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Airfix Harrier GR1 conversion


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While the Alclad is drying on my Lightning F3 , my thoughts have turned to "Coldwar Project II".

I've decided on a Harrier GR1 in 1/48th scale - and I'm going to use the Airfix GR3 as the basis.

(Despite having a Monogram GR1 in the stash!) .

Now to backdate and detail the Airfix kit, I've compiled a "to-do" list ...

(i) New detailed cockpit, built around a Paragon(?) MB mk9 (from the Jaguar) virtually identical in this scale - I'm thinking.... Canopy detailed ...MDC, latches, mirrors, de-misting ducts etc.,

(ii) New pointy nose -incorporating side view camera - from Milliput, pitot tube added from alu tubing/needle

(iii) Removal of FWR and RWR rairings on fin and tail boom

(iii) Addition of scuff plates on tail-plane

(iii) Detailed airbrake bay, and enlarged Airbrake (the kits is okay for the SHAR but not the HAR!)

(iv) Re-scribed panel lines

(v) Intake auxilliary doors drooped and lined up

(vi) "Pegasus" fan moved forward and intakes/bell housing detailed (or red FOD blanks added!!!)

(vii) Wing top vortex generators replaced/improved, wing fences removed and new plastic acard replacements added, inner flaps drooped, fuel dump pipe added

(viii) upper fuselage rectangular "ducts" opened and detailled, exhaust fairing in front of the ducts removed and two new added further forward

(ix) out-rider's opened up and detailed

(x) wheel wells opened and detailed (maybe-maybe not!!)

(xi) Undercarriage units beefed up

(xii) Weapons.....Aden cannons added and detailed (probably - I may scratch build a pair of strakes)

100 gal tanks on inner pylons, SNEBS most certainly on outer pylons - and maybe on inner pair too - instead of tanks? Or maybe a 1000lb iron bomb on centre pylon?

(xiii) Pylons detailed

(xiv) extendable ladder added

(xv) decals....use those in the kit - for stencils etc., I have a few squadron badges that I can adapt, and have plenty of suitable red/white/blue roundels..

(xvi) Nozzles.....I'll replace these with a set from Heritage or Pavla or someone! rear heat shields added from plastic card

(xvii) antennae etc added from plastic card

(xviii) "Puffer jet" holes opened and detailed

(xix) RBF tags added

A lot of the detailling stuff is the same as that on the SHAR, so I can use Nick Greenall's notes on the HARSIG site, or in the latest IPMS magazine...

Is there anything else? Anything I've missed (like an announcement that Hobbyboss or Trumpeter are issuing a GR1/AV8A??)

I'd better get my finger out......photo's to follow this evening (of the model, not me getting my finger out..........!!)

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Was quite busy today.....building my GR1 in between customers......

Mandatory box shot.....I will be able to use most of these decals......luckily most seem to be in register!!

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Quite a bit of "destruction" required before "construction".....

LRMTS nose removed, fins FWR removed and re-profiled

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I've rescribed one wing (over done a bit!) and re-profiled the wing top vortex generators

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Intakes being amended......

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Never knew there was so much work involved in backdating a 3 to a 1 - there was me thinking they just bolted a new nose on!

Ah yes but..theres also an awful lot of work required to bring the Airfix kit into the 21st Century!!!!

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Have you seen the new Pavla bits for the Airfix Harriers Bill?

Stephen

Yes and very nice they are too....

PAVU4820.jpg

I had though already decided to re-model the bell intake housing - as Nick did on his FRS1 detailled builds.I've opened up some of the auxilliary doors already...

Its not that difficult to do, nor is it particularly time consuming - I've nowt against the Pavla sets (nor the Heritage sets for that matter...)and in fact looking at them again, I must say that the nozzles do look very tempting.........

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Never knew there was so much work involved in backdating a 3 to a 1 - there was me thinking they just bolted a new nose on!

Actually, the ONLY external difference between a GR1 and a GR3 is the heat exchanger exhausts on the upper fuselage saddle - two on the GR1, one on the GR3. You CAN see pointy nosed GR3s.

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Of course Bill.... for that would require the use of a time travelling devide :smartass:

Now there's an idea - Life on Mars in the RAF!! 2007 Tornado pilot transferred back in time to, say, 1940.............. I once wrote a short story based on that thought (although it was a Jaguar pilot in 1970s) - then along came the Final countdown....

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Time Travel? WHO 'da thought it? No TIME LORDing this subject up I'm afraid, but someone could do an avaTAR DISplay .......okay thats enough already........

Harriers.....been very quiet in the shop today...but at least I've progressed matters somewhat.....

Hatched area requires removing on upper half, lower hatched area already removed...

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Bell housing and compressor blade - I removed the centre section later..

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Bell housing added in front of airfix's suggested slot - this corrects one of the problems high-lighted by Nick Greenall in the HARSIG Shar builds...

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The pencil line on the bell housing shows where plastic needs removing...

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Here it is removed, new plastic card wall added and the front of one of the kits missile noses added to replace the compressor blade centre cone

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Bill could you just describe the intake problem in a little more detail. I've spent sometime studying Nicks SHARSIG 1/24 build but cant see what the problem is. Now the turbine 'shaft housing' I can see the problem with but is the whole turbine to far backward? Where should it be on the real aircraft i.e. what should it be lined up with?

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(vi) "Pegasus" fan moved forward and intakes/bell housing detailed (or red FOD blanks added!!!)

I can remember someone telling me how they spent ages correcting the intake depth problem on the Buccaneer and what was my solution - FOD guards!

Every time.

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Yeah, but on the Harrier, accurate FOD guards (with their blowy-uppy-edgy-bits) are probaby more difficult to do than moving the fan forward! :)

Harrier3.JPG

Cheers,

Chris.

Cool pic Saves me making the engine when I do my 1/24 Beastie

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Yeah, but on the Harrier, accurate FOD guards (with their blowy-uppy-edgy-bits) are probaby more difficult to do than moving the fan forward! :)

Harrier3.JPG

Cheers,

Chris.

Blimey Chris, you've leapt forward 30 odd years mate!!! Luckily, I'm doing the GR1 ca.1969.....not a GR7/9.

Anyways.... should I happen to bugger the thing up I can revert to my old "get out of jail" ploy..ading a blank FOD cover

Picture030.jpg

Mind you the "blowy up" ones aren't THAT difficult to do...

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Mind you the "blowy up" ones aren't THAT difficult to do...

100_2869.jpg

How did you make them Bill? I made a soft set for as SHAR a few years back, just a couple of blobs of Milliput pushed into the intakes before assembly to get the shape and then a little texturing while still wet, then popped them out when dry, piece of cake.

On a visit to Yeovilton back in the late 90s I saw SHARs with both the soft and hard FOD guards, though for your Harrier GR.1 the latter are the more appropriate.

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Nice work so far Bill, very educational mate.

Glad to see those pesky customers didn't keep you on the phone too long today :winkgrin:

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