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31 Sqn Goldstars GR.4 1/32


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This'll be my entry:
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Photo credit and © Carl Woodend via Flickr

A bang up to date, 31 Sq GR.4, post-Ellamy and Shader-ready! Probably ZA472, as it also has the code number 031. Don't know if it has the TARDIS upgrade, but it will for this build!
There's a lot of work to be done as I have the Flightpath detail set and flaps set, plus all the other complications of making a 1/32 Revell kit (seams, soft detail, dodgy structures etc)

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© raf.mod.uk
It'd help me if anyone could identify the store on the nearest pylon. Otherwise it'll be the standard Sky Shadow like the one in the background.

Cheers, Al

Edited by Alan P
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Cheers Stephen. I've had a good look round and there's no option in 1/32.

Anyway, all building on hold for now after I discovered a wasps' nest in my work shed. Little beggars.

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Will be watching this closely, it's a GR and I've got one in the stash with all the trimmings too!

Bee's = doer's of good, pollinating and all that.

Wasp's = just a*#%holes!!!

Eng

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  • 2 weeks later...

The wasps are gone now :yahoo: so I'm just finishing off a Phantom for the STGB next door and this will be full steam ahead! (Or Zone 5 afterburner, or combat reheat, or whatever!)

Edited by Brokenedge
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Finally started at last!!

Work begins in the office, where else?

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Some panels erased, ready for modification. The Talking Baggage gets a footrest rather than proper rudder pedals. I also added throttle levers (not very distinct in the kit) and wing swingy lever.

Starting on the sublime Flightpath PE:

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It's possibly too good for such humble projects as modelling!

The MFDs also folded together:

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Bit of a decision whether to use these - I'm doing a TARDIS equipped aircraft, so these are actually the wrong TV tabs, but they just look so good!

Bit more assembly in the cockpit:

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There is no actual bulkhead in the jet - but I think the kit needs it for structure and to rest the Napper's magic boxes on. I just cut away as much as I could. You will also notice that I am building this from the very rare Matchbox release, moulded in 3 colours! :winkgrin: No, as I haven't been earning for a long time now, everything's on the cheap - I have three cast-off 1/32 kits (2x IDSs and 1x ECR) which just about make one complete kit between them. So the frequent colour changes will add some amusement to the build.

Here's all the cockpit panel stuff ready for primer. Right in the middle is a TARDIS central display made from plastic card.

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Really enjoying this build already. It feels good!

Al

Edited by Brokenedge
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Al, I was wondering what you're plan is for the decals, are you making them yourself? I've just bought this kit and went to look for decals only to realise there's not much out there!

Murray

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Al, I was wondering what you're plan is for the decals, are you making them yourself? I've just bought this kit and went to look for decals only to realise there's not much out there!

Murray

Hi Muzz, I'm hoping to source the gold star flash on the fuselage from the Revell RAF kit, but the big star on the tail, serials and tail code will be home made.

It's always been one of my pet gripes that the main British fighter of the past 30 years is so meagrely served by decals in 1/32. I've learned to make my own and it's come in very useful over the years!

When I get to it, I'll post my method and materials, and hopefully it'll be useful to others.

As for the other additions... the Litening pod is coming from Academy's Sufa, the Paveways from Trumpeter's guided bombs set, and the Brimstones will be modified Hellfires from the Verlinden detail set for the Apache. Terma pod will be adapted from the many BOZ pods I have across my three partial kits!

I'm using Aires ejector seats to go with the Flightpath cockpit, and haven't made my mind up yet about the wheels. I reckon I've got enough to be getting on with for now!

Cheers, Al

Edited by Brokenedge
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It's the RAF boxing that I have and the fuselage flash is the older arrow flash in green and gold surrounding the roundel not the chequered bars. I've searched the web and noticed that xtradecal have released fairly modern decals in 1/32 including the special scheme for the 100 Anniversary of 2 Sqn but these all appear OOP now and Hannants don't even have them listed at all, not even as 'out of stock'.

I've printed my own decals before, serial numbers (nothing difficult) so I'll be interested to see you're method.

Murray

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Not much progress today - too hot!

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While the cockpit parts were drying....

...decided to beef up the central section with some sprues from the kit.

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This section has been part built by the previous owner, so I just used it to save time.

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Also added some tabs to help the integrity of this part of the kit.

I assembled the intakes, and while they're drying i attacked the wings in preparation for the flaps and slats set:

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Luckily the cuts went very well. I'm not adding the spoilers, which would rarely if ever be open when parked.

This bit is the only part I'm worried about. Spread throughout my three reject kits I have more or less two of everything, three of some things, and inexplicably, FOUR fuselages. Despite this, there are only three wings in total, so I really only had one go at getting the cuts right. So success at this is a big plus!

Al

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Lots of various little bits getting slowly built...

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The Revell intakes are a bit unfinished OOB - so I plugged a large gap on the inboard sides with a plasticard fascia.

Cockpit starting to take shape:

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Pleased with the way the TARDIS screen ended up.

Ejector seats also taking shape:

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Aires resin seats with the Flightpath new pattern NVG headbox sides attached. Unfortunately they are too wide for the resin seats, so i made a plasticard face for the headbox.

And finally I built up all the flying surfaces:

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That is one big fin! Although it's the best Tornado in plastic, the 1/32 kit suffers from being slightly "squashed" in the rear fuselage, with the consequence that the fin is slightly too wide in chord and angled more acutely. So the kit fin is actually bigger than the real thing.

Al

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Back again...

Cockpit almost fully painted:

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Just a few bits need black hatching, and a light wash.

Same goes for the instrument panels:

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The left tab is a bit wonky, but as it's PE it is very easily bent into the right attitude.

Here's what they look like fitted:

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While all that was going on, I finished off the rear fuselage:

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Wings fixed in position, and the tailerons fixed in the resting position.

Upper fuselage half needs bracing to eliminate the step it would leave otherwise - in true Revell 1/32 style, the rear end is a big empty void only attached at the edges.

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A bit more gluing later, and we have a mostly assembled Tornado:

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As i said earlier, very reminiscent of the Matchbox 3-colour moulds of the late 70s! There are actually four different coloured plastic mouldings in this build :hypnotised:

I seem to have got this far quite quickly, but it just reminds me how much work there still is to do....

Al

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16173392024_c7a71297c6_b.jpg
(Photo credit as above)
Question for them's wot no.... the twin blade antenna (UHF homer) on the spine and their brother under the radome seem to have been replaced with a couple of smooth lumps. Does anyone know what these are, and/or have a clear photo of them? Are these GPS domes, and if so why have one under the nose?

Hope someone can cast a light on this?

EDIT: Answer has been found HERE

Edited by Brokenedge
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Putty...sand...putty....sand...break off taileron....curse, stamp and cry....putty....sand....throw into box and stare longingly at other kits in the stash.....

 

I'd forgotten what a complete bag of cack this kit is. But i will triumph!

Al

Edited by Alan P
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Thanks Stuart. With all the sick leave I've had, I'm getting a lot better at modelling.

Big update - I've been doing a little bit each day this week, but the really poor quality of this kit is sapping my will!

Most of the puttying and sanding is done for the main structure. One very poor feature of this kit is that the underside of the front fuselage and the sides of the main fuselage parts are completely devoid of detail. They are just blank pieces of plastic. So all that detail must be scribed by the modeller.

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I used a scribing tool and different gauges of riveting tool to add everything.

On the starboard side there is an APU exhaust vent (I think). That needed adding, and all the surrounding detail was inscribed:

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Merv usually had lots to say about the absence of this vent on most kits!

After knocking off the tailerons (another silly moulding aspect of the kit - large control surfaces attached by very thin pivots. What were they thinking?) I made some more robust attachments using sprues.

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The wing "gloves" where they sweep back also needed some better representation:

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I used Milliput to make the folds, and blended it in with putty. They still need the Flightpath frames to really make them look good.

Speaking of Flightpath, here's the turbine and afterburner section as provided by the detail set:

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The rear end is quite well detailed out of the box, but most of the holes were closed up with flash and cheap moulding, so I opened them all up with a sharp knife and files:

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After adding some extra Flightpath and scratch detail, they are starting to look much better:

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More in a bit, been busy today!

Al

Edited by Brokenedge
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Started on the stores:

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This is the insert for the BOZ pod from the Flightpath set. This goes in the category of "nice detail, but invisible"!

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As you can see (or not, as the case may be), but I know it's there! Lots of tidying up to do on the back end before sending this to the paint shop.

I have decided to go with the Sky Shadow pod for the port outer, the struggle I've been having with the kit has persuaded me I can do without the struggle to scratchbuild a TERMA pod.

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The Revell one comes from the RAF GR.1 kit. Although it's a bit skinny, the shape is ok, and the fins are in the right place.

Last but by no means least was the nose gear leg - both the kit and the Flightpath set give the old GR.1 leg, so i needed to do some surgery to make the beefed up GR.4 one:

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The lower part of the leg needs to be thicker, and it only has one oleo and torque link. I made the leg from plastic tube and masking tape, repositioned the towbar attachments and made a new upper torque-link hinge from plastic rod. The other components are the metal parts from the Flightpath set, and very good they are too!

Next - airframe PE, and start on the PE flaps and engine nozzles. I'm both looking forward to and dreading it in equal parts!

Al

Edited by Brokenedge
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