Sepecat Jaguar GR.1A

[Telboy3510]

Hi Guys, this is my first attempt at a Work in Progress. I thought would give it a shot not because I have anything to offer by way of modelling skills, but hopefully some of you more experienced builders may be able to give me some tips along the way.

This is not the scale I normally build in I prefer 1/72, I always feel that when things go wrong in this scale the fault tends to be magnified.

So this is the beast I intend building.

 

 

I have acquired. a fondness for jets with recent builds and picked this one up at a bargain price at my local Hobbycraft.

I had already made a start before I decided to do a Work in Progress. I normally like to display my aircraft models in flight but this one will sit on its wheels for a couple of reasons one being its too big to display in flight, and the other being I don't have a suitable pilot to put in it. So a little more detail was required with cockpit and this is where we at.

 

 

Straight out of the box with the addition of some Tamiya tape seat belts.

 

Some preparation paint work on the fuselage halves.

 

 

 

Now came the fun bit attaching the completed cockpit to the fuselage halve.

 

 

Well its in but it wasn't pretty, I initially tried to fit it to the other side but there was no way it was going to sit in there with the back of the tub lined up at the back, and the console lined up at the front. So out it came with a lot of cussing and swearing, this was not a good start. I looked at Lord Riot's build thread and found that he and other modelers had encountered the same problem, I believe it was because the base that the tub sits on is bent. Any it became a step by step gluing process and with a lot of patience it is in!

 

Now all that I have to do is glue the two sides together, after quite a lot of test fitting I came to the conclusion that this was not going to be straight forward, very little lined up and the plastic in some places was quite flimsy. So I decide a little assistance would be necessary.

 

 

In this and the previous image you can see that I have added some additional tabs to try and give it some structural stability.

 

 

 

 

Well the fuselage halves are together and I can already see that there is going to be quite a lot of filling and sanding in my future, it took a long time to get them anything like lined up and without the additional support I put in I think it would have been a lot worse.

Now, the ironic thing is I started this thread so I could throw out questions like is it tail sitter?  and guess what i forgot to put any weight in the nose at all so it might just end up in flight after all!

Watch this space 😂.

 

 

[neil5208]

Cut the flat section behind the nose out, you should be able the get some weight in there

[Filler]

That's a great suggestion. You should comfortably be able to get enough weight in there. You just might need some small sized bits to fit through. Some PVA and some of this liquid steel should do the trick.

 

Good luck with your build. Looks like nose weight aside that you're doing a fine job so far. I just finished mine last night and whilst I made a bit of a hash of it, it was in no way anything to do with the kit - just my ham-fistedness.

 

One thing I will point out that I forgot to do (I don't think it was mentioned in the Airfix version of the instructions - not that I followed them very well) is to remove the moulded lump under the nose as I believe that is a feature of French Jags.  But you've plenty of time to get around to that.

[12jaguar]

good start. just a quick bit of advice, the colour call out for the cockpit is incorrect, as it should be black completely. The recess aft of the airbrake bays should be the same colour as the outside airframe ie camouflage colour

 

Revells bad methinks 🐵

 

John

[Filler]

Damn, that's another error to add to the list on my build.

[Telboy3510]

On 02/12/2018 at 19:55, neil5208 said:

Cut the flat section behind the nose out, you should be able the get some weight in there

Thanks for that suggestion Neil, initially I didn't understand what panel you was referring to and then it dawned on me where the nose cone is attached. However what I managed to do was fix a couple of heavy spacers behind the cockpit tub. When I counterbalance where the wheel-wells are it tips forward so hopefully should be ok.

 

On 03/12/2018 at 11:43, Filler said:

That's a great suggestion. You should comfortably be able to get enough weight in there. You just might need some small sized bits to fit through. Some PVA and some of this liquid steel should do the trick.

 

Good luck with your build. Looks like nose weight aside that you're doing a fine job so far. I just finished mine last night and whilst I made a bit of a hash of it, it was in no way anything to do with the kit - just my ham-fistedness.

 

One thing I will point out that I forgot to do (I don't think it was mentioned in the Airfix version of the instructions - not that I followed them very well) is to remove the moulded lump under the nose as I believe that is a feature of French Jags.  But you've plenty of time to get around to that.

Thanks for that, that makes life easier there was a big around it now its gone 😁

 

On 03/12/2018 at 13:44, 12jaguar said:

good start. just a quick bit of advice, the colour call out for the cockpit is incorrect, as it should be black completely. The recess aft of the airbrake bays should be the same colour as the outside airframe ie camouflage colour

 

Revells bad methinks 🐵

 

John

  Thanks John it did look strange having the rear of the cockpit in two different colours, I would have to say I agree with you about Revell being bad, other people have been very complimentary about this model. I'm finding its fighting me all the way and feels like quite an old model particularly getting the fuselage halves together. Thanks also regarding airbrake recess bays, I have a vague recollection of seeing that on a previous build report.

 

 

So as predicted lots of filling, filing and fetling to get where we are now. fuselage sanded and rescribed where necessary, glazing dipped in Klear and the wings drying. fingers crossed its going to be a little easier from now on.

 

[exdraken]

Very nice!

Thanks for the WIP!

[Telboy3510]

A little bit of progress, wings on and who would have guessed it they fitted where they touched so out with the filler!

 

 

I have surrounded the filler with masking tape in order to protect the panel lines when I start the rubbing down, when the tape starts to disintegrate I take it steady with the sanding and then rescribe as I go, seems to work for me.

 

A little bit of rubbing down and its starting to come together.

 

 

Progress so far.

 

 

As the build has progressed I'm starting to think I could display it flying, which is my preferred option. If I do this I will have to give some thoughts as to what will be hanging underneath it. The big thing hanging in the center which I'm guessing is an addional fuel tank will have to go and I really do not like the look of the sidewinders on top of the wings.

 

The other thing I will need will be a pilot, with that in mind I have been attempting to convert a Navigator from a WW2 Mossie into a Jet pilot, a lot will depend on how that progresses.

 

 

Well thats it until next week, big pre Christmas family weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[exdraken]

nice updates!

[Telboy3510]

So the family have all gone home, I've sobered up and more importantly my hands have stopped shaking, time for a bit more modelling!

As you can see I have stuck a few more bits and pieces on.

 

 

The nose cone has been added, the bits on the rear tail fin and the rear wings. I'm not sure whether they are meant to be left unglued so that you can alter their position but it wasn't going to happen because the left one just sort of dangled there.

The more observant among you will see that the HUD as disappeared, that got knocked off and is stored in a safe place. Just got to remember to stick it back on when I close up the cockpit.

 

 

I think those fins might be stabilizers (you can tell I'm not exactly an aircraft genius) but they are a very poor fit, plenty of filling to be done there. I think those other parts are chaff/flare dispensers.

I said earlier that I was beginning to think I could display this model flying but that gave me a couple of issues to deal with, I had no pilot (more about him later) and what was I going to do about that big hanging cylinder thing underneath. After some thought I came up with these solutions.

 

 

when I build a model flying I put a 3mm tube underneath ready to receive a 2mm brass rod, at this stage I had decided to dispense with the large cylinder underneath, however with nothing to lose I decided to attempt to drill a 2mm hole through the cylinder.

 

 

That worked so I will be keeping it.

 

 

Hey presto!

As you can see in this picture I had also started playing with the undercarriage doors, first dry fit suggested they were not going to be too much of a problem.

 

 

 I think a little bit of adjusting and they will fine, when I do undercarriage doors now I gently round off the  edges, this I find does away with a harsh join and looks more like a panel. It works for me anyway.

I think I will have to display it with the airbrake doors open, the door extends beyond the opening and I'm assuming on the real aircraft they lay flush but because of the thickness of the plastic they stick out.

As I said earlier I needed a pilot, and a very kind contributor to this forum has offered to donate one and I have taken him up on his offer, you might remember I was trying to convert a WW2 Mossie Navigator and this is what I ended up with.

 

 

And that is why i accepted 'At Sea's' very kind offer. 😂

 

 

[phildagreek]

Looks good.

[Telboy3510]

We were expecting a visit from our Grand-daughters today but unfortunately one of them came down with a sickness and vomiting bug on the way here after having to stop at two service stations to empty the ice cream tub (vomit catcher) they decided to give it a miss. So disappointing but on the up side I managed to move things forward with the Jaguar. 

 

 

Just about ready for some paint. I have had varied success with black basing in 1/72 scale but never with camouflage, so I am going to have another go in this larger scale.

 

 

The dangly bits are nearly ready for paint, it seems you have the option to use the large bombs under neath each wing or the two smaller ones. I'm not sure which I prefer, can any of you Jag experts out there tell if they would have mixed them up i.e. large under one wing and two small under the other?

Thanks for looking.

[bar side]

Am I right in thinking the auxiliary vents on the intakes are only open on take off & taxiing?

[Telboy3510]

1 minute ago, bar side said:

Am I right in thinking the auxiliary vents on the intakes are only open on take off & taxiing?

Sorry can't answer that, as I've said I'm not an aircraft expert I just enjoy building them. That said either way mine will be flying with them closed.😊

[bar side]

Yep closed mine too as someone told me I should.  Mine is parked & I don’t think they open vents until the engines are running & then the close in flight.  Someone will know for sure.

[Telboy3510]

Now the fun starts, this is probably my favourite part of modelling, slapping on the paint!

First the black base coat.

 

 

Wow did the Jaguar ever come in black! As Doogie say it looks really 'Badass'.

So that's the plane and the dangly bits done, because I do my spraying out in the garage everything becomes weather and temperature dependent, and of course Chrimbo might slow things up.

So at this stage I'm going to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year and watch this space in 2019.

[Lone Star]

Nice work; this kit  is working its way to the top of my stash as a result!

 

The auxiliary vents are spring loaded shut most of the time. When the engine is demanding a lot of air at take off power and low airspeed  the normal inlets are too small and the pressure at the inlet drops allowing the vents to open and admit more air so the engine can breathe properly. In flight the inlets (which being quite small create less drag)  have air rammed into them at higher pressure so the engines can function normally with the vents closed.

 

the same system is used on the Harrier which has a several vents on each side.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Lone Star
Correction

[Phone Phixer]

On 12/16/2018 at 10:36 AM, Telboy3510 said:

The dangly bits are nearly ready for paint, it seems you have the option to use the large bombs under neath each wing or the two smaller ones. I'm not sure which I prefer, can any of you Jag experts out there tell if they would have mixed them up i.e. large under one wing and two small under the other?

Only the "small bombs" as you call them, are actual weapons. They are BL755 cluster bombs

The 2 larger objects are 1200 litre fuel tanks (drop tanks). They were either carried one on each inboard pylon, or a single one on the centreline pylon.

The single large object is the BAe recce pod, it was full of wet film cameras and an IR linescan camera. This would only be carried by Jags from the 2 recce squadrons, 2 and 41 Sqn

 

The Jags did not carry asymmetric loads. It would be the same on each wing. Phimat/ECM pods were counterbalanced to even out the weight. Early Jags were so underpowered they needed the curvature of the earth to take off!!!!!!

There was a black Jaguar, flown by 16(R) Sqn in the late 90's. It was the display aircraft for the season.

 

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj7hNDc5arfAhVo0FQKHRuDBaoQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aviaworld.com%2Fphoto%2FAir%20Show%20Special%20Colour%20Schemes%2Fslides%2FSepecat%20Jaguar%20-%20Jaguar%20GR1A%20Black%20Saint.html&psig=AOvVaw3RjSkJV33HDpRMEhPr6zfR&ust=1545271096211185

 

Hope this helps

Rob (ex Jaguar armourer)

 

Edited December 19, 2018 by Phone Phixer

[Devilfish]

Nice build so far. I have built 3 of these kits in various guises.  Although you have decided to go with wheels up now, in answer to your earlier question, the Jag is not a tailsitter, and I'm shocked no one else pointed this out!

[Telboy3510]

8 hours ago, Lone Star said:

Nice work; this kit  is working its way to the top of my stash as a result!

 

The auxiliary vents are spring loaded shut most of the time. When the engine is demanding a lot of air at take off power and low airspeed  the normal inlets are too small and the pressure at the inlet drops allowing the vents to open and admit more air so the engine can breathe properly. In flight the inlets (which being quite small create less drag)  have air rammed into them at higher pressure so the engines can function normally with the vents closed.

 

the same system is used on the Harrier which has a several vents on each side.

Thanks for that, too far down the road now to alter the vents but I've enjoyed this build so much I may do in the future and that information gives me some different choices.

[Telboy3510]

6 hours ago, Phone Phixer said:

Only the "small bombs" as you call them, are actual weapons. They are BL755 cluster bombs

The 2 larger objects are 1200 litre fuel tanks (drop tanks). They were either carried one on each inboard pylon, or a single one on the centreline pylon.

The single large object is the BAe recce pod, it was full of wet film cameras and an IR linescan camera. This would only be carried by Jags from the 2 recce squadrons, 2 and 41 Sqn

 

The Jags did not carry asymmetric loads. It would be the same on each wing. Phimat/ECM pods were counterbalanced to even out the weight. Early Jags were so underpowered they needed the curvature of the earth to take off!!!!!!

There was a black Jaguar, flown by 16(R) Sqn in the late 90's. It was the display aircraft for the season.

 

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj7hNDc5arfAhVo0FQKHRuDBaoQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aviaworld.com%2Fphoto%2FAir%20Show%20Special%20Colour%20Schemes%2Fslides%2FSepecat%20Jaguar%20-%20Jaguar%20GR1A%20Black%20Saint.html&psig=AOvVaw3RjSkJV33HDpRMEhPr6zfR&ust=1545271096211185

 

Hope this helps

Rob (ex Jaguar armourer)

 

Thanks for that Rob, with that info I can give some thought to how I want to finish it. I'm building all the stores anyway.

[Telboy3510]

1 hour ago, Devilfish said:

Nice build so far. I have built 3 of these kits in various guises.  Although you have decided to go with wheels up now, in answer to your earlier question, the Jag is not a tailsitter, and I'm shocked no one else pointed this out!

Thanks Devilfish, as you can see there's no going back with the wheels up/ down decision but I'm fairly certain I will be building another Jag in the future.

[Telboy3510]

Thanks everybody for following this build, your nice comments and invaluable information certainly inspire to get on with the build,

[Telboy3510]

Tree down, everybody has gone home and now I'm on my usual January detox, time to get some modelling done.

Next step is to get some camouflage on.

 

 

This first step always leave me in a quandary, is green the lightest colour, should I paint the whole thing in one colour first and have I stopped spraying in time to benefit from the black base?

I don't think it looks to bad at this stage. 

Time for some masking.

 

 

Probably one of the jobs I dislike most, I have tried spraying the second colour freehand in the past but always seem to get some overspray.

On this occasion I sprayed over the green overlap with black in order to achieve even tonal changes, once again not sure if this is the way to go but this is a learning process.

Now the grey.

 

 

I think respraying the green overlap with black might have been a mistake, when I removed the masking there was an obvious black line in places where the camouflage met. In the end I freehanded all the joins between the two colours (easier in 1/48 than 1/72), followed by a couple of coats of Klear to protect the work so far.

I'm at the stage now where I keep looking at it satisfy myself that it looks ok. I think I'm happy so will press on. Next are the black areas, anti glare panel, leading edges etc, and a little bit of surgery to insert the pilot kindly donated by 'At Sea' and then the decals, another job I'm not keen on 😊.

Thanks for looking.

[Lord Riot]

Looking good! It builds into a nice kit once you've done all those bits of filing, etc. Yours is certainly coming along nicely. Hope my WIP was useful, even if it showed how not to do it! 😂