Airfix 1/24 Sea Harrier FRS1: second thoughts on canopy shape

[sohoppy]

Hello all,

Here are some pics of my Airfix Sea Harrrier. It was a really difficult build - some of you will know the 'curse of the rivets' and the oddly fitting parts. And there is more detail in many modern 1/72 kits than you'll find with this offering. I also made life harder still for myself by building in working flight controls and lights and so on. Then, finally, I failed, once again, to produce a decent gloss finish with an airbrush and had some real difficulties with the decals. And the Extra Dark Sea Grey is almost certainly too extra flipping dark. I could go on. And I'm sure some of you will  pick up mistakes I haven't spotted yet. But, all that being said, it does make for an impressive looking thing in its own way.

 

I would also like to thank David Hughes of the wonderful Tangmere Aviation Museum https://www.tangmere-museum.org.uk/  for giving me the chance to take a close look at their FA2 as it provided many clues as to how various things move at full scale, like the outrigger wheels etc. Do visit them if you can: it's run by a very dedicated band of volunteers.

 

My build log is here:

So first up some general pics...

 

 

 

 

'Ah, but the intake vents are closed', I hear you say. That's true, of course, but she will be displayed in flight, eventually, when I get round to making a stand of some kind.

 

 

Incidentally, those black lines round the gun pods are supposed to be there. They have a kind of rubber flange to make an airtight join. These usually ended up painted over post Falklands schemes.

 

 

The Aim 9s sometimes had grey fins, as you can see on pictures of the Harriers on the flight deck as they headed South. Mine are perhaps too grey though.

 

 

 

Tomorrow, some dusk and night images.

Edited June 1, 2022 by sohoppy
mistake

[binbrook87]

Absolute belter! Fantastic 👍👍

[PlasticUtopia]

My, that is absolutely stunning. What a marvelous build and the intricate detailing is second to none.

 

 

Well done sohoppy

[Bedders]

A beauty. Well done.

 

J

[Farmerboy]

I think you have done a smashing job, be happy to have that on display,( if l had the room), good job!

[Alan P]

I think that's probably the most realistic portrayal of that kit I've seen completed. And the EDSG looks spot on to my eye. 

 

Excellent result and worth the time and extra detail you put in 👍 Really looking forward to some action photos or video of the lighting/dynamic features 😉

[Gatesy64]

Brilliant model of a notoriously poor kit. 

[kiseca]

It looks fantastic! I'd imagine its size makes it much more impressive in the flesh, just for sheer presence if not for the detail.

[wellsprop]

Utterly stunning! 

[sohoppy]

Many thanks everyone for your kind comments. Before we do the lights HUD and intruments panel I thought I put up some of these for fun. It was quite hard to think of a way of showing 'everything up' so I decided to borrow an idea from Gerry Anderson and have the model 'fly'.

 

A low level pass over the garden...

 

 

 

And coming in to land...

 

 

This was done with fishing line, a bit of a touch up here or there with MS paint - and some degreee of trepidation. One screw-up and it would have been total loss of the airframe.

[sohoppy]

The lights on this are fairly basic. There are two red flashing warning lights, dorsal and ventral, and these were made using flashing surface mount LEDs. After wiring these I found out, too late, a simple way to make the flashing coordinated. But the lights being out of sync on this model is not to big an issue because it is surprisingly hard to see both at the same time. The nav lights are all done by fibre optics connected to LEDs in the nose cone - where they can be reached if they fail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The illuminated HUD is very hard to photograph because, well, I can't get my phone into the cockpit for fairly obvious reasons but this pic gives an idea. The effect was made by using some of the black covered film from the Flightpath instrument dials and carefully scraping an approximation of a HUD display with a fine needle point. This is then illuminated from below with a LED and the lens above was made using my new favourite gloup - UV setting resin. The radar was done the same way. I also used the resin for the landing lights.

 

And, yes, I know the windshield framing needs a touch up. Incidentally, I think I placed the rudder predals too far forward following the dimensions on the Heritage/Simian cockpit tub. This means you can't really see them. I think they should be about 3 mm aft.

 

 

Well, that's it for now. I'll make short Youtube video of the controls working and post a link here in due course. Thanks for looking.

[Bertie McBoatface]

39 minutes ago, sohoppy said:

Incidentally, I think I placed the rudder predals too far forward following the dimensions on the Heritage/Simian cockpit tub. This means you can't really see them. I think they should be about 3 mm aft.

 

Well, they were adjustable for leg length so the last pilot must have been a lanky lad.

[tonyh]

Crikey that’s good.

 

Tony

 

[bigbadbadge]

Wowee,  what a cracking model and the you improve it with  all your electrical and mechanical wizardry.   Superb work. 

Great model.

Chris

[SAT69]

You have every reason to be absolutely and most positively proud of your work. It's wonderful!

[HOUSTON]

sohoppy ,

Absolutely AMAZING  Sea Harrier.

Your build is outstanding  and Top Notch Sir.

I love the Photographs   especially the low level garden fly past. They look SO realistic!!

Those night time Photographs  with lights are superb. 

Thank you for your efforts and sharing your joy  with us.

KUDOS.

 

 

 

[kiseca]

That is supreme! Excellent work. I am truly astounded.

[Pete in a shed]

Gawd blimey sah!

Pete

[sohoppy]

15 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

Well, they were adjustable for leg length so the last pilot must have been a lanky lad.

Yes, it would be odd if you couldn't I suppose. But whomever they got to adjust them would need to be something of a contortionist. Not a lot of room down there.

[Bertie McBoatface]

19 minutes ago, sohoppy said:

Yes, it would be odd if you couldn't I suppose. But whomever they got to adjust them would need to be something of a contortionist. Not a lot of room down there.

 

Nah, it is usually a handwheel at the foot of the instrument panel. The pilot does the adjusting to suit himself.

[RMP2]

A superb model with a whole load of dedication, time, sweat and no doubt a few tears and obscenaties at times. Extremely well done and something to be very proud of indeed.

I look forward to seeing more of it.

[Paulaero]

17 hours ago, sohoppy said:

The lights on this are fairly basic. There are two red flashing warning lights, dorsal and ventral, and these were made using flashing surface mount LEDs. After wiring these I found out, too late, a simple way to make the flashing coordinated. But the lights being out of sync on this model is not to big an issue because it is surprisingly hard to see both at the same time. The nav lights are all done by fibre optics connected to LEDs in the nose cone - where they can be reached if they fail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The illuminated HUD is very hard to photograph because, well, I can't get my phone into the cockpit for fairly obvious reasons but this pic gives an idea. The effect was made by using some of the black covered film from the Flightpath instrument dials and carefully scraping an approximation of a HUD display with a fine needle point. This is then illuminated from below with a LED and the lens above was made using my new favourite gloup - UV setting resin. The radar was done the same way. I also used the resin for the landing lights.

 

And, yes, I know the windshield framing needs a touch up. Incidentally, I think I placed the rudder predals too far forward following the dimensions on the Heritage/Simian cockpit tub. This means you can't really see them. I think they should be about 3 mm aft.

 

 

Well, that's it for now. I'll make short Youtube video of the controls working and post a link here in due course. Thanks for looking.

But does the altimeter move when you pick it up .....😂

 

Seriously amazing work 👏

[Pete Robin]

Seem to remember something along the lines of silk purses and sows ears.

Lovely, not usually a fan of jet thingys but it's British and proud of it.

Regards

Pete

[Deano353]

That's a very nice Harrier! I've seen lights and even cockpit lights but never a HUD before that's next level detail right there!

[sohoppy]

Apologies this has taken so long but here, finally, is the promised short youtube video of my Sea Harrier's working features - flight controls lights etc. The editing was done in a bit of a hurry - which shows. The filming, on the other hand, was done by my eldest daughter with her customary humour and patience...

 

 

For anyone interested, my channel has quite a lot of other kit conversions of one kind or another, armour, ships, rc submarines etc, many of them doing quite unexpected things.