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Airfix 1/48 Jaguar T2 Conversion


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This is superb! I'd love a two-seat Jag one day. Glad to read the Airfix single seater is still considered good though, as I have two in the stash. 

 

What does everyone think of the Revell one? I built one a couple of years ago and thought it looked nice, but is the Airfix even better? I'd get a KH T2 but have been put off by so many comments on this forum - is the KH kit only no good if you're pro standard like most of you, or would someone even baulk at it even if I just wanted something Jag T2 shaped to remind them of hours stood at the fence at Colt? 

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5 hours ago, Lord Riot said:

What does everyone think of the Revell one? I built one a couple of years ago and thought it looked nice, but is the Airfix even better?

The Revell kit is from the same molds as Airfix, as is the Heller kit. It was released both by Airfix and Heller in 1994 (in RAF and French boxings respectively) and Airfix later re-released it in a GR3A/ES boxing and Heller in a GR1A boxing. Finally Revell released an RAF GR1A version in 2014.

 

So except for I think different noses, overwing sidewinder rails, possibly some ordnance and decals, they're all the same. I suppose the earlier boxings might have slightly better moldings as the tools were younger and the newer boxings might have healthier decals.

 

Regarding the Kitty Hawk kit, I'd be happy to build one. I know the more discerning modeller doesn't like something about the leading edge of the wing and the inaccurate ordnance supplied in the kit and there are apparently quite a few annoying fit issues largely related to the many panels that can be posed open, but in the end it looks a lot like a Jaguar. And with no Paragon resin any more, it's your only option for a T2 in this scale.

 

One thing for sure is that @Peter W is proving here that the Airfix kit plus resin and some terrific scratchbuilding makes one heck of a Jaguar.

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6 hours ago, Lord Riot said:

This is superb! I'd love a two-seat Jag one day. Glad to read the Airfix single seater is still considered good though, as I have two in the stash. 

 

What does everyone think of the Revell one? I built one a couple of years ago and thought it looked nice, but is the Airfix even better? I'd get a KH T2 but have been put off by so many comments on this forum - is the KH kit only no good if you're pro standard like most of you, or would someone even baulk at it even if I just wanted something Jag T2 shaped to remind them of hours stood at the fence at Colt? 

 

The later Revell release has a lovely decal sheet, worth it for that alone over the Airfix and certainly the KH sheet which is wrong in so many ways. However - the Airfix sheet should have a second set of stencils that are passable for an RAF bird.

 

The KH Jags.... yes, they are "fun" but I didnt feel they deserve as bad a rep as they got. This could well be because the fit issues arent insurmountable and things such as oversized fuel tank fins can be easily fixed. Also - the Airfix/Revell Jag kits have 2 sets of pylons if memory serves, so these can be modded a little and used over the incorrect French pylons in the KH offering. The KH kits have slightly iffy BL755 bombs, but again, if you have an Airfix/Revell kit to hand the try the tail sections from those on the KH BL755s, they look a bit better.

Watch out for incorrectly numbered parts in the KH instructions around the main undercarriage - the worst part of the build for me, very frustrating.

One bonus with the KH Two Seater is that they included wing fences rather than just overwing pylons, albeit they are in PE, but still, saves scratch building them.

 

Overall neither the Airfix/Revell or KH are great kits. The former being filler sponges often with warped and flashy parts in my experience, the airbrakes being particularly woeful. The KH has had enough said about it, but mine used a lot less filler, more trimming.

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I have a love/hate relationship with the KH kit and have had one ‘on the go’ for a couple of years. No build thread yet as I had stalled on the stickies to go on it. The kit ones are naff. No walkway stencilling for a start. One quirk though is that they have replicated the pylon stencils from the static Cosford examples! 
 

It’s engineered to have everything out and hanging and if you decide to button it up like I do, that is where the fit issues start. For example, you need to install the engine bay and both engines, just to fit the exhausts! The drop tanks aren’t oversize they are actually smaller than real life for RAF birds at least. The first release was a French A, so the pylons, weapons and probably tanks, are all French spec.

 

The biggest howler is the wing leading edge. From the separate flaps, it’s a curve to the fuselage - it should be straight. Talking of the wing, the GR.1/3 boxing has no wing fences. They’re there on the French boxing (and T.2 I think)!!!!

 

I have the mortal remains of an ESCI Jag (dreadful and chunky btw) but recovered the main undercarriage. It looks more solid, so that will be shoehorned into the build.

 

I got mine cheap - certainly wouldn’t have paid full whack for it.

 

In short, it’s “challenging”. 
 

Trevor

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Peter,

 

have you done any progress with your build?

 

By the way, which paint scheme/sqn markings do you plan to use/apply?

 

I'm asking this because I'm building the Italeri T2 and I want to finish it with the BS381C 638 / BS381C 629 scheme but, the second colour is hard to find.

 

I have just bought the AK Interactive "629" but, it's too dark! All the photos show this colour to have a light towards medium hue and the "AK" looks more like the '638' and less than the actual colour!

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

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On 10/12/2020 at 4:33 PM, Shalako said:

Hi Peter,

 

have you done any progress with your build?

 

By the way, which paint scheme/sqn markings do you plan to use/apply?

 

I'm asking this because I'm building the Italeri T2 and I want to finish it with the BS381C 638 / BS381C 629 scheme but, the second colour is hard to find.

 

I have just bought the AK Interactive "629" but, it's too dark! All the photos show this colour to have a light towards medium hue and the "AK" looks more like the '638' and less than the actual colour!

 

Any thoughts?

 

Hi Shalako,

 

I’ve been drawn into the Tornado group build, so this one hasn’t had any progress lately.

 

I’m not sure what squadron yet but it will be a green/grey wraparound scheme. I used Hataka Modern Royal Air Force Vol.2 paint set for a Canberra that I finished recently and will use them again for this one, as they looked pretty close.

 

Pete

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  • 3 months later...

Time to bring this one back up to the top with a small update.

 

Group builds (that I'm in) are over for a while, so got back to this with a masking session on the canopy's and then took care of the resin nose piece. Paragon cast the resin nose cone with the pitot tube as part of it but the limitations of resin meant that it was a bit warped. The easiest way around this was to remove the pitot tube and drill a small hole in the front, for a metal probe to go in.

pZtnZc5.jpg?1

then put a small pin in the nose to help with locating the nose cone.

4t2ddWi.jpg?1

glued it on and cleaned up before popping the pitot tube in for a look. 

nfDGPt1.jpg?1

much better I think.

 

Back soon

Pete

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On 1/22/2021 at 7:44 AM, Biggles87 said:

I've recently become a fan of turned brass pitots, particularly the Mirage/Jaguar types with the bulged tips. They certainly add more to the overall effect than the plastic variety.

 

John

Hi John - agree 100%. They really are a relatively inexpensive extra that adds a lot to the front end. I also like the metal AOA probes too, but they do take a steady handy and good tweezers when fitting to avoid them flying off and never to be seen again.

 

A little bit more to show as well. I spent a few hours getting the clear bits masked up and then a wash to get it ready for some paint.

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followed by a couple more hours in a cold garage getting an undercoat on.

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I got there in the end even though those blue (Ted Antonopoulos) drop tanks were a bit resistant to being grey 😁

 

A few bits to attend to, but nothing that bad, and then it'll be ready for some colour.

 

Pete

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another small but significant update on this one. I don't think that I've ever done a model that was so awkward to mask up and paint, no idea why it just seemed to be difficult to hold and manage. I got the medium sea grey on ok but the dark green had to be done in four sittings and just working on one area at a time. Then got the black leading edges on and other colours, which leaves me here and all ready for some gloss coats.

 

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Nearly time for some decal fun.

 

Pete

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2 hours ago, RMP2 said:

Nice going there and good to see Teds tanks still being popular, I helped him a bit with Jag pylons etc a few years back 🙂

Hi RMP2, - your help definitely paid dividends for this kit, the pylons and other parts are a big step up from the Airfix ones.

 

40 minutes ago, Biggles87 said:

She’s looking good with the paint on.

Masking a wraparound camouflage scheme is always a challenge I think, especially on a high winged aircraft.

 

John

Hi John - I couldn't resist doing the wraparound scheme though, so had to be done. I don't think it helps that the Jaguar is a small plane, even in 1/48th scale, and there's nowhere to easily hang on to with the flaps and things glued in place.

 

Pete

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  • 2 weeks later...

Time for another milestone update. When I started this it was always going to be a wraparound scheme but I didn't think much beyond that and the headaches it would cause. I had some No.6 Sqn markings from a Kits-World sheet that ticked that box and I thought that I had the stencils covered with an Xtradecal sheet that shows a wraparound jaguar on the front sheet. The trouble is, on opening, there isn't a single piece of data on the sheet that covers a camouflaged Jaguar purely the grey ones. I don't know why I thought that it be plain sailing because it never is. The following days were spent finding and adding decals from Kits-World, Model Alliance, Xtradecal. Microscale. Hobbyboss and any number of other sheets. I did even look at the Airfix sheet but that behaved just like you'd expect a twenty odd year old sheet of Airfix decals to behave. To be fair, they behaved like a new Airfix sheet of decals would have behaved from that era. Lot's of making decals from pieces of data added over a piece of white decal, thin roundel blue stripes for the fin flash and so on. It's fun this hobby of ours 😁. Anyway that all leads to here:

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Decals are all on, well as least as many as are going to be on, and they're sealed with a gloss coat. Next comes the job that I've been dreading, the undercarriage. It's a pretty good fit in the location groove but, as anyone who has built one will know, it doesn't fit perfectly and aligning it to be level and true isn't a walk in the park. I've added a brace between the axles to help and this will be cut out when it's all set. Fingers crossed that it sits wings level when all done.

uN3ddF7.jpg?1

 

Lots left to do and a few hurdles ahead but getting there.

 

Pete

Edited by Peter W
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12 hours ago, stoohoo said:

Looking really nice mate, love the wraparound camo and the conversion is looking seamless. Good job on scratching the decals together, they certainly all look the part!

Hi Stu - cheers mate, it was a few nights of ploughing through every sheet of decals in the bank trying to find something close. All in all I’m pretty pleased with it.

3 hours ago, amos brierley said:

Hi-yer Peter W ,     coming along nicely.  😉

Hi Amos - getting ever closer to the finishing line, just the bit I’m dreading now - those vac-form canopy’s.

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Looking good.  I hope your undercarriage brace does it’s job.  I have to say that I have never been big on 2 seat variants but this one, in wrap around camo, looks great.  And maybe a twin seat Hunter.

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14 minutes ago, Biggles87 said:

Excellent job on the camouflage, the masking must have been a nightmare. I also like the idea of the brace between the main undercarriage legs, I wish I'd seen it before I did mine on the Mirage F1 which presents a similar problem.

 

John

Hi John - I'm sure that I saw the idea on one of the builds that I was following a while ago and saved it in the memory bank for this very kit. The Airfix location is pretty good but still not easy to keep it all aligned. This still needs a bit of care but worked out well.

 

One more step forward to show too. I got a matt coat on last night then started to do the last few bits and I couldn't resist popping the ejection seats in just to get a look at the final office.

jsiLJZJ.jpg?1

JwAZ6LM.jpg?1

 

Back soon

Pete

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14 hours ago, Peter W said:

Hi Amos - getting ever closer to the finishing line, just the bit I’m dreading now - those vac-form canopy’s.

I’m not a fan of vac-form parts, but, in the past I’ve filled vac-formed canopies with blue tac to stop it flexing and a thin black marker pen to highlight the cut line. As I’m not sure if you’ve done this sort of stuff before, therefore I hope this helps. 😁

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19 hours ago, Peter W said:

getting ever closer to the finishing line, just the bit I’m dreading now - those vac-form canopy’s.


Pose them open & no one will ever know if they fit when closed!

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I don't see a lot of weathering at least on the upper surfaces, or, even some colour fading.

 

Were Jaguars preserved that well? The reason why I am asking this is because I am also very close to finishing mine (two tone-greys scheme) but, I am not sure how much weathering I should apply.

 

Cheers,

 

Bill

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