Well,
after reading a couple of books regarding the Falkland / Malvinas conflict a
good subject was to start with the Harrier. Surprisingly, I happened to
see this kit in my local hobby shop the following weekend after reading the
book. I likedthe quality of it a lot . Though, the cockpit is a kind
of sparse. I did manage to get a resin ejection seat that helped a lot.
The panel, though improved a bit, is a kind of hidden inside the cockpit.
Assembly went straight forward, with almost no filling or sanding required.
Plan your painting through the process, especially the turbine entrance.
Click on
images below to see larger images
During
the conflict, a few Gr3’s were available. I learned through the
Internet that some specific modifications are needed to be done, indeed, a
well represented “Falklander”; for example: it needs a addition in the
nose (a box & a fin), plus some chaff dispensers (which I didn’t
build due to the lack of a reference) & more smaller issues. I
stuck to the nose item which I may have oversized.
The
real issue is painting the camo. Though colors were not difficult to find,
the wrapped camo requires lots of patience regarding masking on a quite complex
surface. Also, the air-to-air missiles were taken from the spares box (I
think, they belonged to a Tornado); those included in the kit are quite basic.
Some heavy weathering was applied with chalk-washes & some tubing went on
the landing gear. The front wheel-well was detailed because the kit leaves
a “big hole” there.
After
all, a fine addition & also a surprisingly small airplane… now that Pucará
in the shelf looks more appealing. Hope you enjoy. Always, I am
available for any comments & contact from you all. Best regards from Mexico City.
Federico
Kunz
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