1/48 Kittyhawk SEPECAT Jaguar Gr 1

[Calum]

Ever started a kit, and instantly wished hadn't. That's how I felt within 10 mins after starting this.....

First of the obligatory kit and aftermarket shots. At this stage I hadn't decided on whether I was going to do a Gr-1, Gr-1a or Gr-3 so I dragged out all my aftermarket. Nearly all of it is for the Airfix kit, which I also have as a donor kit for the tanks and pylons (which are wrong in the kit). I'd also heard the decals are rubbish so I've got a model alliance sheets for stencils etc (Not that they are perfect).

First up is to close up those nose panels. The fit is fine as long as you take you time. I didn't bother with the avionics bays and put a piece of strip in there to support the doors

Next was to stick the nose halves together (BTW I hate modular assemblies like this, give me a full fuselage any time) to check the fit... As you can see the panel lines are well off..,,,,, Pretty disappointing from a kit less than 5 years old. Guess I'm up for a re scribe on one half

Originally I was going to try and squeeze the Neomega cockpit, for the Airfix Kit, into this kit as the kit cockpit is crap (considering it's a relatively new tool) . However I soon decided this was far to much effort. My next thought was a hybrid using some of the resin and kit tub. However the Kit tub is incredibly shallow making fitting the Neomega Ejection seat pointless.

Next was a dry fit of the kit tub and forward fuselage. This was the result. My thoughts again were what the ...... It's like these parts weren't made to go together

It was about now I was cosnideirng throwing the whole thing in the bin and asking Kittyhawk for my money back

[AnonymousAA72]

Ever started a kit, and instantly wished hadn't. That's how I felt within 10 mins after starting this.....First of the obligatory kit and aftermarket shots. At this stage I hadn't decided on whether I was going to do a Gr-1, Gr-1a or Gr-3 so I dragged out all my aftermarket. Nearly all of it is for the Airfix kit, which I also have as a donor kit for the tanks and pylons (which are wrong in the kit). I'd also heard the decals are rubbish so I've got a model alliance sheets for stencils etc (Not that they are perfect).First up is to close up those nose panels. The fit is fine as long as you take you time. I didn't bother with the avionics bays and put a piece of strip in there to support the doorsNext was to stick the nose halves together (BTW I hate modular assemblies like this, give me a full fuselage any time) to check the fit... As you can see the panel lines are well off..,,,,, Pretty disappointing from a kit less than 5 years old. Guess I'm up for a re scribe on one half :(Originally I was going to try and squeeze the Neomega cockpit, for the Airfix Kit, into this kit as the kit cockpit is crap (considering it's a relatively new tool) . However I soon decided this was far to much effort. My next thought was a hybrid using some of the resin and kit tub. However the Kit tub is incredibly shallow making fitting the Neomega Ejection seat pointless.Next was a dry fit of the kit tub and forward fuselage. This was the result. My thoughts again were what the ...... It's like these parts weren't made to go togetherIt was about now I was cosnideirng throwing the whole thing in the bin and asking Kittyhawk for my money back

That is truly awful I've been tempted to get this kit, but I think I'll pass and stick to the old Airfix offering.

Good luck though Calum, in beating the thing into submission!

[Calum]

That is truly awful I've been tempted to get this kit, but I think I'll pass and stick to the old Airfix offering.

Good luck though Calum, in beating the thing into submission!

At this stage Bill I wish I'd started the Airfix kit. I certainly wouldn't recommend the Kittyhawk one,

But after t cutting the plastic I'm now committed.....

[AndrewE]

Good luck with this build. I have the Kitty Hawk kit in the stash already with a whole host of extras so I'm afraid it is too late to take your advice!

I shall be interested to see how this comes along and in particular what other problems you come across.

It looks as though you will be able to get away with just re-scribing one half of each end of the access panel to make everything line up, and as it is on the underside hopefully it will not be noticeable on the finished build.

Andrew

[perdu]

Good luck with this

Blimey that's not looking very 'modern', I had kits back in the sixties that fitted better than that

Makes me more inclined to stay on 72nd scale for longer and I have been considering a a scale change

[RMP2]

Strangely the panel lines under the nose of mine do line up... Maybe thats why I ended up with a gap on one side of the cockpit to fuselage join underneath?

The cockpit tub fit is exactly the same as mine though.

It will go together with a bit of work and will look nicer than the Airfix in the end - I have both sitting on a shelf next to me 75% done. Had to take a break from the KH....

Take a look here, youre not alone! Also a link to my fun and games in there. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234999273-kitty-hawk-148-sepecat-jaguar-gr1/?hl=jaguar

Edited May 8, 2016 by RMP2

[DAG058]

I'm following this one, looks like it will be fun! Phil at Flory Models made one of these about a year ago and I think it fought him all the way. His video build may be of help to you.

[speedy]

I also tried the ETPS one and I just couldn't get on with it, sold it to a mate for £10 to see if he could make a better job.

[Silver Fox]

If anyone can beat this beast into submission it's you mate.

I'll follow with interest but I am glad I didn't give my Airfix one away!

[exdraken]

I guess that with the same effort that you need to put in the Airfix kit your probably get a real stunner out of the KH kit.......

good luck, I'll be watching these (having both in the stash...)

[Calum]

Cheers gents. Here's the next instalment, unfortunately the spouse got me working on the bathroom over the weekend so no bench time .

I just couldn't like the PE for the consoles, it wasn't even good PE, so I cut the consoles of the Neomega pit and glued them to the kit tub after thinning the top of the consoles a bit

The seat is from Paragon, I ground the bottom right down and cut the floor from the cockpit tub to get it low enough. I also sanded down the base of the tub and top of the undercarriage.

The instrument panel also looks like it is going to fit well but I'll need to trim the kit glare shield off and mate the neomega part to the forward fairing..

The Neomega seat (left) was massive compared to the Kit seat (Right) and significantly larger than the Paragon one (middle)

I attached the Neomega sidewalls to the kit as they looked like a nice fit, especially after all the sanding to the kit parts

[pacificmustang]

nice work Calum. So, have you sanded off the ledges below the kit cockpit sills to fit the sidewalls? I'm fiddling with mine whilst other things dry, damn you!!!! If I can sand the neomega rear bulkhead to fit, I'll progress it further as the tub looks like it fits reasonably well onto the kit gearwell

Bruce

[Calum]

nice work Calum. So, have you sanded off the ledges below the kit cockpit sills to fit the sidewalls? I'm fiddling with mine whilst other things dry, damn you!!!! If I can sand the neomega rear bulkhead to fit, I'll progress it further as the tub looks like it fits reasonably well onto the kit gearwell

Bruce

Hi Brian

Yes I knocked a little of the ledges below the sills just to get a better fit. I think you could sand the Nemega Bulkhead to fit but you'll have to shorten it heaps. That said you'n ot see it or the bulkhead really once the seat is in.

Have you checked how high the Neomega seat sits with the Neomega tub on the wheel bay? I reckon it will be way to tall

[phildagreek]

Good to see you battling on!

[RMP2]

To be fair - once youve got the cockpit together and nailed onto the fuselage and the engine covers on nicely, youre pretty much there (pre-fitted undercarriage is a bit of a pain for masking, true enough) but dont despair just yet.

Sure, theres the pylons to sort after that, but you have more than enough of those from your Airfix kit burgling.

Mine mostly got stalled by my reluctance to pay £10 for the canopy masks after I had fought with the kit - especially after reading certain glowing reviews.......

Im very much looking forward to getting back at it now that the hard work is done and the hatred has faded with time.

It builds to a rather better standard than the Airfix, thats for sure. So you guys with the Airfix in the stash - get the KH, take a deep breath and mash the pair into the best Jag you can in 1/48.

I will watch and see how you get on.

ps - the KH kit etch does suck a bit, Ill accept that. Eduard interior & belts set works for me.

Also the decals, yea... bit pants. But again the Airfix or Revell come to the rescue again there.

Have you decided what version and scheme youre going for, Calum? If you find youre short of any decals, give me a shout, I have a stash of spare part used stuff along with 2x KH sets, an Airfix and a Revell set as well as the MA RAF Part 1. The red spine and tail w/camo version looks good to me.... My Revell might go that way.

Edited May 9, 2016 by RMP2

[pacificmustang]

Hi Brian

Yes I knocked a little of the ledges below the sills just to get a better fit. I think you could sand the Nemega Bulkhead to fit but you'll have to shorten it heaps. That said you'n ot see it or the bulkhead really once the seat is in.

Have you checked how high the Neomega seat sits with the Neomega tub on the wheel bay? I reckon it will be way to tall

Thanks Craig, I reckon you are right with the seat, but mine its back in the box whilst I finish the stuff on the bench. Hows the Staghound going?

[Ian]

'Pit bits look very good, Callum.

Ian.

[Calum]

Thanks Craig, I reckon you are right with the seat, but mine its back in the box whilst I finish the stuff on the bench. Hows the Staghound going?

Brian the Staghound has stalled because I'm getting into this at the moment. I was hoping the fairy who stayed in that room would have done some work on it, alas it was not to be,

[Calum]

Cockpit tub and seat are done. All in all I'm happy.

I painted everything Tamiya German grey then picked out the details with Vallejo Acrylics. I used some generic placards to busy it up a bit. Certainly not 100 % Accurate but it looks good enough.

This the Paragon seat with a fair bit ground of the bottom

Here it is all together, minus the glareshield

[exdraken]

cockpit looks good and busy

[Kahunaminor]

Beaten into submission. Well done buddy.

Regards,

[Phone Phixer]

Looking good. Keep grinding away, it's the only way to beat this kit.

That Pavla seat looks nice, certainly more accurate than the Neomega one. It is a 9B Mk3, fitted to Jags in their later years (just before the Gulf War ish).

Whether that influences the version your planning to build.

I can't recommend the walkround pages on this site enough. There is a huge collection of pictures for reference.

Rob.

[Calum]

I'm not a fan of kits that want you to have things open. I much prefer my kits all buttoned up, if I want to open a panel then I find you really need resin to make it look good.

Here are some of the doors on the Jag..

I decided to close up everything I could. These panels didn't quite fit closed straight from the box. But at least the contours were right.

About 1 mm was removed from the edge on the underside, plus some from the end. I also removed some of the lip from the fuselage part as this was stopping the door sitting flush. I did get a bit carried away on one side so some 0.005" card was sued to fill the gap.

Fit of the main doors was pretty good, only a little bit of trimming was needed

I added some plastic strip on the inside as a bit of support

[Martian]

Good work but as you say, a lot of it should not be necessary on what claims to be a state of the art kit.

Martin

[Phone Phixer]

The undercarriage doors were only closed after engine start prior to taxying. When parked they were open for maintenance access to the bays.