Harrier Building Frenzy

Of the Cold War 'fast jets' - the Harrier is unique in the public imagination for being the 'Jump Jet'. Other faster, more modern VTOL/STOL aircraft have been around since - but none come close to putting vertical take-offs on the map like the Harrier family.

Upon searching through the 'stash' I counted in excess of a dozen Harriers, Sea Harriers and AV-8s in various scales - of which a couple were duplicates (3 Sea Harriers for example). I thus decided to try to trim down the number of jump-jets in the collection - although given my previous track record I'll end up refilling the stash with more of them the next time I walk past a model shop.

Recently completed is the FRS.1 Sea Harrier in 1/48 scale - based on Airfix's older tooling from the 1980s. Once painted and decorated with decals - it looked every bit the part when finished - if lacking in minor surface details. I still think the overall shape and profile of this tooling is better than the Tamiya FRS.1 - so in this respect the kit has aged well when updated with modern decals and paints.

I then decided halfway through the 1/48 build to have a crack at the 1/72 version of another FRS.1 - also by Airfix. The newer tooling really comes alive when placed next to the older, larger kit - with recessed panel lines combined with fine detail on the fuselage and stores.

Much confusion ensued when this model-maker picked up the wrong set of instructions (1/72 tooling is modern, has more parts and is more detailed than the 1/48) and wondered why the part numbers didn't match up. 

The two morals of the story - 1) don't buy too many Harrier kits and 2) don't try to be clever and tackle two builds of the same type of aircraft from the same kit company at the same time!

Next Week - The 1/48 Hawker Fury.... and another Harrier

On the Workbench - F-16 'Fighting Falcon' , Sea Harrier FRS 1 and the B-25 Mitchell

I prefer to build 'classic' or 'historic' aircraft - namely machines which tend to no longer be in use and generally consigned to museums. This can range from the usual suspects such as Spitfires all the way up to the now-extinct (at least in the skies over Britain) Harrier jump jet. These machines tend to be popular in model form due to their recognition among the public at large - rather than their original purpose as weapons of war.

Occasionally I will produce a model of an existing type if it's service life goes back far enough to be considered historical - such was the case with the F-16 - specifically the early production F-16A which saw use in the latter half of the Cold War. Considerable numbers of NATO F-16s were parked around Europe waiting for a war which thankfully never happened.

This is the Italeri kit in 1/48 scale. While it does have a one or two accuracy and fitting issues compared to newer kits and toolings - you would have to be particularly keen and familiar with the nuts and bolts of a real-life F-16A in order to notice. It otherwise builds up into a smart replica of an early-model F-16 and gives the modeller plenty of bits and bobs to detail (such as the cockpit above).

Also on the bench is a Sea Harrier in 1/48 scale - built up using the Airfix kit. Again it is an older tooling with raised panel lines and limited detail on the under-wing stores. Having built more than a few of these - the raised panel lines aren't so noticeable on the Harrier when it is painted in EDSG (Extra Dark Sea Grey) if you aren't aiming to pin-wash the model. The under-wing stores issues are being remedied by liberating some spare parts from the F-16 kit sprues!

Now that the main sub-assemblies (wings, main fuselage, etc). have been painted - the airframe will be brought together and fitted with landing gear, stores and canopy before finishing with decals and final detailing.

Inspired by a recent visit to Duxford and the refurbished American Air Museum - I decided to get a move on with the B-25 build. This is Airfix's version in 1/72 scale - albeit with a few tweaks to the colour scheme (the kit option was natural metal finish in USAAF colours or olive drab in RAF colours - so I decided to mix the two) and a bit of free-hand painting for the nose art.

Coming soon to an auction site near you!

On the Workbench this week...

I've decided if I can reduce the size of the 'stash' - that vast collection of kits and un-built models that any modelmaker ends up accruing but yet never seems to manage to build! Such collections only ever seem to grow in size and number!

Highlights of this mad building frenzy include this Tucano trainer in 1/72 - this has since been bought not so long ago and has gone to a loving home. Quite a nice 'weekend kit' - the only issue is in getting a glossy black finish devoid of brush-marks. I prefer brushes for small jobs like this one and spraying for larger multi-engine beasties. Lots of thin coats and some decent brushes resulted in a smooth finish as seen below.

Also on the table is this Folland Gnat - at this point it currently needs gloss coating and a pin wash to bring out the recessed detail - but otherwise quite a smart looking model even unfinished. A small aircraft even in real life - in 1/72 scale it fits in the palm of your hand.

I enjoy putting them together (especially the recent Airfix tooling) - one future project will be to buy up nine of them and create a full display team - I just need to work out how to create a stand that will hold nine models aloft without looking like a small tree!

Finally, a Sea Harrier FA2. Not a personal favourite of mine in terms of shape or lines - the large radome makes the thing look like it's always nose-down when landed or in flight - however in model form it looks good in 'clean' format (no hardpoints or weapon stores). It has been bought since this photo was taken - so someone obviously agreed! The aforementioned stash is populated with a fair few too many Harriers and Sea Harriers of different marks and scales - so expect to see a few more of these in the next few months.

On the workbench - The old ones are the best.

The model kit manufacturers have been releasing a rapid succession of new and improved toolings that replace many older kits. The newer toolings have greater levels of detail and are often considerably more accurate in proportions due to advances in measuring the prototypes.

The models below are not new toolings - the moulds for one or two of these were made and first put into production before I was even born. Some parts of the kits simply did not fit together unless attacked with sanding paper and vast quantities of filler. The Grumman and Douglas in particular were covered in a swathes of rivets that made the surface of the fuselage more akin to a cactus than an airframe.

1/72 Douglas Devastator - The vibrancy of the colour scheme makes this model stand out on any shelf. The difficulties in getting the various assemblies to fit were more than compensated by the end result.

1/144 Boeing Clipper - How I would have loved a 1/72 version of this - however posting it to it's new owner would have posed some problems on account of the size of the thing. The natural metal finish was simulated by painting metallic silver enamel with a few coats of gloss varnish over the top to give it a sheen.

So why choose these models to build rather than a selection of Airfix or Revell's newest offerings?

Sometimes it is good to tackle these classic kits - if only to act as a reminder of how far things have come in the plastic kit world in a fairly short space of time. The quality of the plastic; the resolution and brightness of the transfers and so on.

1/72 Grumman Duck - Most amphibian aircraft tend to look ungainly (with some exceptions such as the Catalina) and the Duck is no exception. Main issues consisted of trying to align the wings and struts - none of which seemed to want to fit straight and true. An improvised jig with elastic bands and cotton reels in between the wings kept them in shape while the glue dried.

They also act as an excellent opportunity to practice and hone those modelling skills which don't really see much use with the modern high quality kits we have access to now. Older models like these take a fair while longer to finish in many cases (even though they have fewer parts and are simpler to put together) - simply due to the fact that they need a great deal of additional care and attention to bring them up to standard.

The end result is satisfying and gives a good account of itself even when placed next to modern model kits which are decades younger. All of the above models were soon sold and went to a loving home - each of the owners was very happy with the finished product.