Harrier GR.9 - 1/48

[daryl_five_zero]

I've had Hasegawa's 1/48 Harrier GR.7 in the stash for a good few years now, just looking at me and wondering when it will get started. For an aircraft that I - as well as a lot of us on here I'm sure - have such an affection for, I feel bad that I haven't gotten around to it sooner. 

 

I feel one of the reasons I haven't started this kit sooner is that I had plans to throw lots of goodies at it in an attempt to get it looking as good as I can manage. I've been collecting AM bits and bobs for a while now, and feel that I have everything now that I need to build an a/c that I will be happy with. 

 

I saw a picture of ZG511 in-theater with lots of bits hanging off her pylons, and figured that I'd like to do a fully kitted out Harrier. So the plan is to try and depict her as she was during her last det. to Kandahar in 2009 - loaded with EPW IV, LAU-5003/CRV-7, and with TERMA/DJRP/SNIPER pods underneath. 

 

I've been collecting reference materials for longer than I've had the kit, so hopefully I will have half a clue as to what it's supposed to look like at the end...

 

Although part of the reasoning behind doing a WIP was to feed off the wealth of knowledge on here and hopefully identify mistakes and issues before they can't be fixed! Any any recommendations for impulse purchases - ahem - vital reference materials are greatly appreciated! 

 

I'll be kicking off with the cockpit to start. I have the Aires GR.7 cockpit - one question before I do start though; I know the Aires cockpit has a couple of issues, especially with the bangseat rails and the actual seat being undersized. I plan to use the Eduard Brassin MB Mk.12 which I prefer the look of over the Aires seat. However the rear bulkhead doesn't much resemble pictures of the real thing at all (minimum effort on the visible bits such as the ground power panel/omission of cabin pressurisation valve etc.), and to be honest, compared to other resin cockpits of theirs that I've used, it does leave a lot to be desired. Has anybody used/compared the CMK offering? Is it any better than the Aires kit, or is the Aires cockpit as good as it gets, and a bit of scratchbuilding here and there will get me through? 

Cheers, 

Daryl. 

[Lord Riot]

Excellent, always love to see a Harrier. I've wanted a 1/48 GR9 to add to my 1/48 RAF collection for ages but even ebay never throws one up cheap enough. 

 

Will be interesting to follow your build.

[exdraken]

shame you left her wait in the cupboard ..

 

happens to many of mine as well... they will never understand and me neither

 

 

looking forward to your Jumpy!

 

[daryl_five_zero]

6 hours ago, Lord Riot said:

Excellent, always love to see a Harrier. I've wanted a 1/48 GR9 to add to my 1/48 RAF collection for ages but even ebay never throws one up cheap enough. 

 

Will be interesting to follow your build.

I was lucky to pick this up at a model show for relatively cheap (~£30) but you're so right, they fetch silly money when you can find them now. I've always found that bargain models always show up when you least expect them (usually the wrong side of payday!) so never stop looking! 

 

6 hours ago, exdraken said:

shame you left her wait in the cupboard ..

 

happens to many of mine as well... they will never understand and me neither

 

 

looking forward to your Jumpy!

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one! Sadly there are kits in the cupboard that have been there for twice as long as the Harrier... 

 

I've found a couple of hours to start this evening; while I 'umm' and 'ahh' about the cockpit, I've started on the bangseat. I've used a few of Eduard's resin seats, and have been impressed at the quality and accuracy every time. No exception here. 

 

I'll apologise for my photography skills now; hopefully my macro shots will improve as the WIP goes on! 

 

The seat frame was sprayed in Tamiya NATO Black, with smaller details and rails picked out in darker Black, with Aluminium rods here and there. Headrest is German Grey... I may still darken this. The frame was given a light drybrush of dark Grey to accentuate the frame details, then a drybrush of Steel in areas prone to wear. Sealed in with a matt varnish.

I was a little unsure how to depict the backpiece, which is a nasty OD carbon fibre colour. To try and replicate this, I sprayed it Tamiya Olive Drab, then gave it a light misting of the same OD, with a few drops of Gunmetal to give it a slight sheen. This was then given a thick ol' coat of Gloss to replicate the smooth finish on the real thing.

 

The rest of the components are drying now, ready for a light wash in the morning, and then I can start adding the PE belts and handles etc. once those are in situ. 

That's it for tonite; I'll try and get some more done tomorrow and report back! 

Take care, folks. 

Daryl

[daryl_five_zero]

Evening, all.

 

I hope everybody is managing to make the most of the beautiful weather in a safe manner. I believe this is what they call 'beer garden weather,' whatever that is...

I wish I could say I've been sat in the garden with beverage in-hand all afternoon. I guess I'll have to settle for a couple of tinnies at the modelling desk (not that that's anything to complain about.) 

I have found time to get the ejection seat to a level where I'm happy to call it done, however. 

 

 

 

I'm sure I'll look at it in a few days and decide there's something I've missed or I'm not happy with, but for now I'm sick of mixing Green with Green to get another Green. Although I must admit, I am quite happy with the outcome. The Fox Two book is worth the cover price for the invaluable pictures of the seats alone. 

 

Next is to try and tackle the Aires cockpit and see if there's anything I can do with that to bring it up to a level I'm happy with. I may still order the CMK cockpit just to see how they stack up side by side. Worst case scenario, whichever cockpit I don't use can go in another Harrier build in the future (the horror!)

Take care, folks! 

Daryl  

 

[phildagreek]

Seat looks good.

[DAG058]

That seat looks great! I built this kit last year, it went together pretty well. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do with it.

[daryl_five_zero]

Morning, all! 

The other night found the (Dutch) courage to strip the back of the rear Bulkhead of the Aires cockpit in an attempt to get it looking a little more...well, Harrier-ish. I wasn't happy at all with their rendition (I'm going to assume they had based their cockpit off an AV-8B?) 

This is what the Aires cockpit offers: 

 

 

I won't post pics from the references I'm working from through fear of Copyright infringement, but the pictures I'm working from scarcely resemble what Aires have moulded into theirs.

As a contingency in case I muck up my attempt I have ordered the CMK cockpit; partly because I'm interested to see how it stacks up against the Aires cockpit, which seems to be the go-to when building a UK Harrier in this scale. 

This is what CMK are offering: 



It's still not perfect, but looks a lot more promising the Aires kit. I'll be sure to offer a more informed opinion when I have the physical object in my hand! 

Well, all of yesterday was spent trying to rectify the Aires bulkhead. I would like to point out that I am most definitely a self-admitted assembler, rather than a modeller. There's still a lot of tidying up to do, but here is my crude attempt: 

 

I feel it's more accurate than what was there before, just a little messy than I would like. Looks like more work today! I'm not too worried about detailing between the seat rails as this won't be seen, but the rest will be quite visible once the seat is installed. 

Hopefully I'll have more progress to report back later! 

Daryl 

[Richard E]

That's a very good effort Daryl.

 

I haven't got my references to hand but from memory I think you're right: the original Aires part is based on an AV-8B cockpit.

[daryl_five_zero]

2 hours ago, Richard E said:

That's a very good effort Daryl.

 

I haven't got my references to hand but from memory I think you're right: the original Aires part is based on an AV-8B cockpit.

Thanks, Richard. I have the SAM publications booklet on the AV-8B here, and from what I can make of the limited photos of the cockpit, it does seem to be from am AV-8B. As it stands, I have a more faith and slightly higher expectations from the CMK pit now! 

I've managed to get a lick of paint on my modified Aires bulkhead. Whether I use it or not relies solely on how I feel when the CMK pit arrives, but it doesn't look as bad as I was expecting. 

 

 

 

The cabin pressurisation valve and corresponding pipework look a little oversized to my eyes, but I'm not sure how much smaller my greebling can get. I may readdress the plumbing if I can find some thinner gauge craft wire. 

I'm quite pleased with the home-mixed Dark Admiralty Grey. I used a blend of Hataka MSG, with a couple of drops of DSG in just to darken it ever so slightly. From the two, I still wasn't getting that nice, slightly Blue-Grey tinge, which came courtesy of 2 or 3 drops of Revell 57. I try not to mix different brands if I can help it, but in this case, I think i got lucky!  
 

Now I know that wasn't an absolute disaster, I'm a little more inclined to crack on with the side consoles and see how it goes from there! 

Take care, folks,

Daryl. 

[daryl_five_zero]

Hi all, 

Just a quick update; I received the CMK cockpit this afternoon. After closer inspection I thought I'd share my findings on here for you all. 



This is the CMK Cockpit. As I suspected, the rear canted bulkhead is a far more faithful rendition of a GR.7/9, rather than an AV-8B. 

 

 

There's not too much of a difference in the between the side consoles. I do actually prefer the throttle on the CMK kit.

 

These are the Ejection seats from both sets; Aires on the left, CMK on right. Both have pros and cons. It seems where one has detail missing, the other has it, and vice versa. The Aires seat gets bonus point for containing a comprehensive PE seatbelt harness, whereas the CMK seat has the harness molded in (albeit very well done.)

One area the Aires is lacking is in the general dimension; when compared to both the CMK and Eduard seat, it does come up rather noticeably short. I feel this is the biggest letdown for the Aires seat. It does offer more intricate detail thank the CMK seat, but I find the detail on the CMK seat is cast with better definition. 

Overall they both have their strong and weak points. I feel that between the two, I would lean slightly towards the CMK kit, purely for the right height once in the pit. However, when placed next to the Eduard seat, I don't feel there is any competition. 

 

Here are the main instrument panels offered by both - again, Aires on the left, CMK on the right. Here, I find the Aires offers a little more than CMK. The CMK IP has all detail moulded into one piece - very nicely moulded in fact, with very crisp detail that should look very effective if painted well. 

The Aires IP however, has a multiple parts breakdown, with the UFC/CDC moulded into a separate unit, and the MFDs supplied on the PE fret. I feel this is particularly useful as they also offer a printed acetate sheet with dial details to place underneath that should look very effective. 

Overall, I feel that the CMK kit has the upper hand when it comes to faithfulness to the real thing. Some of the detail does seem some somewhat simplified in places, such as the side walls, and it does lack some of the delicate detail that the Aires kit offers. I think the overall impression I have of both of these is that when Aires gets it right, it gets it better. But the CMK kit seems to get it right quite a bit more than Aires.

Moving on from this, I think that the best course of action may be to see if I can mate parts of each kit together - perhaps use the main cockpit tub from the CMK kit, along with the IP from the Aires kit and see how that comes on. Saying that, I may still decide to use the Aires cockpit I've worked on and try to improve that a little. Decisions, decisions... 

 

Cheers, 

Daryl 

[daryl_five_zero]

Evening, all! 

Not too much progress to show since my last post I'm afraid. According to the missus, apparently we can do other things whilst in lockdown like wallpaper walls and this thing called housework... that one was lost on me 🤔

However - after much deliberation - I have decided that I will stick with the Aires cockpit for this build. There are a couple of reasons, such as the IP and nicer sidewalls, but above all I feel like I have gotten the rear bulkhead to a level that I would be happy with.

 

 

I've made a couple of small adjustments and feel that some of the detail isn't as oversized as it was. 

 

 

I had a go at the side consoles and although they again don't really share too much in common with the real thing, the CMK didn't offer much better in that respect either. 

 

Now to move on to the part I'm looking forward to the most in the Aires cockpit - the main instrument panel! 

Cheers, 

Daryl. 

[daryl_five_zero]

Evening, all. 

I hope everybody is managing to stay safe, and finding a little normality at the modelling desk to distract us from current events! 

I must admit, since the last update I posted I managed to overwhelm myself somewhat with this build and had to take a step back for a while. I had created a mental list the length of my arm of things I wanted to include and achieve with this build, that every time I'd sit down to do a little, I'd have 20 jobs screaming at me to give it my attention. 

 

After a little mental adjustment - and a fresh will to crack on - I've managed to sit back down and take a little more methodical approach to getting her done. 

 

 

Here she is as of tonight. I can't lie; although I had heard horror stories around the fit of this kit, it took a lot of patience and perseverance to bring it together this far. I like to think of filler as a last resort during a build, but boy did this nearly get the best of me. I have only had to fill a couple of seams around the wingtips, but this really was a pig to line up. The fit around the LERX was horrendous. The AlleyCat 100% LERX is a beautifully cast piece of kit (I have my suspicions that it's taken from the kit LERX from the Hase Harrier II+  kit?) and it gave me no issues. 

I did find that completely disregarding the kit instructions in this area is the best way to go. The main wing upper and lower sides were brought together first, and fit to ensure a good seamless fit to the rear fuselage. Once this was in place I brought the LERX to the forward wing, and again had to wiggle it about a little to get a good fit. Only after this were the nose section (already attached to the intake bell) brought together to the main fuselage. After dryfitting about 1,000 times, that is! 

 

The cockpit itself is pretty pleasing; there are areas that could be (and have been in other builds) improved by more capable modellers. The IP coaming is a little off shape for a UK Harrier. I can live with it, but it is a sore area. There is detail missing from the sides - Map clips, Master Armament Safety Switch etc. - but I fear that adding too much here may get in the way of the transparencies once I get to fitting the cockpit. 

 

I drilled out the bellows behind the rear bulkhead for the cockpit pressure seal, and added rudimentary walling to these, to add a little depth. Not my neatest work, but better than the kit offering in my opinion, which is devoid of any detail here. 

 

Some work does need to be carried out to Anglicize the Hase kit. Although only minor changes, necessary enough to warrant the effort in my opinion. 

 

The GPS disc adjacent to the water tank cap was added from scrap styrene punched out with a circle cutter. I may revisit this, I'm still not convinced after looking at it that it isn't slightly oversized. 

 

The biggest conundrum I had was how to add the strengthening plates towards the rear of the cockpit. After many experiments, I settled on foil from an empty beer can cut to size, with raised rivet detail added by using a riveting tool on the back side, as seen here: 

 

Once under a coat of primer, I think this should look the part! 

 

Speaking of; I made the decision early on that I wanted to add rivet detail to this build. Although aware that on the 1:1 scale Harrier, only the dirtiest of a/c would show any sign of rivet detail, I like the look and wanted to challenge myself on this one.

 

 

Was I swept up in the look of the scale drawings in the Fox Two book? Was I a little too keen to try out the rivet tool I've had for ages and not had the chance to use yet? I'd say yes to both. It was painful. There were many expletives and the odd muttering of "why did I start this" under my breath, but I'm happy with the outcome. Now to see how it all disappears under a few coats of acrylic! 

 

One thing I had real doubts about was how I could replicate the vanes in the intakes that are oddly omitted from seemingly every Harrier kit ever made. Luckily, I had a disused PE fret lying about from a completely unrelated build that had a couple of parts that looked suspiciously like they may fit the bill. 

 

Although slightly less 3D than I'd like, they do look in scale to me, and I prefer the look of them to not having them there at all. 

Now with all the initial interesting and rewarding jobs out of the way, I have the laborious task of ticking off the list of PE that needs to be added: starting with the stores pylons. 

 

I found an old bathroom tile that has become my new best friend when removing PE from the sprue. No more bent pieces from using a cutting mat. Although after having to add so much minute detail to such hidden areas of the model, I may find myself banging my head off it a couple of times! 

That's all I have to show for now. Hopefully there won't be as much of a gap between this and my next update. 

Take care! 

Daryl. 

 

[Dr. Quack]

Great attention to detail. Thanks for your discussion and pics of the two resin pit options - very helpful. Superb cockpit and seat painting by the way. 

Another vote for the bathroom tile from me!

Q

[daryl_five_zero]

On 2/8/2021 at 11:34 PM, Dr. Quack said:

Great attention to detail. Thanks for your discussion and pics of the two resin pit options - very helpful. Superb cockpit and seat painting by the way. 

Another vote for the bathroom tile from me!

Q

Thanks, Q; really appreciate the kind words! It's been fun looking into the details of this build - I'm sure as others may, I often fall into the trap of assuming that just because there's an aftermarket offering, it must be an accurate replacement. I've enjoyed putting the extra work in to (at least try to) do the Harrier the justice it deserves! 

 

 

 

Just a quick update for today. A little bit of sanding and tidying in those hard to reach areas; getting closer to laying some paint down so going through my mental list of to-do's for the airframe before I start priming. Subconsciously trying to put off attaching the intakes (and the sanding and rescribing I'm sure will ensue!) 

 

One thing I have managed to do in aid of my procrastination is go over the bits I had previously said I'd be omitting from the coaming, namely the Master Armament Safety Switch: 

 

... and the spring loaded Map Clip: 

 

 

I'm aware it'll be no show-winner, but I have enjoyed pushing my scratchbuilding a little. The MASS was greebled using some shaped and bent PE fret discards and a few conical bits of sprue tree. The wad of paper stuffed into the Map Clip is just a placeholder. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to source some 1/48 maps of Helmand Province I can replace them with before the Canopy gets added and buttoned up! 
 

I have a few days annual leave from today, so hoping to find some quality time at the desk, SWMBO permitting 😅 Hopefully a little more progress to report in the next few days...

Take care! 

Daryl

[daryl_five_zero]

Managed to get a few hours with the Harrier tonite; what started out as a coat of primer to check for seamlines and blemishes ended up with me getting a bit carried away and having a little fun whilst the airbrush is out! 

 

I may be getting a little ahead of myself, but I figured I best go with it while I'm having fun! I had a bit of success using Flat Earth used in areas that tend to muddy up to add a little tonal variation and interest during my Tamiya Tomcat build, and thought I'd try to achieve similar results with the Harrier. 

 

 

The undersides in particular get right grubby on the Harrier so I figured I'd see how I could help that along with the pre-shading on this one. I have a bad habit of going over my pre-shading a little too much whilst spraying the base colours, so I'm confident that the pre-shading here will settle down and be hardly noticeable once I'm done with it! 

Also managed to get the interior of the intakes painted up and ready for a little weathering before fixing them in place: 

 

This is my first time using Hataka paints; I purchased them on a whim, only to be given scare stories from a few friends who had used them in the past. I must admit, I'm quite impressed with how they've gone down so far, and I look forward to seeing how they behave when sprayed over large surfaces. The colour matches seem pretty bob on too. The edge of the intake is a mixture of Dark Camo Grey mixed with Light Aircraft Grey to replicate the anti-corrosion paint applied. 

 

Back to work tomorrow so hopefully a couple of days and I can crack on with some of the smaller parts that need priming and pre-shading before giving it all a good going over! 

 

Take care

 

Daryl. 

[Deano353]

Nice kit I've made two of these years ago mind you the Hasegawa one like this and Revells re-box of Hasegawas kit. It's a pretty nice kit I look forward to seeing the final result.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Deano353

[FredmeisterPNE]

That ejection seats looks fantastic.  In my opinion, in comparison to my early endeavours so far in the modelling game, you're setting the standard there!  It took me a while to fathom the acronyms you were using too, but figured them out in the end 😳

I've got a Jaguar GR3 my missus bought me as a gift, the italeri one with the cat paint scheme (admittedly I will be building it in 41(F) Sqn Snow cat scheme) and wondered if you could advise where best I might source extra detailing for the cockpit, instrument panels etc please?  I've had a quick google but don't want to pay out without some advice and more reading on here first.

 

Thanks, Freddie.

Edited February 18, 2021 by FredmeisterPNE
Missed a word

[viper-30]

Fantastic work just caught up with this. Have one sat in the stash along with the 1/32 version...love the detail you’re managing to fit in.watching with interest..

[daryl_five_zero]

On 2/18/2021 at 9:59 PM, Deano353 said:

Nice kit I've made two of these years ago mind you the Hasegawa one like this and Revells re-box of Hasegawas kit. It's a pretty nice kit I look forward to seeing the final result.

 

I heard a lot of scare stories prior to starting this kit - it's my first Hasegawa Harrier - and although I can see that there is a lot  of scope for the build to go very wrong in a lot of places, the patience and perseverance are definitely worth it; it's a lovely kit with a lot of character. I'm very hopeful that it won't be my last! 

 

On 2/18/2021 at 11:52 PM, FredmeisterPNE said:

That ejection seats looks fantastic.  In my opinion, in comparison to my early endeavours so far in the modelling game, you're setting the standard there!  It took me a while to fathom the acronyms you were using too, but figured them out in the end 😳

I've got a Jaguar GR3 my missus bought me as a gift, the italeri one with the cat paint scheme (admittedly I will be building it in 41(F) Sqn Snow cat scheme) and wondered if you could advise where best I might source extra detailing for the cockpit, instrument panels etc please?  I've had a quick google but don't want to pay out without some advice and more reading on here first.

 

Thanks, Freddie.

 

Thanks for the kind words, Freddie. It means a lot, and comments like that genuinely spur me on when stuck with more difficult or tedious parts of building! I must admit, I am rather proud of the seat! 

 

I must admit, I'm not as familiar with the Jaguar as with other aircraft. I have the same kit in the stash... you've made a good choice on the scheme! I'm hoping when I come to build mine I might develop more of a familiarity with it as I have with the Harrier. These boards are an absolute wealth of collective knowledge, mind you, and I am certain there are others who will be able to offer a more informed opinion than I could muster. I was recently reading over a thread on here regarding the Jaguar - here's the post: 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235057673-raf-jaguar-overwing-sidewinder-pylon-tactical-scheme/

 

There are several members on there who may be worth asking for opinions. There are some members on this site who have a knowledge that I could only aspire to have! In the meantime, I've made several purchases based solely on kit reviews provided here in the reviews section of the forum, and I've never been disappointed! I very much look forward to seeing how your Jag turns out 😉

 

On 2/19/2021 at 7:25 AM, viper-30 said:

Fantastic work just caught up with this. Have one sat in the stash along with the 1/32 version...love the detail you’re managing to fit in.watching with interest..

 

Thanks! Hope I don't disappoint! 😅 It's been a real labour of love so far. I have toyed with the idea of getting a 1/32 Trumpy Harrier... I've seen the work some people on here have ploughed into their builds - looking at you @Piero - and developed a major inadequacy complex in the process. Maybe one day...

[daryl_five_zero]

Evening, all! 

Was on a bit of a roll today; have managed to get most of the base colour down on the Harrier. 

 

 

I'm really impressed with the Hataka paints; I'm using their red line acrylics from the Modern RAF set 1. Considering how many varied reviews I've read on them, I must say I'm pleased with how they go through my H&S Evolution. I tend to stick to Tamiya acrylics if I can, and have recently been using Vallejo Model Air quite frequently... these Hataka paints have definitely found a permanent position in my painting arsenal now though! 

 

I'm pleased with the way the rivet detail is sat under a couple of coats of paint. I'm not sure I'll do much in the way of a wash to accentuate them....I'll probably stick to panel lines. 

One of the reasons I decided upon modelling ZG511/82 was the mismatching of the replacement MSG panels across the airframe. I've seen lots of builds of ZD433 with its replacement MSG wing, but decided against that as I like the DSG on top for the most part. 

 

 

I went a bit lighter on the coat of DCG underneath, to allow the preshading to shine through a little more than on the upper surfaces. I anticipate weathering a little heavier on the undersides, so I didn't want more paint for it to fight through than necessary! I do still have the MSG ailerons and flaps to spray on the underside, this can wait until another sitting though; I'm all masked out for one night! 

 

 

Well, that's as far as I am as of tonight. I'll probably move on to some of the pylons next, give the coats of paint time to cure before glossing. Still plenty of more tedious jobs to keep me busy until I can have fun adding decals and weathering, mind you! 

Daryl. 

[Christer A]

That's an amazing  paintjob!

Great work!

[Biggles87]

I’ve had one of these sitting in a box for some years too along with a few aftermarket bits so I’ll tag along if I may, looking for tips.

 

John

[Alan P]

Great thread. Really impressed with your detailing work and the patchwork paintjob is spot on. I'm looking to build a 1/32 version this year and this is a nice bit of inspiration 👍

[daryl_five_zero]

17 hours ago, Christer A said:

That's an amazing  paintjob!

Great work!

Thanks for the kind words, Christer! It's always around this point where I do something silly and end up putting myself several steps back... hopefully I've passed that point! (touch wood)

 

16 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

I’ve had one of these sitting in a box for some years too along with a few aftermarket bits so I’ll tag along if I may, looking for tips.

 

John

 

By all means, John; the more the merrier! If I can post even one thing on this thread that makes somebody else's build a little more enjoyable, I'll consider it a success. I remember buying my kit during the same show at Cosford where I saw the Harrier fly for the last time... may say something about how long I had this one in the box! 😅

 

15 hours ago, Alan P said:

Great thread. Really impressed with your detailing work and the patchwork paintjob is spot on. I'm looking to build a 1/32 version this year and this is a nice bit of inspiration 👍

 

Thanks, Alan; really appreciate the kind words. Flattered if I can provide even a little inspiration! I'll pluck up the courage to pick up a big Harrier in 1/32 someday - just to have that one sat in the box for a decade or so! 

 

Just a quick update for tonite. Had a play about with the TERMA pod. Not much to say about this; typical Eduard resin, crisply moulded, lovely detail. A joy to work with all around.

 

It's painted in Vallejo FS36118 (Medium Gunship Grey) - was the colour callout that was most repeated whilst researching. A quick slathering of Flory Dark Dirt and a final coat of Windor & Newton Matt varnish.

 

I got around to spraying the underside flaps & ailerons in Medium Sea Grey, as per the uppers. Used more Tamiya tape than I care to admit... 

 

 

I've heard that a messy work area is the sign of an active mind. It doesn't really sound right to me, but makes me feel better about my lack of housework skills! Although in that mountain of mess, I can instantly tell you where 3 scalpels are, 5 kinds of glue, more tools than a B&Q... I could go on. 

 

 

A coat of Dark Camo Grey on the tanks and a start on the DJRP pod. That's only preliminary, but the Medium Gunship Grey as used on the TERMA pod looks a little dark for the DJRP; may revisit that one. 

Anyhow, thanks for dropping by, and watch this space! I'll try to get an update posted in the next couple of days. 

Take care and stay safe, all!  

Daryl.