phat trev Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 (edited) I have a few questions regarding the Heller/Airfix Gloster Javelin T3, if anyone can answer them I would be most grateful. I see Airfix make (have made in the past) a Javelin T3 and an FAW9. Would these be he same kit (ie. the heller casting?) Also, what versions of Javelin would I be able to make with a T3? (being that the Javelin is completly new territory for me as I have never expressed any interest in the jet but just feel like making something VERY British which is not a Spitfire or Lancaster but involves a bit of TLC and a conversion. -found a few interesting posts on BM now actually, but your input and ideas guys would still be great, thanks Edited November 17, 2011 by phat trev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 From the T3 you can make a ......T3. When Airfix collared the mould, they converted it, permanently, into the 9, so the T3 will never see the light of day again. Edgar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I see Airfix make (have made in the past) a Javelin T3 and an FAW9. Would these be he same kit (ie. the heller casting?) yes, Airfix did a run of the Heller T3, then converted the mould to the FAW9 version. An interesting question would be who now posesses that mould. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 The advantage of the T.3 of course is that every squadron used them and so your choices of markings is wider but on the other hand you could still only make a T.3. If you grafted the front end of the FAW.9 onto the rest of a T.3 you could make a FAW.1/4/5 and if you altered the nose profile you could do a FAW.2/6 (American radar - shorter nose), OR, if you used the pen-nib jet-pipe fairing from the T.3, removed the centre row of vortex generators from the wings you've pretty much got a 1/4/6 (and if you alter the nose...). What the current kit isn't quite is a FAW.9 - it's a bit shallow at the back end but until somebody gets around to producing a new state of the art 1/72nd Javelin its the best horse in town. Now come on Airfix - you know you want to do a decent 1/72nd Javelin, after the 1/72nd Lightnings, Vampires, Venoms, Canberra B.2/6, Hunter T.7, Phantom FG.1/FGR.2, but before you give us the Sea Vixen, JP3/4 and loooooooooooooong before you think about the Swift! Wez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 (edited) Wez has just about covered it all, including the wish list for Airfix (I second the list). The T3 is a great kit for it's age and is arguably the best looking Javelin mark anyway so I would go with the kit straight out of the box. Shameless self promoting link to one I did some time ago! http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.p...&hl=javelin Edited November 18, 2011 by Duncan B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I can't really add anything except to bask in the general Javelin atmosphere! I'm shortly about to start the FAW.9, and modify the Airfix offering with the rear end from the FROG kit. I'm hoping that Airfix still have the FAW.9 mould, as even though it's old it's still one of their better kits (probably due to being of Heller ancestry) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplasticsurgeon Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 As others have already said, Airfix modified the Javelin mould - so they can't produce any more T3s. The T3 is the only version with a raised rear canopy, so that's about all you can do with it. Also it doesn't have a seperate nosecone, which the FAW9 has - making it the basis for other fighter Mk conversions. There is an article in Seventy Second Scale Modeller mag No1 June 1998 showing how to build any other fighter Mk from the FAW9 kit. Some required the pen nib part from the T3 - so would be expensive. The Javelin isn't very well served by decal makers. This FAW9 uses an ancient SAM decal set to represent the gate guard at Staverton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selwyn Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 As others have already said, Airfix modified the Javelin mould - so they can't produce any more T3s. The T3 is the only version with a raised rear canopy, so that's about all you can do with it. Also it doesn't have a seperate nosecone, which the FAW9 has - making it the basis for other fighter Mk conversions. There is an article in Seventy Second Scale Modeller mag No1 June 1998 showing how to build any other fighter Mk from the FAW9 kit. Some required the pen nib part from the T3 - so would be expensive. The Javelin isn't very well served by decal makers. This FAW9 uses an ancient SAM decal set to represent the gate guard at Staverton. According to their catalogue (picked up at Telford) Whirlybits do replacement jet pipe sections for all the marks of Javelin in resin. Not sure what kit they are for! Selwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 There's an article about how to improvise the pen-nib rear end from the Airfix FAW.9 (without buying the T.3 as well!) here: http://www.btinternet.com/~javelin/p11_mod...el_javelins.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 pen nib[/b] part from the T3 - so would be expensive. Gosh the second mention of articles I wrote years ago in one day! Anyway there was a pen nib resin part specially made for S3M( as we called it) by Martin Blundell and was then only obtainable from the magazine. This is the part available today from Whirlybird that Selwyn mentions. With it you can turn the FAW9 into most of the earlier versions up to the FAW6 with a bit of fudging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Gosh the second mention of articles I wrote years ago in one day! Anyway there was a pen nib resin part specially made for S3M( as we called it) by Martin Blundell and was then only obtainable from the magazine. This is the part available today from Whirlybird that Selwyn mentions. With it you can turn the FAW9 into most of the earlier versions up to the FAW6 with a bit of fudging. Whirlybits also do the FAW7 rear end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don McIntyre Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 An Airfix Javelin would look very nice sitting next to their Sea Vixen. Would seem a natural for them… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaguarfan Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 How do you get Whirlybits products? cheers Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Try the e mail or snail address in this thread. They don't have a website but are a very active company. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.p...;hl=Whirlybirds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaguarfan Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Thanks for that, I have sent an email and will wait and see what the response will be. cheers Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I hope you get a positive response. They are usually pretty good at replying but I know there have been some health issues in the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickshaw Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 How do the East European re-pops of the old Frog kit compare to the Airfix kits of the Javelin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 How do the East European re-pops of the old Frog kit compare to the Airfix kits of the Javelin? In a moment of madness (or extreme optimism) I bought several of the Chematic 1/72 scale Javelins off Evilbay. They have engraved detail but it is all quite soft and the whole model looks slightly under scale compared to the Airfix Javelin. It is boxed as an FAW9 but also includes markings for an FAW4 of 141 Sqn even though the wing is wrong and the pen nib exhausts aren't included. There isn't really anything positive to say about it, even though they were cheap there is nothing that can be salvaged for the spares. I have one of the Novo repops of the Frog Javelin and it would need a lot of work but would still turn out a better FAW9 than the Chematic. I have read that the Chematic is based on the old Frog kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat C Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 (edited) There is also the Plastyk Javelin which is a FAW7/9. Not sure how this compares with the Chematic one. It has engraved detail, also looking a bit soft and supplies both exhaust types with instructions to remove a portion of the rear end and add the afterburning exhausts to turn the FAW7 into a FAW9. Comes with under belly fuel tanks which I am not sure the other Javelin kits supply? Pat EDIT to correct confusion between FAW 7 and 9. Its a 7 amd you need to saw off the end to make it a 9! Edited November 19, 2011 by Pat C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampiredave Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 SAM Vol.4 No.4 January 1982 has an article by Peter Lockhart about converting the Heller Javelin T.Mk.3 into a Javelin FAW.4. It also has a decal insert with markings for 23, 33, 85, 89, 141 and 228 OCU / 137 Squadrons. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 IIRC the old Frog Javelin is a little shorter and stumpier than the Airfix one, so I used it as the basis of an FAW8 with the US radar. It is over 12 years since I did this so my memory may be at fault. I used some of the Airfix detail parts to dress the old girl up a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phat trev Posted November 19, 2011 Author Share Posted November 19, 2011 SAM Vol.4 No.4 January 1982 has an article by Peter Lockhart about converting the Heller Javelin T.Mk.3 into a Javelin FAW.4. It also has a decal insert with markings for 23, 33, 85, 89, 141 and 228 OCU / 137 Squadrons.David this would be an interesting artical to find thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 As mentioned earlier I have both Airfix and Frog Javelins, and if anything the Frog kit is slightly broader and generally fatter in the fuselage (very noticeable across the air intakes, and a similar length. The Frog kit has almost equally nice surface detail (more accurately placed panel lines in one or two places), although the vortex generators are much nicer on the Airfix, and the Frog Kit lacks any kind of interior/wheel well detail at all. The main wheel wells aren't even boxed in. I can't comment on weapons/undercarriage/ejector seats as they're all missing from my fragmentary Frog Kit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter O Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 What is the origin of the Testors kit? There's one on eBay right now. I doesn't identify the mark, and the canopy is distinctly differently shaped than the Airfix or Heller versions. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Womby Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 What is the origin of the Testors kit? There's one on eBay right now. I doesn't identify the mark, and the canopy is distinctly differently shaped than the Airfix or Heller versions.Peter It was originally issued by Hawk many, many years ago................. It represents a prototype David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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