I have the Airfix 1/72 kit. Yes, the one from about 1967! We always say they were bad back then, but just look at the sprue for the 1/48 Hurricane that I bought directly from Airfix/Hornby in 2021:
Which is why I put it straight back into the box and at the bottom of my stash.
I just had a look at that Mosquito kit - hardly any flash at all and actually looks very good for its age. Wonder what the fit will be like, though. It actually has “Special Instructions” for the optional parts!
Added this to my Harrier collection. They did have a T.10 I wanted as well (and a TAV-8B) but those are not available. Luckily the T.2/T.4 is a special re-release. I might buy another and make one of each.
There is something about the 2 seat Harriers that just speaks to me…
Kit arrived today. It’s just two small sprues and looks quite okay. There’s some flash and some nasty moulding leftovers, but no worries, really. I thought that the seats etc were a bit basic until I read the instructions and saw there are lots of bits to go on them.
There’s a sheet of PE metal for the cockpit bits and a resin airbrake system. I’m a bit miffed at Hannants because when I put the model in the basket they came up with some “extras” that I might like to buy for the kit - two reference books (which I rarely bother with now we have the internet) and a masking sheet for the canopy.
I don’t normally buy masking sheets as I make my own, but I thought I’d allow myself the extravagance on this occasion. Of course, the first thing that falls out of the box when I open it is the masking sheet that comes with it! So £4 extra wasted there. If it had been more expensive I would have asked to return it.
So happy with the look of the kit - as soon as my Lynx is finished I’ll crack on with it. I currently have 4 Harriers built and two in the stash, plus the T-bird will make it a round 7 Harriers - a nice flock 
I don’t have a GR.3, though. I bought a GR3 model - the Fujimi kit, which was the first Fujimi kit I’d bought - and it will be the last one as it was truly dreadful. I ended up binning it after repeated attempts to make something presentable out of it.
So I have two GR.7’s, one FA.2 and an FRS.2 built, with the T.4 to come (that’s the version I’ll make, as it will be my “GR.3” type then) and a “First And Last” special Airfix Club double kit to build of a GR.1 and GR.9a.
Here’s some photo’s of the Harrier kit, some highlighting the points I was making about it. I’m about to start building again after a short break (see next post).
OK, as said, I’m about to restart building kits - I stopped a couple of months back to make a new modelling “studio” in the spare bedroom.
This is my compressor, with a tank. It has never worked like I expected it to and how it says it should in the destructions. If anyone here has any tradesman-type knowledge of these things, I would like to pick your brains later to try and get it working in a way that doesn’t make me want to hurl it out the window. It was a ‘cheap’ one, at just over £100. I can’t afford the decent, expensive ones that no doubt get silly amounts dumped on top of the price for being a “specialist” item. Or have a name people recognise.
Anyway, I came across my bunch of kit from the “shelf of doom” as we used to call it over at Flory’s forum. Models I started building, but ditched for one reason or another. Plus a couple that I have yet to start - but probably never will.
To start with - the Revell Gannet. Lovely ugly bugger - would be an ace kit if the parts fit a bit better together. I got fed up of the badly fitting stuff that was very noticable, and probably of the amount of times I tried unsuccessfully to hide the fuselage seam (a recurring theme, as you’ll see!):
Then there’s this Zvezda La-5. Pretty basic kit, but again I got fed up with the badly fitting bits. Oh and instructions in Russian - plus found it also had Italeri instructions in the box, so guess where it came from? 
And just look at those destructions!!
This is an Italeri C-47. Another seam hiding nightmare, and I think I ended up having a poorly fitting windscreen part because of how much I’d sanded away trying to hide the fuselage joint. Well, I never said I was good at building them.
Yet another fuselage seam job - only this time I gave up and completed it - though I have yet to fit the undercarriage or doors.
Then the extra stuff - some old kits…
and some SAM plans for the Canberra B(I)8 - my fave. I have that 1/48 kit from Airfix, plus the PR9 that I don’t have the space for! When I know what I will do with the completed models, I’ll start building them!
Then finally, a Vacform Vought Vindicator - with a lot of extra bits (3 kits in total):
I’ll never build that Vindicator, so if anyone wants it - I’d be happy to send it to you. I can look and see everything that’s included and take some photo’s if required, just let me know - no problem.
I do intend to finish the Gannet, La-5 and C-47 at some point. Whether I’ll make any real effort or just finish assembling and give them to the neighbour’s kids to play with is another matter.
I have helped my old man repair and service a few in the past. In my experience 99% of compressor problems (apart from a shagged motor) are bearings and/or seals.
Thanks. Nice to have a spare room to use for it.
Harry, I’ve had problems with it since new. I didn’t use it for a while and so missed the 30 day return/refund slot, but I don’t think I could have returned it under warranty, as it does work - just not as I think it should and the vendor would probably have said I was doing it wrong. The shop has gone now, too. I wanted to ask them but nothing there any more.
The two problems I am having are firstly that the compressor rarely stops, and when it does it’s only for a few seconds, even if I don’t use any air. That would hint at a leak, but I can’t detect one anywhere.
Next, when I switch it off it instantly empties the tank!
Both of those, to me at least, would defeat the whole object of having a tank in the first place. I had a perfectly working compressor already (now converted to inflate my car and bike tyres - does an excellent job, and quietly) so this was only purchased for the storage tank, which is of zero use in these circumstances.
I hate to tell people how to suck eggs, but I/m assuming it isn’t as simple as an open water drain/purge valve is it?
If the tank can’t maintain pressure (which is why the motor has to run almost constantly) there has to be a leak. Try smearing soapy water around all the joins and fittings and look for bubbles. If that isn’t it, I reckon it could be a faulty non return valve and it is leaking back through the intake?
No - first thing I checked (of course! ). Yeah the soap leak checking is the remaining pain in the butt task and one day I might even do it.
It has a pressure gauge and the pressure doesn’t drop before the thing starts up again. It has two settings - I’d have to get the manual/pamphlet out to remind myself what the other one is for. I’ll let you know.
Got back on with the Lynx - it’s just a bit of tidying up and finishing off.
Sometimes Airfix decals can be a bit disappointing, despite the good rep of their manufacturer. Often I find them a bit on the large side, but with the Lynx tail rotor I found them the other way - a bit too small.
Normally I will always paint rotors regardless, but on this occasion decided to use the decals - and wish I’d painted!
They definitely should cover the width of the blades:
Maybe one of my reds will match the decal colour, then I can just dab on a bit and all will be well. Maybe.
The main rotors were another matter - I knew I would have little chance of managing to paint the edges tidily enough, so decals are definitely the way to go - just hope I can match the two sides well enough.
Still quite a bit of paint touch-up to do, then weathering etc and should be done soon so I can get on with my Harriers
That is going to be a beautiful Lynx! I also can’t wait to see your 2-seater Harriers.
I’ve been busy with a 1:72 Sea Harrier FRS.1
Having a lot of fun with magnets for detachable weapons, fuel tanks and even refuelling probe.
Here’s the full album on scalemates: Sea Harrier FRS.1, 70s, magnets (1:72) by Fr3ak - Albums
Some pictures:
I am aware the colour is too blue and should have been more grey.
It will be a gift to my mother for her birthday. She is an English teacher and has always loved the look of the Harrier. When asked, she said she preferred wheels up, in flight but wasn’t sure if she wanted it “clean” or with weapons so that’s how I came up with the magnets idea.
The base of the stand will be a Union Jack, of course!
Some of you guys have no kids and it shows! (just kidding only a little bit envious)
Do you remember I have a 1:72 
waiting for me?
I wanted to get some experience with a few other kits before starting on that one.
That looks nice - I’ve never built an actual FRS.1, though I did buy the Airfix 1/48 kit, it turned out to be quite awful, so I got rid of it. That was quite a few years ago. The FRS.2 I have was originally an FA.2 kit that I slightly modded (but I can’t remember what I did to it).
These are my current Harriers, including the FRS.2 and FA.2:
What a beautiful collection! Great achievement!
I especially like the British Harrier IIs (GR.5/7/9?), with that Sidewinder pylon on the gear housing. I miss that in DCS.
My Harrier is the Hasegawa kit. People online seem to be more enthusiastic about the Italeri with both wings being a single part, but I am very happy with it (just like the Hasegawa Tornado that I built before this). The Tornado also had a great fit, but it came with two Sky Shadow jammers and no Saab CM dispenser. Whereas every picture of a Tornado I have seen so far had one of each.
The Harrier has a lot of weaponry available (2x 1000lb bombs, 2x fuel tanks, 2x Sidewinders, and you can choose to mount cannons or the fins. All 5 hardpoints can be used.).
I have only 1 small complaint: I needed some epoxy putty to seal the canopy, as it left an opening when displayed with closed canopy.
Thanks - I do like Harriers, I spent 3 years as a teenager watching them at the local airbase and was lucky enough to work with Harrier Force (but not close enough to the aircraft, I’m afraid) later in life.
Both the GR Harrier models are 7s. I have a 9 to add, as well as the GR1 I mentioned.
The Tornado partly visible is the Revell GR.1 in 1/72 scale. Most of it was nice to put together, but the wings seemed to droop far too much, which was a bit disappointing - it was difficult to tell how much they do droop in the given situation that I modelled (with tanks and AAMs underwing, at low speed in refuelling mode) with airbrakes and probe extended. It just doesn’t look quite right, but I couldn’t find a way to make them droop less.
The other big bad thing was the decals, they were so thick and terrible. The silly thing is, in all the promotional photo’s I’ve seen for this kit - including the ones on the box - the decals are obviously very poor, too. So it’s a kit thing, but I’m mystified why it wasn’t noticed and corrected, it’s just so obvious.
Mind you - if you look at the box art, the wings do look droopy there, too
Here’s a Revell image of the kit - look at those decals!
