NG899

Caveat emptor on the shortened airbrake being fitted to GR3s. As far as I know the mod was late 1980s and I’ve yet to see a photograph of an in-service GR3 with a short airbrake. There’s a challenge for you… Prove me wrong! Cheers Nick

Hi Lee, Reply sent via email. For the curious here's most of the text I sent... Sorry to tell you that ZG506 did not serve on Op Herrick. The photo of her leaving Ark in April 2010 is one of 20(R ) Sqn’s last carrier dets, or she had been loaned to 1(F)or 800 NAS for that trip. At that date she was in overall MSG but with some areas of Dk Sea Grey (the previous upper surface colour) on the 100% LERX covers, the canopy hood surround, the port aileron and on the intake rim edges (anti-erosion paint). At this stage she is a GR9 - fin code 77. By June 2010 where she flew at the Cosford air show, she was without squadron markings but with the name of WG CDR LS TAYLOR. Linc Taylor had been OC 20(R) Sqn and the Wg Cdr’s pennant is ahead of his name. No name on port side of cockpit. Linc’s name stayed on ZG506 until her retro re-paint. By July 2010, still in overall MSG, she had been allocated to 800 NAS as in the photo of her on ABPics at Yeovilton in July 2010. Still with the DSG canopy frame, port aileron and DSG intake rim edges. By now she has been upgrade to a GR9A - fin code 77A - with the more powerful Pegasus engine, this is shown by the letter A after her fin build number code of 77. ZG506 deployed to Ark again with 1(F) Sqn for the carrier’s final round the UK tour, where I saw her on the forward lift in Newcastle. She was flown onto the carrier by Lt Chris Roy, infamously with a For Sale sign in her windscreen; for which he never flew Harriers again. By now the DSG on the port LERX fittings had been overpainted or replaced with MSG coloured items, one plate on the starboard side was now DSG. By now the 800 NAS fin flash had been removed from both sides. The piece of card on which the FOR SALE notice was written was still in the cockpit but reversed. I have a photo of ZG506 as a GR7 in the NATO/Lichen Greens scheme with 3(F) Sqn. A web-search for Harrier ZG506 does pull up a lot of non-retro paint scheme images of her with 20(R) and 1(F). Cheers Nick

Tell me which serial you are depicting, the squadron you prefer and the year and I’ll be able to answer your questions. Remember that SHARs deployed on ops usually had the fin markings removed. A PM with your email address in it may be useful too. Cheers Nick

Drop me a PM with your email address in it and I’ll send you some photos of it tomorrow when on Ark in 2010. Cheers Nick

No PM seen so far… One correction 005 was ZE698. Cheers Nick

The only photo showing a side code clearly in the paperback copy of Nick's book which I have shows his FRS.1 XZ498 as 002, (caption "MY Sea Harrier taking off on its final flight). According to the BARG journals for 1994, 801's FRS.1s on April were: ZD581/-/000*, ZD578/-/001, ZE694/-/003, ZD610/-/004 and ZD698/-/005. * Deployed to Ark on 11-Feb as it was u/s on 18-Jan when the other jets listed deployed. They all deployed without fin codes or squadron markings on the fin but had the black ROYAL NAVY titles on the fin XZ498 coded -/124 of 800 NAS was flown from Yeovilton to Ark during Feb-94. The journals indicate it was coded 001 but as that was ZD581 it probably plugged the gap as 002; as in the photo in Nick's book. That's the best I can do. Without someone contacting Oz Phillips to check his logbook, or someone else producing a rabbit from the hat, I think you may have to take your pick. Drop me a PM with your email in it and I'll send you a pdf of the article "Sea Harriers over the Balkans" from Combat Aircraft Monthly Sept-2013, which includes a group photo of 801's pilots with ZD698/005 in early 1994 and a couple of shots of 003 with 190-gal tanks, LAU-7A rails on the outboards and a 1,000lb free fall bomb with the Mk.114 tail. Both 003 and 005 are fitted with an AAR probe. I hope that helps, all the best Nick

@71chally et al, Yes, the Harrier SIG element of the JaguHar SIG is working with the Revell team on Project Harrier. Cheers Nick

Let me do some digging in British Aviation Research Group journals of the period. I probably will not be able to confirm the jet but can probably narrow the options down to five or six. Fingers knotted… Cheers Nick

Keeping this simple… For ALL, REPEAT ALL, 1st generation Harriers or Sea Harriers, if one aileron is down when parked, the other will be deflected up. Both level was the usual parked configuration; in 1,000s of photos I only have a few where the ailerons are not level. I know, boring! The flaps on parked Harriers were also usually up to aid the ground crew and bomb heads; indeed pilots were fined for not raising the flaps before shutting down. ONLY on Harrier IIs were the ailerons able to be deflected down to aid short rolling take off or landing. Again they were usually parked up, as were the flaps for the above reason. Hope that helps Nick

Hen’s teeth

All Sea Harrier cockpit interiors - FRS1s and FA2s - and MB Mk10H ejection seats were Dk Admiralty Grey, think a slightly lighter shade of Dk Sea Grey. If you want more info on Falklands FRS1 colours and markings, PM me with your email address. Cheers Nick

Best / the only option in 1/72 is an Esci/Italeri FRS1 with an Airfix FA2 radome fitted, plus scratchbuilt wing leading edge inserts, parallel sided fuselage plug and fin sensor probe. The Airfix kit is so wrong in so many areas shape wise with trenches for panel lines. PM me with your email address if you need more help on the build, markings, loadouts, etc.; the JaguHar SIG can provide stencils and markings decals. Cheers Nick

A decisive move there Selwyn! 😂

Commercial aftermarket no. But the IPMS(UK) Harrier SIG (now JaguHar SIG) has had some 3D printed a few years ago by one of our members. Drop me your email details in a PM and I'll see what's possible. (Ditto Selwyn 👍) If you have any further questions for your build, presumably with the Kinetic kit, e.g. markings and other load out items, mention those too and I'll send you some things to help you. Btw, in 1980 it would have been a GR3 with a laser-nose rather than a GR1 😂 "Harriers are complex beasts!" Cheers Nick

Drop me a PM with your email address in it and I’ll send you some photos to help you. 👍 Cheers Nick