Eduard Sea Harrier FA.2 Updates (for Kinetic) 1:48

[Mike]

Sea Harrier FA.2 Updates (for Kinetic)
1:48 Eduard

Kinetic's Sea Harrier re-boot in 1:48 (reviewed here) was a welcome sight for anyone that likes the graceful and sorely missed lines of an ocean-going Harrier. These few sets from Eduard provide additional detail for the discerning modeller, and a couple of short-cuts to a great cockpit and canopy too.


Interior (49698)
This two-fret set includes a pre-painted and self-adhesive sheet measuring 7cm x 4cm, a bare brass fret 7cm x 3.4cm and a small piece of clear acetate for the HUD glazing. The ejection seat is the first port of call, with a comprehensive addition of the complex harness and cushion arrangement, plus the missing pull-handle, drogue chute pack in the headbox, and some stencils for the side of said headbox. The instrument panel is relieved of its moulded in detail, has a new PE and acetate HUD installed, and is skinned with a lamination of parts to give a highly-detailed panel that goes beyond what most of us could achieve without the gift of miniaturisation. The same is true of the side consoles, and their upright portions are skinned with more detail panels, while the rudder pedals are given new detailed fronts. The cockpit sidewalls are upgraded with a detailed sill and ancillary boxes, while the rear bulkhead on the canopy receives a skin after removal of the moulded in (and inaccurate) glazing support. The outer sill is fitted out with a sliding track for the canopy, and the aft turtle-deck behind the seat has additional parts added. Finally, a rear-view mirror is mounted centrally on the leading edge of the sliding canopy.

Zoom! Set (FE698)
If you just want the pre-painted cockpit sheet for whatever reasons, this is the set for you, as that's what it contains at a reduced price. You'll miss out on sill parts, the canopy detailing, side console walls, HUD, rear view mirror, rudder pedals and a few other small parts however.

Exterior (48829)
Measuring 7cm x 8.7cm, this bare brass set adds detail to both wheel bays in the shape of skins & small parts that aren't included in the kit, plus replacement oleo-scissor links to the main wheel, door actuator on the nose gear, plus a replacement door for the nose gear bay as well as the main. The air-brake part is skinned inside with a number of small panels that fit between the ribbing, with a pair of flare panels just behind it. The rearmost "hot" nozzle has a protective plate behind it, and the large aft section is removed from the kit part, to be replaced by a PE part that has a latticework section folded behind it to give it depth, and then deformed with a ball-pen, and curved to match the profile of the original. It's not massively well described in the instructions, so I may have got that wrong, and there aren't any pictures of it made up on Eduard's site. The last few small vents and access panels are dotted around the tail and gear bays, plus a set of skins for the four weapons pylons, after which the APU inlet & exhaust panels (one open, one covered in a grille) are added, and the chunky styrene vortex generators from the upper wing are removed. A template is supplied for the fixing of the little PE replacements, but you'll need to be careful with the glue so you don't inadvertently glue the template down. There are eleven each side, and each one will need bending along a pre-etched line to form an L-shape. Just don't sneeze while you're doing it!

Masks (EX447)
Eduard's kabuki-style pre-cut masking system takes all the hassle out of masking a canopy, and this set has two C-shaped parts for the large sliding portion, and three panes for the windscreen, with the centre section having a cut-out part for the moulded-in windscreen wiper. As a bonus you get four masks for the outrigger wheels, which are moulded into their legs, so will be tricky to paint otherwise. You will need to add a little extra masking fluid or tape offcuts, as usual.

Review sample courtesy of