Borneo Escort - 60 Squadron Javelin FAW.9R

[Antti_K]

I have been a big Javelin fan for over 30 years. I guess you can easily imagine my enthusiasm when Airfix announced their new 1/48 scale kit a couple of years ago. Actually this will be my second "big" Javelin and fourth to my collection. This kit is one of the best Airfix has ever released. It's very accurate in detail.

This project actually started some 20 years ago when my friend visited Hendon and brought me this. It's a post card originally painted by Dugald Cameron. It has been hanging on my wall ever since. The "Tiger Stripes" of 60 Squadron looks very good along with the black wing tanks with lightning flashes painted on them. So good that I built the Airfix 1/72 scale FAW.9 without further references. But did this paint scheme really exist? We have all heard about "artistic freedom"...

Thanks for the Internet I have been able to collect a reference library about the Javelin. Couple of years ago I found a small photo on Key Publishing's aviation forum that showed eight Javelins on the ramp at RAF Tengah. Some aircraft carried these specially decorated wing tanks. Unfortunately the photo is so small that no details can be verified. I then contacted the gentleman who shared his photo but no better quality prints existed. I also contacted 60 Squadron and their archives have three more photos on the subject. It became clear that Dugald Cameron was right all the way when he stated that 60 Squadron Javelins carried these black tanks at 1967 and after.

Finally this year a new book about Javelin was published by Michael Napier. There is one photo in the book where the Javelins are taxying at Tengah after a fly past. Now I had all the "evidence" I needed and it was time to choose a particular aircraft. So this build will be XH766 "E" of No. 60 Squadron some time between June 1967 and May 1968. I chose XH766 simply because I have enough good quality photos of her from every angle.

This will be very much "straight forward" build as the kit is excellent. I will show you also some extra detailing that is missing from the kit. So wellcome aboard everyone

I started the work with the front fuselage. There are two round holes on the nose gear well walls. Photos show that they were covered with round panels which I cut from thin styrene sheet and drilled holes around the edges (0,3 mm) to replicate the screws.

Note also the two small "bumps" on the panel just forward of nose gear bay. These are the base plates for "Violet Picture" azimuth aerials and missing from the kit. I also used my Tamiya Pin Wise to drill holes around the AI bay hatch edges.

The radome was filled with 9 mm pistol bullets. They are good for modelling purposes because you know their weight exactly. Mine are 10,4 grams each. Instruction booklet suggests that 25 grams is enough but I loaded the nose with some 40 grams; surely 25 wasn't enough.

Eduard provides a PE set for Airfix Javelin. I used only the pilot's instrument panel. As you can see this is the last cockpit version (the extra ILS on the left corner). This goes well with kit's cockpit which has five large knobs for cockpit lightning under the starboard side wind screen panel.

I decided to sand the instrument panel to bare metal and paint it with RLM 66 (a mixture of Humbrol 33 and 34) but leave the actual instruments as they are. An interesting detail is the yellow pipes running between the pedals. Something that is visible on preserved aircraft.

Javelin's cockpit is a pretty black affair. Most of the knobs are either dark brown or satin black. So be careful with red and yellow... The cockpit was illuminated by UV lamps and all markings were painted with fluorescent paint. Because this is a FEAF Javelin I also removed the "Gee" indicator from the rear cockpit and replaced it with scratch build ADF set.

Here are the starter "bullets". The compressor blades are pretty crude but they are only visible with a torch so I didn't replace them. However I added the starter's exhaust pipes from plastic rod. When viewed from front the starboard side pipe should point at "four o'clock" and port side at "eight o'clock". Or other words: they should point slightly down and towards the service bay below the rear cockpit.

Thank You for reading so far and see You next time

Antti

[Blogs On]

First a 20 Sqn Hunter W.I.P. and now. 60 Sqn Javelin W.I.P.

I'm a happy boy!

Lovely informative start. I'll be following closely if that's ok.

[Antti_K]

Hello Blogs On,

I noticed that Hunter build also. Who would build a Hastings or a Belvedere helicopter of 66 Squadron

You are very welcome to follow.

BR,

Antti

[Duncan B]

One of my favourites too, I've a similar collection of books too.

A RAF Apprentice classmate of mine's Father was a Pilot on 60 Sqn in Singapore and banged out of a Javelin while there, later he famously banged out of Lightning F1A XM174 when it parked itself into Balmullo quarry just outside RAF Leuchars. IIRC he continued flying and flew Shacks until he retired.

Duncan B

[Blitz23]

Interesting thread, looking forward to seeing your progress.

[Howlindawg]

Signing in to watch.

[Antti_K]

Hello all,

today I am going to show you more cockpit related stuff; namely the Martin Baker Mk 3J "bang seats".

The kit seats are pretty basic but they provide a good starting point for detailing. I bought the Eduard PE set for the cockpit which includes also the seat harnesses. I also considered buying resin seats but they didn't convince me at all. Let's have a look on the real thing. These pictures are from Javelin FAW.9 "Pilot's Notes".

As you can see the seat is a pretty complex affair. I recommend that you read the "Strap in procedure" from Pilot's notes. Together with the photos it gives you an idea how everything works. I decided to build a "working principle model" from paper strips just to confirm I got it all correctly. For example there are two crotch belts on both sides (four per seat). When you are strapping in you must check that one goes between your legs and then pull it through a "D- ring" on the "outer" crotch belt. After that you need to pull the inner shoulder strap through a loop which is an integral part of the inner crotch belt. Finally you are ready to fasten one buckle into the central lock. Phew... confusing. And this was a very critical step because it formed the most important connection between the occupant and his parachute. To be exact: only half of the job is done as the other leg is still "free". During Cold War Javelin was criticized because the strap in took so long; several minutes at least. Far too long for QRA duty.

But back to the kit! Once you find out how the seat harness works you'll realize that Eduard offering falls short. Of course I have seen beautiful models built using these extra PE parts but I decided to go a little further...

At first I opened the recess in the middle of the parachute pack. The outer and inner shoulder straps go through this opening. In reality the head rest is a separate piece; not an integral part of the parachute pack so this was corrected using a knife and a small sanding stick. At this point I also added the missing drogue gun from 0,6 mm plastic rod and thin wire to seat frames.

I decided to make the harness myself from scratch. Using photos of the real thing, a pocket calculator, a ruler and a set of water resistant crayons I drew these.

Here are all the required seat belts for one seat. Only thing left is to scale them down to the correct size using a simple photocopier, cut them out and attach to the seat using CA.

I painted the seat frames with Humbrol enamel 33 and the parachute packs with Hu 118. The seat cushion got Hu 85. The primary firing handles were striped using Hu 29 and RLM 66. The important thing is: don't use bright yellow! I also made the drogue chute cover flaps from Tamiya tape and drogue extraction and drogue lines from thin wire and tape.

The seats are almost complete and look like this.

BR,

Antti

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Wow! Looking fab

[Antti_K]

Thank You all

It seems that quite many here like my Javelin project. That makes me happy. I hope that I am not boring you with too detailed explanations.

BR,

Antti

[Martian]

Great start, the seat harnesses look really good!

Martin

[DAG058]

I'm watching this one!

[Blogs On]

That is very convincing harnessing, and a technique that I will copy. Thank you.:-)

[Antti_K]

Thank you Martin, DAG058 and Blogs On

I used an inkjet (HP Office Jet Pro 8600) and normal copypaper for copying the harness. Ink doesn't like water so before cutting the belts out I covered both sides with Scotch Magic tape. It gives a nice matte finish and protects the belts. It also helps when you attach them with CA.

I would also cover anything printed with a laser printer; at least paper reacts with water.

This is a good technique indeed; you get exactly what you need. Of course it takes time and patience but that's modelling, right?

BR,

Antti

[hopkp]

Thank You all

It seems that quite many here like my Javelin project. That makes me happy. I hope that I am not boring you with too detailed explanations.

BR,

Antti

Watching this with great interest, not remotely boring. Seats look excellent, tempted to try that technique myself, thanks for explaining it!

[Rob G]

Following. I have 2 big Airfix Javelins in the stash, one day I'll get to them. Great job on that harness, wish I had that much artistic ability. Guess I'll have to stick with Eduard's version.

[BigMouthStrikesAgain]

Top work, love the bang seat

[Antti_K]

Thank You gentlemen

I was just thinking that I can scan my harness drawings and upload them here, right? Then everyone can save the pictures, scale them down and print...

Let me see how it works. I will use this technique again for this project but for a totally different detail. But more of that later.

My production line is working at full steam. Here comes the fuselage.

One of the most boring tasks is the intake pipe and jet pipe constructing. They are long and you have to sand down the inside seams. I found a perfect way from Youtube how to overcome this problem. Thank You very much "Mademodeller"

Here you can see it yourself: watch at 14:50 and onward:

After the filler had dried it took less than 30 minutes to finish all four pipes! And the result is beautiful.

Fore!!

I deviated from the instructions:

It was also a lot easier to detail the re-heaters separately. I decided to paint them with the excellent Testors enamel Stainless Steel. The paint is extremely thin and it is recommended for air brush work only. However it can be easily painted with a brush. Some points to remember: the surface must be polished to a very smooth finish and you must use a very soft brush. I use Leonard's "Petit Gris Pur" exclusively for work like this.

Here you can see the extra detailing I made using close-up photographs as a guide. The wooden rod was actually used for sanding the inner seams.

The rear fuselage needs some extra detail as well. One important thing missing from the kit is the "Integral Boarding Ladder" just behind the port wing trailing edge.

It is easy to make openings for two antennas at this time as well.

Front fuselage then. As I mentioned earlier this kit is very accurate in details. I checked all the panel lines with walk around photos (Luckily Britmodeller's "walk around section" has great collection of first class Javelin pics) and found only few panels and fasteners missing.

If you are going to build your Javelin with moving hood (like I am) then check and prepare the area around cockpit with great care; it has to be absolutely straight and level otherwise the hood won't move.

And all the sudden the fuselage is complete!

BR,

Antti

[Blogs On]

More lovely meticulous work Antti.

You offer of the harness artwork is most generous.

Regards

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Outstanding attention to detail. Since I am at the other end (decals on, preparing for weathering) of building a contemporary British jet (Sea Vixen FAW1), it's fascinating to see the parallels, of which there are many. I don't know very much about the Javelin, but am learning more with every update of yours!

[Antti_K]

Thank You Ex-FAAWAFU

For me it usually goes something like this:

- Ooh, a new kit, sooo beautiful!

- I glue this into that and paint it with... wait a minute... yes with interior grey green

- This is sooo fun!

- Oh, there is one bolt missing here. No problem, I'll fix it in no time. Where's my Pin Vise and drill bits?

- Got it, got it, got it. Happy!

- Oh dear it looks like the whole panel is in the wrong position. Now what do I need to get it fixed

- Who made the moulds? I want to talk to him right away. There is a whole millimeter missing from the root chord.

And so it goes further And I love it. I only built models of aircraft that I am really interested in. So I read the Aircrew Manuals, books, magazines... the lot. I guess at least some modellers recognize themselves as well.

BR,

Antti

[Martian]

Thank You Ex-FAAWAFU

For me it usually goes something like this:

- Ooh, a new kit, sooo beautiful!

- I glue this into that and paint it with... wait a minute... yes with interior grey green

- This is sooo fun!

- Oh, there is one bolt missing here. No problem, I'll fix it in no time. Where's my Pin Vise and drill bits?

- Got it, got it, got it. Happy!

- Oh dear it looks like the whole panel is in the wrong position. Now what do I need to get it fixed

- Who made the moulds? I want to talk to him right away. There is a whole millimeter missing from the root chord.

And so it goes further And I love it. I only built models of aircraft that I am really interested in. So I read the Aircrew Manuals, books, magazines... the lot. I guess at least some modellers recognize themselves as well.

BR,

Antti

That sounds oh so familiar!

Martin

[amblypygid]

Those harnesses are exceptional; I fear that were I to try something similar, it would look very much more like a four year old's drawing! The offer to share your work is very generous, Antti.

[Gary West]

Im impressed already, will follow with great interest

[Antti_K]

Thank You all for Your kind words

I set the fuselage aside for a while and continue working with some other items. As this will be a FAW.9R I think it is time to find out what that means. FAW.9 is basically a FAW.7 upgraded to FAW.8 standard but with British AI radar and without Sperry Autopilot. So no "new" FAW.9s ever left the production line. I guess You already knew that My model (XH766) was originally a FAW.7 that was converted to a FAW.9 standard and handed to No. 64 Squadron during November 1959. Three years later it was further converted to FAW.9R standard.

All together 116 FAW.7s were converted to FAW.9s. Later 45 aircraft were converted to Mk. 9 F/R standard equipped with in-flight refueling equipment (piping, valves, probe...). The final stage was to further modify 41 Mk. 9 F/Rs to FAW.9Rs which were also capable of carrying up to four 230 Gall tanks in wing pylons.

The kit provides you:

- The Flight Refueling Probe

- Four 230 Gall wing tanks

- The two small hatches beside the navigator hood on the starboard side

- Pylons for missiles but NOT for tanks

Maurice Allward's book "Gloster Javelin" is the resource to use when you are checking individual aircraft for it's conversion status. You may also find this very useful:

http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/Javelin.html

Here is my "Fuel System Check List" for XH766:

- Flight Refueling Probe - Into the spares box

- Two small "extra" hatches on top of starboard intake - Don't fill the panel lines

- Ventral tanks - Use them

- Wing tanks - Use only two (for inboard pylons)

So let's cut some plastic again and start with the ventral tanks or "Bosom Tanks" as they were called.

Let's have a look at this photo first. As you can see there is a small gap between the ventral tank and fuselage. When checking some close-up photos it seems that there is a gap which has been filled with a black rubber seal.

Note also the three white bands on Bosom Tanks. Kit decal sheet provides you with tan coloured bands with red lettering. So far I have seen only white ones with black lettering. A point to remember later on.

I solved the problem like this. I will paint the "sealing strip" with black and hopefully it will look convincing. In both Javelin kits I noticed that the engraved panel lines on the ventral tanks were especially "soft" so I "sharpened" the details.

More work is needed with the wing tanks. I believe (I am not sure) that these tanks are actually the same that were carried by Hunters. The general shape and details are (almost) identical. The first step is to reshape the tanks as they are too blunt.

The tank pylon then.Unfortunately the parts for the external stores are the worst in otherwise excellent kit. The fit is poor, panel lines don't align properly and so on.

Here is what you need to do to get a better looking tank pylon.

That's all for now. I hope to see you all again soon

BR,

Antti

[Biggles87]

This is a really informative build, the seat is one of the best of it's kind I've seen, with the separate seat straps and parachute harness.

I also use bullets as nose weights, one of the members at our shooting club has an old French 11mm rifle and the bullets are about twice as long as 9mm and .45 and I use them if I can find them.

Watching closely

John