Procopius Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 When RAF Harriers carried their (apparently empty) gun pods during Operation Telic, were these externally identical to the ones carried by earlier Harriers? Could I, for instance, use the ADEN pods from an Airfix Sea Harrier on an Airfix GR7 to model ZD408 during Telic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobski Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 They were empty gun pods and no, they were not identical to the earlier pods so you cannot accurately use the gun pods from a Sea Harrier. Incidentally, ref your topic title, there were no Harrier GR9s in Op. Telic, only GR7s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted May 3, 2013 Author Share Posted May 3, 2013 Well darn. At least I learned something in the process! Anyone make any aftermarket empty pods for GR7s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundowner14 Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 I'm not sure on availability, but AMRAAM line did a GR.5/7 conversion set, which included the skis, sorry, gun pods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Lime Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Well darn. At least I learned something in the process! Anyone make any aftermarket empty pods for GR7s? I'm gonna take a punt that you're after them in The Gentleman's Scale? If so, that'll be a no. If you can source a cheap old mould Airfix Harrier GR7, you'll find them included. If you're really lucky, it might even come with some useable decals that you could use on a new tool Airfix kit and make a decent looking green schemed GR7.... Mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 As an aside, I can't say definitively, but I don't think the GR9s ever carried the gun pods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted May 3, 2013 Author Share Posted May 3, 2013 I'm gonna take a punt that you're after them in The Gentleman's Scale? Is there any other? No, don't answer that. I don't want even the hint of blasphemous other scales crossing my virgin ears. If you can source a cheap old mould Airfix Harrier GR7, you'll find them included. If you're really lucky, it might even come with some useable decals that you could use on a new tool Airfix kit and make a decent looking green schemed GR7.... Oho! Duly noted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Lime Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Is there any other? Absolutely not! Whilst my stash maybe large in numbers, they are all of the same numbers. And those numbers are glorious in their beauty, their majesty, their honesty and divinity. Behold the truth that is found in them, for they be 1/72. Close thine ears to the falsehoods of others, for they shall divert you from the one true path... Mark. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sten Ekedahl Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Absolutely not! Whilst my stash maybe large in numbers, they are all of the same numbers. And those numbers are glorious in their beauty, their majesty, their honesty and divinity. Behold the truth that is found in them, for they be 1/72. Close thine ears to the falsehoods of others, for they shall divert you from the one true path... Mark. Hear! Hear! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 1/48th Rules Sorry couldn't resist 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xffw45343tg Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 "apparently empty" The only alternative that I'm aware of is when they've been converted to camera pods on the development aircraft (i.e. for capturing weapons release rather that ground reconnaissance). I'm reasonably sure they were not used as baggage pods (there being a dedicated but not oft seen pod for this purpose). Interested if you know different. Kirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAA72 Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 (edited) I'm gonna take a punt that you're after them in The Gentleman's Scale? If so, that'll be a no. If you can source a cheap old mould Airfix Harrier GR7, you'll find them included. If you're really lucky, it might even come with some useable decals that you could use on a new tool Airfix kit and make a decent looking green schemed GR7.... Mark. The only problem Mark is that the pods in the original Airfix GR5/7 were TRULY woeful!! ....those in the Hasegawa/Revell GR7 though aren't too bad......... Edited May 4, 2013 by Bill Clark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Lime Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 The only problem Mark is that the pods in the original Airfix GR5/7 were TRULY woeful!! ....those in the Hasegawa/Revell GR7 though aren't too bad......... Bill, This I did not know, what are the major issues with them and are they easily fixed? I'm not a big fan of the Hasegawa Harriers since they require so much extra work to British-ise them and given their cost, it would seem a pretty expensive way to aquire some gun pods. Being a somewhat tight-fisted Aberdonian, anything that attracts cost is tantamount to blasphemy round these parts! Mark. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAA72 Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Bill, This I did not know, what are the major issues with them and are they easily fixed? I'm not a big fan of the Hasegawa Harriers since they require so much extra work to British-ise them and given their cost, it would seem a pretty expensive way to aquire some gun pods. Being a somewhat tight-fisted Aberdonian, anything that attracts cost is tantamount to blasphemy round these parts! Mark. Sorry Mark, just seen your post...... The Airfix pods are devoid of any detail but have a large bulge at the rear. I suspect that could be removed and the pod re-profiled...I Have a T10 in the stash somewhere, I'll dig it out and post some pic's along with the Hase/Revell pods.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 1/72 is child scale isn't it? Real men build in 1/48 (like Hercs and Tomcats and F-111 and Typhoons and Phantoms - then and only then do we worry about where to display them!).... REAL men; who eat MEAT and make stuff in metal (ok, the RAAF C-130J-30 in 1/48 maybe a little daft, but you only live once!)... Insane dudes, who must be rich, in order to afford the space to display the finished items, build in 1/32. Totally off topic, but I model in all 3, and sometimes 1/144 as well what does that make me? Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceB Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Anyway... Kind of back to the topic, but if the gun pods were empty why did the RAF carry those instead of the strakes? Genuinely curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xffw45343tg Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 I always understood it was an availability thing - i.e. there were not as many strake sets as there were aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceB Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Huh - OK. Seems odd, though. Every AV-8B we had was issued with both a set of gunpacks and a set of strakes. I could potentially see strakes being damaged over time and not replaced, but even going back to the GR.5 at least half of the pics I have seen show them lugging around empty gunpacks rather than strakes, when strakes were the better option for a LID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 But gunpacks look much cooler. That has to count for something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Huh - OK. Seems odd, though. Every AV-8B we had was issued with both a set of gunpacks and a set of strakes. I could potentially see strakes being damaged over time and not replaced, but even going back to the GR.5 at least half of the pics I have seen show them lugging around empty gunpacks rather than strakes, when strakes were the better option for a LID. Probably money, at the time of purchase the RAF saw the gun pods as being standard fit (as they were with the GR3) so every aircraft had gun pods. On the training squadron, strakes were common but not so much on the operational ones. So most strakes would lie around doing nothing. It was only latterly you started seeing aircraft with strakes, when they realised that you could use that position as a pylon for TIALD, Sniper or Terma 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IV(AC)Plumb Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) Not forgetting that USMC AV8B's had one gun and an ammo tank with a bridge between them with the ammo feed, whereas the RAF GR5/7/9's were supposed to have 2 x 25mm Aden Guns with he ammo tank in the rear of each pod. When strakes are fitted the LIDS fence has to have extra little "Ears" fitted to make the box to improve hover performance. The 25mm Aden never completed trials so was not fitted to operational aircraft. However you can fit six bottles of Ouzo and several bottles of Cyprus brandy in each empty ammo box (Allegedly ) Steve Edited February 23, 2016 by IV(AC)Plumb 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 And I think the Aden pods were larger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xffw45343tg Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 It seems kind of odd that the fairings were in production before the cannons' entry into service. From what I've read the problem was to do with the feed jamming as the gun got hot - is that right? If so, I can imagine that they might have wanted to do some adjustment of the aerodynamics if the project had continued. So why were all the pods completed? Also, how do you get bottles of ouzo in there Steve? Kirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceB Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 When strakes are fitted the LIDS fence has to have extra little "Ears" fitted to make the box to improve hover performance. Yup - and when strakes are not fitted those same ears are screwed into the outboard ends of the LIDS fence recess. They are always on the plane, regardless of whether strakes or guns are fitted. Ouzo - dear lord, how desperate were our RAF brethren for booze that they would smuggle Ouzo?!? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceB Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 And I think the Aden pods were larger Larger than the GAU-12 pod set? Possibly, looking at bits in kit boxes they seem a tad longer and bulkier than GAU-12 pods, partly because they do not taper up at the back end like the GAU-12 pods do. They are also quite a bit rounder in cross section, which is one reason why I thought strakes would be preferable for LIDS. That and they would be an awful lot lighter, which is a good thing with a jet like a Harrier. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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