CMK Harrier T.12 Conversion Kit (4373 for Hasegawa) 1:48

[Mike]

Harrier T.12 Conversion Kit (4373 for Hasegawa)

1:48 CMK by Special Hobby

 

 

The Hawker Harrier, later under BAe’s auspices has had a two-seat trainer in both its original metal-winged version and the newer composite winged upgrade.  Kinetic’s newish kit covers the T.2. T.2A, T.4, T.4N and T.8 variants, but there were another two, the last of which was the T.12, a series of nine T.10s that were upgraded to GR.9 standards, the last of the British Harriers in service with the RAF.  There were also T.12As with more powerful engines, with T.10s onwards being combat capable should the need arise.

 

 

If you want to model a T.12, this new set coupled with the rear-end of a Hasegawa Harrier is now your eariest option.  The set arrives in a good-sized sturdy cardboard box, and the reason for this becomes clear when you open the top flap.  There are two large single-piece vacform canopies pulled from a single sheet, a fuselage front half as a single moulding with 20 more parts in grey resin, a small sheet of decals, two slips of clear acetate sheet with the HUD glass shapes printed on them in black, and two small Photo-Etch (PE) frets and a folded up instruction booklet that acts as protection for the parts during transport, as do the two ziplok bags that the parts (except the fuselage) arrive in.  First impressions are excellent, and live up to the “The best for the detail hungry” motto on the rear of the box.  The canopies are crystal clear and very crisply formed, and a spare is always welcome in case you slip-up during cutting out.

 

After the parts diagram, the first step shows the parts of the kit that need adjusting, including removing the slime lights on the LERX, removal of the tail stinger, and tabs on each side of the nose parts that are no-longer needed.  It’s all pretty straightforward, then it’s a case of removing the casting blocks from the resin parts and cleaning up the cuts.  They’re sensibly placed so that it shouldn’t take too much effort, and their contact patch cross-section has been minimised to assist in this.

 

Construction revolves around the forward fuselage, with the rudders and control sticks added first, then the aft spine with bulkhead, central coaming with detail insert, and front coaming fitted, including two instrument inserts glued into the two main panels.  The adjusted kit nose fits onto the front, then the twin seats and HUDs are made up from PE and acetate parts before the canopy is glued over the whole, having a separate windscreen part.  If you wish to cut the canopy to open them up, there is the aforementioned spare, then you add two intakes either side of the spine and join the assembly to the rest of the fuselage, remembering to paint the short intake trunking at the rear of the cockpit.  At the rear, a totally new larger tail fin replaces the kit part, and the removed stinger is replaced by the longer resin part, with the blade antenna facing downwards.

 

Resin usually comes still attached to its pour block, which is where the resin is poured into the mould and acts as an overflow and bubble-catcher for more rustic manufacturers that don’t have access to pressure casting methods.  These will have to be removed before you can assemble or paint the parts, so there will be a little extra time needed to prepare the model for construction.  With resin, you should take the precaution of wearing a mask when cutting or sanding it, as all tiny particles are harmful to your health if breathed in.  Washing the parts in warm water will also improve the adhesion of paint, as there may still be some mould release agent on the parts when you receive them.  Take care not to use water that is too hot, as this may cause deformation to more delicate parts, but this factor can conversely be used to fix warped parts, using cold water to “freeze” the changes in the parts.  My sample had no such issues of course.

 

 

Markings

The instructions advise that the colour of the twin-seater cockpit is identical to the single seat variant that can be found in the kit instructions, and includes additional decals for two airframes, so you can build one of the following:

 

• Harrier T.12, 105/ZH657, 800 NAS, FAA, 2010
• Harrier T.12, 108/ZH660, No.20(R) Sqn, RAF, 2010

 

 

The decals are printed for Special Hobby by Eduard, and are in good register, sharpness and colour density.  The diagrams show the kit decals required in purple, and a pair of det-cord canopy breaker decals are included for your use.

 

 

Conclusion

An excellent set that is full of detail and should be relatively easy to build even if you have never used a resin conversion kit before.  As long as you have a motor tool or razor saw to cut away the casting blocks, you should be fine.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[exdraken]

Looks like a great and easy to use set!

Thanks for the review!