At Sea Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 Every so often a kit comes along that makes you wonder why you bother. This sapped so much Mojo and to be honest it went very close to the bin on more than one occasion. Good bits: It's a Jaguar in this scale which appears to be the right shape. Bad bits: Fit, incoherent instructions. Awful decals. Fiddly photoetch which brings nothing to the party that couldn't have been better moulded in plastic. A ridiculous build sequence that I totally ignored and caused no additional issues. I lost my temper with the photo etch and then lost it properly. Kit wise I have tried to represent a 6 squadron Jag from 1989 as depicted on the Xtra Decal 6 squadron leaflet. Wilful inaccuracies: Tornado GR.1 stencils placed in stencilly places. No ILS aerials as I lost them as had insufficient mojo to scratch them put of plastic. Tornado 1200l wing tanks as there are no wing tanks in the kit and I think they look good, albeit 200l too big. No wing fences, as I had insufficient mojo to scratch them. No weathering or washes, see mojo for details. Well here it is in all it's inaccurate glory. 2 weeks since finishing and from 6 foot away I'm kind of pleased with it. Just as well since I shan't be doing another! 33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
At Sea Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 For those that are interested I built the two fuselage halves, the forward undercarriage only the main leg, and I fitted the main gear after painting etc which requires a mod to the main gear legs to get them to fit in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avgas Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 20 minutes ago, At Sea said: Bad bits: Fit, incoherent instructions. Awful decals. Fiddly photoetch which brings nothing to the party that couldn't have been better moulded in plastic. A ridiculous build sequence that I totally ignored and caused no additional issues. Aaaah, Kittyhawk... 😒 Your experience mirrors, to the letter, my experience with their Mirage F1B. Mine sat on a shelf, unfinished, for a few years and when I did decide to pick it up again, I dropped it, splitting the canopy in two. So, well done on finishing the battle and congrats on what looks like a fine victory! The result appears well worth the struggle I'd say! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorty84 Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 (edited) Thankfully you've finished it instead of binning it. Otherwise we could not enjoy such a nice Jag 👍 There are a lot of horror stories about the fit of KHs Jaguar and your build seems to reinforce that (good that I have 2 of them ). Maybe you can share what the most critical areas are you've encountered? I've heared that the engine access doors are tricky to install without gaps. Btw, nice collection of RAF fast jets! Cheers Markus Edited May 24, 2020 by Shorty84 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 At the end of the day (and probably a few nights?) a most presentable Jaguar! Slick model… Kind regards, Joachim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonH Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 I have to say CONGRATULATIONS. You have produced a fine looking Jaguar from an absolute dog of a kit. My feeble attempt is now a paint mule, I didn't get anywhere near finishing it. I echo everything you have said that saps the mojo. So, to finish it and to have such a nice result is a tremendous achievement. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phone Phixer Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 Full marks for perseverance, to battle through and complete the kit. It looks like a Jaguar in the end, great work. Add to your list of things wrong with KH's offering:- Wrong shape weapons pylons (French), curved wing leading edge and slats that are way too deep. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 great Jag!! 5 hours ago, At Sea said: Tornado 1200l wing tanks as there are no wing tanks in the kit and I think they look good, albeit 200l too big. No wing fences, as I had insufficient mojo to scratch them. No weathering or washes, see mojo for details. I fear the tank shape is slighty off, the Jag's tanks are kind of coke-bottle shaped.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris148 Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 Nice work,well worth the perseverance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 Looking good! You'd never be able to tell you had any issues, it looks fantastic. Always love to see a proper camouflage RAF Jag! I always assumed the Kittyhawk Jag must be superb given the prices on ebay. Does this mean the T2 is a dog of a kit too? Wanted it for ages but the cost puts me off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 Lovley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
At Sea Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 45 minutes ago, Lord Riot said: Does this mean the T2 is a dog of a kit too? Wanted it for ages but the cost puts me off. Save your money for a tin triangle in November old boy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
At Sea Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 Thanks everyone for your kind words, Nice to see my perseverance is appreciated! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzby061 Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 Nicely wrestled into submission. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 You have a nice clean build, a very good paint job, decals look good and displayed with your other models it looks wonderful. That you finished the beast is a tribute to the quality of your character. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG058 Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 Well it looks good to me! And the bad news...I just started this kit yesterday. I've heard it was bad so I was kind of expecting it. You've just put the fear into me though! Wish me luck... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
At Sea Posted May 25, 2020 Author Share Posted May 25, 2020 1 hour ago, DAG058 said: Well it looks good to me! And the bad news...I just started this kit yesterday. I've heard it was bad so I was kind of expecting it. You've just put the fear into me though! Wish me luck... Well good luck! The best hint I can give is to join the fuselage halves separately and to test fit everything lots! I used 2 self adhesive 5g wheel weights for cars behind the cockpit tub and it's quite firm on it's nose leg. This is useful as that is where I got the hint about modding the undercart so it can be installed later. The nose leg main moulding is quite strong enough to be fitted early on. https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/aircraft-kittyhawk-jaguar-gr1gr3-build-review 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG058 Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 22 hours ago, At Sea said: Well good luck! The best hint I can give is to join the fuselage halves separately and to test fit everything lots! I used 2 self adhesive 5g wheel weights for cars behind the cockpit tub and it's quite firm on it's nose leg. This is useful as that is where I got the hint about modding the undercart so it can be installed later. The nose leg main moulding is quite strong enough to be fitted early on. https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/aircraft-kittyhawk-jaguar-gr1gr3-build-review Thanks for the tips. I had a quick scratch around today, I'm going to keep going, it must just be a bit of a slow project. With the fuselage, do you mean stick the front end and back end together first, then glue the port and starboard sides? Thanks for the link for the U/C, I did wonder about that one. See you on the other side... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
At Sea Posted May 27, 2020 Author Share Posted May 27, 2020 5 hours ago, DAG058 said: With the fuselage, do you mean stick the front end and back end together first, then glue the port and starboard sides? Exactly that! Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger331 Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 Kitty Hawk missed a real trick with this kit - They could have well and truly wrapped up the 1:48 Jaguar market if they had applied a bit more thought to the accuracy and construction of this kit. As I understand it the overall shape is pretty good (apart from the leading edge of the wings) and your completed model bears this out. The overly complicated construction with all of those unwanted open panels etc combined with the 'lazy' inclusion of a French orientated weapons fit really let the kit down and have put a lot of modellers off. I applaud your tenacity and determination to complete this challenging kit....hopefully Kinetic will oblige us all someday (as they will be doing with the Mirage F.1....another favourite of mine). Well Done, Sir ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumblestripe Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 i do like to see a themed display cabinet. Nice work, cap doffed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham T Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 Well wrestled into shape but remind me to avoid this kit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 Looks good from over here! Fits in nicely with your cabinet too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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