and production at Fairey Aviation, to those who flew or maintained the aircraft during its service life. These people may be able to provide invaluable information to the project, particularly on specific points of detail required by the designer as he works his way through the project, if he could just find them. As the project would also benefit from a detailed LIDAR scan, one of the most challenging tasks Luke faced was to locate a suitable preserved aircraft to scan, one which was as close to the version we were intending to model as possible and crucially, if we could arrange access to it.
With some aircraft types proving to be quite elusive in the historic aviation world, even if he does manage to find a Gannet, it may not prove to be suitable for scanning. It may not be the correct version for our project and during its preparation for museum display, may incorporate components, modifications or features which should not appear on the version we are modelling and he has to be fully aware of all these details. In some cases, these discrepancies may rule this aircraft out as our donor scan subject, but if there are no suitable alternatives, Luke just has to point out all the inaccuracies to the designer and perhaps of even greater importance, what he needs to do to replicate it correctly. When a suitable aircraft has been found, he has to check that the owners are happy for us to scan it and how much notice they will need in order to do so. Luke may then decide to actually visit the aircraft to inspect it, introduce himself to his contact in person and take lots of pictures, usually combined with other research visits to make the trip both cost and time effective.
What is the procedure for arranging a scan and what actually happens on the day?
How the Gannet's weapons bay was replicated during the scanning process. When combined with photographs and other research material gathered, Luke was hoping that Paramjit would have everything he needed for his design work.
Luke told us that since the Gannet scan was completed, the actual scanning procedure has changed dramatically and we are delighted to confirm that this will be the subject of one of the Workbench Specials we mentioned earlier, so please keep an eye out for that. In this case, however, Luke would be using an external specialist company for the task, a team we had used many times in the past and people who were not only extremely proficient in their field, but also knew exactly what we wanted from them. Luke said that when it comes to arranging scan day, he never strays too far from his calendar and has to manage the availability of the owner or museum, the scanning company and his own/Airfix team member availability. As he has learned to his cost, you have to be flexible when it comes to these arrangements, because availabilities often change and finding a suitable alternative date for all parties can be difficult. In the end though, it always works out and sometimes it actually goes like clockwork.
Luke also told us that when he gets around two weeks away from scan date, another factor also comes in to play - the weather. If the subject aircraft is displayed inside a museum or hangar, there isn't too much to worry about, unless heavy snowfall stops everyone travelling to the venue, but if the aircraft is outside, well, that's a different story altogether. Although the scanning equipment is professional grade and robust, weather conditions can certainly have an impact on the quality of the scan, not to mention the comfort of the technician working on the day. High winds can obviously be detrimental to obtaining an accurate scan, as can rain - even light drizzle can affect the quality of a scan. With the cost of a scan being quite substantial, once the process is underway, it is unusual for it to be halted to come back the next day due to conditions, for reasons of cost and availability, however, if the data gathered to that point is not of the required standard, that is exactly what has to happen.
For most scans, the people present on the day would be Luke or another member of the Airfix team, a museum/venue official, the scanning technician and often the Product Designer allocated the project - even I in my content gathering capacity have been allowed to attend several scans, which was quite a privilege, I have to say. In truth, once the scanning is underway, even though it can be a busy few hours for the technician, for everyone else, once we have taken our pictures of the scan taking place, there isn't much to do, except head for the cafe, obviously remembering to take the odd brew to the technician, as this will clearly result in a much more accurate scan. This is usually when Luke will spend time maintaining his professional relationships with all parties, ensuring the day goes smoothly and that everyone is happy.
Resembling something like an aviation Angel of the North, this is how Luke received the scan data from the Midland Air Museum appointment.
For the Gannet project, it was rather unusual in that the assigned designer was briefed in advance of the scan taking place and during those briefing discussions, it was decided that scanning an aircraft with the wings in flight configuration would be most appropriate for the design project, so Luke arranged to scan the Gannet which is on display at the Midland Air Museum. He asked us to extend his grateful thanks to the Museum once again for their invaluable assistance in support of this project. Although he didn't know it at the time, he would actually scan three different Gannets before the design of this kit was completed, something which underlines the complexity of this project. Once the scanning process had been completed, Luke headed back to Margate, but via IWM Duxford and an appointment with their Gannet, just to gather further research information - once you are in Gannet mode, it can be difficult to get this unusual aircraft out of your system.
How long do you have to wait until you receive the scan data and what information do you pass to the designer?
In most cases, Luke told us that it takes around two weeks for the scan files to be sent from the scanning company, but as they have worked with us many times in the past, they know which format our designers work from and as such, Luke often has to do very little work in preparing the files before passing them on. The scanning process creates a huge number of surface plots from the subject or subjects in front of it, producing a point cloud of this information to create a 3D model file. In fact, the scanning equipment is so inquisitive that it will capture everything its beam touches, so your main subject, its surroundings and all the other exhibits in the vicinity will be represented in the resultant scan, which really does make for fascinating viewing. The additional information can be a distraction from the main purpose of the scan, but can be cleaned out before being presented to the designer if so desired, something which can be done prior to delivery, or by Luke on receipt.
Nothing escapes the inquisitive eye of the LIDAR scanner. This view shows the underside of the Gannet and if the high resolution file is accessed, it will reveal incredible levels of detail.
The file format in which the scan data is delivered to Luke is an STL (mesh) file conversion of the point cloud data obtained during the scan, where STL stands for Standard Template Library, a terminology which will mean little to most of us, but is staple fare for our designers. In layman's terms, this takes the raw scan data and converts it into a format which can be recognised by the powerful software used by our designers and once they have the reassurance of this information, the project is off and running.
With regard to the Gannet, once Luke was sent the files, following a cursory check, he simply passed on the files to the project's designer, who would then open each file to check there were no data corruptions and that they could be read by his design files. In most instances, two or three different versions of the same information will be provided, one in very high resolution, with the other two being in medium and low resolution. The lower resolution files are much easier to work with, because even though the team have access to extremely powerful computers, the sheer size of the data they are required to process can slow them down considerably. The highest resolution files can take an eternity to open and are slow and jerky to work with on screen as they take up all the computer's processing power, however, they contain incredible levels of detail and if the designer needs to check something, these files will reveal even the smallest of details.
Once this stage has been reached, the designer is ready to be briefed on the project and all the research information Luke has amassed is made available in support of the project. This briefing meeting is usually attended by Luke (obviously, in his position as researcher), the designer allocated to the project, the Development Manager and the Design Manager and during the meeting, all aspects of the project are discussed. Even though there is huge experience within the Airfix design team, Luke produces his project briefs as if the designer had absolutely no knowledge of the subject at hand, providing him with a historical overview, details of preserved examples, design complexities, variants and options the design should incorporate and the hobby market positioning of the new kit.
As Paramjit immersed himself in the design of his Fairey Gannet, he found that he needed a little additional information in order to replicate all the fine detail correctly, so in support of this, Luke arranged for scans of two further preserved Gannets to be completed. These scans highlighted quite a few design differences between different variants of the aircraft. Luke asked us to thank the Museum of Berkshire Aviation for their help in scanning this training variant of the Gannet.
Luke scanned this AEW variant of the Gannet during a visit to the South Wales Aviation Museum and again, would like to extend his thanks for their kind assistance in his research efforts.
This briefing meeting will also cover such matters as other versions of the same subject the tooling design must include and if these are to form part of a future release, how these additional components will need to be designed as a separate frame of parts. By the time Luke briefs the designer on his next project in this way, he tends to be something of a subject expert, but rather than overload his colleague with information, the intention is to provide him with the confidence to open his new design files, in the knowledge that he will have all the information support he needs. In his specialist role, Luke says that you can never have too much research information to fall back on and there is always new information to uncover.
Luke will always have multiple research projects on the go at any one time and may often be working on projects which will not be receiving the attentions of one of our designers for months or even years to come. Even though he may have handed the Gannet project on, he is always on hand to provide ongoing support to the designer and may sometimes be asked to obtain additional supporting research information. This may even include a request for further scan data in some instances. In fact, for the Gannet project, Luke did have to obtain further scan data for particularly challenging sections of the design phase, just to provide the designer with the information he needed to ensure his scale representation of this aircraft was as faithfully replicated as possible.
At this stage, the Gannet project is now in the hands of one of our Product Designers, which is the next port of call for our blog review.
A scale journey from Buccaneer to Gannet
Aviation ugly duckling or masterpiece of aeronautical design? Whichever side of this particular fence you might be on, there is no denying how appealing the Fairey Gannet is as a 1/48th scale model kit build project.
Over the course of the past few years, the talents of Airfix Product Designer Paramjit Sembhi have become well known to Workbench readers and in a wider hobby sense, could he even be described as something of a modelling celebrity? When he isn't starring in a certain TV series, or appearing in another YouTube modelling production, his day job sees him working on some of the most popular Airfix kit projects in the history of the brand, an impressive ever growing list of models which now includes our 1/48th scale Fairey Gannet tooling. Fresh from thrilling us all with the release of his Blackburn Buccaneer S.2C/D kit in the same scale, Paramjit took on the sizeable responsibility of designing the Gannet, a companion release to the Buccaneer in some respects, but one which brought with it a new set of design challenges for him to overcome.
As we have already looked at the preparatory work Luke did in advance of handing the Gannet project over to Paramjit, we wanted to get an idea of this initial phase from the designer's perspective, so we asked Paramjit to describe how he first learned he would be designing a Gannet kit. He told us that this project was quite unusual in that respect, as he was involved much earlier than would usually be the case, for several reasons. Usually, as designers have to completely immerse themselves in the project they are currently working on, they would rarely be presented with a new design task whilst in the final stages of their current project, as this can often be quite an intense period for them. At this stage, they will be finalising their tooling layout in advance of presenting the file to the toolmaker for production and as you can imagine, this really is a rather crucial stage of the design process. That is not to say that designers don't have multiple projects on the go at the same time, but this usually takes the form of one in design, one at prototype/first test frame stage and perhaps one at the very end of its development. Other than making slight changes to an ongoing project, only rarely would they actually work on two major new design projects at the same time.
In the case of the Gannet, because this was the first full project that researcher Luke had led from the start and one that all members of the team knew would be quite a complex project, Luke, Paramjit and senior members of the team actually had an advanced project meeting to discuss the best way forward. Even though the project brief had not been finalised at this time and indeed no scan had yet taken place, Paramjit and the design team would prove instrumental in how this project was going to proceed, with their experience providing Luke with the guidance he needed. These discussions centred around the wings of the Gannet and whether it would be better to scan an aircraft with the wings in flight configuration, or folded for stowage within the hangars of an aircraft carrier, such a distinctive feature of the Gannet's design. It was decided that a standard flight configuration would be the most useful for this project, a decision which then allowed Luke to arrange his scan and get the project on the way. Paramjit then went back to his existing project, knowing that the Gannet was awaiting his attention.
As the Gannet project was going to be so different from anything he had worked on before, we asked Paramjit if he had any trepidation prior to starting the project and if he could see any specific design challenges ahead?
To an Airfix designer, this screenshot of the Gannet skeleton model may represent quite a lot of work already completed for them, even though it's only it's still relatively early in the project. To the rest of us, we are left wondering how on earth they manage to turn this into a highly detailed scale model kit.
In his own inimitable style, PJ laughed at this question and replied, "Just about everything!" He went on to say that the wings, the wing fold and how he was going to design this feature were clearly his immediate concerns and at the initial briefing consultation, he asked the group if it wouldn't be better to consider designing the different wing options separately and providing both options in the kit. Bearing in mind that he hadn't opened his Gannet design files at that stage, he was struggling to see how he could design the wing in such a way as to allow both radically different wing configurations to be modelled using the same parts, but as a group, they were confident in his abilities and asked him to see how he went.
Although this might initially seem like a good idea to the rest of us, designing the Gannet with two separate wing configuration options would have had huge implications for the project as a whole and may have even resulted in its deferral or cancellation. From a design time perspective, this could have greatly extended the time Paramjit would have had to spend on the project, not only designing the two sets of parts themselves, but also arranging them within the tooling plan and checking them at each development stage, with the possibility of associated modifications and design tweaks doubled. This extra design time brings with it additional project costs and when this is combined with the likelihood of additional tooling expenses, the costing of the entire project would have to be recalculated, resulting in a more expensive kit and possibly even placing the entire project at risk.
Thankfully, as Paramjit negotiated his way through this section of his design, he found the wing structure to be quite accommodating to the specific considerations a kit designer has to embrace and he was able to successfully design the wing components to allow both configurations to be replicated. This may well have alleviated his most pressing concern regarding the Gannet's design, however, as is often the case with this kind of specialist design work, other unexpected issues soon revealed themselves as challenges which had to be overcome. Paramjit highlighted wing flaps, cockpit detail and weapons bay as such issues, but we will come to these a little later.
Paramjit continues to build up his Gannet skeleton model and whilst it's definitely already starting to resemble the subject aircraft, he still had many hours sat in front of his computer ahead of him.
From a scale choice perspective, the Gannet was always going to be designed in 1/48th scale for several specific reasons. These included existing subject matter in the Airfix range and the market positioning of the resultant kit, but perhaps of equal importance was the fact that in this larger scale, the built Gannet kit would look particularly impressive within any model display, a fitting scale centrepiece featuring one of the British aircraft industry's most distinctive aircraft types.
We also wanted to ask Paramjit about the project handover process and what he received in the way of support from Luke at this initial stage?
Paramjit informed us that in almost every case, the start of any new design project will begin with Luke providing the designer with a robust overview of the project, not only giving him a little background and historical context to the subject matter, but also showing him which versions of the aircraft (or whatever the subject might be) they would like the design to incorporate. These discussions will also include any future releases the tooling must accommodate and if those future releases require new parts, which parts will have to be grouped together in tooling to support this. As has become much more common in recent years, the briefing file will usually also include the various scan data files Luke has obtained in the weeks previously, files which are invaluable to the designer as he embarks on his new project.
The decision to scan a Gannet with its wings in standard flight configuration actually caused Luke some problems, however, our friends at the Midlands Air Museum came to our aid and he was able to provide Paramjit with the details he needed. As it turned out, Paramjit would later request additional scan data confirmation of other specific sections of the Gannet's design and Luke informed us that he actually obtained scans of three different aircraft in support of the Gannet project.
Even though scan data can be crucial during the design phase of any project, there are some essential tasks the designer has to perform before this information can be used effectively. The cleaned up data is exported into a format which the design software can read and the very first thing a designer has to do is to correctly orientate the scan image in the CAD software. This is an absolutely crucial stage of the entire process and if not completed correctly, will lead to a world of design pain further down the line. Ensuring the geometric basics are in place is the starting point for every new tooling project and in order for the scan data to be any use whatsoever, it must be perfectly aligned and orientated with the CAD base model.
We asked Paramjit if he would be kind enough to send us an early development screenshot to highlight the challenges he had when building up the three crew stations in the Gannet and he sent us this - no wonder he had a few issues!
The very first thing Paramjit did when starting his Gannet design project was to set out his fuselage, overlaying sliced sketch cross sections over the scan data, allowing him to trace out the exact shape of the aircraft at that point, using the scan data as his reference. Then, using a series of geometric plots placed on top of the scan, this will produce a framework of faceted data sections, areas where the designer will be chopping his design into sections and using this as a framework for the production of his tooling design. Tracing over the scan data allows him to smooth out all the shapes, curves and surfaces, cleaning up all the scan information and allow him to work on the production of his skeleton model. Basically, this is the way a designer will interpret the scan data he has been provided with, knowing that what he is really looking to do is to use this information to help him produce design files for the production of a model kit tooling.
Paramjit also described how this helps the designer to understand not only how the subject aircraft was put together during manufacturing, but how all the parts and their shapes flow into adjoining sections of the design, not to mention showing him the surfacing detail he should be following, along with the details he will have to decipher for himself, due to inaccuracies. In summary, the availability of scan data at the outset of any project provided the designer with the confidence that he is following the actual shape of the subject aircraft, even though it does not actually allow any shortcuts in the design work itself. It’s definitely a case of reassurance, but not relaxation.
Having already discussed the matter of wing fold complexity, our final question attempted to look a little deeper into the early design phase of the new Gannet. Did any unexpected challenges reveal themselves whilst working through your Gannet design?
Paramjit informed us that there were actually several aspects of the Gannet's design which caused him issues, not least of which was the fact that the aircraft has three separate crew sections in the fuselage. These were really quite difficult to replicate in design and had to be absolutely spot on, because if they weren't, people would instantly see where the scale version differed from the actual aircraft - angles and shape detailing were the issues of particular concern. It quickly became apparent to Paramjit that there was very little information available regarding Gannet cockpit detail and he was forced to go back to Luke to ask him for further support. Luke checked his files, hit the books and discussed the issue with some of the Gannet contacts he had made and eventually came back with all the answers his design colleague needed.
This fascinating image shows Paramjit's Gannet skeleton model overlayed on the Gannet scan data. The scan is always there in the background to provide shape and dimension reassurance for the designer.
Not wanting to skirt over the significant challenge posed by the wing fold design completely, Paramjit told us that whilst this element of the design was less of a problem than he had initially anticipated, in no way would he describe this feature as being easy, because it was anything but that. The Gannet's two point wing fold is an unusual and extremely distinctive feature of the aircraft and in order to replicate this feature correctly, Paramjit had to find his pivot points before he could do anything else, as this really was a make or break aspect of the design. Ensuring the dual pivot point wing sections folded back at just the right angle and at the correct orientation to the rest of the wing and fuselage produced more than a couple of head scratching moments and had him taking a break to gauge the opinions of his colleagues on many occasions.
The wing design was so pivotal (pardon the pun) to the entire project that Paramjit was almost thinking about Gannet wings in his sleep at that time and he knew that until he got this aspect of the design right, there was no point looking at other areas of the kit, as this could be a complete waste of time. So many areas of the Gannet's design were connected to the wing and its ability to fold, that Paramjit found this to be quite a high pressure stage of the kit's design and throughout the rest of his career, he will probably always remember his time spent in the company of Gannet wings. Once he had overcome this challenge and was happy with his design, he could move on to designing the wing internals and fuselage detail, safe in the knowledge that he was now on the right track.
Just to add another requirement into the work of our designers, each and every part will obviously be produced by injecting pressurised, molten plastic into a stainless steel tooling block, which after just a few seconds, will need to be mechanically ejected from that same tooling jig. In order to allow this to happen effectively, the designer has to incorporate something referred to as draft into the design of each part, basically adding a slight taper to the surface of every component, to make easier for it to eject from the mould during manufacture and to reduce the chanced of it being subjected to moulding stresses. Just another of the many considerations an Airfix product designer has to be aware of when producing his latest kit masterpiece.
Other challenging areas of the Gannet's design proved to be the wing flaps and the aircraft's huge weapons bay, both areas were research information was found to be a little lacking. The Gannet was quite a manoeuvrable aircraft when considering its size and its slow speed performance was helped by the large and well-designed flaps its pilot could call upon during landing and take-off. These would therefore be another important feature of the kit's design, with Paramjit having to decide on two critical factors - what angle should the flaps be positioned at and how would this decision impact if the modeller decided to build his kit with the wings folded?
This final series of images shows how Paramjit built up the weapons bay detail, from scan data to the production of the basic section component and on to building up the fine kit detail. Airfix designers really do possess a unique set of skills and it is fascinating to be able to see how they work.
Scan data converted to Airfix kit form, this is where all the anti-submarine action will be taking place.
In order not to incorporate a completely unworkable level of design requirements into the new Gannet, it was decided that the flaps should be represented at an angle for a flight configuration it was considered most modellers would want to finish their model in, as incorporating several different degrees of flap deployment was not a feasible option. Once this decision had been made, it would clearly have implications on other aspects of the kit's fit and finish, so all these had to be investigated before that aspect of the design could be signed off.
As the first dedicated British designed aircraft in the history of the Fleet Air Arm to combine both search and strike roles when protecting the fleet, the Gannet carries a huge array of detection equipment and offensive weaponry in the Anti-Submarine role, most of which was carried in its ample internal weapons bay. Unfortunately for Paramjit, just as was the case with the three crew stations on the aircraft, the scan data of the weapons bay internals were not initially of a standard able to provide the references he needed and even though he did have access to plenty of photographic information, he asked Luke if he would be able to provide him with better scan data.
As he expected, Luke came back with the references he needed and once in receipt of these, Paramjit told us that it took him about a week to detail the weapons bay design, a feature he thinks modellers are going to be rather pleased with following the Gannet's release. All told, Paramjit informed us that it took him around nine or ten months to complete the design of the Gannet and bearing in mind his design experience, this really does illustrate how challenging a project this must have been. Whilst we were talking to him about this week's feature, he told us that he was currently working on and assessing Gannet test frames and how he is really pleased with how the kit is looking, but that is a blog update for another day.
That is were we are going to leave this initial Fairey Gannet project overview feature, but in the sure and certain knowledge that there is much more to come with regard to Gannet related blog updates. We would like to thank both Luke and Paramjit for helping us to put this update together and for sharing some of their development images with us. You will be pleased to know that we will be hearing much more from both of them within various blog editions, as we steer our way through another year of Workbench blog updates, but for now, thanks again chaps.
We are afraid that's all we have for you in this latest edition of Workbench, but we will be back next Friday with more project development updates and the very latest Airfix kit exclusives. In the meantime, we are always keen to hear your views on all things Airfix and in particular, any thoughts and opinions you may have regarding our Workbench blog. If you would like to drop us a quick line, could we please ask that you use our workbench@airfix.com email for all correspondence.
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