Airfix Sea Harrier FRS.1 1/72

[Scargsy]

Once I get around to opening the box I'll be building this...

A fairly obvious choice but hopefully not too bad a kit (I think it's a relatively modern moulding), we'll see how it comes out compared to my first attempt with an airbrush (which was a Hasegawa Harrier a few years ago).

 

[Scargsy]

Slow start - here's the box contents...

Typical new Airfix instructions...

I have some window masks, I've ordered some '3d' instrument decals, it will be interesting to see what they're like.

Other than that - no build progress to report just yet.

 

 

[Scargsy]

So the Kits World 3D decals arrived, I wasn't overly impressed - firstly the 3D raised sections lead to white sides, secondly and possibly more importantly they just didn't want to stick, in the end I just used the kit decals for the cockpit.

 

Getting the pilot in was a bit of a struggle and ended up with him needing to be amputated below the knees.

The fan was built and painted and I closed up the fuselage halves - though it could have done with some filing down there as it didn't want to close nicely.

One nice thing is that the two rear assemblies for the rear gear and airbrake interiors slot together, though they don't quite fit flush to the fuselage (not a massive issue to me as I'll be doing it in flight with the doors shut.

 

[Scargsy]

So I sealed up all the doors, nothing too arduous however I'm fairly sure some of the instructions have the wrong parts numbers (fliped from L to R for the rearward one)...

 

One other annoying thing with this kit is they've clearly done a cut-down version of the instructions (from the initial 2010 release) so there is no mention of adding the nose sensors, small fins, etc.

 

After some minor filling, I primed it in Mr Surfacer 1500 black thinned with self-leveling thinner...

 

Then onto the top-coat (Mr Color 333), I'd forgotten to mask off the radome however (that will need a bit of touchup).

Next job is radome, decals and hopefully finished before the end of the GB!

 

 

 

 

[arfa1983]

Very nice finish on that primer! 

[Scargsy]

So a bit of black on the radome, a quick coat of Mr Hobby Topcoat Gloss and onto applying the decals.

 

I had a bit of silvering with the decals and a few issues - for example the instructions state there are some that run down the side of the canopy but there just isn't enough space!

Missiles I inadvertently painted white to start with but managed to notice the instructions suggest ghost grey, so repainted before I'd attached them.

Missiles, drop tanks and pylons were fitted after the decals - since the roundals runs underneath the pylon and having built Harriers before it's a pain getting the ID numbers in place with the drop-tanks on!

Final assembly, another quick coat of gloss clear, then I added a quick wash of Flory dark (clay/water wash) as a panel lining, before cleaning off the excess and adding a final light coat of Mr Topcoat Flat.

 

So there we have it, another kit finished - possibly not the greatest but not too bad overall, better than my last attempt at a Harrier, though I think the Hasegawa kit was generally nicer.

A fair few issues with this kit (the exhaust nossles being formed of two halves, being able to see daylight through the sides at the right angle (by the nossles), parts of the instructions missing for the smaller parts, etc.

Pics are from the finished item.

 

 

[John Ballman]

Nice, looks like it is heading in the right direction.

JB