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Revell 1/48th RAF Tornado GR1A.......


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Right well whilst there's a lull in the big Bucc build due to all the tedious scribing that needs to happen I'll crack on with another build that I've had planned for a while namely a 1/48th Tonka GR1.A ZA373 of 2 squadron (II AC) based at Laarbruch around 1990. I'll be using the new Revell IDS kit which seems to be an excellent starting place for a more accurate RAF Tonka.

I've accumulated a fair bit of AM stuff for the kit courtesy of review items and with the kind help of Shaun here managed to get together all of the detail stuff I'll need to convert the kit to the GR1.A variant. Personally I really like the look of the wraparound grey/green aircraft and in particular the attractive 2 squadron markings....
There will need to be some upgrades made to the basic IDS kit which include,

A visit to the excellent Tornado SIG site is well worth it as there is a lot of interesting info over there...

Other source of reference will be the excellent Verlinden Lock-On book which has a nice selection of photos of a 2 sqdn machine ....

Linescan pod, deleted canon ports, new under fuselage pylons with blisters, SLAR windows, GR1 cockpit layout, LRMTS fairing with glass nose, earlier Mk 10A seats, 1500 ltr tanks detail, luckily the BOZ and Stormshadow pods are included in the boxing as well as small details specifically used by the RAF machines such as ILS fins on tial fin and small aerial insert just below the fin top rear RWR fairing as fitted to earlier aircraft.

This will make a change for me as I can't recall the last 'high tech' model that I've built that doesn't require major butchery and a big hammer !!.......could and probably will get messy !! :wicked:

Won't bother with all the sprue shot and box art malarky as I'm sure a lot of you are aware of the kit by now...and just get on with what I have. Still waiting for the Aeries seats to arrive but they can be added later...

Firstly all the extra bits I have wouldn't fit in the Revell box and so got shoved in a bigger box !........lummy...hard life !


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Aires seats, the kit parts aren't too bad but these are better !..


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Eduards cockpit set...has the GR1 style panels with the large circular 'moving map' rather than square ECR type as in the kit, which is handy !

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Brassins new resin wheels, a lot nicer than the kit parts though the Goodyear logo should be removed...


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Master pitot and AoA 's and refuelling probe....


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Starting with the 'pit as ever, removed the kit detail ready for Eduards stuff.....parts willl be sprayed MSG and green floor added.


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Extra bits pinched from a spare Airfix boxing including basic Linescan pod and glass lens for LRMTS which fits the thoughtfully provided kit piece nicely, a few decals and a couple of Hindenburger tanks.....(it had to be good for something !!),

The lower items are Shauns resin wing seal replacements which really look the part when painted, (I believe he's doing replacement LTRMS and updated pylon parts too !)


The photo doesn't do the parts justice as they look really excellent once painted and washed...



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Going to use the new Xtradecal set and hopefully the stencil set that should be out soon too...

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Chosen airframe...

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Very colourful decal set...

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Spare 'Hindenburgers' if needed. though I have a spare 1500 ltr tank that I might well fit on the centre line...


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There are a lot of points bought up on other sites which I'll deal with and hopefully explain as we go on....

It won't be a quick one, (but then they hardly ever are, hate to think what this thread will decend into !!!), I'll have to squeeze it in between a few magazine builds but hopefully it'll be of interest to a few...

Cheers, :cheers:

Melchie...






Edited by general melchett
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I have to agree with Rob, General. I can't wait to see where you go with this one, but I do know I am going to learn a lot. Maybe I could even pick up a few pointers for it's big brother which I have under construction at the moment. Popcorn ready...

Tom.

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Thanks Tom, yep been following your build...looking good !, got to love the FP stuff, it's a bit of work but your getting a good handle on it ! I've never felt the urge to build a Tornado before now but having looked at a few photos of the early 2 squadron GR1A's plus all the positive reviews of this kit I just had to have a go.........and I can't be bothered to wait another year for Revell to release the RAF versions......

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Cheers Rob...yep I reckon it's the best Tornado in any scale and should be fun to knock about....

What's going on with the old barnet ?...shades of Ozzy circa '88....(getting ready for that big gig eh :winkgrin: !)

Haha. that's actually a photo from Nov last year when I got my hair done it will be done again soon and yes getting ready for the gig and everything else.

Cheers Rob :)

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Thanks Tom, yep been following your build...looking good !, got to love the FP stuff, it's a bit of work but your getting a good handle on it ! I've never felt the urge to build a Tornado before now but having looked at a few photos of the early 2 squadron GR1A's plus all the positive reviews of this kit I just had to have a go.........and I can't be bothered to wait another year for Revell to release the RAF versions......

Thanks General. Good to know you are following mine also. The FP accessories are outstanding, but your collection is equally impressive. I'm sure you will become hooked on building this kit. I have read a few impressive reviews so far, and I am looking forward to seeing your RAF recce bird take shape. I'm now off to wash resin dust from my hair. Been persuading an Aires cockpit to fit!.

Cheers,

Tom.

Edited by Tomjw
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Hi there,

Am looking forward to this project as am going to do something similar. Out of interest, who is Shaun, by the by? Does he run an aftermarket company? Am very interested in a repkacement LRMTS pod; why on earth revell didnt include the clear part when there is everything else in there for an RAF gr1/4 beats me....

Paul

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Thanks fellas,

Hugh....yes, brace yerself...it's going to get hairy !

Talking of which....thanks for the 'hairs up' Rob...(thought so ..!).

Tom, yep I think I might just ! it's a wonderfully cluttered looking aircraft with lots of lovely detail and weathering opportunities.....know what you mean about Aires stuff....not sure but I'll either totally scratchbuild the gear bays or like Shaun try and persude the Aires set for the Hobby Boss terror to fit.......it goes in quite well but I'm sure Aires will update it for this kit before too long ( after I've built it of course !!)

Paul, Shaun is a member here, ( just look up the member section) and over at the Tornado Special Interest Group. He's just doing his own parts for the Revell kit which can be purchased directly from him so just pm him and see what he's got on the go....

I agree about the clear piece for the LRMTS especially as you can see where it should be on the sprue ! But the I suppose if all the bits were there who would buy the RAF version when it comes out next year....

Been busy with the tub and I'll post pics when it's pretty well done...

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Thanks fellas,

Hugh....yes, brace yerself...it's going to get hairy !

Talking of which....thanks for the 'hairs up' Rob...(thought so ..!). ..

Haha your welcome haha, I'm probably one of the few blokes on here who you could trade tips on hair brushes with an stuff to make your hair messy.

Sadly I'm now going grey but that won't stop me playing the guitar, what will make me go grey is realising that though it may seem like 5 mins ago that I was running on the school playground as these shocked and ripped over was actually twenty plus years ago scares me.

Sadly no longer seen and in the wrap around scheme.

Now a Cessna is about all we get.

Cheers Rob :)

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Ohhhh Mein General...Looking forward to this...But I have to point out one thing...I was on Tonka's at Laarparts until May 90 and I never loaded Hindenburghs, I think they weren't used until we went to the Gulf, Aug 90...Is this jet pre or post GW1?

But, still looking forward to this as I have the Airfix 1/42 in my stash...MMMMmmmmmmmm

:popcorn::pilot:

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. Out of interest, who is Shaun, by the by? Does he run an aftermarket company? Am very interested in a repkacement LRMTS pod

Paul

Hi Paul,

No aftermarket company I just run off a few castings for fellow modellers who share the same passion as myself for the subjects I like. A full time job, wife and a 2 year old son limit my production. ;)

Shaun.

Ohhhh Mein General...Looking forward to this...But I have to point out one thing...I was on Tonka's at Laarparts until May 90 and I never loaded Hindenburghs, I think they weren't used until we went to the Gulf, Aug 90...Is this jet pre or post GW1?

But, still looking forward to this as I have the Airfix 1/42 in my stash...MMMMmmmmmmmm

:popcorn::pilot:

The 3x 1500l tank fit was common for the Germany based Tornadoes when running long range sorties. They also did not carry A2A refueling probes as RAF germany did not have tankers allocated. The probes were occasionally fitted but not that common.

The large tanks were borrowed from the F-3 force for GW1

Shaun

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Right well whilst there's a lull in the big Bucc build due to all the tedious scribing that needs to happen I'll crack on with another build that I've had planned for a while namely a 1/48th Tonka GR1.A ZA373 of 2 squadron (II AC) based at Laarbruch around 1990. I'll be using the new Revell IDS kit which seems to be an excellent starting place for a more accurate RAF Tonka. I

I've accumulated a fair bit of AM stuff for the kit courtesy of review items and with the kind help of Shaun here managed to get together all of the detail stuff I'll need to convert the kit to the GR1.A variant. Personally I really like the look of the wraparound grey/green aircraft and in particular the attractive 2 squadron markings....

There will need to be some upgrades made to the basic IDS kit which include,

A visit to the excellent Tornado SIG site is well worth it as there is a lot of interesting info over there...

Other source of reference will be the excellent Verlinden Lock-On book which has a nice selection of photos of a 2 sqdn machine ....

Linescan pod, deleted canon ports, new under fuselage pylons with blisters, SLAR windows, GR1 cockpit layout, LRMTS fairing with glass nose, earlier Mk 10A seats, 1500 ltr tanks detail, luckily the BOZ and Stormshadow pods are included in the boxing as well as small details specifically used by the RAF machines such as ILS fins on tial fin and small aerial insert just below the fin top rear RWR fairing as fitted to earlier aircraft.

Cheers, :cheers:

Melchie...

Good to see your making a start, will be watching and hopefully helping along the way

Shaun.

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Yep the 3 tank was a usual loadout if we were clearing off on det with our own Jets...Sticking the 3rd on the shoulder pylon was a nightmare if you were inboard and a centre pylon was bloody fitted!!! :( I was questioning putting a HIndenburgh on pre Gulf War as they were never ever fitted, to my knowledge, before that time to GR1's or 1a's...

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3 tank fit aka ferry fit was also the usual fit on exercise when we went strike with a special shape fitted. Was usually on the rh shoulder pylon. Was a proper pain in the early days when the tanks still had 4 fins, the top outboard fin had to be removed to get the sps door open to check the gearbox oils!! It was said that the fin could only be fitted one way--- they were wrong on that score!

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Thanks chaps, Rob........'a Cessna is about all we get'.....well that's it, you're looking at the future mate, mind you rumour has that they got 2 of 'em !!

Zone, thanks fella, I have to admit to being a bit of a novice on the slopes when it comes to the old Tonka, so I'll be relying on good information here from chaps like yourself, Shaun and several others. As for the Hindenburgers, I didn't think the early GR1A's used them but I bunged them in the box just in case I changed my mind about which version I would build at any point. I'll be sticking to the three tank fit.

Thanks Shaun, I'm sure I'll be calling on your knowledge at some point. I've read your excellent build thread on the other site and noted what to expect with the kit.Also thanks for reminding me that the RAFG aircraft didn't usually have A2A gear fitted, (should have remembered that with the Buccs !)...

wasacop, thanks for the info....this is where good reference material comes in handy...

Can anyone confirm that the cockpit flooring material was a shade of medium/dark green on the earlier GR1 and GR1A's please. (And would artificial turf do ?).....

Edited by general melchett
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General, from what I remember the cockpit floors were covered in a thick black rubber matting which was smooth not non slip. Seemed to be more of a protective measure than anything else. like I say it was black not green. HTH

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Thanks wasa, seems to be a bit of conflicting info here, whilst looking around I see that spike7451 states over on Tomjw's thread that the GR1's floor material was green and that the GR4's are black !.........what is a girl to do ?

Looking through reference photos it also seems that quite a few of 2 squadrons GR1A's were fitted with refuelling probes at that time too though I'm guessing that most of these were fitted after the squadrons return to the UK.

Edited by general melchett
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Thanks wasa, seems to be a bit of conflicting info here, whilst looking around I see that spike7451 states over on Tomjw's thread that the GR1's floor material was green and that the GR4's are black !.........what is a girl to do ?

Looking through reference photos it also seems that quite a few of 2 squadrons GR1A's were fitted with refuelling probes at that time too.......

I've read that on more than one occasion and from more than one source, so I have got hold of some olive green which seems to look about the right shade. Probably.

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General, all the GR1's I worked on had black matting fitted (was on 617,XV and 27 Sqns plus visiting jets!). Generally the RAFG jets were not fitted with probes as they didn't need them to get to the targets they would have gone for had it all gone belly up in Europe. However they were fitted for crossing the atlantic to the states and Canada. There was at one point what was known as the North American fleet whereby jets were selected from various squadrons and flown across to Goose Bay for several months to encompass the detachments to Goose and also Nellis and Cold Lake, These jets were fitted with refuelling probes and flown across by UK based crews who were current in AAR as the RAFG crews were not usually current (this all changed obviously in the run up to, during and since the Gulf War). It was always nice when the probe was fitted as you had somewhere to stand when cleaning the righthand side of the canopy!!

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Thanks chaps, all great info...nothing like it coming from the lions mouth as it were ! A good mate of mine was on F3's at Coningsby for quite a while and he told me the same that as far as he could recall the matting on the earlier visiting jets was black, but I wasn't sure if I could trust his drug crazed memory ! Funny thing is, once the seats are in and everything's done no one will notice what colour the floor is.....'cept me !

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Mats on the floor? Mats on the floor! See what happens when you put as second seat in. Slippery slope. First of all you get arm restraints as well as leg restraints to protect dainty little limbs. What's next - maybe chintz pattern seat cushions? Perhaps a little kettle for a cup of tea half way thro'? :)

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