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G'day people,

 

I have been sitting on this kit waiting for some extra bits to arrive.

 

DSCN3657_zpsxwfafkm6.jpg

 

The itch to start got the better of me so scalpel in hand I took the plunge. There are lots of reviews around so if you want to find out what is in the box, the internets are at your disposal.

 

Interestingly, two sets of wings are provided. One wing is for the previously released Sea Harrier FA.2 boxing. The only difference that I could find is that the FA.2 wing has the second vortex generator (from the inboard end) deleted

 

FA.2

 

DSCN3658_zpsjjgwuaie.jpg

 

FRS.1

 

DSCN3659_zpsoepyyqvm.jpg

 

To ensure that I did not accidentally attach the incorrect wing, the FA.2 wing parts and FA.2 instrument panel were placed in a separate bag and went to the 'spares' box. I also decided that the APU exhaust was too shallow as depicted in the kit so I cut out the moulded mesh area and reshaped according to references. A few more parts were added to dress up the area

 

DSCN3680_zpssd5qv840.jpg

 

Looking at the cockpit, the console details look adequate and I preferred the moulded detail to the coloured PE overlays. Apart from a dodgy colour match, the PE overlays look too flat. The aft cockpit bulkhead detail is busy but seems very spurious.

 

DSCN3664_zpsozvemns4.jpg

 

I sanded this detail off and decided to start from scratch.

 

DSCN3661_zpssoajuiaj.jpg

 

The cockpit sidewalls on the Sea Harrier (SHAR) are quite busy, however the fuselage halves are completely bereft of any details.

 

DSCN3670_zpsomkiusen.jpg

 

I now assembled the ejection seat halves, leaving off the seat cushion and back pad as there is a nasty seam running through the seat pan and parachute head box that is best dealt with whilst this part is not fitted. I brushed on some thick sprue glue  and left it to set.

DSCN3671_zps6alp9kof.jpg

 

DSCN3672_zps0m94wifz.jpg

 

The seat seems to feature two handles, one on each side of the seat bucket. The one on the right seems correct, but left side one looks like a duplicate. The left side of the seat lacks the Personal equipment Connector (PEC) assembly

 

There is a Pavla  resin MB.10 seat as an alternative, but it is much larger in height that the kit supplied seat. The kit seat fits on a raised plinth. This gives the impression that the seat is not resting on the floor, which is entirely correct. In order to fit the Pavla seat, the builder would need to remove the plinth and the seat would sit on the floor which would be incorrect. As it stands, the kit seat has some very nice and delicate details, with the addition of some basic details and PE belts I do not think a resin seat would be an improvement, especially if it is dimensionally innaccurate.

 

DSCN3671_zps6alp9kof.jpg

 

This was also the time that some more PE details could be added, mainly associated with the u/c bays. The aft cockpit bulkhead doubles as the front of the nose gear bay.

 

DSCN3660_zpsbperacus.jpg

 

The main gear bay and speed brake well was assembled and some PE details installed

 

DSCN3662_zpsur1e1sut.jpg

 

In order to install the small brass box into the corner, there is some raised detail in the form of a horizontal bar that needs to be partially removed. Removing this would be a LOT easier if done before the bay is assembled!

 

I now turned to the nose gear bay proper. Curiously, Kinetic have moulded  a semi-circular recess in the rear halves.

 

DSCN3665_zpsuesctyqf.jpg

 

DSCN3666_zpsy1azcvmj.jpg

 

This is a feature of the outside halves but the interior section should have flat walls that meet in a horizontal 'V' at the back. The builder could just ignore this feature as it is deep inside the nose gear bay and not easily seen but I could not let it go. I scraped off the extant detail and glued in some sprue sections using CA,

 

Some heavy sanding ensued and when the dust finally cleared, I was left with this blank canvas

 

DSCN3663_zpswuayv3wa.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

 

 

Edited by Pappy121
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G'day people,

 

I worked the on the nose gear bay today.

 

I have replaced some of the details lost due to filling and sanding. Starting from this,

 

DSCN3679_zpsz7wkropy.jpg

 

I added some plastic strip, stretched sprue, wine foil and lead wire to end up with this,

 

DSCN3682_zpsajdanxsq.jpg

 

I also used some plastic sheet to add a dummy roof for the aft nosewheel bay. This meant I did not have to bother filling the join seam in this awkward area.

 

DSCN3683_zpsdobdn8hb.jpg

 

Followed by a quick blast of light grey to see what it will look like under paint

 

DSCN3726_zpsyzryuzum.jpg

 

DSCN3727_zps24mcjxyo.jpg

 

Whilst I had the plastic strip handy, I started to tart up the cockpit sidewalls

 

DSCN3692_zps5qtbvdg0.jpg

 

Finally the cockpit aft bulkhead also got some love - note the upper catapult attachment point that was carefully shaved off the original bulkhead part and re-attached to the new bulkhead.

 

DSCN3694_zpsjnlqwrzf.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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G'day people,

 

Following the advice of a fellow modeller, I removed the mesh at the bottom of the GTS/APU outlet and fitted it over the APU intake. Kinetics's rendering is perfectly acceptable, all it will require is a simple wash to bring out the details

 

DSCN3659_zpsoepyyqvm.jpg

 

The mesh is actually supposed to be installed over the kit intake. i decided to remove the moulded detail and sheet in the bottom and after sanding off the raised detail around the intake. This is what it looks like now,

 

DSCN3810_zpsmphgmiqo.jpg

 

Meanwhile I turned my attention to the undercarriage today.

 

The nose gear unit  is well rendered but it is lacking the prominent hydraulic lines which give the item a busy appearance. Some wire and a few scraps of styrene soon changed that.

 

DSCN3687_zpsqmko9uaq.jpg

 

DSCN3688_zpsman1sjrl.jpg

 

DSCN3690_zpsjuxvfbuz.jpg

 

DSCN3696_zpsyunw5qwr.jpg

 

The main gear unit did not escape unscathed either,

 

DSCN3685_zpsxdb2tljp.jpg

 

DSCN3686_zpstkxucm2w.jpg

 

Next up, a blast of paint and the details could be picked out,

 

DSCN3711_zpsfoezskhl.jpg

 

DSCN3713_zpslahf9ppu.jpg

 

DSCN3767_zpsuvrw6fgk.jpg

 

DSCN3766_zpswvr6s8ca.jpg

 

DSCN3750_zpsonlk5cws.jpg

 

DSCN3768_zpsha3agve6.jpg

 

Finally, whilst cleaning up the outrigger wheels I noticed that mine had some sinkholes on one side. I added a smidge of filler and sanded this back. Some lost panel lines were then restored,

 

DSCN3765_zpspdb90e6n.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

Edited by Pappy121
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G'day people,

 

I managed to get on with the cockpit today :yahoo:

 

I had previously added some of the cockpit rib detail using plastic strip

 

DSCN3692_zps5qtbvdg0.jpg

 

The cockpit was painted first and then the details picked out. The PE set provides painted etch overlays for the side consoles which require the extant detail to be sanded off. I was not convinced with the pre-painted PE, they look like decals and in 1/48 scale appear too flat IMO. I left kit console detail alone.

 

DSCN3700_zpsmzaoa1a1.jpg

 

DSCN3701_zpsengnsrt4.jpg

 

Once the cockpit interior had been painted, the PE was could then be added. These look a lot more convincing and add to the general 'busy' look of the SHAR cockpit.

 

DSCN3704_zpskvfagku2.jpg

 

DSCN3722_zps3xlupqj5.jpg

 

DSCN3723_zpsirrql8nj.jpg

 

When I was spraying the cockpit, I decided to have a play around with the rear ('hot') engine nozzles. Unlike the front 'cold' nozzles (apparently the temp of the engine efflux out of the front nozzles  is approx 115 degrees C!) the rear  nozzles and their associated heat shields were not painted  and soon developed a burnt, oxidised and sooty patina. After about 1984, the forward nozzles were no longer painted either.

 

I had a play around with some various metallics and pastels

 

DSCN3725_zpshovinliu.jpg

 

DSCN3724_zpshbi4fkgm.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Edited by Pappy121
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Bloody Oath, Pappy...!!!  :thumbsup:  What's up, mate?

Sharkey's mount, huh? Nice, very nice work so far. Those nozzles look spot on.

Mate Calum's working on the very same kit; perhaps you two could get together? (yeh, one's out in Perth and the other's out in Brisbane... :tease:).

Will be following both of you. :coolio:

Cheers,

 

H

 

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29 minutes ago, The Scaremonger said:

Bloody Oath, Pappy...!!!  :thumbsup:  What's up, mate?

Sharkey's mount, huh? Nice, very nice work so far. Those nozzles look spot on.

Mate Calum's working on the very same kit; perhaps you two could get together? (yeh, one's out in Perth and the other's out in Brisbane... :tease:).

Will be following both of you. :coolio:

Cheers,

 

H

 

 

G'day SM, cheers but I was not happy with the hot bits. I did not know Calum was in Perth (he does get around) as i presumed he was at the other end of the joint, but still far away!

 

G'day people,

 

I was not happy with the rear engine nozzle heat shields, they looked too new and shiny so these received further weathering to make them look duller and dirtier

 

DSCN3749_zpstw4oxfxx.jpg

 

I have also assembled the stores

 

DSCN3780_zps2lozjmix.jpg

 

The Aden gun pods look nicely shaped and will fit well, but are a little plain as they lack the prominent underside gun vents.

 

DSCN3785_zps8ll5x6lz.jpg

 

Also, curiously, Kinetic would have the builder install a clear part into the recess for the shell ejector port. I don't know what this part is meant to represent but it looks incorrect to me ad I have left these parts off for now.

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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31 minutes ago, Pappy121 said:

I did not know Calum was in Perth (he does get around) as i presumed he was at the other end of the joint, but still far away!

 

Oh, no, no; I don't know that either. I was just kidding, suggesting both you and Calum should get together for a build, and most prolly you were on one side in Aussieland and Calum far away on the other one... :monkeydance: 

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Looking real nice! I just started into the same kit yesterday...I'm going to pilfer a few ideas from you, notably the APU exhaust, and the nose landing gear wheel well overhead.

 

Regarding the two wings in the kit, you mention the missing vortex generator being the only difference between the two...look closely at the leading edge "saw tooth" of the FRS1 wing also. That is the major difference between the two.
 

Following right on behind you.

Edited by 82Whitey51
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8 hours ago, 82Whitey51 said:

Looking real nice! I just started into the same kit yesterday...I'm going to pilfer a few ideas from you, notably the APU exhaust, and the nose landing gear wheel well overhead.

 

Regarding the two wings in the kit, you mention the missing vortex generator being the only difference between the two...look closely at the leading edge "saw tooth" of the FRS1 wing also. That is the major difference between the two.
 

Following right on behind you.

 

Thanks Whitey, a fellow member also pointed this out to me. It was really obvious once i was looking for it. Which jet are you building?

 

3 hours ago, 82Whitey51 said:

Speaking of wings...Pappy, have you noticed this about the Sea Harrier wings in the kit?
 

 

 

I did notice it after the wing halves were together. I don't think it is right, perhaps an exaggeration of what is actually there which may be some type of overlapping joint. The solution would be tricky given the proximity to the nav lights. I would suggest tying to scrape down or thin the edge and blend in with putty. I am not going to bother personally since it is on the bottom and only someone who is looking for it will notice it. Since you are right behind me on this one, I will wait and see what you do and then I could perhaps pilfer your idea,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Edited by Pappy121
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5 hours ago, Pappy121 said:

 

Thanks Whitey, a fellow member also pointed this out to me. It was really obvious once i was looking for it. Which jet are you building?

 

 

I did notice it after the wing halves were together. I don't think it is right, perhaps an exaggeration of what is actually there which may be some type of overlapping joint. The solution would be tricky given the proximity to the nav lights. I would suggest tying to scrape down or thin the edge and blend in with putty. I am not going to bother personally since it is on the bottom and only someone who is looking for it will notice it. Since you are right behind me on this one, I will wait and see what you do and then I could perhaps pilfer your idea,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

OK, I think I'll sand the area down a bit so the step isn't so prominent.

 

As for what jet...not sure yet, but I think it'll be one of the dark sea gray Falkland War birds. I need to do a bit of research on the squadrons involved. Whenever I build something, I try to pick a subject that has some interesting history or personal connection too it.

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7 hours ago, 82Whitey51 said:

OK, I think I'll sand the area down a bit so the step isn't so prominent.

 

As for what jet...not sure yet, but I think it'll be one of the dark sea gray Falkland War birds. I need to do a bit of research on the squadrons involved. Whenever I build something, I try to pick a subject that has some interesting history or personal connection too it.

 

Great, throw some pics up when you are done. I did not find any good pics of the specific area but when you look at the leading edge of the wing, it tapers smoothly from root to tip. If you do the same on the kit, there is a prominent step just outboard of the outrigger fairing. I suspect that there is some sort of lap joint on teh wing underside resulting in a panel line, but not to the same depth as depicted by Kinetic.

 

 

G'day people,

 

I have painted up the nose gear bay.

 

DSCN3743_zpsk9di644g.jpg

 

DSCN3742_zpsfj5im6kf.jpg

 

The rectangular opening on the forward bulkhead actually leads to another compartment, but I chickened out of creating this new area as I want to keep pushing on with this build instead of getting bogged down with AMS.

 

This assembly was now offered up to the cockpit tub assembly in preparation for attaching to the fuselage halves. It has already been mentioned in other builds, but in order for the nose gear bay to fit the bulkhead, material needs to be removed from the outside of the the locating guides on the front bulkhead. It was an easy process and only required a few minutes and a file.

 

DSCN3660_zpsbperacus.jpg

 

Due to my modification of the nose gear bay, most of the locating pins for the two nose gear bay halves had been removed. After lining up the two halves, thin liquid cement was applied and a reinforcing strip of plastic was applied along the seam to add additional strength and this assembly has now been set aside to dry

 

DSCN3740_zpsbinwz8hk.jpg

 

Meanwhile, the canopy frame was the next item to get some attention. The PE set provides a PE overlay and an MDC control box for the canopy bulkhead. The first step was removal of the aft canopy frame details to prepare the surface for the PE.

 

DSCN3731_zpse0yfslge.jpg

 

The PE was applied and the MDC control box was folded up and also added. The whole area is now much busier

 

DSCN3791_zps7uw2n5pn.jpg

 

The whole assembly was now ready for painting

 

DSCN3803_zpsvx3w9r6q.jpg

 

Whilst the PE is certainly an improvement, the MDC control box is waaaay to big for 1/48 scale, it looks closer to 1/32. It occupies nearly the entire canopy bulkhead whilst the real deal is a relatively small box in the middle of the canopy bulkhead. if I was building another SHAR and using PE again, I would add the PE overlay but scratch my own control box.

 

The last item for today was the aft turtle deck.

 

Kinetic have thoughtfully provided a nice pair of ejector pin marks in the bottom of the boundary layer spill duct so the observer can see them easily :raincloud:

 

DSCN3732_zpsabu0jtx2.jpg

 

These were cleaned up and given a coat of paint to check for flaws.

 

DSCN3790_zpstzmvnnci.jpg

 

cheers and thanks for all the comments,

 

Pappy

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G'day people,

 

I have managed to join the fuselage halves together and have spent today restoring panel lines lost during sanding. I began by installing the completed main gear bay/air brake assembly into the left fuselage half. I tack glued this in place then temporarily clamped the two fuselage halves together to ensure the assembly was correctly positioned then brushed along one side with liquid glue.

 

DSCN3762_zpspx2ly5rd.jpg

 

DSCN3761_zpsjj2okzmv.jpg

 

The following day the cockpit/nose gear bay unit and the engine nozzle linkage mechanism were trapped between the fuselage halves and the whole shebang was progressively glued together starting at the tail and working my way forwards. I could have done with an extra hand at this point as there is a lot of stuff going inside the fuselage. Once the whole lot had been joined, I securely wrapped the fuselage is tape to allow the glue to cure.

 

DSCN3787_zpsragjp4cb.jpg

 

DSCN3786_zpsmgjpwp2l.jpg

 

Just for some additional insurance, I added some scrap styrene stock around teh main gear bay assembly to ensure it would not come adrift during handling.

 

DSCN3788_zpsttrlxrho.jpg

 

Once the glue had set and the tape had been removed, I noticed that there is a small step where the back of the air brake section meet the fuselage. This is due to a difference in curvature between the two areas as the sides have almost no step at all.

 

DSCN3797_zpsbworwgrx.jpg

 

I applied some liquid putty in preparation for sanding

 

DSCN3815_zpsuda7zk4b.jpg

 

Many people who have built this and the FA.2 kit have reported fit issues with the cockpit tub/nose gear bay assembly installation. The main culprit seems to be that the square locating keys in the intake opening of the fuselage are too thick and do not fit into the corresponding square recesses of the nose gear bay section. I thinned these down prior to installation and had no issues, although I did need to shim the right side.

 

DSCN3817_zpshe6aujfz.jpg

 

A thin application of liquid putty was all the left side required.

 

DSCN3818_zpsf5awwa0e.jpg

 

The cockpit tub went in without any issues however some builders recommend deepening the locating recesses for the cockpit tub and bulkhead.

 

After the fuselage glue had cured for a few days, today I set about restoring the lost panel lines on the belly

 

DSCN3876_zpsavtwwr02.jpg

 

cheers and thanks for all the comments,

 

Pappy

 

Happy new year!

 

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, a4s4eva said:

I spent a bit of time restoring the same lines, only to realise most of that area is hidden when you put on the centreline rack and gun pods . 

 

G'day Calum,

I agree, most of these panels will be hard to see with gun pods installed, and this area seems to attract a lot of filth as well.

 

3 hours ago, 82Whitey51 said:

I notice that neither of us building this kit, have installed the airbrake prior to joining the fuselage halves together as per the instructions :thumbsup:

 

I noticed that there are no pictures of your build posted!

 

G'day Whitey,

 

I looked at the tabs on the airbrake and just cut them off as leaving that delicate assembly would be a nightmare to mask and it would be a case of when not if it gets broken. I don't know who designs Kinetic's instructions but they need to give themselves an uppercut, seriously. I usually treat their instructions more like a parts location map instead of an assembly sequence. They key is to do lots of dry fitting,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Edited by Pappy121
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1 hour ago, Pappy121 said:

 

 

I looked at the tabs on the airbrake and just cut them off as leaving that delicate assembly would be a nightmare to mask and it would be a case of when not if it gets broken. I don't know who designs Kinetic's instructions but they need to give themselves an uppercut, seriously. I usually treat their instructions more like a parts location map instead of an assembly sequence. They key is to do lots of dry fitting,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Yeah I've taken the same approach 

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G'day people,

 

I re-sprayed the intake area in EDSG

 

DSCN3889_zps1gywge6p.jpg

 

Whilst I still had some paint remaining in the  colour cup I shot this over the problem seam areas as well as any re-scribed panels

 

DSCN3891_zps36ckqizc.jpg

 

DSCN3888_zpseyi979lb.jpg

 

Meanwhile I have been playing around with the things under wings

 

DSCN3899_zps1wfdveqx.jpg

 

 

 

DSCN3896_zpsfqllnbqb.jpg

 

DSCN3897_zpsnzwlb8ra.jpg

 

DSCN3895_zpsg83snduk.jpg

 

DSCN3894_zps2cyxnjpc.jpg

 

Kinetic have provided enough decals to complete four HE AIM-9L's however there are no decals at all for the other ordnance (AIM-120C, Sea Eagle, BL-755) so you  will need to sort these yourself if you intend to hand these under your jet. A shame really because the AIM-120's are very nice.

 

The jugs received some chipping and are awaiting their decals

 

DSCN3898_zpsfsqlqgoh.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

Edited by Pappy121
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8 hours ago, 82Whitey51 said:

So...the intakes on the EDSG schemed aircraft, are painter EDSG and not white? I think I'm going to build a/c 14, XZ 457.

 

Yup, EDSG all the way back to the compressor face. I am told that the interiors of the lowermost blow-in doors may have remained white. These are normally closed when the jet engine is not running but if you are depicting a jet in the hover for example, then the insides of the lowest doors should be white. Great choice on XZ457. Sure everyone does it, but if I wasn't doing Sharkey's jet I think I would have opted for '14' too.

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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