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'1/24 FA2 Sea Harrier Conversion'


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Cheers everyone. Your comments are hugely appreciated.

I'm trying to prove to myself that the results you get Timmy in this scale are possible (to a lesser degree of course) to the mere mortal using only basic materials :P

Don't sell yourself short. The problem is with 1/24th scale is just about every detail is visible. I'm using 95% basic materials! There are a million and one ways to build the million and one parts on your model. Just don't give up on the problem and resist the urge to leave a detail out. You can do it Bobby! (In my best Cajun Guy from The Waterboy movie). :cheers:

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Cheers for the comments guys, glad you're enjoying the build Anthony, I'm doing this soley for guys like yourself. Hope it helps.

Right, well last time I said I wouldn't post another update until the side wall is near enough done. WELP, I have got it in the first stages of painting (I'm using Humbrol Enamel Dark Sea Grey (164) with a drop of white for scale effect) The main features and skeleton of the FA.2s port side wall are complete.

img3220yh2.jpg

I can't make any further progress on this part until I make further progress on other sections (bulkhead etc) Don't worry about the roughness of the fit of the parts near the top, they will be covered by the canopy seal.

img3218bi3.jpg

Running parallel to that, I've been 'materialising' the smaller, more fragile parts. The part on the left is made from 20 separate peices. It's 1cm long. They will make more sense when they're inplace on the sidewall (unless you're familiar with the FA2 tub!)

Next I'm going to be starting the port side console (switches etc) and beginning the framing for the bulkhead. Cheers guys :cheers:

P.S. Before I gloss coat anything, it seems Hannants has run out of MicroScale Flat, are there any other online UK shops where I could get a batch?

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:blink: Hi Jake,

Superb work mate and a great help for anyone building this kit.I'm building the FRS1 at the moment but will

do an FA2 as well,and I corrected the cockpit in the same way.Will she be ready for the SIG display at SMW?

if so I look forwards to seeing her in the flesh.

All the best Andy

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey,

It's been quite a long time since a half decent update. So here goes:

First off, I got a heavy coat of Klear down on my sidewall in preparation for the turps wash I have planned for it. This is yet another first for me so I hope it goes well. I have a experimental peice of plastic I'll be using first, so I hope it'll save me from a disaster. I don't think this scale needs any fancy preshading or postshading, but I will be doing some very subtle colour variations, washing and drybrushing for a little extra effect.

img3225kz6.jpg

The last hours I've spent on the model have been focusing on getting the forward part of the sidewall closer to the final wash/weathering stage. Here I've added another switch which will sadly be quite hidden from view, I still needed to replicate it though.

img3227hl8.jpg

If anyone wants, I'll give a step-by-step on how to fabricate a nice switch.

Okay,

Next up in completing this purticular part was to make the dials which go on top. Here is a step-by-step in how to make neat, good looking dials.

First of all, I bought the Waldron 1/24 aircraft instrument set off Ebay. You see them every once in a while going for very cheap. I think I picked mine up for about £3!

img3229cv8.jpg

The right one is the orginal and was a tad to big so I scanned it at College using an ordinary scanner. The results where good enough for me. Next I experimented using different sizes and finally got the right look I wanted.

I drilled 5 holes as close as possible to each other. This is hard due to the thin plastic wanting to bend and break easily. Drilling the holes next to each other before cutting the shape out is the only way of doing it with sanity intact (Or just buy yourself a hole punch!)

img3230ff0.jpg

Here's the shape placed over thin,clear plastic and my resized dials.

I love the effect it gives when the light is reflected off it. You just cannot get this with Future/Klear (On smaller scales Future looks great though!)

img3235yz8.jpg

I mate the clear plastic with the top shape with a coat of Future. This gives the plastic a little extra sheen!

img3236an8.jpg

This was my method of maintaining a constant pressure. Fingers were out of the question since I didn't want finger-prints on the dial faces. Pretty precarious looking huh!

After drying, I had to get the dial faces stuck on. First I experimented with dials I wasn't going to be using. I used Future to 'glue' them straight to the clear plastic. This didn't work. The Future absorbed into the paper and made the black ink run into the white spaces and turn it all grey. NOT good! I instead used PVA or white glue (Used in wood work) This worked perfectly! After all 5 dials were cut and stuck down it looked like this:

img3240zd7.jpg

Lovely! Obviously you could get better results from a better scanner/printer but this will do fine for me.

Finally, I stick the whole assembly to the beginning side wall section!

img3244gp9.jpg

What do you guys think?

Thought I'd post a picture of my new 'Updated' work bench :D

img3238om0.jpg

My Step dad kindly built the extension at work. It adds nearly 30cm more width, 20 centimeters depth and 20 cm height to my old desktop. I also got a new light! The most proffesional looking 17year old work bench I've seen :taunt:

Cheers guys, hope it wasn't to much reading for you all. Next update will be after I recieve my PollyScale flat and have started assembling the port sidewall properly.

Edited by PapaSmurf630
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Hi PapaSmurf,

I just love your Harrybird and all the details you're creating for it, great job!

Seriously, it's amazing and... huge, in every regard!

There's just two questions I still have:

First, could you post some reference pics, please, so we can see just how accurate you are?

And second, where did you get this kit? I've never seen something like that before... well, of course, this might be because we don't have all that much airfix in CH, but can one order this online?

Anyway, you've my full respect for this one, if I could get my Mirage to be only half as well detailed, I'd be a happy modeler.

GfS

Ace

Edited by AceOfSpades
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Cheers Ace, your build is looking great!

Here's a cropped, resized reference picture from a CD full of detailed cockpit shots I got of the Harrier SIG leader Nick Greenhall. I've cropped it and resized it because I don't want to get told off for sharing the whole picture, and hopefully this isn't as bad!

img1688webhp7.jpg

This is focused on the peice I've just completed. The black switch row above it is also finished. It was a couple of posts back. I hope you can see what's going on now.

I bought my 1/24 FRS.1 off Ebay for about £25. They're ALWAYS on ebay.co.uk for cheap. It should be easy to find a seller who'll ship internationally.

Thanks for the post!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Back again guys with another update,

Been working on the rear left console mostly creating dozens of switches and even worse...the small circle of strip metal they sit in :cheers: BUT it's all been worth it :P

img3314nu3.jpg

Upclose shot of work so far...

img3315nt6.jpg

Another view.

I've started using photoshop to make the text and black areas around the switches. Individual letters cannot be seen but the effect is perfect.

Next to do is the throttle, control levers and the rest of the forward console, before I move onto the floor and right console.

ALL comments and critiques are wanted, I'd love to know what you all think.

Edited by PapaSmurf630
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:cheers: :blink: :blink: :blink:

OMG

dude that looks just great. incredible level of detail right there mate I love it. I'm realy looking foward to your next update. I have one Q though are you going to keep the wing from being removable or are you going to glue it shut? just checking as I recall this was an option on this kit :huh:

Greetz STB

Frederick Jacobs

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Ok seems like an obvious choice realy since the conversion is going to reshape that area quite a bit I think.

as for the rest well like I said I'm realy looking foward to the rest. this is going to be a beauty when done.

greetz STB

Frederick Jacobs

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That is one sweet build. Go on then talk us through the switches, don't keep it to yourself and don't forget to mention the ring at the bottom. You really have a talent for this don't you.

Nigel.

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Thanks Nigel! I wouldn't want to bore you all with a tutorial, but if you guys want I will happily! It's a long, slow, tedious job but the switches do look superb afterwards...

My elder brother came up today and said "Jake, you've been doing this for 5 months and that's all you've done!?"

Upon closer inspection I think he gradually realised the effort involved :thumbsup:

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Jake,

Looking very good! The best thing about this scale is the detail you can add! Bu then again it's the detail you can add that becomes the problem. Keep up the good work and you have a masterpiece. I'm enjoying your build! Thanks for sharing it!

Timmy!

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Back again guys with another update,

Been working on the rear left console mostly creating dozens of switches................. BUT it's all been worth it B)

By 'eck lad...I should cocoa!! :)

Thanks Nigel! I wouldn't want to bore you all with a tutorial, but if you guys want I will happily! It's a long, slow, tedious job but the switches do look superb afterwards...

I think you'd better bore us with your technique Jake. The switches look tremendous. I'm interested with the photo-shop idea too. Can you explain how you make the writing around the switches 'cos I think it looks the "bees knees" :banana:

Stuff like this is so often missed yet it makes the whole effect better. So often you'll see a beautifuly painted cockpit but all of the labelling is left off. It can leave the pit looking spartan and bare but you're managing a very realistic, busy look.

Kudos to you dude. :thumbsup:

:banana:

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Cheers guys,

Like Timmy said, the great thing about this scale is the amount of stuff you can put in your cockpit...but I think I have to rephrase it slightly.

In this scale, you have to put detail in simply because it looks so incredibly sparse if there is nothing there.

Thank you for the requests and I'll definately get round to doing some sort of step by step for you guys!

I really have just started using photoshop to draw things from scratch (I only really used it for editing photos i.e. chopping mates heads off and imposing them on nude women...you've all done it!) and my method may seem a little basic to you more advanced users but I'll go ahead anyway...

First off, I measure the size of the square 'switch panel' I'll be using, lets say it's 2mmx2.5mm...I start a new canvas set to this size and adjust it so it's around 500pixels per square cm...

After this, it's just a case of making black squares within your white background to make the panel. The actual writing is 'freehanded' using the smallest paint brush. Here's an expanded version...

sideconsoleleftswitchexpandedqi4.jpg

Compared with the real life one...

leftsideconsolerealpicturebg5.jpg

That's expanded by 200% so it's gone a bit softer round the edges but you get the idea. I have looked at pictures and tried to 'write' the lettering on as it appears on the real panel. Now I know I'll be losing credibility for a 100% accurate model here, but software limitations, printer limitations and my own computer knowledge are the limiting factors at the moment. Besides, when it comes out and it's the size of a wrinkle on my knuckle, individual letters cannot be seen...(and it beats the hell out of trying to paint the panels, like I was doing before!)

Thanks for the support,

Tutorial soon, as well as finished left side console and flooring.

Edited by PapaSmurf630
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Jake,

You are starting the way I did with home made panels. Here are a couple of thoughts for you. When I make the panels in my software program I draw them in a large "comfortable" scale and then scale the panel to fit. I then go further, once the panel is at the true scale I'll scale it up (make it bigger) at 200% or 400% then print it at 50% or 25% as the case may be. Your printer should have an adjustment to do this. It may seem like a silly process to scale down only to scale up again, but it is the best way to make sure your panels will fit the model. Allowing the printer to do the scaling means that the printer is receiving more information and generally the printed panel is in better resolution. I'm able to get "readable" panels this way. Here are a couple of shots of an unfinished project, 1/32 F-4S. These panels were printed on photo paper and then cut to fit just as you are doing. The photo paper is nearly as smooth as pastic and its thickness is right on for scale thickness.

f4scp4mj2.jpg

f4scp3or4.jpg

f4scp2jn7.jpg

f4scp1wc9.jpg

I hope this is useful to you, my intent is to share a technique, not criticize your methods. I am a firm believer that the technique you can do best is the best one! Looks like you are doing very well with your system!

Timmy!

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Thanks Timmy,

I've tried doing panels in a larger size. The only thing is I've found that when they're scaled down, the pixels aren't... so I'm left up with a extremely small, pixelated square completely different to what I just had.

However, as I'm typing this, I think I've just figured out how to counter this! Haha! I'll try it when I start the right console. The only problem is, I use the printer at my College which is networked with about 60 other computers all printing stuff...so I don't think resetting the printer to print at quarter of the size is entirely plausable. I could however try and use my girlfriends....

Your comments and tips are wanted! Please! Don't hold back :cheers: If you have any more suggestions Timmy or whoever else, please say!

Thanks again Timmy, I'll definately be trying this improved method ASAP!

Edited by PapaSmurf630
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Thanks Timmy,

I've tried doing panels in a larger size. The only thing is I've found that when they're scaled down, the pixels aren't... so I'm left up with a extremely small, pixelated square completely different to what I just had.

However, as I'm typing this, I think I've just figured out how to counter this! Haha! I'll try it when I start the right console. The only problem is, I use the printer at my College which is networked with about 60 other computers all printing stuff...so I don't think resetting the printer to print at quarter of the size is entirely plausable. I could however try and use my girlfriends....

Your comments and tips are wanted! Please! Don't hold back :cheers: If you have any more suggestions Timmy or whoever else, please say!

Thanks again Timmy, I'll definately be trying this improved method ASAP!

The printer settings should be in the page set up in the program you are using. In other words setting the print scale is a part of the computer you are using not the printer. You should be able to do it with a networked printer as you have at school.

Timmy!

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Aaah! That would make sense! Okay, I'll give it a shot tomorrow. I've got to print of the landing gear indicator lights and a couple of switch panels...I'd better get to drawing them!

Cheers again for the help Timmy, I hope they come out looking good!

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