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1:72 Fujimi BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1


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As I was dusting the models in my display case, I came to the realisation that I did not have a SHAR of any flavour. Really! For someone who has the audacity to call himself "Navy Bird," this is an abomination. It must be rectified. I was also reminded recently, by someone who shall remain nameless, that my stash was growing faster than my waistline and perhaps I should build a kit that I already have. Actually, pretty good advice but don't tell her that I said that!   :)

 

I have three SHAR kits in my stash (all in glorious 1:72 scale, natch). They are the Fujimi and Hasegawa versions of the FRS.1 and the Airfix FA.2. I used to have the Airfix FRS.1, but I put it on eBay and someone actually bought it. Now the Airfix FA.2 has many of the same issues that the Airfix FRS.1 has, so I think I'll put that on the back burner for now. That leaves either the Fujimi or Hasegawa kit. I spent the better part of this afternoon poking around BM and the net at large, and I think it's best to use the Fujimi kit. Yes, I know that the Italeri/ESCI kit is considered the best 1:72 FRS.1 available, but I'm not going to go out and buy one. Stash reduction is the order of the day!

 

Just for giggles, I downloaded some of those drawings from that Russian site. I scaled them to print out at 1:72 scale and compared the two kits. These drawings have no known provenance, and cannot be used to judge the accuracy of anything. Nonetheless, the Fujimi fuselage matched quite well in longitudinal cross section, perhaps just a half a tad long in the nose. The Hasegawa fuselage was considerably short in the nose, and the entire nose section seemed to be turned up a bit. Interestingly, these are two observations that are often applied to the Hasegawa FRS.1. In plan view, the Hasegawa nose was thinner than the drawing while Fujimi matched quite well.

 

IMG_0946

 

I have some FRS.1 aftermarket goodies, none of which are designed for the Fujimi kit. However, because I like to make things difficult, I'm going to try and use some of this stuff. Stash reduction, remember? That goes for aftermarket too! The cockpit is a wee bit wide, but I'm pretty sure it can be made to fit. The nozzles look OK, and some of the photoetch can be used. I also have the Master turned pitot, but it was late for the photo. The Fujimi kit has a one-piece canopy, and anyone who has followed my builds knows that I like my canopies open. Now, the Hasegawa kit has a two-piece canopy - maybe that can be used in some way. To be determined...

 

IMG_0947

 

There are more sprues than what is shown in this photo, but for some reason I didn't think they were worthy to be included. Strange. The markings provided with the Fujimi kit are all Falklands birds - I'm afraid I don't know enough about that conflict to know if any of them are historic in any way. Markings are quite sparse - were squadron codes and emblems painted out or removed for some reason? Of those choices, I kinda like 77 from 809 Squadron. The DSG paint and low-vis roundels are different. Others are 14 from 899 Squadron, and 27, 23, & 30 from 800 Squadron.

 

I also have an old Micro- or SuperScale sheet with several EDSG over White aircraft with squadron crests and artwork. These are XZ451 from 700 Squadron with the red A on the tail, XZ454 from 800 Squadron with the red chevron and crossed swords, XZ457 from 899 Squadron with the white bird, and XZ498 from 801 Squadron with a circular crest. All are shown with the funky refueling probe. Any of those guys famous for anything? 

 

A Falklands plane is probably in the offing here. What is the missile on the sprue above (the big one, not the Sidewinders)? Falklands would be too early for Sea Eagle, right? So perhaps it's not appropriate for any of those markings. I'm told the bombs are pretty good in the Hasegawa kit, maybe they can be used depending on which aircraft I end up building.

 

So that's it - I guess this is my next project. Hopefully I have it finished before the F-111 Group Build starts on April 1. Gonna do an F-111B - I told you I like to make things difficult!   :)

 

Cheers,

Bill

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I was going to find some obscure RN bird to quiz you on/challenge you to have, but then you go and mention the F-111B! I'm excited to see that!

 

I didn't know Fujimi did a Shar. The box art is fantastic, I love how minimalist it is. 

 

Those non-Sidewinder missiles are quite hefty pieces of kit! Very odd, but then again my knowledge of the type is rather limited.

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2 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

These are XZ451 from 700 Squadron with the red A on the tail, XZ454 from 800 Squadron with the red chevron and crossed swords, XZ457 from 899 Squadron with the white bird, and XZ498 from 801 Squadron with a circular crest. All are shown with the funky refueling probe. Any of those guys famous for anything? 

 

Yes, XZ451 is very famous, because I did it! :D 

I did the white/edsg version with the Sea Eagle trial rounds (thanks Selwyn!), because of two reasons: it's really colorful, and it's not just "another Falkland" Harrier. They may have had an interesting background, but I'm not really fond of single colour birds.

 

Alex

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A navy bird from Navy Bird, what's not to like? :winkgrin: 

 

I'll tag along and watch :popcorn: At my building speed, you might complete this at the same time I finish my GR9a (only that I started a few months ago :banghead: ) - we could do a sort of meet up  :analintruder: 

 

Ciao

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17 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

What is the missile on the sprue above (the big one, not the Sidewinders)? Falklands would be too early for Sea Eagle, right? So perhaps it's not appropriate for any of those markings. I'm told the bombs are pretty good in the Hasegawa kit, maybe they can be used depending on which aircraft I end up building.

Oooh! One of my favourite modellers takes on a kit of my favourite aircraft :D 

 

Those big missiles look more like Martel than Sea Eagle to me. Perhaps save them for another Buccaneer some time ;) The Sea Eagle was certainly cleared for use on the SHAR prior to the Falklands War although I don't think were taken south. In fact one of the aircraft used to test the weapon was shot down by Argentine ground-fire and upon inspecting the wreakage this was noted and put the Argentine Navy on a defensive footing for fear of falling prey to Sea Eagle equiped SHAR.

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Another mighty fine choice, you can't beat the worlds biggest vacuum cleaner. I'm trying to see if it is the same as the Hasegawa version, I never knew Fujimi had their own kit. I shall tag along for inspiration I have a T4/Esci Kit bash in the offering, so all that remains to say is "cracketh oneth young man!"

 

Bob

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On 20/12/2016 at 3:13 AM, Navy Bird said:

...and I think it's best to use the Fujimi kit. Yes, I know that the Italeri/ESCI kit is considered the best 1:72 FRS.1 available, but I'm not going to go out and buy one.

 I believe they all related to each other, much like the GR.3 kit.

 

Looking forward to the Bill treatment on this one!

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On 20/12/2016 at 20:51, Col. said:

Oooh! One of my favourite modellers takes on a kit of my favourite aircraft :D 

 

Those big missiles look more like Martel than Sea Eagle to me. Perhaps save them for another Buccaneer some time ;) The Sea Eagle was certainly cleared for use on the SHAR prior to the Falklands War although I don't think were taken south. In fact one of the aircraft used to test the weapon was shot down by Argentine ground-fire and upon inspecting the wreakage this was noted and put the Argentine Navy on a defensive footing for fear of falling prey to Sea Eagle equiped SHAR.

 

Erm, Sea Eagle started production in 1982, but while there had been test firings, it did not enter service until 1985 (initially on Buccaneer).

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For some weird reason, Fujimi included radar guided Martels in the kit.

 

it's quite similar to the ESCI kit(still the benchmark for 1/72 SHars, 30+ years later) as they were designed by the same people, but is a little rougher and needs more care in assembly, especially around the intakes

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On 12/20/2016 at 02:15, giemme said:

A navy bird from Navy Bird, what's not to like? :winkgrin: 

 

I'll tag along and watch :popcorn: At my building speed, you might complete this at the same time I finish my GR9a (only that I started a few months ago :banghead: ) - we could do a sort of meet up  :analintruder: 

 

I've been following your GR.9 - great work! I have that kit in the stash as well, it looks quite nice. I also have the Airfix GR.1, GR.3, GR.7 (old tool), FA.2, and two or three of the Sword T models. A veritable jump jet force.  :)  

 

On 12/21/2016 at 11:17, moaning dolphin said:

I'm trying to see if it is the same as the Hasegawa version, I never knew Fujimi had their own kit. 

 

On 12/21/2016 at 14:48, 71chally said:

 I believe they all related to each other, much like the GR.3 kit.

 

The Hasegawa and Fujimi kits have some very considerable differences. I'll point out a few as we progress through the build. 

 

On 12/21/2016 at 15:18, Dave Fleming said:

For some weird reason, Fujimi included radar guided Martels in the kit.

 

it's quite similar to the ESCI kit(still the benchmark for 1/72 SHars, 30+ years later) as they were designed by the same people, but is a little rougher and needs more care in assembly, especially around the intakes

 

Yeah, the Martels have already been allocated to reserve duty in the spares box. You're right about the intakes, Fujimi made a strange design decision with that butt joint, but luckily their moulding tolerances seem good enough that I won't be a problem. If not, well, that's what they make putty for.     :) 

 

On 12/21/2016 at 16:03, theplasticsurgeon said:

Here's a link to my recent   Fujimi Sea Harrier build for your assistance.

Can't honestly say I was happy with the fuselage join, but otherwise a great kit.

 

Thanks for the link. It looks like you used decals for open intake doors - I say that because they showed up right at the end of your build. I thought about that, but then got out that razor saw thing...    :banghead:

 

On 12/22/2016 at 03:56, Martian Hale said:

Stash reduction? Does not compute! :frantic::frantic::frantic:

 

Wifey is still having a hard time believing that building plastic models "computes!" Maybe one day...

 

 

 

So, where were we? It always starts with the cockpit, right? Here is the resin cockpit (from Pavla, intended for the Airfix FRS.1) along with some lines drawn on the fuselage to show what needs to be removed:

 

IMG_0948

 

Pavla include a nice instrument panel/coaming as well, so the kit coaming will also have to go. Now, I already know what some of you are thinking - the forward fuselage of the Airfix FRS.1 is too wide, how can this resin set fit into the Fujimi fuselage? Believe it or not, just a little sanding of the cockpit sides was required. After I ground away all of the fuselage stuff to make way for the resin pit, this was left:

 

IMG_0949

 

I took too much off the turtledeck, but this is going to be covered in photoetch anyway. Fujimi have moulded the inboard section of the intake as part of the front wheel well. Out of the box, the nose wheel well looks like this inside.

 

IMG_0950

 

Yikes! That's pretty...how you say...ugly? I used some sheet styrene to cover it up and make a rudimentary wheel well that might be detailed further later on.

 

IMG_0951

 

IMG_0952

 

It's a start - completely inauthentic. But it smells like a wheel well, and that's what counts, eh? One thing I noticed different between the Fujimi and Hasegawa fuselage is the size of the rear ventral fin - it's larger on the Fujimi, which matches the Russian drawing better (Hasegawa on top).

 

IMG_0954

 

There are a LOT of detail differences between these two kits (antenna, bumps, vents, etc.) and I'll rely on references to tell me what should be included. I have the Aeroguide booklet and the SAM Modeller's Datafile volume. Fujimi has a more detailed area underneath the speed brake:

 

IMG_0953

 

Compared to Hasegawa, where this area is blank.

 

IMG_0955

 

Hasegawa has a small piece that goes into the front portion of this area, but it just provides some slots for the speed brake's "legs." One thing that Hasegawa got right in their kit was the blow-in doors on the intakes. They correctly show the top four open and the central door partially open. This is the configuration most often seen on the ground with the engine off. However, the moulding is not all not effective...but it's better than Fujimi where all of these doors are closed. I'm going to have to bite the bullet and open the applicable doors. Arghh. Having a close look at the Fujimi intakes, I think it will be nigh on impossible to cut out these doors individually, so I just took them all out at once, as seen on the right:

 

IMG_0956

 

I'll rebuild the rest with card stock once the intakes are mounted on the fuselage. Won't that be fun!   :hmmm:

 

I have several resin correction sets for the intakes on the other kits in my stash. None of them would work here, but they all share a similar trait - the open doors do not open all the way through to the inside of the intake. Is that right? Or is it a modelling shortcut? Trust me, it's going to be a shortcut on this model, I'm not going to try and open them up all the way to the inside! 

 

Now back to painting and adding photoetch to the pit.

 

Cheers,

Bill

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16 minutes ago, Navy Bird said:

The Hasegawa and Fujimi kits have some very considerable differences. I'll point out a few as we progress through the build.

 

Sorry Bill, I think you miss understood me, I meant that the Fujimi and Italeri/Esci kits are related.

 

When the auxiliary inlet doors are open you can see right through to the main engine inlets.  They open under gravity so from top to bottom they open at varying degrees when parked on the ground.  The intake structure is quite deep there, so that's maybe why the aftermarket sets rarely seem to have holes where the open doors are, even the 1:24th set I've got aren't open right through.

Seem to remember that the Matchbox Sea Harrier was the only one that had the intake holes.

Edited by 71chally
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2 hours ago, 71chally said:

Sorry Bill, I think you miss understood me, I meant that the Fujimi and Italeri/Esci kits are related.

 

When the auxiliary inlet doors are open you can see right through to the main engine inlets.  They open under gravity so from top to bottom they open at varying degrees when parked on the ground.  The intake structure is quite deep there, so that's maybe why the aftermarket sets rarely seem to have holes where the open doors are, even the 1:24th set I've got aren't open right through.

Seem to remember that the Matchbox Sea Harrier was the only one that had the intake holes.

 

Oops, my mistake. I think some of my synapses got crossed there for a moment. So, right, that's good I think - that Fujimi and ESCI are related, what with ESCI being such a great kit and all. I just went and looked at some photos of the ESCI sprues, and it does look like they "fixed" some of the oddities with the Fujimi design - specifically the intakes.

 

I figured that would be the answer to my question about the auxiliary inlet doors. But I'm still not going to cut through the inner intake wall. I may be insane, but I'm not crazy!   :)

 

Cheers,

Bill

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10 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

I figured that would be the answer to my question about the auxiliary inlet doors. But I'm still not going to cut through the inner intake wall. I may be insane, but I'm not crazy!   :)

 

The good thing about the PAVLA intakes for the Airfix GR9a is that you can actually see through, at least to the intake structure:

intake_join3

 

On the real thing, you'd also be able to see the compressor face - looking from very close up - but hey, this is 1/72 :frantic::winkgrin: 

 

Ciao

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14 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

 

 

 

I figured that would be the answer to my question about the auxiliary inlet doors. But I'm still not going to cut through the inner intake wall. I may be insane, but I'm not crazy!   :)

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

It's not as easy as just cutting through either!

 

waSHa-18.jpg

 

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3 hours ago, Dave Fleming said:

 

It's not as easy as just cutting through either!

 

waSHa-18.jpg

 

 

Hmmm...not seeing the photo right now. Silly internet anyway. I'll keep checking back and see if it shows up. I hope it shows the inner sanctum of those auxiliary doors - none of my reference books have any good photos of that, and Google has failed me yet again. All I get are pix of resin aftermarket. Silly internet anyway. 

 

I just finished the cockpit, or at least as far as it's going to get before the forward fuselage gets closed up. 

 

Cheers,

Bill

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Bill, I'm still drooling over your Buccaneer and admiring your Tigercat, so I missed the start of what is surely going to be an education on the Sea Harrier. So I'm hooked. And also because, despite the loss of proper aircraft carriers with the demise of Rod Stewart's Ark Royal in 1979, the Shar somehow kept my faith in the Fleet Air Arm going. Looking forward to this immensely.

 

Justin

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Happy Christmas everyone!     :santa:

 

Thanks for all of your words of encouragement, and especially for the support when I was going through the worst part of my chemotherapy. It's hard to put in words how important that is. It's a huge part of coping with a disease like this. I'm in my maintenance chemo phase now, and hopefully the new cocktail they gave me this time will keep it away for good. If not, we'll blast the buggers with something different next time!    :mg:

 

In the meantime, I've got this Sea Harrier to finish - hopefully I'll get some pix up today. I managed to make a nice quarter inch deep incision on my thumb with a single edge razor blade yesterday - aye carumba. It took about ten minutes for the sucker to stop bleeding - then a little superglue, a band-aid, and back to work!   :)

 

Cheers,

Bill 

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