EAP help needed

[Plastica]

Dear all,

I have the old Pegasus 1/72nd scale EAP kit (Eurofighter predecessor) which I would like to build.

Beside well known limitations of short run, I am aware this is also not the most accurate EAP representation.

While browsing the internet, I found surprisingly little data on this interesting type, so I would like to ask here for help in regard to what needs to be modified in this kit to make it better, detailed photos of real thing and accurate 3-view plans. In short anything that could help me in making this a proper model.

Thank you all in advance!

 

[Julien]

@bentwaters81tfw might be able to help as he is one of the few people I know brave enough to attempt the Pegasus kit, and get a decent looking model out of it!

 

Depending on how hard you looked we have a walkaround of the one at Cosford 

 

 

Julien

[meindert]

more than 25 years ago I made the kit. Some photos en indeed link to Cosford walk around can be found here....

[tempestfan]

9 hours ago, Plastica said:

Dear all,

I have the old Pegasus 1/72nd scale EAP kit (Eurofighter predecessor) which I would like to build.

Beside well known limitations of short run, I am aware this is also not the most accurate EAP representation.

While browsing the internet, I found surprisingly little data on this interesting type, so I would like to ask here for help in regard to what needs to be modified in this kit to make it better, detailed photos of real thing and accurate 3-view plans. In short anything that could help me in making this a proper model.

Thank you all in advance!

 

"British Experimental Aircraft" (or similar) by Barry Hygate will be very helpful, with scale drawings, text and pics. IIRC there was also a feature article in SMI (1985/6/7 ?) in which the drawings were reprinted.

[bentwaters81tfw]

If you are brave enough to tackle this kit, this what I can offer. The plastic is like soap, but does respond to normal glues (lots of it).

First off, it fits where it touches, and there are lots of gaps to fill with strips of plastic or bits of sprue before you get to your chosen putty. Lots of test "fitting"

Getting the rear fuselage together was the hard part. There are no gear bays, so I used thin plastic sheet to fabricate them. Of course these have to be done before fitting the lower fuselage. I made a cross brace or two from sprue to get the profile before fitting the bottom.

When you fit the intake box, leave a section of sprue attached as this will give the makings of the intake duct, and give you something to mount the nose gear to.

The decals will be shot, so I gave it about 3 coats of Microscale Decal Coat, then used only the EAP lettering. The rest was painted or from the spares box.

It's 20 years since I built it. I did buy a second one but recently sold it as life's too short to have another go.

 

A large container of your favoured beverage is recommended, and a darkened room. Be prepared to walk away and come back another day.

[DougC]

Best advice re. the Pegasus EAP? Bin it. Sorry, but it's an absolute dog, very much of its time (early 80s) and significantly underscale.

 

Much better option is the more recent kit from Freightdog/ Silver Cloud. It's lovely but limited run, so difficult to get hold of. Colin@Freightdog Models does frequent these pages, so if there's enough demand, maybe he'll re-release it? Hint, hint!

 

References: Aeroguide Special is definitive & has 1/72 scale plans.

 

There's also an edition of Aircraft Modelworld from the 1980s - 90s with a good feature on the EAP. I can scan & send you a copy if you want?

[tempestfan]

1 hour ago, DougC said:

Silver Cloud. 

 

References: Aeroguide Special is definitive & has 1/72 scale plans.

 

Wasn't Silver Cloud an alternative brand to Pegasus in Chris Gannon's latter days?

 

Right, that Aeroguide Special - how could I forget...

[Tigerausfb]

16 minutes ago, tempestfan said:

Wasn't Silver Cloud an alternative brand to Pegasus in Chris Gannon's latter d

And Blue Max!

Edited April 22 by Tigerausfb

[Plastica]

Thank you all very much. 

It seems I will have to tackle Pegasus kit after all, as I don't think Silver Cloud or Freightdog kits could be found anymore anywhere.

As for details, walkarounds to which you provided links are excellent, thank you so much!

Unfortunately none of them shows wheel bays or cockpit interiors which remain mysteries to me.

Edited April 29 by Plastica

[Rob de Bie]

The real thing resides at a university if I'm not mistaken, so you probably can take a look yourself..

 

Rob

[RAF4EVER]

ZF534 EAP is at RAF Museum Cosford

 

[bentwaters81tfw]

6 hours ago, RAF4EVER said:

ZF534 EAP is at RAF Museum Cosford

 

This photograph was taken when the airframe was at Loughborough University, prior to it's donation to RAF Cosford. Note the detatched wing.

[Julien]

On 30/04/2025 at 11:10, Rob de Bie said:

The real thing resides at a university if I'm not mistaken, so you probably can take a look yourself..

 

Rob

During the second half of 1991, the Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering department of Loughborough University received the EAP aircraft, where it was used as a static instructional aid in the teaching of Aeronautical Engineering students for many years. In early 2012, in response to a request from the Royal Air Force (RAF), the EAP was transported to the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford; it has since been reassembled and put on public display in the museum's collection.

 

 

[zebra]

On 5/1/2025 at 3:12 AM, bentwaters81tfw said:

Note the detatched wing.

I was there when it was installed - it wouldn't fit in the building with both wings attached. The tip of the fin had to be removed as well. It was quite a lot bigger than the Jag that preceded it, and the Jet Provost before that!

[Graham Boak]

The tip of the fin appeared after a Dassault visitor commented that it was a Tornado fin.  Someone high up took umbrage so the curved tip was added.  I'm not surprised it was easily detachable.

 

It was  indeed a Tornado fin but only after the Germans pulled out so cheap and quick design shortcuts had to be found.  IIRC it still wasn't big enough supersonically.  But it otherwise did the job.

[exdraken]

First time I see those photos in gbe walk-around! Thanks!

 

I never really studied the Eurofighter tech Demonstrator before  but interesting how close it actually was to the production one then! But seems a lot stubbier... no wonder the Tornado fin ( indeed!) was too small... 

 

Any photos of the plastic parts? Never heard of this kit before....!

~1/72 I guess...