Best 1/72 Tornado GR1 & fuel tank query

[thepureness]

Hi peeps, I've caught a 1/72 bug, after building several 1/32 and 1/48 kits, I recently started building some smaller kits to improve my techniques, after a couple of WWII subjects and a EE Lightning approaching the finish line, I'm not thinking I would like to build a Tornado GR.1 in gulf war service and maybe a 2nd one in standard wrap around camo.

First question I have, who makes the best kit, I've removed the airfix kit from the list, as I know that is old, I know I can get the revell GR.1 for less than £13 but the Hasegawa ones are going for £30+, I'm not sure about Italeri

Next question, I seem some GR.1 aircraft with 3 different colour of fuel tanks, either light gray, Sand or the wrap around camo, I've not seen any sand tanks on a wrap around but I have seen the gray ones.

Is it a case of what tank was free was equipped to the aircraft?

[Jabba]

The best kit is the Revell one. I will have a look at my Tornado books when I get home for the fuel tanks.

[Jabba]

I have had a look through the Tornado and Gulf type books that I have. I can find pictures of camo tanks on grey aircraft (including an arctic coloured one), Grey tanks (both ADV coloured and GR coloured grey) on camo aircraft and visa versa. I cannot however find a picture of a sand tank on anything else but a sand coloured aircraft. I was however looking though some notes that I scribbled down whilst walking through the Tornados that were based at Ali Al Salem during Op Telic. I worked on Chinooks there. On this piece of paper I have noted that ZG726 (K Kylie) and ZD714 (AJW Johnny Walker) both had a pink tank fitted to them. I have looked through the photos that I took at the time but these fuel tanks do not show up. Hope that this is of some help.

[Muzz]

The camo coloured aircraft carried desert pink tanks, Boz pods and Skyshadow pods.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/71092681@N07/7388557524

http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/601113/tornado-gr1a-zd996-i-2-sqn-raf/?search_hash=f402e2b079db70d6cf6bbce4873e83d2&search_offset=0&search_limit=100&search_sort_by=relevance_desc

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,19295.0.html

Muzz

[Richard E]

Sand coloured tanks and stores were only carried by camouflaged aircraft on peacetime operations from UK and German bases after the end of the Gulf conflict, I stand to be corrected but all the the Tornados deployed to the Gulf wore an overall sand/desert pink camouflage scheme.

[Jabba]

Sand coloured tanks and stores were only carried by camouflaged aircraft on peacetime operations from UK and German bases after the end of the Gulf conflict, I stand to be corrected but all the the Tornados deployed to the Gulf wore an overall sand/desert pink camouflage scheme.

Initially the Tornados used smaller fuel tanks which were painted sand, but when the actual conflict started (or sometime before) they borrowed the bigger fuel tanks from the fighter Sqns and these still painted in the grey colour. The coresponding result was that the fighter Sqns ended up using the smalleer tanks that were painted sand/pink. Some time later the bigger tanks were also painted sand/pink.

[Darth Vader]

Hindenburgers after the airship, or big jugs.

[mirageiv]

The best kit is the Revell GR.1 overall, however the nose is pretty off! Best nose on any kit is ironically the Airfix GR1 OOB which can be grafted to the front of the Revell kit. There are a few nose corrections around but the best ones are OOP I believe and hard to find. SBS? I think is the name does a nose correction but imho looks nearly identical to the kit piece and does not correct anything noticeable. Revell kit though is by far the best overall OOB 1/72 Tornado. Would not bother with the Italeri kit as in every way it is inferior to the Revell kit. The Hasegawa kit is probs the worst of the bunch, too many errors to answer in a quick reply but way overpriced for a much less accurate kit compared to Revell.

David.

[Lancbuilder219]

The big tanks were initially for ferry or long range flight and are of steel construction. These tanks can withstand supersonic flight whereas the smaller tanks aren't rated for the speed.

They are usually pale grey in color.

Smaller tanks are fibreglass and phenolic asbestos. Physically a Tonka can carry up to four if the fuselage pylons are clear.

The latter were usually dark grey with a black flexane nosecap.

[xvtonker]

I would like to try and clarify the question regarding the sand and grey underwing tanks on Gulf war Tornado's.

The 12 aircraft based at Muharraq deployed with the standard underwing tanks painted in the same sand coloured paint as the aircraft.

Prior to the start of air operations Tornado F.2 2250 ltr 'Hindenburger' underwing tanks were delivered in their original air defence grey colour.

As there was no supply of the original Alkaline based paint available, a locally available source of paint was used, this being Leyland Blush eggshell emulsion which applied with paint brushes.

Below is a copy of the letter that I sent to Ian Huntley, and to which he referenced in his column in Scale Aircraft Modelling.

[service No deleted] Sgt Cotterill JS Sergeants Mess

Royal Air Force

Laarbruch

BFPO 43

12 November 1991

Dear Mr Huntley,

firstly let me introduce myself, my name is John Cotterill and I am a SNCO aircraft electrician currently serving on, the soon to he disbanded, XV Squadron Tornado's here at RAF Laarbruch.

I read, with great interest, your article on Middle East colours in the June edition of SAM and, after being based at Muharraq months, including the full period of the conflict, I would like to try and throw some light on the various schemes used on the aircraft based at Muharraq.

As you rightly say the initial scheme on the Tornado GR.1's was, and basically still is, an alkaline based paint closely resembling FS30279. Needless to say, in the run up to the conflict the finish tended to become very weathered and also had a tendency to flake off, especially around the base of the fin area. The weathering caused the paint to appear to darken in hue.

Accordingly, the overall desert finish had to be maintained and we subsequently applied "Leyland" eggshell emulsion (colour Blush) to the offending areas, which gave the appearance of a lighter shade of sand thus giving a false impression of a two tone camouflage scheme, in addition the original squadron tail codes were partially painted out to introduce an alphabetical tail code sequence for ease of identification for the groundcrew and especially the aircrew.

As the war progressed wear and tear on the aircraft finish again became a problem, by which time supplies of FS30279 were readily available and, after touching up some aircraft appeared to have adopted a three tone scheme.

The introduction of 2250 litre "Hindenburg" underwing fuel tanks caused further problems as they were issued to us in their original air defence grey finish. All the tanks were subsequently hand painted in the Leyland Blush emulsion before being fitted to the aircraft.

I have enclosed a sample of the emulsion that was used on a wide range of items of equipment including aircraft, vehicles and ground equipment, in addition I have also enclosed a sample of the original alkaline paint used during the initial preparation of the Tornado's for deployment to the Gulf.

In your article you mentioned that the Victor K.2's of 55 squadron were also- finished in the desert scheme, in actual fact they retained their Hemp and light aircraft grey finish, which stood up exceptionally well to the harsh weather conditions experienced.

I hope that some of this information will help you in some way to making a thorough listing of the various schemes used during Operation Granby.

I still have a painted sample of the Leyland Blush emulsion. As soon as I locate it I will provide a colour scan.

XVTonker

[tempestfan]

While probably more of academic interest, the Monogram kit wasn't bad at all, I think, and I'd rate it best of the early kits. Not quite sure how the Esci measures up, but as I remember it, it was superior to the Italeri. But then those three and the retooled Airfix were released very early in the life of the aircraft.