1 72 Airfix BAe Harrier GR9A - Completed! (pg.20)

[Pappy]

G'day Giemme,

 

I have just read through this thread.

 

Thank you for such a detailed documentation of your build, I and many others will find this immensely useful when the time comes to build a GR.9. One thing I did notice, you added the document holder to the right side of the instrument coaming (which was great), but you did not add the device that lives on the left side of the coaming. It is quite prominent and visible through the canopy. This link connects to the walkaround pics you provided in your thread (second last row, middle picture),

 

http://p1127.co.uk/Harrier/HarrierCockpits/index.html

 

I think it is part of the aircraft armament system (Master Arm selector perhaps?) It has green section visible when 'safe' and a red section visible when 'armed'. Was this deliberate act due to clearance issues between the instrument coaming and the windshield?

 

Keep going, your kit looks awesome so far,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Edited December 14, 2016 by Pappy

[giemme]

4 hours ago, Harley John said:

What that man there said! Excellent work.

Thanks John, you're very kind  

 

 

26 minutes ago, Pappy said:

G'day Giemme,

 

I have just read through this thread.

 

Thank you for such a detailed documentation of your build, I and many others will find this immensely useful when the time comes to build a GR.9. One thing I did notice, you added the document holder to the right side of the instrument coaming (which was great), but you did not add the device that lives on the left side of the coaming. It is quite prominent and visible through the canopy. This link connects to the walkaround pics you provided in your thread (second last row, middle picture),

 

http://p1127.co.uk/Harrier/HarrierCockpits/index.html

 

I think it is part of the aircraft armament system (Master Arm selector perhaps?) It has green section visible when 'safe' and a red section visible when 'armed'. Was this deliberate act due to clearance issues between the instrument coaming and the windshield?

 

Keep going, your kit looks awesome so far,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Pappy, thank you very much for your comment  The website you linked is my main reference for this build, and it has lots of pics of the specific aircraft I'm building. As for the device you mentioned, the problem is exactly due to clearing issues with the windshield: the transparents provided with the kit are definitely a drawback, way too thick among other things (a vacform replacement would have been great). Moreover, the resin IP coaming is shaped in a way that makes any modifications in that area rather difficult. I thought I mentioned this in one of my first posts, but I'm not too sure.

 

Thanks again

Ciao

[xffw45343tg]

1 hour ago, Pappy said:

I think it is part of the aircraft armament system (Master Arm selector perhaps?) It has green section visible when 'safe' and a red section visible when 'armed'. Was this deliberate act due to clearance issues between the instrument coaming and the windshield?

 

Master Armament Safety Switch (MASS).

Big green band visible to ground crew when "SAFE", red when "ARMED". Originally the standby compass was intended to fit underneath but it wasn't easy enough to read apparently hence the taped up mess of wiring connectors you usually spot below the MASS. Standby compass was relocated to the screen bow.

 

We do miss Spike now and then, don't we?

 

Kirk

 

[giemme]

Kirk, thanks for the info and your great contribution to this thread  

Who's Spike, anyway?

 

Ciao

[giemme]

Hi everybody, it's a Thursday update this time  

 

Painting has officially started  Tamiya Flat Black for the canopy:

 

 

And with the same color, I did some pre-shading on the main airframe:

 

 

Then I airbrushed the lighter of the grey tones:

 

 

 

As you can see, I didn't cover the whole surface, but roughly just the areas that will end up being colored with this tone. Plus, the pre-shading effect is a bit more visible on the top surface rather than the bottom one, as I think it should be.

Before masking and spraying the other two grey tones, the plan is to do a bit of post shading on the current one, using a lighter mix (again, especially on the upper side).

 

Comments welcome, as ever.

 

Ciao

[Spookytooth]

The heater is working then Giemme.

It`s always nice once you/we start the painting process.

It starts bringing her to life so to speak.

 

Simon.

[PlaStix]

Great to see some painting underway!! Looking good so far. 

Kind regards,

Stix

[giemme]

24 minutes ago, Spookytooth said:

The heater is working then Giemme.

It`s always nice once you/we start the painting process.

It starts bringing her to life so to speak.

 

Simon.

Yes, the heater is working properly (the first kind, the infrared one, not the alcoholic one  )

Thanks Simon   

 

5 minutes ago, PlaStix said:

Great to see some painting underway!! Looking good so far. 

Kind regards,

Stix

Cheers Stix, thanks  As Simon said above, painting is bringing her to life - but masking for the three tones is probably going to drive me nuts  

 

Ciao

[xffw45343tg]

15 hours ago, giemme said:

Kirk, thanks for the info and your great contribution to this thread  

Who's Spike, anyway?

 

Ciao

 

Spike was an ex-RAF armourer (also known as "plumber") who used to frequent Britmodeller and chip in on threads like this with an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things that go 'bang!'. Sadly Spike died not so long ago - from cancer I think. If he were still with us, he would no doubt have posted a picture of the MASS from inside & outside the cockpit and added to my limited civilian understanding.

 

Kirk

[giemme]

9 minutes ago, Kirk said:

 

Spike was an ex-RAF armourer (also known as "plumber") who used to frequent Britmodeller and chip in on threads like this with an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things that go 'bang!'. Sadly Spike died not so long ago - from cancer I think. If he were still with us, he would no doubt have posted a picture of the MASS from inside & outside the cockpit and added to my limited civilian understanding.

 

Kirk

Thanks Kirk. A sadly missed guy, I understand. 

 

Ciao

[giemme]

Late Monday update, everybody.

 

Most of my modelling time during the WE went into masking  Masking for the SEA camo on my F-4C build was a lot less complicated than this patchy Harrier

Anyway:

 

 

I did spray the Dark Camouflage Grey (Tamiya XF53 Neutral Grey) on the various bits ...

 

... and on the main airframe

 

 

I might do a bit of post-shading, but not that much, since this color is mostly on the bottom, and the sides have already got some panel variations to be done with the lighter grey tone.

I masked and sprayed some of the pylons, too:

 

 

But some other are just too small to mask for that darker strip, so I brush painted them (and brush painting Tamiya paints is a royal pain  )

 

They need some touch ups, although this is not that obvious "in real life". I forgot to mention that prior to masking, I airbrushed a light protective Future coat on. I'll do the same before masking for the Dark Ocean Grey tone.

Slowly getting there; thanks for watching, comments welcome.

 

Ciao

 

[PlaStix]

That is definitely a lot of masking - the results look excellent though! Good luck with the rest!

Kind regards,

Stix

[Spookytooth]

You are right about brush painting Tamiya, a pita if ever there was one.

Still a lot of masking done there, and it`s looking great.

 

Simon.

[Cookenbacher]

All that masking is already paying off Giemme! It's going to look so cool when all the greys are on.

[Leonl]

All caught up after a few days away from BM. This is looking really good...

[rob85]

She is really coming alive with some paint on giemme, very smooth work as ever! Looking forward to the masking coming off!

 

Rob

[keefr22]

Coming along very nicely G, soon be finished!

 

Keith

[NontasB]

Masking process!! The most annoying thing to do in modelling!!

Keep it up Giorgio, in the end it will be a masterpiece!!

 

Regards,

 

Nontas

[giemme]

16 hours ago, PlaStix said:

That is definitely a lot of masking - the results look excellent though! Good luck with the rest!

Kind regards,

Stix

Cheers Stix, thanks. Last night I sprayed some more Future on, now I' m ready for the last masking session  

 

15 hours ago, Spookytooth said:

You are right about brush painting Tamiya, a pita if ever there was one.

Still a lot of masking done there, and it`s looking great.

 

Simon.

Thanks mate  I tried thinning it with IPA and Tamiya Paint Retarder, and it was barely manageable - still, the paint would dry on the brush quite quickly 

 

14 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

All that masking is already paying off Giemme! It's going to look so cool when all the greys are on.

Cheers Cookie, let's hope so    

 

13 hours ago, Leonl said:

All caught up after a few days away from BM. This is looking really good...

Thanks Leon  

 

13 hours ago, rob85 said:

She is really coming alive with some paint on giemme, very smooth work as ever! Looking forward to the masking coming off!

 

Rob

Cheers Rob, me too I hope it doesn't turn out too messy

 

9 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Coming along very nicely G, soon be finished!

 

Keith

Thanks Keith, but there's still lots to do, I'm afraid  Many little plastic parts still on their sprues, plus decals, plus weathering ...  

 

7 minutes ago, NontasB said:

Masking process!! The most annoying thing to do in modelling!!

Keep it up Giorgio, in the end it will be a masterpiece!!

 

Regards,

 

Nontas

Thanks Nontas, but I have to disagree: the most annoying thing in modelling - to me, at least  - is decals (or transfers, call them what you like, it remains a Royal PITA   )

 

Ciao

[giemme]

Hi everybody, painting job going on.

More masking and ready for Dark Sea Grey:

 

And here she is, after unmasking:

 

No Future coat yet to seal in the Dark Sea Grey, but it turned out the way I hoped for, with not too much contrast with the Dark Camouflage Grey, just like the real thing (according to angle of view and light, of course)

 

 

 

The back part of the fuselage shows the "soft" transition between Dark Sea Grey (top) and Dark Camouflage Grey (bottom)

Same here, above the intakes:

 

Bottom

 

Unmasking revealed a few issues: paint and primer lift

 

One of the sensors came off with the sponge I used for masking:

 

the other one is good:

 

Stabilators:

Again paint and primer lift  

 

Here she is, after another Future coat:

 

Now I need to mask off for the re-spray of the paint lifts and for the odd lighter panels. But that's gonna happen next week. 

For the moment, Merry Christmas, everybody!  

 

Ciao

[Cookenbacher]

That turned out fantastic Giorgio - Merry Christmas!

[Spookytooth]

Great work Giemme, shame about the paint lift, but nothing that a man of your skills should not manage.

And a happy Christmas to you to .

 

Simon.

[Filipe Fonseca]

Hi Guys

 

Its looking great Giemme!

The grays are spot on! Congrats

 

Best regards

Filipe

[giemme]

56 minutes ago, Cookenbacher said:

That turned out fantastic Giorgio - Merry Christmas!

Cheers Cookie, glad you like it!  Have a great Christmas time

 

 

35 minutes ago, Spookytooth said:

Great work Giemme, shame about the paint lift, but nothing that a man of your skills should not manage.

And a happy Christmas to you to .

 

Simon.

Thanks Simon  paint lift is just annoying, but I already have to mask for the lighter panels, so it's less of a pain to re-spray  

 

 

13 minutes ago, Filipe Fonseca said:

Hi Guys

 

Its looking great Giemme!

The grays are spot on! Congrats

 

Best regards

Filipe

Thanks for your appreciation, Filipe!  

 

Ciao

[Leonl]

Shame about the paint lifting on what is otherwise an exceptional paint scheme. 

 

Happy Christmas...