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AV-8B Harrier


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My 130 is close enough to completion to start another model.

 

The Harriers configured for air to air intrigued me.

I picked up the Hasegawa AV-8B+ and some extras.

Quinta cockpit decals, and lots of Flying Leatherneck stuff.

The photo below shows the configuration I am going for.

 

 

231226-M-VB101-1243

 

I spent the last few days slowly building the cockpit.

The Quinta decals went on fairly easily, though some are frustratingly small (note they give you more decals than are in the kit).

I have to touch up the stripes on the ejection handle, but over all a nice start.

 

I'll have to add pics tomorrow, the ones I took today are blurry  😞

 

The only gripe so far is the design of the main fuselage.  4 pieces, two sides and a belly piece.  The engine fan also contributes to the structural integrity.

I don't have a large modelling area, so I normally don't build multiple sub assemblies at the same time, I don't think I have a choice with this build.

 

We shall see how it goes.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Slowly working it.  Essentially doing steps 1-4 at the same time. The main fuselage assembly is wonky (IMO) so I'll put the nose on the cockpit before gluing  it to the fuselage.  I also need to paint the section that will be inside the intakes.

 

I should have a few more photo's later this week.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Glued the nose and cockpit sections. If I am reading the instructions correctly, I should have put the cockpit onto the fuselage first.  I did the nose to cockpit join in order to have a larger piece to hold, and I think the structure is more sturdy.

 

2024-12-04_10-32-34

 

The main fuselage is built, but I forgot to take a photo.

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  • 1 month later...

A lot of work with little progress.

 

Wingtips are on, and the intakes assembled/glued on.

The left intake fit well, the right intake was a mess.  Shape was off, and the lower half was too tall (mm+).  I filed the attachment point on the fuselage and intake down to get a better fit, then I took a 180 grit flexifile and sanded it into shape; obliterating the details.

 

I have to rescribe the details back in, and finish sanding under the leading edge of the wing on the right side.

 

I dryfit the A/R probe and it has a sizable gap between the fuselage and probe.  More putty and sanding await me.

 

2025-01-27_09-01-38

 

 

2025-01-27_09-00-42

 

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Sometimes you just shake your head.

The ventral fin has three parts, two on each fuselage half and a third that completes the fin.  I just wonder why? Why not just have the complete fin on each fuselage half?  increase the parts count?

 

2025-01-27_08-26-08

 

@lgl007 Thanks for the kind words

 

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This is why, to date, I haven't tackled a Harrier. I'm afraid I just don't have the skill or the patience for it. I am cautiously optimistic for the Uma Model AV-8 if it ever indeed sees the light of day, hoping for a better fit and finish than the Hasegawa kit. 

 

Keep at it. You'll get there!

.Aaron 

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15 hours ago, Da SWO said:

Sometimes you just shake your head.

The ventral fin has three parts, two on each fuselage half and a third that completes the fin.  I just wonder why? Why not just have the complete fin on each fuselage half?  increase the parts count?

 

 

 

I think that it was something to do with the British GR5 & 7 versions, which have a different trailing edge to the ventral fin.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Slow progress.  I hope to start painting by the end of Feb.

Some good news, we bid on a house and I'll have a dedicated modelling area if we get it.

 

 

2025-02-12_07-07-12

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/16/2025 at 3:48 PM, wxltcol said:

Good luck on the house!  Hope you get it!

Sign for the house tomorrow.

We will have an actual art room for model building and my wife can paint her icons.

 

Started putting all the small fiddly pieces on.  Shaky hands don't make it an easy task.

 

2025-02-26_08-54-49

 

 

 

 

Question for the experts.

 

The Radome in most of the photos I have seems to be a slightly lighter shade of gray.  I have one photo where it looks like the same shade as the fuselage.  The instructions call it Radome Gray, but don't list a FS#.   What color gray should I use?

 

 

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12 hours ago, Da SWO said:

Sign for the house tomorrow.

We will have an actual art room for model building and my wife can paint her icons.

 

Started putting all the small fiddly pieces on.  Shaky hands don't make it an easy task.

 

2025-02-26_08-54-49

 

 

 

 

Question for the experts.

 

The Radome in most of the photos I have seems to be a slightly lighter shade of gray.  I have one photo where it looks like the same shade as the fuselage.  The instructions call it Radome Gray, but don't list a FS#.   What color gray should I use?

 

 

 

There isn't a single color to use. I literally have hundreds of photos of Harriers I took while stationed at Cherry Point, and almost none of the radomes are the same shade of gray. 

 

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I dropped a couple of small pieces (engine vent, and an air scoop)  into the carpet 😞 and will look for them over the next day or so, failing to find them I will open my spare box and rob the three parts from it.

 

All the initial assemblies will then be done.  I have to find time to watch YouTube to see how to remove the seam line from the windscreen and canopy. 

 

After that, I'll start painting.  1st time with an airbrush, so that should be interesting.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sanded, rubbing compound, and futured the windscreen and canopy.

Letting then dry/cure for a couple of days.  initial take is they look nice.

Will paint the windscreen frames, then glue to the fuselage, paint canopy frames, and glue to the rails.

 

Movers come tomorrow, so I get delayed, but I think I can see the end coming up.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The move is killing my bench time. Canopy and windscreen came out nice.

I pre-shaded (1st time)and am taping the windscreen and canopy.

I'll start painting after that.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Started building the external tanks, then I remembered I bought a set from Flying Leathernecks.

WOW! Great detail and well engineered.

3 piece tank with connector caps that go inside the tanks.  Assembly was very easy with minimal putty.


I also have the Flying Leathernecks AV-8 pylon set, again great detail, but no instructions in the package or on the website that I could find.

 

IMO, you have to have @Dave Roof's pylons if you buy his tanks, using the kit pylons would require removing details from the tanks, a darn shame if you ask me.

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