Seamus Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Evening all,As a virtually exclusive 1/72 modeller, it takes a pretty special kt or subject to sway me to the darkside of 1/48, but when it's a new tool Harrier, and a naval one at that, it's a bit of a no brainer really. Having picked this up at Yeovilton, I couldn't resist cracking on with immediately, and have spent the last couple of days trimming, sanding and dry fitting. What I;ve found so far is that Eduard and Tamiya can lure into a false sense of security as far as new tool kits are concerned, and while this kit from Kinetic is very good, it does have it's foibles, or at least mine does. I'm finding every mating surface needs a good few swipes of a coarse sanding stick to remove any flash or chamfering along the edge to achieve a good fit with it's opposing piece. I've been paying particularly close attention to getting the fit of the cockpit and nose gear bay assemblies to fit snugly, primarily to achieve a smooth join between the inner intake faces and their respective fuselage sides. This has necessitated a spot of grinding and trimming of various areas of the kit as detailed below, with my Dremel making a rare appearance to help speed things along.Essentially, I found that the nose gear bay assembly sat too far aft, and needed to come forward a bit, hence the work above. The results are below, and while the gaps may still not look great, they close up well with a bit of pressure that I obviously couldn't apply in the pic. I'm hoping this compression during cementing will fully close the gaps, or at least limit it to a straightforward filling job.I've also had a quick look at the wing fit. Early fettling suggests in general it's not bad, but will require the removal of more material from the fuselage locaters. I fear the rear join will result in an unavoidable filling job to smooth out the step.I've laid down the base colours in the cockpit- Xtracolor Admiralty Grey- and will proceed with detail painting and washes.Thanks for looking, more soonCheers,Shaun 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I really fancy one of these and it's great to see a WIP being done, especially when your showing us all the ways and means for producing a trouble free build! Good job looking forward to more.......... Muzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyhunter66 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Ok this is interesting as I was planning on doing this one next. Will hold fire and watch this first i reckons! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Nice start! You say the you think that the nose wheel bay is too far aft, can you let us know by how much? Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Greggs Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Very nice, looks like one to watch. Noah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Thanks all, hopefully this thread will be useful as, surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be too many around. I'm a little out of my comfort zone as far as the scale is concerned, so hopefully I can do both the kit and the subject justice. Nice start! You say the you think that the nose wheel bay is too far aft, can you let us know by how much? Martin Martin, it wasn't much, maybe 1-2mm, but enough to throw out the join between the intake inners and fuselage. I haven't removed a huge amount of material to get a decent fit, just a few swipes of a coarse stick and/or passes with the dremel. Removing a little bit at a time and constant checking of the fit is naturally the way to go. I think the main offenders were the locaters on the rear of the cockpit bulkhead, being a touch too wide and therefore pushing the front sides of the nose gear bay out too much, thus preventing the bay from being pushed forward into the correct position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 A very handy thread, as I have one of these on the way and plan to start immediately! It is a shame that there is so much variability in the quality of new toolings, I have a part built KH jag on the shelf which was abysmal fit wise, compared to the Eduard Mig-21 I'm currently building, worst part is the Jag cost twice that of the mig!! At least this kit has a slightly more palatable price tag. Are you going completely OOB with this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Don't get me wrong, this is a very nice kit, it siomply requires a little more care and attention that the Tamiya and Eduard kits I'm building it off the back of. I'll likely build her OOB, though may source a resin replacement for the seat, which as nice as it is, lacks belts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenko Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Seamus, I'm in the process of doing two of these. I was given one by a mate half done ( he hated it) and one I had started. For a modern day kit I'm not impressed. Things like having to drill holes out for aerials etc. on a kit of this price is a bit off. The fit of most parts leaves a lot to be desired. The instruction sheet is very poor too, as are some of the colour call outs. Best of luck. I'll watch your progress with interest. Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Interesting isn't it. People I know who have/are building the kit have had nothing but praise for it. I must admit it wasn't quite as nice as I was expecting based on those opinions, but I wouldn't say it's a bad kit either. Just gets the modeller thinking, which is no bad thing. My only previous experience of a Kinetic kit was their T-45C, which I thought was pretty horrible. Thankfully this is a vast improvement on that, so far at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAA72 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I'm on finals on my Shar2 and should finish my GR3 conversion soon(!). I absolutely love this kit! It does need some TLC in prepping and building it, but it really is a corker. Looking forward to see this progress, and cannot wait for their Shar1... And their twin stickers .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyingdutchman Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 When this kit was announced and release I thought that Britmodeller would be flooded with builds of the Harrier. But haven't seen them a lot. I will follow this with interest, your start looks promising. I'm curious to know which scheme you'll apply to the Harrier. Cheers, Evert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breaker Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I'll register my interest with this build as well, very tempting to get one of these and a FRS.1 when it's released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 (edited) Thanks guys, progress has slowed a bit this week, but I'm hopeful of having something noteworhty to post soon. I'm also very much looking forward to the FRS.1, my absolute favourite variant of the Harrier When this kit was announced and release I thought that Britmodeller would be flooded with builds of the Harrier. But haven't seen them a lot. I will follow this with interest, your start looks promising. I'm curious to know which scheme you'll apply to the Harrier. Cheers, Evert Indeed, it's very surprising to see so few builds knocking around. As for the final scheme, I'm undecided at this stage. It will almost certainly be a standard bird, despite the choice of specials, but I'm not sure which Squadron to go for. There is a temptation to build it as the gate guard at Yeovilton, which has 800 NAS markings on one side, and 801 NAS on the other, but I'm not sure I like that idea. This is the problem with such a comprehensive decal sheet, too much choice! Cheers, Shaun Edited February 27, 2015 by Seamus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAA72 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 When this kit was announced and release I thought that Britmodeller would be flooded with builds of the Harrier. But haven't seen them a lot. I will follow this with interest, your start looks promising. I'm curious to know which scheme you'll apply to the Harrier. Cheers, Evert Me too! I think that some have been put off by the complexity, and the fit issues. That said with a bit of care it can be done. I'll try to finish mine off soon and post some pic's..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 Ok, after a busy weekend, I finally have some progress to report. Firstly, the fan and inner intake ducting have a received a lick of paint, Alclad Dark Aluminium and semi gloss white respectively. After having issues with Alclad when I first tried using it years back, I've been reluctant to use it since, but decided to have another crack with it on this build, and I'm glad I did, as I can't get anywhere near as nice a metallic finish with the enamels I have. Granted, it's only a fan, but it's progress nonetheless The fan isn't glued yet as I'm sure I'll need to retouch some of the white of the outer intake sections after they've been glued in place, so removing it will negate a tricky masking job. I also need to add a dark wash to give the blades some depth, and the ducting will receive some weathering in due course.The bulk of the work has been completed in the cockpit. Referring to my SAM Publications Sea Harrier Guide, it seems someone at Kinetic has been a bit creative with the rear bulkhead, though as little of it will be seen, I see no reason to do anything about it. The side consoles and instrument panel are much better compared to the real thing, as is the seat, though I did add the missing black head rest from a rectangle of plasticard sanded to shape. All detail painting (not my strong suit) and dry brushing is complete, I simply need to seal it in with a coat of Klear before applying a wash to add a little depth before a flat coat. I also need to fashion some belts for the seat.More soon, any and all comments welcomed.Cheers,Shaun 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 Made some more progress with the Shar after another busy weekend, and after getting the cockpit flat coated, I now have the fuselage all buttoned up.Pleasingly, the preparation work to ensure a good fit paid off, as the two halves more or less clicked together, except at the extreme nose where there was a touch of warping. Pleasingly, the nose gear well assembly has gone together with the fuselage pretty well, with the port side fitting nice and snugly.The starboard side had a bit of a gap, probably due to me taking off a little too much during the fettling. This was remedied by slapping some Mr Surfacer 500 along the join and removing the excess with a cotton bud soaked in decanted IPA solvent once it had gone off. The resulting slight step between the two parts has been smoothed out with sanding sticks and sponges, resulting in a satisfactory join on both sides now.The intakes also received the same filler treatment along the inside lip join.The worst area I've encountered so far is the airbrake insert, which doesn't fit particularly well. A bit of work required here to blend it into the fuselage.Next step is to spray up and weather the rest of the intake assemblies and get them attached.Thanks for looking, comments welcomedShaun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breaker Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Coming along nicely Shaun, be good to see it with the wings on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenko Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Nice work Shaun. For a state of the art kit the fit leaves a lot to be desired. I'm at the decaling stage with my two. Be aware that the destructions do not cover every thing. I found the decal for the canopy escape explosive cord. Canopies have been glued on. No mention in the destructions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Good progress, I finally got my hands on one late last week, it looks great in the box, the detail is very nice. I'm taking notes!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Thanks all, she's certainly starting to take shape. Nice work Shaun. For a state of the art kit the fit leaves a lot to be desired. I'm at the decaling stage with my two. Be aware that the destructions do not cover every thing. I found the decal for the canopy escape explosive cord. Canopies have been glued on. No mention in the destructions. Funnily enough, I discovered the det cord decals the other day when searching the decal sheet for the seat headbox decals (one of which is the wrong way round) that are also not mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 Moving on, I've now go the intakes in place. Before attaching them, I sprayed them in white, followed by a light, patchy misting of sand as the a basis for the weathering. They can get pretty dirty as my shot below shows, so I'll be adding to the effect later on in the build to try and replicate it.Culdrose_2014_024 by Shaun Schofield, on FlickrOnce dried, I glued the intakes in place. More material was removed from the mating surfaces to get as nice a join as possible on the inside. Despite my efforts, I was still left with some gaps; these were filled with Vallejo plastic putty, with the excess removed with a moistened cotton bud. No mess and no sanding required.Externally, I still need to fill the small gaps and reduce the steps, particularly on the starboad side, but the hard part was getting the insides to join well, which has proved successful. I'll see to the externals once I've got the wings on and make a start at sorting out all of the joins and seams.More soon, comments welcomedShaun 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingo Degenhardt Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I've just finished mine and in general my opinion is that it leaves too much to be desired for a brand new and not that cheap kit. I had quite a hard time with several things you have encountered too. Some of them rather strange. As for the decals - the 'no step' crosses for the lower intake insides are there as well but also not mentioned in the instructions (at least I did not find anything about them) Strange things: No exact positions given for gun pods or refuelling probe, no locators too. The same goes for the majority of antennas. I was not too impressed with this one - main advantage: better than the old Airfix kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenko Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I've just finished mine and in general my opinion is that it leaves too much to be desired for a brand new and not that cheap kit. I had quite a hard time with several things you have encountered too. Some of them rather strange. As for the decals - the 'no step' crosses for the lower intake insides are there as well but also not mentioned in the instructions (at least I did not find anything about them) Strange things: No exact positions given for gun pods or refuelling probe, no locators too. The same goes for the majority of antennas. I was not too impressed with this one - main advantage: better than the old Airfix kit. Spot on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logical Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 (edited) Culdrose_2014_024 by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr Shaun That's incredible modelling. Almost looks real :-PEnjoying this build though. I love Harriers. But Airfix and their 24 scale Gr3 spoilt them in model form for me :-( Edited March 12, 2015 by logical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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