Piero

Ouch!!! How can I've missed that?!?!?! The seat went to be resin casted last saturday... and now? CIAO! Piero

Hello my friends, many-many thanks for all your compliments on my AV-8B model! And now some answers to your questions... “… how did you do those thin dark lines over the p.lines? heavily thinned black? or base colours with some black?...” I use to spray heavily thinned base colors with some drops of black. Same for the center of panls but this time adding some drops of with or yellow. “… can i borrow your shrinking machine ??????...” I'm still laughing!!!!!!! “… Who said the Trumpeter Harrier was not worth building?...” Every kit can be worth of building, OOB or highly detailed/modified… depends on your targets. Because I’m Harrier addicted and I like to build non-Tamiya level kits, I’ll make others from the Trumpeter’s kit. CIAO! Piero

Hello my friends, as I finished my USMC AV-8B, its time to restart working on the RAF Harrier GR.7/9 kits. My previous works can be seen at the following topic: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.p...=69292&st=0 (P.S: I'm asking to the Admin if can move the topic to this forum... thanks!) Ok, I've wait for a resin Martin Baker Mk.12 bang seat from any good aftermarket... but still none. So, I'd to make one by myself... here the result: Still needs some minor "fix" but the seat is there. CIAO! Piero

Thank you my friend for your fast Time-To-Target responses on this request of Close Web Support CIAO! Piero

Hello, I'm trying to detail the rear bulkhead in the cockpit tub of an RAF Harrier GR.7. How is the rail for the Mk.12 ejection seat? Any pictures of this part without the ejection seat? CIAO! Piero

Hello my friends, she was for the Harrier Group Build, but I went a little bit long. Now she is finished, a good effort was required, but I can really say I'm very happy with this model!!! If you want, you can find a WIP of her at the following: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.p...19&hl=piero Now its time to show some pictures of my first Harrier in 1/32nd... and will not be the ONLY ONE! CIAO! Piero

Hello, thank you for the nice comments of the resin parts... the "RAF detail set" is sold out at the moment but some sets should be available again after the 25th of November. Actually I should be able to complete my first Trumpeter's Harrier II, an early USMC AV-8B, for this weekend. Than I'll move to a couple of Trumepter's RAF Harrier GR.7/9A... and this would be a much faster-builds because I learned a lot from the AV-8B model. So, my "GR-7 on line builds" will re-start on this forum next week. CIAO! Piero

BEST EVER SAW TSR.2 MODEL. What else? CIAO! Piero

Hi Phil, some "pointers" on your nice WIP: AV-8B Night Attack has 100% LERX... only very few early grey-green Night Attack were fitted with original 65% LERX; You have to add a chaff launcher on each side of ventral fin; Your TER is attached upside down on inner pylons. Good work! CIAO! Piero

THANK YOU GRAHAM!!!

Remember that if you're going to lowered the flaps the vectoring nozzles must be rotated down too. Anyway, I never saw a tuned-off Harrier II with the lowered flaps. CIAO! Piero

Hello, I love "Mud Movers"!!! I'm in... but difficult choice here in 1/32nd: Trumpeter Harrier GR.7 Trumpeter A-7D Trumpeter Jaguar GR.3 Trumpeter Mig-27D ... CIAO! Piero

Hello, thank you all for the compliments on my model!!! The Aires cockpit set is ok... fitting gave me no problem at all, no much to do and the resin is very easy to work and to clean. Same for the front undercarriage bay. The only "problem" could be the price... ;-) CIAO! Piero

... again, I've spent last week applying decals on the model. To prepare the model for the decals I sprayed a couple of good layers of Tamiya's Clear Cote. Unfortunaly many of the kit's decals are wrong in color or size and the sheet is incompleted too with only basic stencils. So, most of the decals came from spare or different source... sgrunt! The white tail code “KD” it’s a little bigger than the real one…it was my fault when I draw the masking… but I didn’t realized until I finished to spray the paint!!! I start to apply "weathering" all over the belly of the jet... Harriers are really dirty with smoke came from the hot rear nozzles!!! Now I have to work on landing gears, nozzles, bang-seat, canopy… plus a myriad of small parts as antennas, sensors, probes, ladder steps, sticks, mirrors… ARGH! CIAO! Piero

Hello, I'm going to continue in this section posting the progress on my AV-8B model, because I was not able to complete this model for the GB's due date... sorry mates and congrats to all for the great Harrier's models showed... If you want to see the previous steps, go to: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=68019 Below are showed the new wing pylons and rails I modified and resin copied. Because this AV-8B was with the VMAT-203 USMC training squadron, I want to load it with "drill" AIM-9L missiles and "inert" MK-82 bombs as you can see by the blue color of the bodies. For the Mk-82s I used different type of tail sections (slick and retarded). The AIM-9L's seeker head will be covered with cap. All weapons were gently donated by an Academy's F/A-18D kit. CIAO! Piero

Hello, correct, upper suface were Dark Sea Grey, with sides and under surface in Dark Camouflage Grey. If you use "pure" color this can be a lilttle bit dark shade for a small kit as an 1/72 Harrier. Try to add some drops of white paint to the grey colors both... my 2 cents. Best wish with your Harrier model for the GB! CIAO! Piero

Thank you my friends! I'm trying to go on with this model to respct the GB's due date. I'd start working on new underwing resin pylons and on some other small parts, spraying a grey for primer and a black pre-shading around the panels and details. Following the pictures on the old issue form Aeroguide series I painted some removable access panels in a different shade of the camouflage colors. I also painted some details as the Light Grey stripes over the ailerons and flaps, the silver exhausts over the engine's panels, the fin tip and so on, the yellow-goldish frame around the windshield and so on... To finish, for now, I painted the undersurface camouflage color with the Light Gull Grey. CIAO! Piero

That's really great... a realistic model with an almost perfect final finish and very nice pictures too. CIAO! Piero

Hello, I spent the last two evenings to paint the upper camouflage pattern. First I sprayed the Dark Grey areas, that should be 36099 but I prefer to use 36118 mixed with a little bit of 36099. Wait a day to allow the paint to dry, than I painted the Dark Green that should be 34064 but I started with 34079 with some 34064. The camouflage pattern was done with rolls of Uhu Tack (AKA Blu Tack). All paints are from Gunze's acrilyc range. Tomorrow I'll going to spray the under surface with Light Gull Grey. CIAO! Piero

The painting stage is already started with a good layer of Tamiya's medium grey. After that some preshading was done airbrushing matt black paint over the panel lines. CIAO! Piero

Hello my friends, I’m back from my (short) summer vacation… still so warm here in Italy! I spent the last three days to go on with this Harrier model, but I already know it will not completed in time for the 11th of September… sigh! Anyway let's go with the WIP... I’ve painted the cockpit coaming with a mix of black/NATO black and fitted with an etched HUD. Fitting the clear plastic windshield is not an easy task, much dry-fitting is a must here. I sprayed the inside of the frame with matt black. The main jet intakes were painted white, but after looking at the pictures of the real early USMC’s AV-8Bs I found out that only the fan duct was painted white. All the other parts were painted with the dark grey camouflage color. Over the wings I replaced the row of vortex generators with etched parts. Now the model is ready to be masked for the painting stage. CIAO! Piero

Hello, thank you all for the nice comments on this topic and on the resin parts that are just crossing the finish line. I'm sorry for the delay on this model, on the AV-8B and on the resin sets, but summer time in Italy is very hot... not the best weather for stay at home sanding&painting&casting... ;-) I'll be back on the model desk next week and I'll resume this project, the AV-8B and the resin sets as well. CIAO! Piero

Hello Shaun, resin sets are coming well, will be ready for the end of august. We have 3 different sets, a "generic" detail set fitting all the Harrier II varints, the second set is specific for the RAF GR.7/9 kit, and the last one set includes six new underwing pylons. As soon as I'll be back from my summer vacation I'll post an update with the all the parts ready to go. CIAO! Piero P.S.: I've also spent my freetime going on with the big AV-8B model... its almost ready for the painting stage. CIAO!

Hello, another very good news!!! My AV-8B Plus is waiting for the Marina Militare Italiana markings!!! CIAO! Piero

Hello, great news here!!! I'll get some when ready... I need for a squadron, at least!!! And from me, resin parts will be ready at the same time. CIAO! Piero