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I posted this Kinetic 1/48 Sea Harrier FRS 1 build a few weeks ago and said then that I was thinking of expanding the scope to a diorama with pilot figure. Well here it is, finally finished at last! It may not be 100% accurate, but I hope it captures the essence of a Falkland's era Shar aboard HMS Invincible all chocked up and about to be boarded by the pilot, with tie down chains, outrigger locks and remove before flight tags still attached. I didn't want to attach the model to the base, so the "attached" chains are free standing Aber PE versions stuck to the base and simply pointing in the right direction which look sort of OKish, if you don't look too closely.😉 However the chain lying on the deck, (having just been removed from the outrigger by the roof rat out of shot), is the chain that came with the Flightpath PE wheel chocks and this looks more life-like in my opinion. PE boarding ladder is from Flightpath, missile caps are by AB, RBF tags are by HGW and the pilot figure is by Aerobonus. I made the three tie down chain tensioners myself out of fine solder wire. I'm no Shar expert and received a lot of help and valuable info from several Britmodeller colleagues, so if you're interested and want to read my long, admittedly tedious at times, although potentially revelatory (for me at least) build log, then click here, but maybe wait a bit as I'll be adding the background behind the final bits tomorrow. I'll be returning now to my FAA Canberra B-110 build to complete the finishing touches next and will post that up when it's ready. It's been pointed out that I've an incorrect first name for Flt. Lt. Curtis in the model's placard below. It should of course be Alan and not Iain. Many apologies, it has been corrected.

May I present my finished 1/48 scale representation of BAe Sea Harrier FRS1 XZ451 of 801 RNAS built from the Kinetic kit with the addition of the Eduard Big Ed FRS1 PE set as she may have looked on the morning of the 1st May 1982 at the start of the air campaign in the Falklands war. Later that evening, Ian Curtis downed Argentine Canberra B-110 with a Sidewinder 9L while flying XZ451. You can see my build of Canberra B-110 here. I applied minimal weathering to XZ451 because I decided that at the start of the campaign it is likely she would have retained the original high gloss finish and her underside would not have picked up too much muck from the ships deck during take off and landing. I did consider adding a 1000lb GP bomb that appears in the first photo to the centre line pylon, but learned late on in the build that 800 sqn aircraft only carried bombs later in the campaign and so left it off. She’s configured with two Sidewinder AIM 9Ls and 100 gal tanks for flying a CAP in support of the 800 RNAS attack on the Argentine held Falkland Island airfields. I am extremely grateful for all the help I received from fellow Britmodellers Amos Brierly, Biggles87, Wombat, Pete in Lincs, Grey Beema, ERK, Whitewolf, Junglierating, Tweeky, Johnson, Pappy, Pajarito, Phone Phixer, Wellsprop, NG899, Collin and last but not least, Selwyn during my work in progress posts. There were several twists and turns during the construction of what turned out to be an unexpectedly tricky build as I learned on the fly about various pitfalls and the modifications needed to correct the some of the kit's errors, which if interested in you can review in full here . NG899’s detailed build notes and his history of the Sea Harrier’s exploits in the Falklands proved to be especially useful reference materials. I used a combination of Tamiya rattle can and Vallejo acrylic/urethane primer to prime the parts. Colour coats were a mixture of Mig and Tamiya acrylics for the details and the main colour finish is AK Real Colour Extra Dark Sea Grey lacquer with sealing gloss coats of Klear applied using both airbrush and hairy stick. The final glossy top coat was applied by hairy stick to the upper surfaces only and you can just about see the demarcation between this and the airbrush applied under surfaces in the photo below which represents the boundary between the original upper surface finish and the EDSG applied over the original white underside during the voyage south on board HMS Invincible. The nose wheel freewheels and I've just noticed that the flat I carefully filed on to the front wheel is annoyingly pointing up in these pictures! I must remember to check it's rotation when displaying it.😉 Although I've "finished", I’m thinking of making a deck scene for the model, with further details such as boarding ladder, standing pilot figure and remove before flight items which if I get around to, I’ll be sure to post.

I am sure this will be a popular build and that's ok. @stevej60 is building it too, I think, so I am in good company! I have already built one of these Airfix birds, so I know it'll come together well enough. I am also only building one kit for this GB...anyway, I already have an American Scooter. So Argentinian it will be... The box art... The sprue... the markings... And the profile. Looks snazzy. I'll see you all later this week! --John

Somewhere in the South Atlantic May 1982... This is my 1/350 build of three of the ships in the RNs Falklands task force, there are two scratch builds, and one minor conversion, plus huge amounts of detail on all three. I don't want to think about the amount of time I've spent over the past 5 1/2 years... Starting with the complete scene: From left to right: HMS Broadsword, HMS Hermes and HMS Yarmouth HMS Hermes and Yarmouth are both scratch built from plans Weathering on both was closely based on photos from the time to get the weather worn look of two of the oldest ships in the fleet. Many of the details are from WEM and Atlantic Models etched brass sets, but I also learnt to etch at home for unique pieces including H's mast, crane, davits and some antenna. Around 230 figures are spre​ad across the 3 ships, mostly on the flight deck HMS Broadsword was a conversion of the OOP WEM HMS Brilliant kit, the main change being the funnel, plus a wealth of detailing. the seascape is modelling clay plus acrylic medium and teased out cotton wool for the foam and spray. The base was lined with plasticard to get a mid-ocean swell adding a bit more interest and action Finally for this post a couple of overhead shots, Broadsword is approaching to start taking on fuel from Hermes' starboard quarter, Yarmouth steaming past on the port-side. Both escorts are really a bit close, but the base is the largest I could fit in my cabinets (to the millimetre) and the navy have been known to bend ships every so often so it's not impossible. Next up some detail shots. If anyone has missed the WiP and would like to see the history on this one, here's the thread: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234927178-operation-corporate-carrier-battlegroup-1350 Andrew

OK...My first Harrier. It looks like a nice kit...new moulds, I think, or at least the new technology. I'll keep this one OOB for sure. Nice looking plastic, neat decals... Familiar box art... The profile... The sprue... Decals and the Eduard canopy mask set... I'll get into this later. Before the weekend, I hope. --John

Hi Britmodeller, My second contribution. The Super Etendard from the Argentine Navy. Armed with the famous AM39 Excocet. After the latest data information in regards to target, this missile is released from the AC at approx. 45 km from the target. Full information on target acquisition and flight profiles can be found in the book "Wings of the Malvinas" from Santiago Rivas. Highest Regards, Dirk