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1:72 Fujimi BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1


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Hi mates,

 

You know, for a guy who has the audacity to call himself Navy Bird it's amazing that I didn't have a Sea Harrier in my collection. However, I had a couple of kits in the stash, so it was time to get to work. As this project progressed, it quickly became a kitbash between the Fujimi and Hasegawa Sea Harrier kits. Fujimi supplied the fuselage and wings, while Hasegawa provided the canopy, nose landing gear strut, tyres, Aden gun pods, Sidewinder missiles, anti-collision light, drop tanks, and miscellaneous sundries. I scratch built the intake blow-in doors, nose gear well, and the canopy detonator box.

 

The aftermarket supplied a resin cockpit, resin outriggers, resin nozzles, turned metal pitot probe and AoA sensor, and a whole bunch of photoetch. Oddly, none of the aftermarket accessories were designed for either of the two kits. I also happened to still have a Microscale sheet from ages ago with the colourful markings of 800 Squadron prior to the Falklands conflict. I had to do that! Here is my executive summary:

 

Project: Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1

 

Kits: Fujimi (kit number F-30) and Hasegawa (kit number D19)
Scale: 1:72 (please leave fumble thumbs at the door)
Decals: Microscale Sheet 72-393, representing XZ454, No. 800 Squadron, 1980
Photoetch: Eduard 73384 (for Airfix), primarily for the cockpit, ejection seat details, detonator cord, mirror, antennae, windscreen wiper, landing gear doors, heat shields, vents

Resin: Pavla cockpit C72092 (for Airfix), Pavla nozzles U72118 (for Airfix), Quickboost outriggers 72385 (for Airfix), Scale Resin 1,000 lb. bomb (from Buccaneer S.1 kit)

Turned metal: Master AM-72-052

Vacuform: None! Joy in Mudville! 

Scratchbuilt: Intake blow-in doors, canopy detonator box, nose gear well, APU intake
Paint: Gunze H333 Extra Dark Sea Grey, H331 Dark Sea Grey, H335 Medium Sea Grey, H417 RLM76, H11 Flat White, H12 Flat Black, H77 Tyre Black, H25 Sky Blue, H309 FS34079, H28 Metal Black, H95 Smoke Grey, H90 Clear Red, H94 Clear Green; Alclad 111 Magnesium, 314 Klear Kote Flat
Weathering: Post shading with Gunze H95 Smoke Grey, some panel line work with pencil.

 

Improvements/Corrections

 

1 - Shortened air brake

2 - Scratch built nose gear well, intake blow-in doors, APU intake, canopy detonator box

3 - All that aftermarket stuff

 

Build thread: Link

 

Pictures! 

 

IMG_1037

 

IMG_1044

 

IMG_1076

 

IMG_1078

 

IMG_1075

 

IMG_1079

 

IMG_1048

 

IMG_1050

 

IMG_1049

 

IMG_1029

 

IMG_1026

 

IMG_1052

 

IMG_1053

 

FAA Family Reunion:

 

IMG_1069

 

IMG_1070

 

IMG_1072

 

Cheers,

Bill

Edited by Navy Bird
Replace Photobucket images
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An excellent Navy bird, Navy Bird. The EDSG/White scheme really looks good on your Sea Harrier, and you continue to set a standard to aim for. 

 

It's really neat to see it parked next to the Buccaneer and Phantom - the Buccaneer is positively gigantic.

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Hey Bill, that is just magnificent, an absolute treat to see.  All 3 of those builds are little works of art.

 

I love the early colours of RN and USN aircraft, so much nicer than everything being grey these days - gives the aircraft (and model) some personality!

 

Fabulous work.

 

Phil

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Another awesome rendition of the most beautiful creatures in life - Aircraft. 

 

Like all others, a truly inspirational piece of modelling genius. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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Wow, that's absolutely beautiful, in fact all 3 of the builds are, but the Harrier is a real gem. Some very nice tweaks and alterations that make such a difference to the overall build.

 

Rgds,

 

Eng

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That's one beautiful FRS1, Navybird. I did the very same aircraft myself from the Hasegawa kit a few years ago, having seen the original at the 1980 VL Air Day. I'm trying to 'complete the set' of 800NAS jets and I have a few more FRS1s to do - in particular the overall Dark Sea Grey with black sqn marks and another Falklands period jet. I finished a couple of FA2s from the Xtrakit version (don't even think of getting one of these) and the Airfix kit.

 

Have also completed the Attacker (AZ), Sea Hawk (MPM), Scimitar (old CMR - needs replacing!), 800B Scimitar with refuelling pod (Skybirds 86), Buccaneer S1 (Airfix NA39 rebuild), Buccaneer S2 in EDSG / White (Frog rebuild). 2 more Buccaneer S2s in overall EDSG and numerous SHARs to go!

 

Chris

SHAR%20FRS1%20Has%201.jpg~original

 

 

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, 71chally said:

superb Bill, huge amount of effort has paid off.

 

 

Thanks, mate. I intended to build the Airfix FRS.1 (which is why all the aftermarket stuff is for that kit) but I just couldn't reconcile the shape of the forward portion of the Airfix kit. The canopy just didn't look right to me, and perhaps the nose was too wide as well. Plus, the early Hornby panel lines were a bit much. I picked up the Hasegawa kit from a vendor table, only to find that it didn't seem quite right up front either. But, the surface detailing was much better. Then I found the Fujimi kit at a hobby shop, covered in dust, for only $5.00. I think it had been sitting on that shelf from the time it was first released. Anyway, I should have chucked all of these and bought the Esci/Italeri kit but I like to make things difficult! I ended up kitbashing Fujimi and Hasegawa but I think it came out OK.

 

7 hours ago, Booty003 said:

I love the early colours of RN and USN aircraft, so much nicer than everything being grey these days - gives the aircraft (and model) some personality!

 

Absolutely! I also don't care for the modern overall grey schemes. When I do build one of those aircraft, I always look for an anniversary scheme or something with some colour or otherwise interesting markings. That's the case with my next build where I'll be doing a retirement scheme.

 

3 hours ago, eng said:

Wow, that's absolutely beautiful, in fact all 3 of the builds are, but the Harrier is a real gem. Some very nice tweaks and alterations that make such a difference to the overall build.

 

Thanks, Eng. Sometimes when I'm adding a tiny otherwise insignificant detail I think "what's the point?" Individually, these small details don't add much, but taken altogether they really make a difference. 

 

14 minutes ago, CT Modeller said:

That's one beautiful FRS1, Navybird. I did the very same aircraft myself from the Hasegawa kit a few years ago, having seen the original at the 1980 VL Air Day. I'm trying to 'complete the set' of 800NAS jets and I have a few more FRS1s to do - in particular the overall Dark Sea Grey with black sqn marks and another Falklands period jet. I finished a couple of FA2s from the Xtrakit version (don't even think of getting one of these) and the Airfix kit.

 

Have also completed the Attacker (AZ), Sea Hawk (MPM), Scimitar (old CMR - needs replacing!), 800B Scimitar with refuelling pod (Skybirds 86), Buccaneer S1 (Airfix NA39 rebuild), Buccaneer S2 in EDSG / White (Frog rebuild). 2 more Buccaneer S2s in overall EDSG and numerous SHARs to go!

 

Thanks, Chris. Nice job on the Hasegawa kit - it looks like a twin! And that's quite a lineup of FAA subjects you have there. My collection isn't quite that big yet but I do have the Gannet (Revell), Buccaneer S.1 (Scale Resin), Buccaneer S.2 (CMR), Scimitar (CMR latest), Sea Venom (CMR), a couple of Fireflies (Special Hobby), Sea Vixen (MPM), and the Phantom (Fujimi). Waiting in the wings are the Seahawk (Hobby Boss), another Sea Vixen (CyberHobby), two more Phantoms (Fujimi), Firebrand (CMR), Sea Hornet (Special Hobby), Barracuda (Special Hobby), Sea Fury (Aki), Sea Harrier FA.2 (Special Hobby), Wessex (Italeri), Attacker (AZ), Seafang (AZ), Seafire F.45 (Admiral), and Wyvern (Trumpeter) - and that's just the post-war stuff! Yikes! 

 

You can see that I've already taken the plunge on the Xtrakit/Special Hobby FA.2. I think I've read enough reviews and WIPs to know what the problem areas are. Plus, my intent is to kitbash it as well, very similar to what I did with the FRS.1. The Hasegawa FRS.1 wings (which will need some simple mods) fit perfectly on the Special Hobby FA.2, and this will solve the issue with the vortex generators. But that's for another time...

 

 

Thanks to everyone else for the nice compliments. Time to start the next one, and I think you'll all like the subject!   :)

 

Cheers,

Bill

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3 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Then I found the Fujimi kit at a hobby shop, covered in dust, for only $5.00. I think it had been sitting on that shelf from the time it was first released. Anyway, I should have chucked all of these and bought the Esci/Italeri kit but I like to make things difficult!

 

Cheers,

Bill

Bill, my understanding is that the Fujimi and the Esci kits are essentially the same, from the period when Esci sub-contracted the molds.

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