bobsyouruncle

Oh Wow! What a gorgeous piece of work you've done there. It looks stunning as a whole from a distance and the closer you look, you realise that the detail's all there. Just superb. Cheers Bob.

This is an enlarged crop from the photo on page 62 of the AirDoc book 'British Harriers Part 1 - The GR.1/GR.3/T2 and T4 of the Royal Air Force in Germany', showing the emblem that Hoops first brought up, which was painted on the fuselage side of GR3 XV809 of 3 Squadron, between the pilots name and the 3 Squadron Cockatrice and bars, whilst it was in the experimental Green Matchcoat scheme at Gütersloh 1984. The photo is copyright of Dr. Stefan Petersen and is shown here on the forum with his kind permission, thanks also to Andreas Klein of AirDoc and Little Shop of Phantoms for his assistance with this. From what I can see, the image looks to me, to be of a cartoon Chicken/Hawk (similar to the Warner Bros 'Looney Tunes' style) wearing a large cowboy type hat or Sombrero and holding a Blunderbuss? It would be really good if someone (here perhaps?) who used to work on 3 Squadron or at Gütersloh knew the origin of this image and could share the connection please? Cheers and Thanks for any help/ideas, Bob.

Nick, I think you mentioned that there might have been something like that (the zap 'gnome') in a cartoon around that time (1984)? I wondered if the Luftwaffe had any Squadron markings like that ever and came across the ones used by 1/JG 137 which later became JG 231, which later became 1/ZG 2. Here's a shot I found of one example: https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Bf-109D/ZG2/pages/Messerschmitt-Bf-109D1-2.JGr102-or-I.ZG2-Red-15-Germany-1938-01.html This design was the 'Bernburger Jäger' (Berburger Hunter), armed with a Blunderbuss but I've no idea if there's any connection. Cheers Bob.

Hi Nick, On a second look, it seems to my eyes that it's more like someone wearing a hooked nose 'venetian mask'/'scaramouche' type thing but possibly holding a Blunderbuss or a trumpet? Not heard back from Dr. Petersen yet. Cheers Bob.

I've just come across a photo of it that's quite a bit better than the one you've posted (on page 62 of the Air Doc book), but I still can't as yet quite make out what it is fully. Could be a cartoon 'Chicken holding a Blunderbuss' in a circle? Photo is credited to Dr. Stefan Petersen who might have a good copy if you can find him? Edit: I've just sent him a message. I'll keep investigating in the meantime. Cheers Bob.

Oh dear, look away, here comes my tuppence worth. If the budget can stretch to it, then I'm very happy to see something that's a bit colourful (I find it a real shame that we've lost a lot of squadron markings these days). I think the underside looks better than the top because the colourful area encompasses more of the whole aircraft shape and it looks quite photogenic to me. In that way it reminds me a little of the 311 Gruppo Italian Tornado from the 2017 display season. I'm guessing that the design's restricted in that they probably wouldn't want certain areas of the aircraft painting (radome for example), but the upper and sides look a little 'stop, start' to me because of this? I personally preferred the previous Squadron designs rather than the Union Flag but 'get the idea' that they are probably wanting to represent the Air Force rather than just one Squadron (maybe I just like to see something that's completely unexpected and different- I really liked the 'XXX' schemes from a few years back and something perhaps with a large design based on their 'Eagle duelling with a Buzzard' badge could've looked awesome?). I also think the Hawks from 2010 and 2012 did the Union flag thing slightly better (IMHO), as they were more 'wraparound', but then like I say, they've probably done more or less what they could, this time with a view to budget and the other airframe restrictions. Getting slightly even pickier, (with a 'Brian Sewell art critic head' on), I also understand that they'll have painted the canards with smaller individual union flag designs because they'll look better when seen on the ground when they're drooping down, but they look a little odd when looking at the airframe as a whole and for my personal tastes, I'd have wanted something that fit in with a 'whole of the aircraft' colour scheme instead? I don't know. Just how picky can I get? I should shut up get back out into the real world and get back to putting patients on ambulances. I'd still be dead chuffed to see it doing it's thing and get the chance to take some shots of it.

So glad I clicked on this one this morning. What a beautiful piece of work this is. Absolutely stunning.

Absolutely stunning. What a superb realistic finish you've got there. Fantastic paintjob. If there are any mistakes, as you say, I don't think anyone but you would notice because it just looks soooo so awesome.

That looks super. Lovely clean looking build that shows off kit features very nicely. I do like the way that the modern kit designs seem to have a similar sturdy internal structure, like the real aircraft and (like with the 24th scale Typhoon) you just get the feeling that if all's lined up as it should be on the inside then everything will turn out well on the outside too. Gives it a bit of 'soul' to me when the insides feel right and enhances the whole experience for me. Enjoyed the magazine article too. Awesome, cheers Bob.

Very nice work on this and I love seeing your Harrier progressing. Looks awesome.

It's been a while since I posted but in between busy times on the ambo and getting covid myself back in December, I did actually manage to make some bits of progress in the gaps of spare time, but this will be a long journey (enjoying it so far though). I started carrying on with the pilot and seat initially (see some seat top additions here).... ...but whilst I was enjoying the detailing, I was thinking about some of the other bigger issues with the kit that I'd have to face at some time. To avoid being plagued by doubts, I thought I'd have a go at starting sorting some of them out. One of them was the heavy fuselage rivets, so I set about filling those in to look more like the surface I saw on a GR3 when I last got to see one (you'll see a spotty fuselage in later shots). Next was the question of if it might be possible to make some Paveway LGBs from what I'd got in the box plus some bits of card and tubing, utilising the 1000lb bombs in the kit. Here's how they are at the moment and the 'Paveway production line'. I'm leaving the fins off at the moment (they're just tacked on in the top shot and not finished anyway) so I don't knock them off. More detailing to be done on these but at least I know roughly where I'm going with them (and there's still a spare 1000 pounder in the box, in case I decide to go for the asymmetric load). Another thing that was playing on my mind was the whole Pegasus intake area. The kit has a gap behind the cockpit with the outside of an oversized front gear bay on view, where there should be a tapered fuselage section and a tubular fairing which sits in front of the fan hub. Not only that, but you have to open up the sides of the intake if you want to have the 'blow-in' doors opened. Another complication is remembering that this tapered fairing makes up the rear of the front undercarriage bay. I spent quite a while thinking about how to best sequence this and what should be attached to what. I eventually threw caution to the wind and decided to try and make a 'slot-in' piece which would comprise the intake walls and the tapered fuselage fairing (to be fitted into the fuselage later), as seen here. This is is from the front.. ...and the back I thought it'd be easier to fit this in and out if I'd made a card frame for where the Pegasus fan goes. I've added quite a bit of material to allow the intake fairing to be filed back some more, so the 'bell' profile of these will probably be opened out a little more at the sides. This is a how it pushes into the (spotted) fuselage that's just been taped together for now. I'm going to try to build the front part of the intake (with the blow-in doors) as one piece that includes the doors and their dividers, before fitting it onto this rear part of the intake. I've opened up the doors on one of them here The other thing was to widen out the internal wall of this front intake part. Modified one is on the right next to the kit one on the left, for comparison. I probably wouldn't have thought about altering the Pegasus fan blades at all, until Nick Greenall showed a photo of what he'd done with his (Nick has been a tremendous help with information and references, but he's also inspired me to have a go at things I normally wouldn't have - because his big Sea Harrier looks so awesome). So having seen what was possible, I thought I'd chance a go myself at replacing the plastic blades with something that I might be able to try and twist, as the actual ones do. That was why I started cutting up a tin can from the kitchen. There are 26 of these and I thought I'd have a rest after doing 13 and take a shot for comparison. The LP1 main an blades are one thing, but when you look at photos down the intake, you can just make out the fan blades from behind the front element and there are a shed load of them in that fan. I might try and do something to represent them, (and risk madness) or.... I might just hope nobody looks too closely down the intake? I think that's about it for now. More later...................much later I should think.

It's a beauty. Really nice job of work. Looks exactly the part. That subtle change of colour on the nose looks bang on to how I remember them. Lovely.

What a gorgeous looking Sea Harrier. Excellent paint job which really brings it to life. Really enjoying just looking at it. Just beautiful, cheers Bob.

That's brilliant. Thanks very much for explaining it all. Just started on building it now. Much appreciated. Cheers, Bob.

I love that. Stunning job on the paint work. Very convincing. Awesome.

Thanks again for that Selwyn. After you'd mentioned GBU10 and the term 'latch', using those words I managed to come across this drawing online, which hopefully confirms what you said. https://www.tpub.com/aviord321/142.htm This seems to show in the top drawing, (17NP0348 within the circle), this latch mechanism, a bit better than I could make out in the photos if it's the same thing? So now I can see the 'slot' I'd mentioned in my initial post (like a letter box sort of thing) and the 'something else sticking out from it' I'd mentioned I thought I could see, would be this 'latch release lever' - which is what you'd said (which looks like a slim rectangular block, or arm). Is that the mechanism releasing wire that's coming out of the arm, just above the safety pin, in this drawing? I see that on the american aircraft, the way they hang their bombs, this mechanism is on the port side whereas the RAF have it on the right? Thanks again, Bob.

Thanks very much for that, Selwyn, it's much appreciated. So if I'm reading it right, there has to be a wire going down to this 'ferrule' and then to the 'latch' mechanism, whilst the bomb is on the pylon? (which then pulls on the latch to release the fins after which the wire snaps?). All new interesting information to me. Thank you.

Muzz, in Fred Martins book, the landing shot is the 56 Sqn F6 XR773 'N' (which has a white section of spine panel-there is also XR759 'P' which is the same). There are shots of two 5 sqn F6s taxying with the light Grey over wing tanks (XP726 which has the white spine panel -extended to include the spine front compartment also - and XS898 'K' where the tank is partly obscuring most of where the spine is normally painted white, but the rear part that is visible,is NMF). The 23 Sqn F6 in Tim McLellands book is XR760 'H' and has the white spine panels.

Hi Gents, I'd seen that UK Paveway 2s came into the thread about Harrier armament during the Falklands war, but didn't wish to hi-jack that thread just for my question, so can I ask if anyone can possibly help me here please? I'm modelling a pair of UK Paveways at the moment, in 24th scale, to hang beneath my representation of Harrier GR3 XZ997 in the Falklands (as seen fitted on the deck of Hermes in IWM photos). I'm just having a bit of trouble seeing what the details are at points "A" in this shot. I realise these are Enhanced Paveways with the extra conduit down the side, etc, which were way after the Falklands, but believe that the tail section should be the same or similar as the ones in 1982? I've searched the net for a clear side view close-up of this area but without much luck (I've got views that show what looks like a couple of 'slots' in a rectangular frame, with two cylindrical 'pins' above and below, but it looks like there's something in there else 'sticking out' from it? Often the view's obscured by a 'Remove Before Flight' pin and banner). I've also checked the walkaround section here, but would ideally like a close view of this back end if possible? Does anyone know if there's one sitting around in a museum that I'd be able to get close to if ever released from lockdown?(I can move back to the main aircraft model in the meantime) or any books with good photo references in? Also, when hanging under the pylon, can I ask if any of the arming lead on the top of the bomb would be visible? Thanks very much for any pointers or help. Bob.

Just got the book out and there are 3 shots of 56 Sqn aircraft with the glossy tanks and NMF dated 1973, plus a 5 Sqn aircraft in the same fit also from ‘73. Edit: The earliest shot I’ve got so far is of 74 Sqn aircraft in all NMF (including the tails), fitted with NMF over wing tanks dated 1967, in ‘Lighting Squadrons of the Royal Air Force’ by Richard L Ward. There’s a shot of a 23 Sqn F6 with the light grey over wing tanks at Luqa in Tim McLellands Lightning book, but there’s no date.

That's a great shot Blimpyboy. Good to see how they looked with that load on them. They might not be in the Granby colours here, but ZD890 (rear aircraft?) was definitely there and pinked up (Hello Kuwait, Goodbye Iraq nose art and 28 mission symbols according to 'Gulf Air War Debrief') and I guess the foreground aircraft could possibly be ZD747 'AL' (Anna Louise with 29 missions)?

Awesome work. You've done a fine job on those beauties. As for the last shot; what an amazing line up. Superb.

That is a gorgeous looking Lightning. You've done a cracking job there and it looks a real brute. Excellent job.

That is gorgeous. I like how you've managed to make a Grey colour scheme with no fancy markings look so very attractive and convincing. A real work of art. Love it.

So that's what they were. Thanks for that. Saw the trails but didn't have binos to hand and couldn't see anything on radarbox. Cheers.