Conair Firebird - Fairey Gannet Water Bomber

[kitnut617]

the only planes that scoop are seaplanes as they actually are taxing on the water as they scoop.

Actually Philp, the flying-boat firebombers scoop the water while actually flying and skimming across the lakes/sea/water. They don't do it while taxiing ---

They use a extendable pipe which has an elbow section at the bottom end and is lowered about 2 feet below the bottom of the hull. The elbow/pipe is then dipped into the water where the ram effect shoots the water into the holding tanks.  There was an episode on Mighty Planes about the Martin Mars, and during the filming of their fire fighting season, this mechanism jammed up and wouldn't extend, it showed what they had to do to fix it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4fSrol1YvE

https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/CIegeTXkH_A/hqdefault.jpg

[KiwiZac]

I really like seeing models of waterbombers, and your backstory sounds excellent. Bring on the photos!

[McColm]

Great idea.

[Mossie]

Just do it like the Avengers were done.  Load up at the field and off you go.

That was the original plan an I'll stick to it.  It's basically a slot in alternative to the Tracker/Firecat.

[Mossie]

I really like seeing models of waterbombers, and your backstory sounds excellent. Bring on the photos!

I was going to start, but we're crazy busy at work and I'm getting home very tired.  I've got another week of it, then it should calm down.  If I get a night were I feel more lively, I might get started.

[KiwiZac]

No pressure!! No point in building to please others, I did that and it ended in real mojo burnout.

[Mossie]

Finally got this started!   I'll be lucky to make the deadline, but lets see eh?

Not much to show, I've got the major internal parts together.  I've heard that this is the critical part, the fit is so good that even a thin layer of paint can cause issues.  To that end, I've got the parts setting overnight in the taped up fuselage and I've brush painted primer rather than spraying it so I don't get it on the mating surfaces.

I've spotted a few potential problems.  This kit is more flashy than the AS.1/4 boxing I have and there's a noticeable 'v' in the mating surfaces when the fuselage halves are together that might prove problematic to fill.  This seems to match up with what I've heard about later batches of Revell kits being less well finished.  There's also a gap where the two halves of the bridge between

The worst problem though is one of the canopy parts is split right down the middle.  The only real irk about this kit in reviews is that there are seams down the canopies (three in a Gannet) that need cleaning up.  My part is split very cleanly down this seam, so much so that I thought it was supposed to be two separate parts.  Of course, it's not the part from the radar operators position that I won't be using....    I've requested a replacement from Revell, in the meantime I'll rob the canopy from the AS.1/4 kit.

[Captain Canada]

Looking forward to this one. Love the Gannet

[Mossie]

Cheers!  Thinking about you Cap, an Ontario scheme crossed my mind as they took some of the earliest Tracker conversions (first ones were Saskatchewan), the problem being lack of decals.

A bit more done last night, just a few coats of paint.  More coats tonight, then hopefully I can do the detail painting of the cockpit and get the fuselage together within the next few days.

[Mossie]

The worst problem though is one of the canopy parts is split right down the middle.

Revell have been on the ball and have got straight back to me.  Fingers crossed, it should be sorted soon.