daryl_five_zero

Just added another 1/48 Tamiya -A to the stash... Was tempted to build the Hasegawa kit of the same variant and scale that's been in the stash for almost a decade now, but given the time constraints I feel it will have to be a Tamiya kit. Now to decide the livery. I have the Fightertown Top Gun decal sheet with the intention of building Maverick & Goose's mount from the movie... If not that I'm very keen to build a VF-32, 33, or 143 a/c. Does anyone know of a decal sheet that contains lo-viz decals for a vf-33 aircraft with these markings? I've seen the FCM sheet, but I prefer the tail markings for the above a/c. Daryl

Stunning, I usually prefer 1/48 and I like my Tomcats in TPS, but your build has me considering a change in scale and I suddenly feel like there's space in my cabinet for an all - light gull grey scheme F-14... Thoroughly enjoyed your WIP and its so good to see your RFI after all the hard work that has gone into it. Hats off to you! Daryl

Great start to a build I'll be following with great interest. She's constantly flying overhead here, so it'll be good to see a build of something that lives a little closer to home.

Used to love watching these fly over whenever I was in Trondheim, you've done them more than justice with your build! Daryl

Stunning as always. Can only hope mine turns out half as good as this when I get around to starting it. Daryl.

Beautiful. Really enjoyed watching this one come together, the end result is even better than I had hoped! Love the asymmetric load out too. Nice one. Daryl

Hi all Just wanted to say thanks for all the kind comments...this build was a real labour of love, and to read all of your comments really means a lot. I know we can all be out own biggest critic, but this one is one I am really proud of, so thanks for the kind reception! Cheers Daryl

Evening, all! After building on and off since first lockdown(!) I've finally managed to finish my Hasegawa Harrier, built as GR.9 ZG511/82 as she was during her last deployment to Kandahar. This build was a real labour of love. It's still the best big wing Harrier in this scale in my opinion, but she really fights you along the way. The end result is worth it though. I threw lots of aftermarket goodies at this one. I felt that the subject was worth the effort. Aires cockpit (butchered to more resemble a Brit Harrier) Eduard MB Mk.12 Ejection Seat AlleyCat 100% LERX Eduard TERMA & Sniper pods DJRP from @Shaun (many thanks, again!) Eduard PE Eduard weighted wheels & outriggers Belcher Bits LAU-5003/CRV-7 Pods L'Arsenal PWIV Model Alliance decals This was my first time using Hataka Red line acrylics, and they performed flawlessly. Weathered using Windsor & Newton oils, Flory wash, and sealed with W&N Acrylic varnishes. There was a bit of scratchbuilding and correcting to do to represent a British Harrier. For anyone interested, trials & tribulations can be found on my WIP here. Anyway, here's some pics. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed building it! C&C welcomed as always. Thanks for looking! Daryl.

Thanks John. I'm pretty proud of those... although it must be said, the resin/PE pieces really do a great job on their own of looking good. I'd fully recommend using both on any build, they're leagues ahead of the kit offerings! Thanks for the kind words! 😃 Sorry for the lack of updates... keep on reading for a little something below! Thanks, Chris! They were fiddly buggers, but well worth the hassle. The outriggers are so delicate though... not one to be played with! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Evening, all! I must apologise about the absence on here lately. It's been difficult to find time to document progress during building recently. Over the last month it's been a case of cracking on when I can sit down, and unfortunately the WIP posts have suffered as a result, so apologies for that. On the plus side I feel like I've come to a point where I've ran out of little jobs and bits to add, and I'm happy to call this one finished! I'll be posting a RFI shortly, but wanted to add a cheeky sneak peek here before anything else! Rather than bore everyone on the RFI, I'll try to go through what I've been up to on here, for anyone with an interest 😅 I think the first job I cracked on with since my last post was the decalling. This was one of the jobs I was looking forward to the most - and yes, I did start with the roundels and insignia as is customary! - but this probably threw the biggest spanner in the works as far as leaving me scratching my head is concerned. I've been mixing and matching decals from both the kit sheet and the Model Alliance sheet as posted at the start of the build. Now, a word of warning with regard to the aforementioned aftermarket decals: the tail codes in particular are downright comically out of scale. As in, completely unusable. On the left are the tail codes mashed together from the Model Alliance sheet. The decals for '378 are the kit decals which are nicely scaled. A huge difference. See for yourself... I was in absolute despair when I gave them a try. They stuck out like a sore thumb. After walking away from the desk and mulling it over with a coffee, I figured I'd give it a go with a sheet of Xtradecal letters & numbers I have from a previous build (albeit in 1:72) The small 'Z' in the first pic is taken from that sheet and although slightly underscale, was far more acceptable than the alternative. I think I worked it out that in 1:1 scale, they would come out as 2" too small. Not ideal but I was far happier to put those on than the Model Alliance decals. After this fiasco, I was reluctant to use too many from that set. The majority of the decals came from the kit sheet. The formation lights on the wingtips are - again - far too oversized on both sheets, so these were chopped up and resized. The Hasegawa decals, I must say, lay down like a charm. I've heard many mixed opinions on their decals and how they perform, but I was very pleased with these. Once this hurdle was cleared, things very much fell into place. I used Windsor & Newton Oil paints to give a stippled, dirty look all over the surface: another trick I had used to a pleasing effect on several F-14 builds. Although I've never seen a Harrier get as grubby as some of the USN jets, I like the effect and how it breaks up the monotony of Grey, Grey & Grey that seems to persist on modern Western aircraft. I'm sure I've mentioned before, but 50 Shades of Gray could just as easily be a reference book on modern aircraft paint schemes for modellers! After a panel line wash, all was sealed in using W&N Matt Varnish, my go-to varnish at the moment. Not many points of note, although I did take the time to add/replace a few details with scratchbuilt additions to try and help the look of the kit a little. The clear cover for the ARBS that is included in the kit leaves a lot to be desired. I added a little detail here, which got lost behind the thick clear plastic part the kit offers. I used a very thin sheet of clear plastic from some packaging and plunge moulded a replacement for this, which was far more pleasing and allowed a better view of the internals. Around the cockpit, I added a few details such as the handles for the sliding canopy, which helped to busy up the overall look of the office. There are a couple of tiny catches on the outside of the canopy rails which I managed to greeble together using seatbelt catches from an old PE set. I fabricated an access ladder on the starboard side, which isn't included in the kit. I read that when the canopy is open, this is always extended so I felt for authenticity's sake I better include this detail. One area I wish I had addressed earlier is the nose landing gear bay, which soon after buttoning up the nose section I learned was usually always open on a static a/c. I know there is an aftermarket kit to pose this open too which is a real annoyance. I'll be sure to include that if I build another... The Eduard PE set includes replacements for the oversized formation light covers, which themselves are also oversized. I wish I had just sanded the kit offerings down and settled for the decals on their own. The L'Arsenal EPW IV's were fiddly. Given the lack of an alternative for these on the market, they're a must though. I do with Eduard would release a Brassin offering though. The under-fuselage pods they provide in this range are sublime, and are an absolute joy to work with. Well, I'll wrap up here. I hope it's been enjoyable up to this point. Again, apologies for the lack of progress pics in the final stages of the build. Hopefully the pics in the RFI will make sense of my ramblings above! Obviously any questions of comments on any of the build that I can help with, fire away. It's been an enjoyable build - if not testing at times - and even if I manage to make someone else's build just a little easier or more enjoyable as a result, I'll consider this WIP a success 😀 ... I just hope I've done the old Harrier the justice she deserves, may she rest in peace. Thanks for following, and hopefully see you at the RFI! Cheers, Daryl.

Beautiful! I've never been too interested in Biplanes, save for a big soft spot for the old Stringbag. Yours looks fantastic. Well done for making me realise how much I want a go at this kit! Daryl

Beautiful finish, Werner! I built the IDS kit OOB a few years back and can attest to the fit of thr fuselage. I can say with confidence that yours turned out a lot better than mine! I remember reading through the thread here on the MW-1; it looks fantastic finished. Really completes the look of the model. Daryl

Good evening, all! I've been pottering around for the last few days, trying to get some of the less glamourous jobs done on the Harrier. I'm sure we all have our favourite jobs, and some we resent. Externally, she doesn't look too different since my last update. Some of the smaller details have been painted, such as the Zeus tusks... ... and more towards the rear, such as the MAWS radome on the stinger, Zeus receiver, and Transmitter aerial. All were painted using a cocktail of acrylics that I couldn't tell you if I tried to remember, with help from the the excellent visual references in the fantastic Fox Two! Book. The Zeus receiver is slightly too large on the kit, so this had been previously been shortened prior to painting. The NDT patches on the rear fuselage and vertical stabilizer were masked and sprayed with a dull silver, then the edges blended in a little with a fine hairy stick. The landing gear was up next - possibly my least favourite part on any build. I always find this part so tedious, yet have seen (and had) many a build let down by a sub-par job on it. Here are the nose and main landing gear. I've added whatever PE Eduard supply to them, and greebled a couple of pipes/tubes where it looks to benefit them - mainly on the main and outrigger gear. I've added placards scrounged from other kits, just to add a little interest. The wheels are Eduard's resin offering, and are as good as ever. Nice, crisp detail and easy to work with. I've noticed that built as-is form the kit, the Hasegawa Harrier sits slightly tall due to the nose landing gear. To remedy this, I've modified the kit part slightly to give the gear a slightly depressed look, getting it to sit a little lower than it would. Just a quick wash of Flory dark dirt wash to bring out the lovely detail of the Eduard wheels. The outrigger wheels benefit from PE, and also with the wheels included in their resin set. They provide a replacement section from the oleo strut down, so the forks aren't moulded into the wheels. It's a very delicate piece of kit, but the final result is far nicer than the kit part. For the Oleos, I got a new toy to play with, in the shape of a Molotow Liquid Chrome pen. I've been meaning to try these out for a long time now, and now I have, I am absolutely astounded with the finish they give. I wish my photography was adequate enough to do them justice, but they really do give off a mirror-chrome finish. Another first for me is using lacquers instead of acrylics; namely the Alclad II range of metallic lacquers. Again - a product I have been wanting to use for a long time, and again - a product I can't see myself going back to not using. For the cold exhausts, I used their Steel, which under a coat of Flory Wash, looks rather effective (clean on the left, Flory dark dirt on the right) I also used Steel on the hot exhausts and heat shields, but with a coat of Pale Burnt Metal on top - again finished with a dirt wash. A light coat of Windsor & Newton Matt varnish sealed in the wash on the heat shields. There's not much more to report for tonight; hopefully soon I'll be able to get a gloss coat down on everything that needs decals and weathering (so... pretty much everything!) In the meantime, I'm sure there's plenty more to keep me occupied until then! Take care, folks! Daryl.

Watching this with great interest; what you've posted so far makes me feel like this is going to be one of those builds that makes me never want to dig my 1/24 Harrier out of the stash through fear of embarrassing myself in comparison to yours. I can only echo what has already been said about your pilot so far, but that is an absolutely tremendous bit of painting there. Daryl

So good to see it finished, what a fantastic result! Have really enjoyed following your WIP, has really got me excited to start my kinetic GR.3. Nice one, she looks brilliant! Daryl

Absolutely stunning end result, Alan! Having followed your build, I'm in awe how you've coaxed such a great finish out of that old kit. Far more work than I'd trust myself with, I'd be proud to achieve half as good a result. Daryl

I'm glad to be corrected, Mike. Thanks for sharing the link. That set is invaluable for anyone wanting to build a GR.7/9 with an Afghan fit in my opinion (I'm pretty sure the 6-shot LAU-5002 included are also applicable to the Harrier too?), so I'm glad it will still be available in some capacity. You're too kind, Bill! It really means a lot, thanks 😃 From the email I received from Ultracast, I wouldn't imagine trade to France would be a concern at all. I ordered with them early last year and the delivery was insanely fast, from my experience it was a very pleasant transaction. Plus, the Belcher Bits parts are great, there's a good few options included in there and I couldn't recommend it enough. I'll try to get some work done on mine soon, and post results for you to see! Daryl

Thanks, Werner! No accidents with misplaced decals on this one, I promise! 😅 Good to know I'm not the only one, John! With regards to the CRV-7 pods; the only place I've found with the correct pods in this scale is the CF-5 update & weapons set from Belcher Bits. Ultracast do have a couple in at the moment, but (withholding personal sentiment and inadvertently opening a political can of worms) I know they aren't shipping to the UK any more, whether that affects you at all. If you do struggle with them though, let me know and I'll see if I can help in any way 😉 Daryl

Thanks for the kind words, Christer! It's always around this point where I do something silly and end up putting myself several steps back... hopefully I've passed that point! (touch wood) By all means, John; the more the merrier! If I can post even one thing on this thread that makes somebody else's build a little more enjoyable, I'll consider it a success. I remember buying my kit during the same show at Cosford where I saw the Harrier fly for the last time... may say something about how long I had this one in the box! 😅 Thanks, Alan; really appreciate the kind words. Flattered if I can provide even a little inspiration! I'll pluck up the courage to pick up a big Harrier in 1/32 someday - just to have that one sat in the box for a decade or so! Just a quick update for tonite. Had a play about with the TERMA pod. Not much to say about this; typical Eduard resin, crisply moulded, lovely detail. A joy to work with all around. It's painted in Vallejo FS36118 (Medium Gunship Grey) - was the colour callout that was most repeated whilst researching. A quick slathering of Flory Dark Dirt and a final coat of Windor & Newton Matt varnish. I got around to spraying the underside flaps & ailerons in Medium Sea Grey, as per the uppers. Used more Tamiya tape than I care to admit... I've heard that a messy work area is the sign of an active mind. It doesn't really sound right to me, but makes me feel better about my lack of housework skills! Although in that mountain of mess, I can instantly tell you where 3 scalpels are, 5 kinds of glue, more tools than a B&Q... I could go on. A coat of Dark Camo Grey on the tanks and a start on the DJRP pod. That's only preliminary, but the Medium Gunship Grey as used on the TERMA pod looks a little dark for the DJRP; may revisit that one. Anyhow, thanks for dropping by, and watch this space! I'll try to get an update posted in the next couple of days. Take care and stay safe, all! Daryl.

I've had my eye on one of these for a while - such a beautiful looking helo. Will tag along for the ride if that's okay! Daryl

Cracking build, and a fantastic story to boot! I do enjoy hearing stories of friendly air forces tagging aircraft; I'd never heard this one before. Great job on the kit, I've always fancied a Vulcan but never really had the space. Seeing more of the GWH kits makes me want to do one even more! Daryl

Evening, all! Was on a bit of a roll today; have managed to get most of the base colour down on the Harrier. I'm really impressed with the Hataka paints; I'm using their red line acrylics from the Modern RAF set 1. Considering how many varied reviews I've read on them, I must say I'm pleased with how they go through my H&S Evolution. I tend to stick to Tamiya acrylics if I can, and have recently been using Vallejo Model Air quite frequently... these Hataka paints have definitely found a permanent position in my painting arsenal now though! I'm pleased with the way the rivet detail is sat under a couple of coats of paint. I'm not sure I'll do much in the way of a wash to accentuate them....I'll probably stick to panel lines. One of the reasons I decided upon modelling ZG511/82 was the mismatching of the replacement MSG panels across the airframe. I've seen lots of builds of ZD433 with its replacement MSG wing, but decided against that as I like the DSG on top for the most part. I went a bit lighter on the coat of DCG underneath, to allow the preshading to shine through a little more than on the upper surfaces. I anticipate weathering a little heavier on the undersides, so I didn't want more paint for it to fight through than necessary! I do still have the MSG ailerons and flaps to spray on the underside, this can wait until another sitting though; I'm all masked out for one night! Well, that's as far as I am as of tonight. I'll probably move on to some of the pylons next, give the coats of paint time to cure before glossing. Still plenty of more tedious jobs to keep me busy until I can have fun adding decals and weathering, mind you! Daryl.

I heard a lot of scare stories prior to starting this kit - it's my first Hasegawa Harrier - and although I can see that there is a lot of scope for the build to go very wrong in a lot of places, the patience and perseverance are definitely worth it; it's a lovely kit with a lot of character. I'm very hopeful that it won't be my last! Thanks for the kind words, Freddie. It means a lot, and comments like that genuinely spur me on when stuck with more difficult or tedious parts of building! I must admit, I am rather proud of the seat! I must admit, I'm not as familiar with the Jaguar as with other aircraft. I have the same kit in the stash... you've made a good choice on the scheme! I'm hoping when I come to build mine I might develop more of a familiarity with it as I have with the Harrier. These boards are an absolute wealth of collective knowledge, mind you, and I am certain there are others who will be able to offer a more informed opinion than I could muster. I was recently reading over a thread on here regarding the Jaguar - here's the post: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235057673-raf-jaguar-overwing-sidewinder-pylon-tactical-scheme/ There are several members on there who may be worth asking for opinions. There are some members on this site who have a knowledge that I could only aspire to have! In the meantime, I've made several purchases based solely on kit reviews provided here in the reviews section of the forum, and I've never been disappointed! I very much look forward to seeing how your Jag turns out 😉 Thanks! Hope I don't disappoint! 😅 It's been a real labour of love so far. I have toyed with the idea of getting a 1/32 Trumpy Harrier... I've seen the work some people on here have ploughed into their builds - looking at you @Piero - and developed a major inadequacy complex in the process. Maybe one day...

Managed to get a few hours with the Harrier tonite; what started out as a coat of primer to check for seamlines and blemishes ended up with me getting a bit carried away and having a little fun whilst the airbrush is out! I may be getting a little ahead of myself, but I figured I best go with it while I'm having fun! I had a bit of success using Flat Earth used in areas that tend to muddy up to add a little tonal variation and interest during my Tamiya Tomcat build, and thought I'd try to achieve similar results with the Harrier. The undersides in particular get right grubby on the Harrier so I figured I'd see how I could help that along with the pre-shading on this one. I have a bad habit of going over my pre-shading a little too much whilst spraying the base colours, so I'm confident that the pre-shading here will settle down and be hardly noticeable once I'm done with it! Also managed to get the interior of the intakes painted up and ready for a little weathering before fixing them in place: This is my first time using Hataka paints; I purchased them on a whim, only to be given scare stories from a few friends who had used them in the past. I must admit, I'm quite impressed with how they've gone down so far, and I look forward to seeing how they behave when sprayed over large surfaces. The colour matches seem pretty bob on too. The edge of the intake is a mixture of Dark Camo Grey mixed with Light Aircraft Grey to replicate the anti-corrosion paint applied. Back to work tomorrow so hopefully a couple of days and I can crack on with some of the smaller parts that need priming and pre-shading before giving it all a good going over! Take care Daryl.

Now thats a finish to aspire to! Fantastic job, Werner.

Thanks, Q; really appreciate the kind words! It's been fun looking into the details of this build - I'm sure as others may, I often fall into the trap of assuming that just because there's an aftermarket offering, it must be an accurate replacement. I've enjoyed putting the extra work in to (at least try to) do the Harrier the justice it deserves! Just a quick update for today. A little bit of sanding and tidying in those hard to reach areas; getting closer to laying some paint down so going through my mental list of to-do's for the airframe before I start priming. Subconsciously trying to put off attaching the intakes (and the sanding and rescribing I'm sure will ensue!) One thing I have managed to do in aid of my procrastination is go over the bits I had previously said I'd be omitting from the coaming, namely the Master Armament Safety Switch: ... and the spring loaded Map Clip: I'm aware it'll be no show-winner, but I have enjoyed pushing my scratchbuilding a little. The MASS was greebled using some shaped and bent PE fret discards and a few conical bits of sprue tree. The wad of paper stuffed into the Map Clip is just a placeholder. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to source some 1/48 maps of Helmand Province I can replace them with before the Canopy gets added and buttoned up! I have a few days annual leave from today, so hoping to find some quality time at the desk, SWMBO permitting 😅 Hopefully a little more progress to report in the next few days... Take care! Daryl