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Jaguar GR Mk.1/A - 1:72 Hasegawa


Paul A H

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Jaguar GR Mk.1/A

1:72 Hasegawa

hasejagboxtop.jpg

As has been the case with many multinational combat aircraft, the Jaguar had a difficult gestation. It started life as a trainer and light attack aircraft, designed to fulfil the requirements of both the French Air Force and the Royal Air Force. Two companies collaborate on the design and development of the aircraft; Breuget of France and BAC of the United Kingdom. The venture they formed was known as the Société Européenne de Production de l'Avion d'École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique (European Company for Production of Combat Trainer & Tactical Support Aircraft) or SEPECAT. Two distinct aircraft were originally proposed. The first was to be a low-cost trainer with limited ground attack capability, the second a larger, more capable strike aircraft with variable geometry. The French eventually withdrew from the latter programme, but the project survived and the aircraft eventually eventually emerged as the Panavia Tornado.

The delay in the development of the dedicated strike aircraft cause a problem for the RAF as their planned ground attack capabilities were centred on this aircraft. After some wrangling, the remaining aircrafts tasking was re-written to remove the trainer element. The Jaguars evolution into a dedicated strike aircraft was complete. The RAF eventually took delivery of 165 single seat Jaguars and 35 two seat trainers. RAF Jaguars entered active service in the mid-1970s and went on to participate in numerous conflicts around the world. Twelve RAF Jaguars saw action in the skies over Iraq in 1991 and the aircraft was used again four years later in Operation Deliberate Force over Serbia. The Jaguar left RAF service just two years later in 1997.

Hasegawa's Jaguar GR Mk.1/A has been knocking around for quite some time now, and in that time it has established itself a reputation as the best 1:72 Jaguar around. It has a satisfying blend of detail and all-round accuracy, and is quite straightforward to build too. The kit is comprised of 75 parts, although not all of them are used as there are optional parts for the British Jaguar Gr.1 and the French Jaguar A. There is a tiny amount of flash on smaller parts such as the undercarriage legs, but other than that the sprues are in pretty good condition. Surface detail is comprised of fine, engraved panel lines and fasteners.

hasejagsprue1.jpg

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Cockpit detail is comprised of a tub with side consoles moulded in place, an instrument panel, control column and ejector seat. The cockpit parts lack any raised detail at all, so instruments and controls are represented by decals instead. This is one area of the kit that would benefit from some scratchbuilding or aftermarket accessories. Because Hasegawa have also produced a twin stick version, the forward fuselage and nose is provided as a separate sub-assembly. This means there will be an extra seam to clean up, which is a bit of a pain (although to be fair, other Jaguar kits share this trait).

The central and rear fuselage is split vertically, with an additional part for the lower rear fuselage. This slight complication is necessary because of the contoured shape of the aircraft around jet exhausts. The engine intakes and exhausts are fairly simple but just about detailed enough to pass muster, particularly in this scale. The wing is moulded as a single part, which should help speed construction up a little. Two different vertical tails are provided to allow a Gr.1 or A to be built, so make sure you use the correct one.

hasejagsprue3.jpg

hasejagcloseup.jpg

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The undercarriage parts are pretty decent, although somewhat simplified compared to the real thing. The undercarriage bays themselves are basic but do include some structural details. The airbrakes can be posed in the open position, but are something of a weak point as the characteristic perforations are depicted as rather strange bumps. Slaves to accuracy will definitely want to drill these out before assembling them. A reasonable range of ordnance is provided, including drop tanks, bombs, rocket pods and a pair of Matra Magic AAMs. The canopy is reasonably thin and clear and can be posed in the open position, although as mentioned above, the cockpit itself is nothing to write home about.

hasejagdecals.jpg

Decal options are provided for three aircraft:

  • Jaguar GR Mk.1 of No. 54 Squadron, RAF Coltishall;
  • Jaguar A of ECF4 11FAF, Bordeaux-Merignac, France; and
  • Jaguar International demonstrator

The decals look ok, but both the red and blue used for the RAF roundels and fin flashes are much too bright. Id strongly recommend digging out some alternatives from the spares box or purchasing some aftermarket replacements.

Conclusion

Hasegawas Jaguar is pretty much the best kit available 1:72 scale. Whilst it might lack some of the fine details and engineering finesse of a state of the art kit, it enjoys a good reputation as an accurate which is reasonably easy to build. With the exception of the decals, this is a sound kit which should prove to be a quick, fun build.

Review sample courtesy of logo.jpg UK distributors for logo.jpg

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