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Harrier GR.7 - Snow Falcon


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Harrier GR.7 - ZG474 / 64, 1(F) Squadron, RAF, Exercise Snow Falcon 1, January 2004.


1/48th scale Harrier #24 rolls off my production line. This time it's a GR.7 in the RAF's Arctic camouflage scheme of white over the standard dark sea grey / dark camouflage grey scheme. The jet represented, ZG474, is one of those that participated in Exercise "Snow Falcon 1" at Bardufoss, Norway in January 2004. This was a deployment by 1(F) Squadron, with IV(AC) Squadron taking part in Snow Falcon 2. ZG474 first flew on 28 July 1990 and saw combat service on Operation Wadren in 1993. She was upgraded to a GR9 in July 2006 and withdrawn from service on 1 November 2010. She was one of the jets sold to the US in 2011. In her time, she has served with 1(F), 3(F), IV(AC) and 20® squadrons.


Having recently completed a GR3 in the Arctic scheme, I decided I would do the same for a second generation Harrier, giving me the option of a GR.5 and a GR.7. The GR.5 became the Rough Ground Trials build, so it had to be a GR.7 and the two greys. There's an Airfix 1/72nd scale kit that has this aircraft in this scheme, but for some reason gives it the tail (build) number 68 instead of 64. Whilst some tails have been swapped, I've seen no photographs to support the Airfix decals in this instance and all point to the correct 64. Aside from the scheme, it's a pretty standard GR.7 build, with the addition of a resin MB Mk.12 ejection seat, resin replacement nose wheel doors (the kit has them moulded in place) and some Maverick missiles from donated spares.


I approached the painting as follows. Unlike earlier deployments, the white looks to be sprayed on the real aircraft rather than brush painted. I toyed with the idea of using a rattle can, but ultimately went for an all brushed finish. The aircraft was primed all over with Halfords acrylic white primer. I then used a pencil to draw the Arctic scheme pattern on the aircraft and rough-striped the grey areas so that I could now reinforce the white primer with Vallejo Model Color White as a top coat (a couple of coats required) and not keep referring to photos whilst doing so. I then masked the white edges using 3M Scotch Invisible Tape cut to shape and also added the masking to delineate the Humbrol Dark Sea Grey and Dark Camouflage Grey enamels. I painted the dark sea grey and then masked that and the white in a similar fashion to do the dark camouflage grey. The three paints were then used as necessary to touch up any dodgy areas (the whole lot I hear some wag cry). Other colours included Life Color Black, Gun Metal, Silver and Light Compass Ghost Grey (FS36375) for the Mavericks and CATR, Precision Paints Tyre Black and Dark Sea Green and Humbrol Ochre.


A few coats of Humbrol Clear were used in preparation for decals, which were from a mixture of sources from previous kits and third-party sheets. I did the markings for the Mavericks, CATR and wing-tip slime lights on an inkjet printer. Another coat of Clear then sealed the decals before I used Tamiya weathering powders to dirty her up, sometimes combined with Humbrol Decalfix. I sealed this with Humbrol acrylic matt spray and then a final coat of Vallejo matt varnish. Think that's about it.


If you think her back-end looks dirty for a short deployment then you're right, it is, but then again, that's what the photos show - so she must have had a engine that liked chucking out soot!


Here she is ...


ZG474-001.JPG


ZG474-002.JPG


ZG474-005.JPG


ZG474-008.JPG



All my Harriers can be seen here .... http://p1127.co.uk/Harrier/HarrierModels/index.html



Comments welcome as ever.

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