The Unofficial Airfix Modellers' Forum

Hello All

This is the Airfix 1/72 Harrier Shared build thread, continuing from the SB Chat thread here:

http://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=241&t=7478&start=0

Here we'll be building some of Airfix's fine collection of V/STOL fighters

its going to be a bit of a slow one to get started, as most of us are up to other things, rest assured, like British Rail, we'll get there in the end!

Regards

Stuart

If anyone needs any specific photos of a GR.9, let me know. I'm only 5 mins from Wittering and they have one there as a gate-guard.

Ian wrote:If anyone needs any specific photos of a GR.9, let me know. I'm only 5 mins from Wittering and they have one there as a gate-guard.

Thanks Ian I'm sure someone will take you up on that - how sad though that a GR.9 is now a Gate Guard!

I'll be building this!



Airfix's new release GR.1 OBB straight from the box- here are the sprues:







Detail looks very good from what I can see, I'm looking forward to getting on with it.

Regards

Stuart

What the heck. I am ready when you guys are. I need a Harrier fix.

jssel wrote:What the heck. I am ready when you guys are. I need a Harrier fix.

Hi Jeff, I shall probably make a start this week. Hopefully I'll get the pit painted and I'll see if one of my spare pe instrument panels will fit.

Need to check my refs for colours though.

Regards

Stuart

Sir T, Very nice Harrier GR.1!
Airfix have done an awesome job at it by the photos, and that box art!
Can't wait to see it finished mate!
Well heres my starting point.
I'm going to be building the old school Airfix GR.3 in 1 Squadron markings.
This is a Christmas present for my ex girlfriend's Dad as he used to be a 1 squadron Harrier GR.3 Engineer which is so cool!

Here's my contribution. The Airfix Harrier kit dating from around 1991. This kit has parts for Gr.5, Gr.7, AV8B and AV8B Night Attack upgrade in it. The only differences in the 4 boxings are the decals provided, the instructions and the box art.

I'm hopefully going to do two GR.5s. They'll be OOB builds, because I'm really interested in the paint schemes for these two. I'll be doing a 1 Sqn aircraft in snow camouflage when on exercise in Norway (with Xtradecals from the 1 Squadron Sheet), and a GR5 demonstrator for the Pegasus engine, which is in a very dark blue, with white markings.

The Kit:

It's in a BIG box. Considering that the Matchbox Harriers fit into their standard size small boxes...




Fresh supplies from the Hobby shop. The Insignia Blue Paint is for the demonstrator.










There are a lot of stores, both US and British munitions. The demonstrator won't need any of those of course!



Here's a shot of a Harrier in the temporary whitewash type arctic camouflage. It's not the one I will be modelling, just for illustration of the type of thing I want to paint.



cheers

Andrew

Edit: Having washed everything and done a test fit of the fuselage and upper wings, the fit seems pretty good. The test will probably be the blending of the intakes to the fuselage. The cockpit tub is highly simplified and much too narrow - no room for proper side consoles! I won't bother with swivelling nozzles, so that simplifies things internally. I'll fit them on after painting the fuselage. Paint scheme suggest aluminium for the nozzles, I'll need to check that. I'm not convinced!

Hi Andrew, crumbs that is a big box!

The kit looks ok though, I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it, shame about the lack of space in the pit though, that seems to be something they've sorted out in the newer kits.

I like your choice of scemes, actually I thought Airfix misded an oppertunity with the new GR.1 kit there, it would have nice to have a snow scheme option, it being the only other way they were painted - and it looks so cool!

As for the nozzles, I think the cold air ones were painted the fuselage colour (although I've seen photos as NMF) and the hot air ones were metal, often bronzed and burnt - google Harrier ducts, it comes up with some good imagies!

Regards

Stuart

I almost bought this GR5 kit one or two years ago and it looks to be quite nice with some good options in there. I've read about the cockpit being a bit on the narrow side somewhere else (I see a narrow cockpit and I want to paint it bla-ak ). What about that temporary winter camouflage paint? maybe use a thinned white with a touch of grey added? if you are airbrushing it might be worth building up the winter cam paint coat by coat until you are satisfied, just like applying a winter cam scheme to an AFV, allowing the base colour to show through a little.

If you are doing the winter cam look, can I suggest you try the Hairspray technique. It's easy to do and looks effective. Here is a link to my Wessex 5 build we here I used it




Regards Splash

splash wrote:If you are doing the winter cam look, can I suggest you try the Hairspray technique. It's easy to do and looks effective. Here is a link to my Wessex 5 build we here I used it




Regards Splash

Lack of hairspray in the house...

I'll probably have a go with light coats of airbrushed white/light grey as per Shaun's suggestion. I may also put some thinner on an old brush and drag it around a bit for the brush marks.

Thanks for the suggestions, chaps.

Building two Harriers at once, plus having another model also in the paint shop really makes for a chaotic picture!



All the sprues for the two Harrier kits are here, plus the fuselages, and the sprue with Revell Nato pilots. One of the Airfix pilots is missing from the sprue and will have to be replaced. These kits need a pilot in them to distract from the less than inspiring cockpit.



At this point, most of the internals have had primer on them. The cockpit parts have also had a squirt of Dark Sea Grey on them too. The demonstrator aircraft doesn't need much in the way of external stores, so I've primed one set of the large fuel tanks, plus the gun pods, strakes and all the spare noses (for no reason in particular!).

Despite a wash in warm soapy water, the plastic still had a lot of grease on it. The primer needed two coats to form a nice layer. Vallejo primer is pretty forgiving and does self-level very nicely.


cheers

Andrew

I'll be posting pics when I get home tonight from work.

Nice start Andrew,

I've washed the sprues on mine and will hopefully start tonight.

looking forward to seeing your pics too Jeff!

Regards

Stuart