Revell 1/48th Tornado ADV

[Sebastien]

Well, here goes my newest Tornado on the bench : the long-nosed one.

I don't know yet which colors it'll wear, I don't like Revell's decals and the options I have at home so far are 1435th Flight, Operation Granby and RSAF.

 

First, as experienced on my previous Tornado builds, and as Shaun (IIRC) explained, here's what you need to get if you want to minimize putty and swear words use :

 

 

Ah, I forgot, it's not an Academy Multi Color Plastic repop of Revell's Tornado.

The light grey plastic is from the Tornado F3 box, which contained three "C" sprues and precisely zero "A" and "B" sprues. A mail to Wonderland Models later (kudos, folks, as it was on a Sunday) and the team there had sent a request to Revell.

The darkest grey is from a GR4 I scavenged, as the sprues are identical and I'll wait before slapping another Tornado together.

The black is from Mr Surfacer spray primer.

 

Now, another tip: if you want to slide the completed nose on the fuselage bottom, you'll need to saw the "rails" off said bottom from the nose to about the front of the lnose landing gear opening (the landing gear bay would get in the way otherwise).

 

 

So, start by disregarding the instructions, and proceed like this:

- build the cockpit, decal it, glue the landing gear bay under it and glue the lot to one forwerd fuselage half before assembling the forward fuselage.

 

 

- assemble the intake ducts, glue the main wheel well walls in place then the intake ducts.

- thin (lI mean it) the outer walls of the intake ducts on the first quarter inch or so.

- glue the bits the wings retract into when they sweep back (don't know the word, sorry) to the fuselage walls, and glue the fuselage walls to the fuselage bottom. A bit of putty might be necessary, and the right side doesn't behave as the left. Go figure.

- if you want to have the wings fully forward, you might have to cut the upper part of  TBTWRIWTSB (yeah, I know).

 

 

 

- assemble the air intakes. Putty WILL be necessary, they are a pain in the butt.

 

 

 

- Thin the "Y" shaped part that makes the front part on the fuselage spine where the intakes are supposed to go. There's a step, you'd be better of if that step disappeared at the rear.

- glue the intakes to the Y shaped part, and glue that to the fuselage assembly.

- slide the forward fuselage on the "keel", some MEK or equivalent goes on the joint and hold it in place till it sets.

The result isn't perfect, but I'm rather satisfied.

 

 

 

 

 

There'll be some putty, but not as much (by quite a margin) as if you had followed the instructions.

And if you go subtle with it, you won't destroy any detail.

Canopy masked, windscreen masked and glued, let's give it the primer coat:

 

 

And some Gunze greys later:

 

 

 

 

To be continued...

 

Cheers,

 

S.

[HOUSTON]

Sebastien,

 

GREAT start  and looking BRILLIANT..

 

how  are you doing.

 

 

update soon.LOVE TORNADOS..

 

 

[Massimo]

Hi Sebastien,

I like starting from a black base too!!

On Greys it works superbly!!!

[Lex77]

Nice one! Got the kit aswell and mine was missing only sprue B and got sprue C double.

[Shaun]

^{Glad my tips worked, looking good.Nice work..}

[Sebastien]

It's grey. Very.

 

 

 

 

 

BTW, modelling top tip: don't put your Tamiya extra thin green topped bottle too close to the Mr Softener decal setting solution green topped bottle.

Results are ridiculous.

The decal hated it.

 

S.

 

 

[Sebastien]

And it'll be a Saudi Tornado.

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued...

 

S.

[exdraken]

great but rarely seen!

 

think they are retired by the way as well already...

 

 

[Sebastien]

Hi,

 

Can anyone tell me what is the colour of the leading edge panels on the fixed part of the wing?

 

 

TIA,

 

Sébastien

[mick]

great work

[ModellerUK]

Love it, I have a gr4 on the bench 

[stever219]

On 21/12/2017 at 19:13, Sebastien said:

Hi,

 

Can anyone tell me what is the colour of the leading edge panels on the fixed part of the wing?

 

 

 

TIA,

 

Sébastien

I've an idea that they are a natural fibreglass colour.  IIRC they cover the RWR antennae that were displaced from the fin leading edge.

[Lex77]

Looking very good.

 

Building the same kit, do you know why in step 6 you need to make the holes in the fuselage?

Can't seem to see what they are for.

[Sebastien]

12 hours ago, Lex77 said:

Looking very good.

 

Building the same kit, do you know why in step 6 you need to make the holes in the fuselage?

Can't seem to see what they are for.

Thanks, Lex.

TBH, I treated the instructions with a healthy dose of contempt and I don't remember making any hole in the fuselage.

 

Stever219, thanks a lot.

 

Cheers,

 

Sebastien

[ModellerUK]

12 hours ago, stever219 said:

I've an idea that they are a natural fibreglass colour.  IIRC they cover the RWR antennae that were displaced from the fin leading edge.

I believe they are a lighter grey 

[stever219]

1 hour ago, ModellerUK said:

I believe they are a lighter grey 

They're certainly not that in Sebastien's image of the Saudi jet in post 9.  A quick web trawl hasn't brought up many images of Saudi Tornado F. 3s and a significant proportion are of preserved or stored jets.  Some show a colour not dissimilar to that of the main radome for these panels, others a variation on Barley/Camouflage Grey and some a pale straw colour.  Once again I think it will be a case of pick an image you think you can trust and stick with it.  

 

Interestingly the Camouflage Grey in the image at post 9 has a noticeably blue hue to it and the grey of the anti-abrasion finish on the wing root trailing edges appears darker than the usual "faded Dark Sea Grey" or "roughly Dark Admiralty Grey" that Tornados operating in more Northerly latitudes seem to wear.  Obviously this could be down to the different colour and contrast settings of my iPad compared to your laptop and to Bill Buggins' mobile phone, so unless someone's got a pal in an RSAF paint shop or direct access to the airframe concerned your best well-educated guess (with documentary evidence of course) will do.

Edited December 28, 2017 by stever219

[Antoine]

Looks like a nice tournedos.

Any update?

I'd like to build one in 2018, most probably in 1/72.

[Sebastien]

On 29/01/2018 at 8:07 PM, Antoine said:

Looks like a nice tournedos.

Any update?

I'd like to build one in 2018, most probably in 1/72.

Yes, and I'm really sorry about your poor taste in scale  (ducking for cover just about now).

 

 

 

 

 

And now, the various bits I don't like.

 

Cheers,

 

S.

[Antoine]

2 hours ago, Sebastien said:

Yes, and I'm really sorry about your poor taste in scale

I wonder how my testicles are related to this...

 

Well, to be honest, I don't restrict myself to a specific scale, but it just happen that I like Hasegawa, and that they did release some tournedoes in 1/72, but not in 1/48. And to be really honest, I'm not really confident in the overall quality of Revell's releases in 1/48.

[Sebastien]

Oh, Revell's Tornado quality is quite good, once you've decided to discard most of the instructions. 

I almost  haven't used putty on this kit, which is a bit of an oddity on my modelling bench. 

And please don't worry about your gentleman parts. Your pun was quite atrocious BTW, I'm jealous I didn't think of it first. 

 

Cheers, 

 

S.

[Antoine]

Ok then.

But what about the lack of weapons in Revell's mud version (My preference)???

Do you know where to source JP233, Brits LGB & designation pod, and the likes?

[Sebastien]

I don't know where to get 1/48 JP233.

Olymp Models has a modern Tornado GR4 set (Paveway IV's, Brimstone and laser pod).

You can get BL755 from KH's Jaguar IIRC, and 1,000lbs from Italeri's Tornado.

IIRC, Shaun has made some Tornado Twin Store Carriers if you want the 8 1,000lb configuration.

 

HTH,

 

S.

[Jens]

24 minutes ago, Antoine said:

Ok then.

But what about the lack of weapons in Revell's mud version (My preference)???

Do you know where to source JP233, Brits LGB & designation pod, and the likes?

Flightpath make RAF LGBs, ALARMs and TIALD pod.

Eduard make Brimstones. 

I am not sure the Olimp parts are worth spending money on. I have read the quality is poor, but the price is high.

 

Hth,

 

Jens

[Antoine]

1 hour ago, Jens said:

I am not sure the Olimp parts are worth spending money on. I have read the quality is poor, but the price is high.

Thanks Jens,

I've those in 1/72, and indeed, you're right.

[RichG]

3 hours ago, Antoine said:

Ok then.

But what about the lack of weapons in Revell's mud version (My preference)???

Do you know where to source JP233, Brits LGB & designation pod, and the likes?

The only sources of 1/48 JP233 I can think of is those made originally by Xtraparts (XP4803) / Paragon Designs (4803)  - now out of production now but still available online in places from time to time (& ebay etc) - so worth a google; or alternatively they are in as a weapons option in some of the old Airfix 1/48 Tornado GR1/GR1A releases  (09176 & 09177).  There are detailed RAF 1,000lb Paveway II Laser-Guided Bombs and TIALD (Thermal Imagining and Laser Designation) Pod and RAF ALARM missiles available from Flightpath in 1/48 in their RAF Weapons range - well detailed but a bit expensive. For a cheaper but less detailed option these are all actually also included in the Airfix Tornados above - along with a full load of RAF 1000lb freefall bombs.

 

So maybe an option to get an old Airfix !/48 Tornado for the stores (just make sure its the right one...)

 

Hope that helps

 

Rich