harrier gr.mk9 in 1:48th scale · harrier gr.9a zg472/62a in 1:48th scale - kestrel formation, jedi...

H A R R I E R G R . 9 / 9 A I N 1 : 4 8 t h S C A L E

From the Hasegawa/Revell GR.7/9 kit

By N I C K G R E E N A L L

v.4 31/08/2016 Nick Greenall HARRIER SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP

Harrier GR.9A ZG472/62A being piloted by Lt Cdr James Blackmore, OC A Flight of No.1(F) Squadron, taxies out as Jedi 3 of Kestrel

Formation, RAF Cottesmore, 15th December 2010

Harrier GR.9A ZG472/62A in 1:48th scale - Kestrel Formation, Jedi 3, above the clouds at Scale ModelWorld 2011

An in-flight Harrier GR.9/9A - These notes accompany the Revell kit’s 52 instruction stages, which have each item of the

build more specifically detailed than in Hasegawa’s 12 stages, making notes like these easier to compile. They outline the

changes I made to the standard kit to produce an in-flight model of Harrier GR.9A ZG472/62A for the HARRIER Special

Interest Group’s Scale ModelWorld 2011 display centre-piece: ‘Kestrel Formation’ - which depicted the last seventeen UK

Joint Force Harrier GR.9/9As and T.12s to fly from RAF Cottesmore on 15th December 2010. The stage numbers in (-)

are the Hasegawa stage numbers for those using their kit.

I’ve changed the running order of the build sequence from the Revell kit’s instructions to that in which I assembled the

model, as for me it has a more logical flow, with this being the first Hasegawa/Revell GR.7/9 I had made. Where no

changes are needed to the kit’s instructions, I have not mentioned those stages below.

PLEASE read these notes through in full, maybe a couple of times, with the kit’s instructions and sprues/parts to

hand, to enable you to do some dry runs and identify the right parts depending on which boxing of the kit you

have. Doing so should prevent problems with the build.

HARRIER GR.9/9A in 1:48th scale

v.4 31/08/2016

Nick Greenall Harrier Special Interest Group

For an in-flight Harrier GR.9, the stages not required from the Revell instructions are: 1, 2, 23-26, 27 (other than making

the holes for the outrigger fairing mounted pylons), 32-34 and 43. From the Hasegawa sheet, the elements of the build

these equate to are: the ejector seat itself, the nose and main wheel assemblies and their fitting, fitting the outriggers, gun

pod and AIM-9L assemblies and fitting.

A highly recommended reference to help with the build is

the book ‘BAE Systems Harrier II – The Harrier GR.9

and T.12 in the 21st Century’ which Andy Donovan and

I authored and produced for Double Ugly Books, ISBN-

13: 9783935687188.

If using the Hasegawa kit / instructions, proceed without reading the following bit.

CAVEAT EMPTOR! If using the Revell kit / instructions, beware…! The Revell artist had a really bad day at the office as, on the sprue

layout drawings, he transposed sprues F and G from the original Hasegawa layout. To make your life easier with what follows on page 5

of the Revell instructions, where the layout of each sprue is shown and thereafter, rename sprue F as G and vice-versa. Hasegawa and

Revell also differ in which HUD components to use for a GR.7/9: Hasegawa opt for the wider parts Y6 and Y7, Revell for the narrower Z5

and Z6. In my opinion one should go with the wider parts Y6 and Y7 for an RAF Harrier II.

The Revell artist also referenced all the parts in Stage 20 incorrectly. The aft canopy decking should be B3 (not K5), the LERX should be

K5 (not K4) and the under-LERX spreader should be K4 (not B3). This will all become very important when we get to those stages below

as I’ll just be referring to the part numbers!

Also, the Revell cockpit decals are very poor when compared with the Hasegawa ones; as one will see when looking at them against the

photos below…

Another picture of Harrier GR.9A ZG472/62A being piloted by Lt Cdr James Blackmore, OC A Flight of No.1(F) Squadron, taxiing out as

Jedi 3 of Kestrel Formation, RAF Cottesmore, 15th December 2010 (Photo: Graham James)

Two subsequent builds have enabled me to add to these instructions to cover:

GR.9A ZG477(67A) just after take-off - its last take off from HMS Ark Royal on 24th November 2010 - an in-flight

Harrier with its undercarriage down at full extension, drooped flaps and ailerons.

GR.9A ZG511/82(A) taxiing - fully loaded with its canopy back and in-flight refuelling probe deployed during Operation

‘Herrick’. Both these options have all auxiliary intake doors open and 100% LERX.

Where these options require changes to the in-flight build of ZG472 in the notes which follow, these two options are referred

to by the above aircraft’s serial numbers.

ZG477 and ZG511 - for both, their paragraphs for are indented for clarity!


v.4 31/08/2016


Harrier GR.9A ZG511/82(A) above: taxiing back in at Kandahar Airfield after a sortie on 1st May 2009, still carrying its full load of: two

Paveway IVs, two 19-shot CRV-7 rocket pods, two BOL rails, Sniper ATP and Terma pod; and, below taking off from KAF with a similar

load plus a DJRP on 19th May 2009. (Photographs: Scott Kirkpatrick via Cdr James Blackmore)

Harrier GR.9A ZG477(67A) was the last Harrier to take off from HMS Ark Royal on 24th November 2010 piloted by Lt Cdr James

Blackmore, OC A Flight, 1(F) Squadron; note the flap and aileron settings. (Photograph: Crown Copyright)


v.4 31/08/2016


An in-flight Harrier GR.9/9A - ZG472

Stages 1 and 2 (1) - Replace the kit’s seat with the Pavla resin (PAVS4830) Martin Baker MB.12, detailing the head-box

top and modifying the angle of the headrest, refer to photos.

Stages 3 and 4 (3+4) - Complete as the instructions, except for the seat items; remove the lug at the rear of the tub. Use

Humbrol Matt 27 Matt Sea Grey with a some white added for the tub and instrument panel colour; a mix which is very close

to the Dark Admiralty Grey (BS381C:632) in Harrier cockpits. The instrument panel should be angled forward at the top;

either dry fit the tub into the nose halves, parts C1 and C8 and use the instrument panel coaming, part G12 to get the angle

right, or lightly tack fix the foot of the panel in place for now. I used Hasegawa’s kit decals for the instrument panel and

side consoles, applying several coats of MicroSol to get them bedded down over the raised detail. The left display screen

was painted Humbrol Clear Green, the right Humbrol Clear Blue. Paint the ‘box’ under where the Head-Up Display (HUD)

lens will fit, part Y5, matt black.

The two options for finishing the cockpit tub I used - Top: painted details, with some extra detailing of the cockpit walls as needed for

ZG511 with its open canopy; the coaming detail includes the document clip. Right: Hasegawa decals and minimal painting.


v.4 31/08/2016


Stage 7 (3) - On part C1, just above the front fluorescent formation light is a raised lip around an oval hole, which does not

appear on UK Harriers. Remove the raised lip and fill the hole. Reduce the height of the frames around these formation

lights with some careful sanding. As reference to photographs of the real aircraft shows they should only just be visible -

this applies to all these formation lights except those next to the airbrake bay which are raised as in the kit. The cockpit

walls of C1 and C8 are also painted with the DSG plus white mix, with some shading being applied to the frames.

ZG511 - as this aircraft would have its canopy back I applied some basic detailing to the cockpit walls.

Stage 8 (4) - I left off the two Zeus ECM fittings (V5) until later in the assembly to ensure everything lined up properly.

Over the inside of the front RCV opening I glued a small piece of black plasticard and then some microstrip scribed with

two lines to depict the RCV itself.

Stages 9 and 10 (4) - I was pleasantly surprised how well the nozzles assembled if you hold them together while running

thin liquid glue (e.g. Slater’s Mek Pak) carefully along the joints and getting the outer edges as true as possible. After they

have set then gently bend the internal vanes and glue them together to avoid any significant mismatch on them. The worst

fit I found was on the outer splitter vane on the rear nozzles. However, considering these will be sooty black and under

the wings, will anyone see the joins? Most unlikely!

Now it’s time to get the fuselage assembled so things start to deviate from the instruction sequence…

Stages 13 and 14 (2) - I combined these and took real care when fixing part B4 in place. I glued the two fuselage halves

together at the rear first, braced by the two nozzle pivot points (Stages 5 and 6). Once set I wriggled B4 into place before

gluing the lower front fuselage halves together. After that had all set for a while, I glued B4 into place; an easy job to do

as the liquid poly can be liberally applied along the inside of the join. The only bit that causes any problems is the corner

aft of the port rear undercarriage door* which wanted to drop inside the fuselage a bit. I pared-down the top of the ridges

of B4 which surround the airbrake bay, as it’s those ridges being too deep that prevent a good fit at B4’s rear. Doing it this

way ensures that B4 can be fitted evenly between the two halves rather than ‘favouring’ the one it’s fitted to first. To help

fit a closed LID air dam door in stage 31, I also recommend removing the rivet detail on B4 from the inside of where parts

C4-C6 will go and thinning down the centre of this area a bit. Only do this for a closed door!

I strongly recommend Alan Firbank’s tip from the June 2011 issue of Airfix Model World magazine, where he taped the

Revell kit’s part K5 - the upper panel between the LERX and cockpit (B3 in the Hasegawa kit) - in place to ensure the

upper fuselage parts are correctly spaced before fixing the bell-mouth, part A5, in place. Doing this will alleviate most of

the fit issues around the intakes and prevent the nose being fitted ‘nose-up’ relative to the rest of the fuselage.

Simply put, nose section alignment and other issues around fit of the intakes will be avoided if you tape the

LERX>Cockpit panel - from here-on referred to as R-K5(H-B3) - in place while doing any work in this area until it

can finally be glued in place!

Finally, I glued the intake bell-mouth in place; making sure there’s a small (about 0.5mm) lip inside the fuselage. With part

R-K5(H-B3) taped in place you will find that the outer edges of the bell-mouth do not fit tight up to the fuselage insides at

their widest point and at the top. If any auxiliary doors are being depicted open, then the step between the fuselage and

the bell-mouth will need filling and smoothing down. As the model depicts and aircraft with its engine running, I painted

the fan matt black then lightly highlighted the edges of each blade aluminium and painted the strengthening ring of blade

‘snubbers’ with bright silver to depict a spinning Pegasus.

Having seen a GR.7 build on the Britmodeller website, fitting some simple structure inside the fuselage around the intake

openings from scrap plasticard is worth the effort; it’s a simple job to bodge as these photos show, I used scrap pieces of

plasticard to provide blanking and rudimentary detail inside the nozzle fairings as the photos below show.


v.4 31/08/2016


Stage 41 (9) - Don’t forget to shave off the raised rims on the fuselage around the locating peg holes for the strakes.

Equally, do not remove the mountings lugs on the strakes that fit in those holes and make sure the correct strake goes on

the correct side! All the strake mounting flanges need to be reshaped, as shown in the photos below; note that the rear

inboard flange is asymmetric. The front of the strake fits so that it is just adjacent to the air dam LID and will not foul its

opening. The rear of the strake is aligned as close to the main undercarriage door hinge line as possible.

Through some gentle bending, I made sure the outer flanges were as close to the fuselage surface as possible without

taking the strakes out of their alignment angle and used Vallejo’s tube filler again to seal the gaps between the inboard

flanges and the fuselage. Lastly, small pieces of micro-strip were added into the slots at the front for the forward lugs.

Stage 30 (7) - Some care is required with the fitting of the flare/chaff dispenser T5 to ensure that any gaps are filled; I

found Vallejo’s Plastic Putty 401 acrylic tube filler to be ideal for this using micro-brushes to smooth it into the gaps. Also

note the front of T5 needs a bit of trimming back to stop it fouling the airbrake. On the port side of the fuselage just above

where T5 fits is an opening; fill this with a suitable offcut of rod and/or filler. I left fitting the lower navigation light, part Z8,

until final detailing. (Tip - Immediately, or after 2-3 hours, you can remove Vallejo filler with a wooden cocktail stick cut at

a 45º angle or used ‘flat’, in the same way you can get paint off a transparency; without damaging the plastic.)

Stage 31 (8) - Remove the 3 small pins on the inside leading edge of the LID air dam, and do some sanding down of the

detail on the insides and of the edges to enable it to fit flush; some simple work is needed here with trial fits and sanding

to get a flush fit, I also put some small scraps of 10thou in the air-dam bay under parts C4 and C6. Fill any gaps in the

joins between parts C4, C5 and C6: while the air-dam’s two end pieces (‘ears’) can be changed in real-life, the join line is

hardly visible. Remove the small triangular projections that help locate part G5, the rear front undercarriage bay door, in

the ‘down position, and sand the arms down a bit on what will be their lowest (outer) surfaces - they should still be about

5thou proud of the door surface, while also cutting away some of their uppermost surface (that fixes to the fuselage) to

enable the door to fit flush. Increase the width of the opening for G5 to match the part’s width, remove the small square

peg to leave the rear of the main two front u/c doors flat and fit G5 in place with the retraction arms to the rear. Do NOT

fill the small rectangular hole aft of the front u/c bay, there is a small hole here on the full-size Harrier as photos show.

ZG477 - the LID air dam was assembled and mounted as in the kit’s instructions. Thankfully, the kit provides the air

dam ‘ears’ (C4 and C6) of the correct type for use with strakes; which are also used when Sniper and TERMA pods

are fitted. The airbrake would also be fitted in the down position using the kit’s parts later on. As the undercarriage

and airbrake were down I had to use a more rearward location just ahead of the ventral fin for the mounting rod.


v.4 31/08/2016


ZG511 - as for ZG477, this stage was done after the Sniper and TERMA pylons were fitted from the Olimp resin set to

provide some protection. Note: the inside face of the airbrake and the airbrake bay were painted the fuselage colour,

whether DCG or MSG; they were not white as many modellers seem to depict them!

Stage 38 (8) - The airbrake, C3 fits reasonably well in the closed position with just a bit of neatening of the edges to all a

flush fit; as does the small main undercarriage bay door, part G8. To mount the model, drill a hole vertically up on the

centreline 5mm ahead of the leading edge of G8; in the location shown in the photograph on page 8. This position for the

hole will enable a DJRP (Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod) or baggage pod to still be fitted to the centre-line pylon. For

an under-carriage up Harrier I’ll cover fitting the outrigger doors later as part of the wing assembly.

ZG477 - the airbrake and outrigger doors were mounted down using the kit’s parts; the airbrake was left unattached

until final assembly to prevent it being damaged. As the undercarriage and airbrake were down I had to use a more

rearward location just ahead of the ventral fin for the mounting rod.

ZG511 - the airbrake and outrigger doors were mounted down using the kit’s part; the airbrake was left unattached until

final assembly to prevent it being damaged.

Stages 27 and 28 (5) - Drill out the holes for the outrigger fairing pylons in the lower wings and remove the square raised

‘open box’ on the rear of the engine panel, next to the circular water tank filler cap; a Swann-Morton No.15 blade is ideal

for this, for cutting away the unwanted plastic without damaging the nearby details. Join the upper and lower wing parts

and, with a bit of ‘near-to-breaking-something’ wriggling, fit the wings to the fuselage. I have done this for my GR.9A builds

as it gives better leading edge joints and a smoother fit with the fuselage at the rear.

A thin slice of 2mm white rod is used for the GPS disc which is fitted just off the fuselage centre-line to the port side,

adjacent to the circular water tank cap on the rear of the main engine cover panel.

ZG477 - Flaps and ailerons dropped… For this model I needed to depict the flaps and ailerons both dropped as for

take-off; the flaps only being partially down. This requires a lot of work to the wings, separating the parts and reshaping

the flap actuator housings before the main wings are assembled as in stage 27. Separate the upper surface flap from

its upper flap vane. The flaps are easy sub-assemblies for their upper and lower rear surfaces, with a piece of rod

being used to form a strengthening spar at the open edge of the assembly. The curved leading edge is made from a

pre-formed piece of 15 thou plasticard.


v.4 31/08/2016


The prominent slot is cut into the outboard edges of each flap and each flap’s two actuators angled for the required amount

of ‘drop’ then shaped to meet their underwing counterparts before the flaps are re-fitted. I used small pieces of microstrip

to facilitate the fitting of the flap vanes, which rest just above the flap’s surface. The ailerons are easier to drop after

carefully cutting them free with a scalpel and fine razor saw.

The completed dropped flaps and ailerons, the latter fitted with the rear portions from their respective pylon fairings; these

took quite a while to get right with careful reference to the photos in the Harrier GR.9 and T.12 book.

Stages 18 and 19 (5) - The fuel dump pipes at the rear of the wing-tip assemblies can be better represented by small

pieces of plastic rod as the kit’s pipe diameter is too small.

On the GR.9/9A, (but not on the T.12), just ahead of the triangular wingtip light the infra-red navigation light is added from

fine plastic rod, as shown in Andy Robinson’s photos of ZD322’s wingtip; the green light cover is fitted so as not to impair

the effectiveness of the pilot’s Night Vision Goggles. On aircraft with the clear fuselage navigation lights one bulb flashes

red (usually on the ground) and an extra bulb can be turned on to flash white.

Stage 28 (5) - (Resumed) The kit’s wing tips are reputed to be a poor butt join fit. Use a No.15 blade to gently pare out

the centre of the joints on wings and tips so the joint’s edges fit together better. Use liquid glue on the joint and pushed

the tip hard onto the wing so that a very small bead of plastic is squeezed-up; taking care that right alignment with the


v.4 31/08/2016


aileron is maintained. I found the starboard tip fits better than the port one. After the joints were set I used Vallejo filler

and the No.15 blade to tidy them up. Sand off the mould lines from the outrigger fairings on both sides.

Stage 20 (5) With part R-K5(H-B3) still taped in place, I next

fitted the LERX. If using the kit’s 65% LERX please note that

where the front of the curved portion of the LERX meets the

fuselage is behind where the front engine bay covers meet part

K5 and not where they meet: gently sand a very small amount

off each leading edge as shown in red on the photo and reshape

the leading edges. Again, reduce the height of the formation light

surrounds on the upper engine panels… they’ve yet to be

tackled in this photo.

Under the LERX itself, trim down the depth of starboard

side’s fuselage fillet and smooth down the area ahead of

the fillets on both sides. The fillets themselves need their

outer surfaces paring and sanding back so their outer

lower edges align with the fuselage cut out for the LERX.

Gently bend down the rear wedges on K4 that form the

underside leading edge of the wing, without opening up

their leading join with the upper LERX; pack out the gap at

the rear with small scraps of 20 thou plasticard. On a 65%

LERX use a vertically held small drill to better define the

old Fire Access slots in the wing leading edges.

If possible, match a 65% LERX with a 100% one from another AV-8B kit to locate the small holes for the ‘frog-eyes’. Finally,

trim down the upper fuselage ‘opening’s’ side walls for the LERX, most notably at the front. If you get all of this right, after

a lot of trial and error test fits, the LERX will fit superbly well and need next to no filling on the upper surfaces where it

meets the upper wing; especially if you apply thin liquid glue first to where the fuselage and LERX meet, allowing capillary

action to weld the joint, then successively easing the join with adjoining parts into place from there. Doing all of this resulted

in a perfect LERX to upper wing and engine panel joint, perfect LERX to fuselage sides joints and a perfect LERX to “that

part” joint. A piece of microstrip in the underside port wing/LERX join, plus some Vallejo tube filler was used for any small

gaps that remained; as you can see by the lack of white in the photos on page 10, there were not many. Some scribing of

the upper wing leading edge panels is needed to correct the missing panel lines in this area on the upper surfaces of the

engine cover between the LERX.

If using a Hasegawa/Revell 100% LERX unit taken from another Harrier II kit, the same tips generally apply. You’ll also

need to fill the prominent join line between the upper and lower LERX parts.

If using AlleyCat’s 100% LERX (AC48002C) the small LERX

projections ahead of where the LERX meets part R-K5(H-B3)

must NOT be sanded off!

Again, the formation light surrounds need reducing down;

though the work under the LERX has been resolved in the

casting. You’ll still need to trim down the fuselage opening

for the LERX at the front.

For any 100% LERX you need to correct the upper surface

panel lines where they join the wings’ leading edges.


v.4 31/08/2016


Below are some of Andy Robinson’s detail shots of the 65% (left) and 100% (right) LERX fitted on GR.9s/9As showing the

formation light panels, upper surface panel lines and the concave curved fairing to the fuselage under the LERX. Note the

differences in the placement, sizes and colours of the No Step feet and crosses, the GTS/APU exhaust gases stencils, the

four black markings on the wing by the hoist point and how the fairing on the 100% LERX overlaps the leading edge erosion

tape. The formation light panels are nowhere near as pronounced as on the kit mouldings and the ultra-fine mesh of the

GTS/APU intake, not replicable in this scale other than by painting the mesh area Dark Sea Grey.

This column : 65% LERX This column : 100% LERX


v.4 31/08/2016


Here are some photos of the finished intakes and 65% LERX on the model. The only problem with photos like this is that

they show just how much tidying up of stray filler and the like still has to be done. Where’s that cocktail stick…?

Above left: Wing leading edge panel lines and frog-eye location holes added on part R-K5(H-B3), formation light surrounds pared down

Above right: LID and front u/c door details, forward mounting brackets on the strakes

And, for 100% LERX on the model…

Lower Right: Shows the areas filled under the 100% LERX, with

both photos showing the joins inside the intake yet to be filled.

Again, note that the formation light surrounds have been pared

down to be just visible.

Panel line detail added

Cut back LERX leading edge

Panel line detail

corrected, both sides

Gaps to be filled

100% LERX ‘projections’


v.4 31/08/2016


Right: Underside of 65% LERX to fuselage fairing

Below: the retracted airbrake, the fitted chaff flare dispenser

and the location for the mounting hole

Stage 28 - Prepare the AAR probe now. Remove the front 1mm of

the mounting - it’s too long - and reshape its underside to fit properly,

especially at the front and rear, or else you’ll have a big hole under

it. Do not fit it until after painting, or else painting the area under the

LERX is hard to access.

CAVEAT EMPTOR No.2 - This all worked fine for the wing to 65% LERX to R-K5(H-B3) joints on the first two GR.9s I made, which were

both Hasegawa boxings in light grey plastic. For my T.12, which I’m sure was a Revell kit in the almost camo grey plastic (to help with

storage I’d stripped all the parts from several kits’ sprues and bagged them, putting the bags in one box), I noticed too late that there

was a problem with the front cross-section of the wing: it was much lower than that of the rear of the LERX - a bad mould extraction that

got through sprue quality checks one assumes. At first I thought the LERX was too humped but it was the wing’s centre panel that was

too flat. I only found this out after the whole wing assembly had already been firmly fixed firmly to the fuselage.

No matter what I did in assembling the LERX and wing joint - getting joints to partially set before melting them again and flexing things,

using Bernia clamps to hold bits where they should be - I was left with a large 0.5mm step down aft of the LERX. The only answer was

to fill the centre section aft of the LERX with milliput and sand it to shape, also to sand down the top of the starboard wing aft of the

LERX where it was, annoyingly, too high.

Having checked the wings of another 6 Hasegawa and 2 Revell kits with various LERXs, it looks like I’ve just been unlucky. When

viewed from the front, the Hasegawa wing mouldings all look very symmetrical across the centre sections, whereas the (yet unused)

Revell ones are less well defined and a bit flatter at the join of the starboard wing with the central engine panel. One to beware of…!

Stages 11 and 12 (4) - The auxiliary intake doors need to be fixed in the appropriate positions for how the Harrier is being

depicted. In the kit, not all the doors or their gaps are exactly the same size, even the G9 parts! Note that G10 and G11

are the uppermost doors on the port and starboard sides respectively. Line up the front and rear edges then carefully use

liquid glue’s capillary action to fill the other gaps. Do make sure the doors are fitted the right way around and carefully

clean up the sprue attachment points at the rear of each door.

Filled hole (Stage 30

above)


v.4 31/08/2016


The work done on the intakes for ZG477 and ZG511 showing the lower dropped doors (hinge lines yet to be engraved) and the angled

rears of the microstrip door dividers. The inside shows the MSG areas for ZG477. On DSG/DCG aircraft, use DCG for these areas.

ZG477 and ZG511 - careful work with a 10A blade and razor saw removed the lower three doors, which then need

some work to thin down their insides before they are re-fitted in their open positions. Some gaps need to be filled with

off cuts of varying thicknesses of microstrip between the auxiliary door dividers and the bell-mouth edge to ensure the

intakes align with the front of their fairings on the fuselage sides. 1.25mm wide 15 thou microstrip was used to deepen

the dividers between each door, making the rear cut tapered to fit flush into the bell-mouth; see photos. I found that

gluing each one individually a bit over-long and offering the intake up to the bell-mouth and fuselage enabled the correct

length for each to be obtained by a gentle push, before more liquid glue was applied. The last bit of detailing is to use

very fine microstrip to make the door guides on the dividers, a fiddly job but one which pays dividends in the end.

Microstrip is also used under the top edges of part K5 to make the upper inboard auxiliary door opening’s inner edge.

Intake interiors were satin (almost matt) white, which got quite dirty with many greyish streaks. Approximately the central

third of each intake was painted in either Dark Camouflage Grey (DCG), or later, Medium Sea Grey (MSG) coloured

protective paint to prevent undue reflections distracting the pilot. The exact positioning of this grey area differed between

aircraft and didn’t always align with the two panel lines inside the intakes, e.g. ZD433’s area was placed higher inside the

intake, while ZG477’s was lower; as these photos show. Nothing is ever easy with Harriers! A 0.3 draughtsman’s pencil

was used to define the edges of the two boundary-layer spiller doors. Two temperature probes were fashioned from

plasticard off cuts to replicate the fin’s temperature probe, part X8, and fitted just behind the boundary layer spiller doors.

Stages 15, 16 (4) and 17 - S15 - Leave fitting Z4, the ARBS glazing, until final detailing. S16 - In fitting the nose section

be very careful! Use part B3 - the aft canopy decking - (without fitting it initially) the intake ‘ears’ and the small intake

sections on the cockpit sides to ensure that you do not push the nose too far back onto the centre of the fan. If you push

it back too far, your Harrier is likely to have a ‘turned-up nose’; as many who have added the nose before part R-K5(H-B3)

and the LERX have found! This is why I build it in this order. Once satisfied with the alignment in every direction glue

everything in place before adding the intakes.

Filler needs to be applied to the upper and lower joins between the bellmouth and fuselage where shown in the photos

below. I again used Vallejo’s acrylic tube filler for this, using micro-brushes to smooth it into the gaps once I’d packed out

the major gaps with scrap plasticard. (Tip - Quickly use water to clean the brushes for next time!)

Two temperature probes were fashioned from plasticard off cuts to replicate the fin’s temperature probe, part X8, and fitted

just behind the boundary layer spiller doors. Formation photos show the upper of these doors to have often been partially

open in flight and a mix of matt black and dark grey was applied in a stripe about half the door’s width to give the impression

of the open doors on just ZG472. The intake insides on all airframes were dry brushed with MSG and Humbrol 27, Matt

Sea Grey in order to dirty them up a bit; don’t overdo it!


v.4 31/08/2016


Intake interiors were satin (almost matt) white, which got quite dirty with many greyish streaks. Approximately the central

third of each intake was painted in either Dark Camouflage Grey (DCG), or later, Medium Sea Grey (MSG) coloured

protective paint to prevent undue reflections distracting the pilot. The exact positioning of this grey area differed between

aircraft and didn’t always align with the two panel lines inside the intakes, e.g. ZD433’s area was placed higher inside the

intake, while ZG477’s was lower; as these photos show. Nothing is ever easy with Harriers! A 0.3 draughtsman’s pencil

was used to define the edges of the two boundary-layer spiller doors. Two temperature probes were fashioned from

plasticard off cuts to replicate the fin’s temperature probe, part X8, and fitted just behind the boundary layer spiller doors.

Fitting the intakes can still be a case of “they fit where they touch” so be prepared for a bit of fettling and filler.

Stages 21 and 22 (6) - Remove the ejector pin marks from the inside of the fin halves and reduce the height of the upper

location pin to prevent any leading edge gaps when they are joined. Again, pare down the formation light surrounds.

Stage 29 (6) - I fitted the rear ventral fin section, part T7, as part of the main fuselage build. Other than being careful with

the direction of the tailplane end plates (known as ‘bacon slicers’ by maintainers) and keeping everything square, this is a

simple section to complete.

Stage 52 (12) - With the holes having been made for them, fitting the ‘frog-eyes’ is much easier, but they need about

0.5mm trimming off their rear end. Again, I left the upper navigation light, part Z8, off until final detailing after painting. The

aerial, part T12, should be fixed perpendicular to the engine cover panel which, as the aerial is just offset to starboard

means the aerial should lean out a fraction to starboard and not be vertically upright!

For those needing to make SNIPER ATP / LITENING pylon I include the following notes and photos from Piero De Santis’s

Britmodeller (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234907677-raf-harrier-gr79-132/?hl=piero) build of an

RAF GR.7 from the Trumpeter 1:32nd scale kit, which show his scratch-built pylon made from the port strake; a solution

which can be applied in 1:48th scale.

Piero wrote: “I used the port strake as base, reshaped and detailed with plasticard. It’s important to note that the pylon is

perpendicular to the ground instead of being angled as for the strake.”

Piero’s SNIPER pylon is more accurate than the Wolfpack resin one, being narrower and with the right mounting flanges

and lugs, but it needs the latter’s adapter fitting between the pylon and the SNIPER pod.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234907677-raf-harrier-gr79-132/?hl=piero


v.4 31/08/2016


The Wolfpack SNIPER pod is also missing the upper rear box shown in these two photos by Andy Robinson.

Stages 38 and 39 (8) - The retracted outriggers are easy to do but some care will be needed with the forward outrigger

bay door as the kit part is undersized for the gap. The photos show the main points to note: where to cut and refit the

lower scissor link, also remove the tie-down ‘disc’; gentle rounding of the wheel yoke’s frame edges; the 15 thou and rod

packing under the leg; how far in the retracted leg is fitted - the bulb of the locating pin just breaks the edge of the rear

mounting hole, with the top of the wheel being just a bit higher than the outrigger fairing (refer to photos); the 10 thou lateral

packing either side of the leg; the removal of the long, raised door mounting flanges from the outrigger openings; the in-

fills from scrap card that the new doors made from a 15mm x 3.5mm piece of 15 thou are fitted to.


v.4 31/08/2016


IMPORTANT NOTE! In the left-hand photo above the leg was dry fitted in place and was accidentally upside down when

I took the photo; the scissor link is on the rear of the leg so should be on TOP of the leg when it is fitted in place!

The folding doors have their attachment lugs removed and are joined down their middle with a piece of microstrip inside

for added strength. Attaching them to the openings is simple to do; yes, they do sit quite ‘high’ at their rear. Once the new

front doors have been fitted and set, they are gently sanded to shape.

Stage 40 (9) - An easy stage; at last! Note that like the upper aerial, both pitot heads, X13 and X14, are perpendicular to

the fuselage contour where they are mounted. At the same time, from Stage 42 (9), I fitted the upper drain mast and fuel

vent mast, parts X11 and X16 respectively; and, the Zeus ECM fairings under the nose, parts V5, left over from Stage 8.

Stages 50 and 51 (12) - The two cockpit conditioning system ram air intakes, parts W8, are fitted on top of part B3, having

first rounded their edges a bit; the kit mouldings are too square. I left fitting the yaw vane, part X18, the (Forward Looking

Infra-Red) FLIR lens part Z2, the HUD, windscreen and the canopy until final detailing after painting. Paint the underside

of the IP coaming G12 matt black on the cockpit side of the IP. I also did some simple detailing of G12 as the photos below

show, adding the documents clip on the starboard side, HUD details, the master armament switch and cables on the port.

Pylons and ordnance - For Kestrel Formation Harriers this was fairly easy to do, the majority having empty pylons fitted.

Two of the formation carried RAIDS pods on their starboard BOL rails - ZD433/45A (Jedi 2) and ZG472/62A (Jedi 3) - while

two carried a Sniper ATP (Advanced Targeting Pod) on the port fuselage pylon - ZD433/45A, again, and ZG479/69A (Jedi

4). The BOL rail assembly is simply shown in stage 35. The RAIDS pod was easy to make from shaped plastic rod with

some 5 thou strips around it at the rear, using one of the kit’s fine AIM-9s as a guide for length and positioning of the strips.

Stage 36 - When assembling the tanks do not remove the small tube that sits on W1 just forward of the front pylon

attachment point. Getting the joint lines to disappear on the tanks is a hard job; patience and several goings over with filler

will be needed. The fins should be replaced, quite easily, with new items cut from 10 thou for a more scale thickness.

Stages 42, 44, 45 and 46 illustrate the pylon and tank fitting. The centre-line pylon, part X15, can be improved with some

detailing - 5 thou strips being used to fill in the sides of the central gap. Three GR.9/9As didn’t carry centre-line pylons:

ZD379/27 (Ninja 3), ZD347/14A (Cougar 2), ZG502/73 (Cougar 4) and ZG858(90) (Poison 1); the latter also missing the

outrigger pylons and having hardpoint fairings on the wings rather than the outer two sets of pylons.

10 thou packing

Sand this area down

for the new door


v.4 31/08/2016


Before we get on to the painting, the annotated photographs below summarise the points covered above.

GPS disc

Engraved panel lines on rear of part B3

Rounded cockpit air-con intakes

Intake joins and intake doors

Reduced 65% LERX length

Filled wingtip joint

Hole filled and rim removed

Formation light surrounds reduced


both sides of fin

Reshaped LERX undersides

Trimmed rear of each ‘frog-eye’

New fuel vent

Small light added next to nav light

Reshaped inner and outer flanges

Filled wingtip joint

Forward RCV detailed


Formation light surrounds unchanged

Reshaped LERX undersides

Oval hole filled

New outrigger doors

Nozzle openings boxed-in

Intake joins and intake doors

Modified rear u/c door

Retracted air dam LID


v.4 31/08/2016


Painting, Decals and Weathering

ZG472/62A was Medium Sea Grey (MSG) overall with Dark Sea Grey (DSG) tailplane endplates (known to the maintainers

as ‘bacon slicers’, from how they can deal with fingers left carelessly in their way…) canopy framing, leading edge to the

ventral fin and tank tips. The starboard BOL rail was also DSG, while the port rail was Dark Camouflage Grey (DCG). I

used reliable Humbrol enamels throughout: 165 for the MSG (BS381C:637), 164 for the DSG (BS381C:638) and 156 for

the DCG (BS381C:629). Photos shows the intake rims, a thin line aft of the nose cone and the leading edges of the flaps

and ailerons were finished with a lighter grey protective paint: I added some white to MSG to get this colour. Unusually,

ZG472’s forward nozzles were dark enough to have a MSG angle indicator triangle on them. Other colours used were:

Dark Green (BS381C:641) Humbrol 163 - the tailcone and bulbous rear missile warning antenna on the ventral fin.

Matt Desert Yellow, Humbrol 93 - the square-ish radar warning antenna below the rear missile warning antenna; the IFF

blade aerial below the tailcone, the tips of the twin Zeus ECM housings on the nose.

Matt Black, Humbrol 33 - the blade IFF aerial above the nose FLIR fairing; the hole at the front of the FLIR fairing; the

edge of the nosecone before the clear nose cap (Z4) is fitted; the two aerials below the nose and the main aerial (T12)

on top of the central fuselage; the ventral fin bumper; use a thinned fine line of matt black to depict the seal around the

strakes; the centre of the GTS/APU exhaust; the RCV openings, tailcone vents and open ends of intakes and fairings.

Matt Ochre, Humbrol 83 - the discoloured sections of wing, tailplane and fin leading edge erosion tape. This by far the

best ‘out-of-the-tin’ paint colour for these.

Gunmetal, Humbrol 53 - the twin nose pitots; pylon bolt details; mixed with varying amounts of matt black and matt rust

- the nozzles and exhaust shields.

Scarlet, Humbrol 60 - the rims of the ‘frog eyes’.

Green Mist Humbrol 50 - both wing tip navigation light covers.

Silver, Humbrol 11 - the GTS/APU exhaust details;, the panels stripped of paint low down on both sides of the fin.

Matt Middle Blue Humbrol 89 - the water tank cap next to the white GPS disc.

Once the paint was dry I used a 0.3mm technical drawing pencil to highlight the panel lines and fasteners; pressing on

lightly for just a hint or giving it some more pressure for darker lines. The 1st rule when doing this is: “If you can see it

in a photo of the real a/c from 30ft, apply it to the model; if you cannot, don't!” If you don’t follow this rule, then it’ll

shout ‘Model!’ when you look at it from a scale viewing distance. Apply the pencil directly to the paint, mistakes are easily

erased. I run a thin very dark grey enamel wash along control surface hinge lines, and then seal that lot in with Klear

before decaling. Other weathering is left until after the decals are applied.

The stencil decals applied to ZG472 were a mix of those from Hasegawa and Revell kits plus from AIRframe’s Harrier

Retirement decal sheet AF-48218; with the serials, fin codes, squadron markings and pilot’s name coming from the latter.

If I remember rightly, what stencil came from what sheet was as follows:

Hasegawa kit - the DSG ‘No Step’ feet on the LERX, engine panels and flaps (25); the aileron and flap protective paint

areas: used as a guide for over-painting them with an MSG/white mix; all the fluorescent formation light strips - note, those

on the wing tip need modifying from the decals provided; refer to the photograph on page 7 above.

Revell kit - All national markings; the ejection seat triangles(88); the square engine cover fire access markings (69); the

NACA duct red fire access markings (72 and 76), the square Gas Turbine Starter / Auxiliary Power Unit (GTS/APU) exhaust

gas symbols (71); all the RCV Danger Jet Blast warnings (93); the front u/c door red danger markings (84).

AIRframe (Here I’m just going to use the reference letters, using their Stencil Guide profiles and plans, left to right…)

- Starboard side: v, x, u, nR, gg, qq, uu, ccR, dd, bb, ll, oo, aa.

- Port side: jj, uu, mm, h, dd, ll, ccL, qq, gg, rr, nL, v, k (uppermost only).

- Upper plan: v x4 (next to the front two, add four discs in a square cut from the Hase kit’s chaff dispenser decals); nn.

- Lower plan view, wings: t; fuselage rear to front: dd, qq, uu, tt, z, qq.


v.4 31/08/2016


- Pylons: c and g (only); Tanks: all stencils.

After looking at detail photos, many stencils on the AIRframe sheet were not applied! Sadly, AIRframe’s decal printers

have printed the Dark Camouflage Grey of many of the stencils a bluey-purple colour. One solution to lessen the impact

of this is to cover the decals with a faint MSG wash (or an MSG overspray if you have an airbrush).

Once decaling is complete weathering can begin. Staining and other weathering I do using thinned-down enamel washes

and dry brushing, using a mix of matt black and desert yellow to depict the grime that soon sticks to a Harrier’s rear

fuselage and undersides; not forgetting the pylon leading edges and tanks. Do refer to photos of the aircraft being modelled

and apply the rule of: “If it’s in the photo, apply it; if not, don’t!” Using thin enamels over Klear is easy: any mistakes

can be removed with thinners on a cotton bud, a tool that’s also useful for blending both dry brush and wash weathering

effects. I sealed the decals and weathering with Xtracrylix Flat Varnish, which I find usually dries with a good scale semi-

matt finish though, if I’m honest, this time it’s a bit too shiny still. Fit the nozzles and exhaust shields now.

Final Detailing

Cockpit - after the painting and decaling is completed, the rear canopy frame, C2, was painted the airframe colour and

glued in place on the top of the fuselage; thin rod being used for the safety pin storage on the right sill. As in stage 47, the

HUD was made up using the wider kit parts, Y6 and Y7, with the side frame detail being added by using some of Paul

Parkes specially commissioned decals.

Two photographs showing the HUD with framing decals and the canopy frame in place with the safety pins stowed. These were later moved

back a bit to their correct position. Note the pencilled panel line and fastener details, also the lighter grey of the intake rims and the strip just

aft of the nosecone.


v.4 31/08/2016


Both the windscreen and canopy transparencies had their central mould lines removed, thankfully they are only on the

outer surfaces, and the polished surface restored using the three grades of abrasive on one of Flexi-File’s ‘Finishing Sticks’

was perfect for this! Both parts are then dipped in Johnson’s Klear and the excess carefully removed by gently touching

the corners to a tissue to allow capillary action to draw it away. They are carefully allowed to dry right way up on a tissue

in a dust-free place; like under an up-turned small ‘Really Useful Box’. The kit’s MDC decals are then applied to the upper

surface using water to get their placement right with gentle tamping down with a cotton bud and small amounts of Micro-

Set being used to get a good non-silvered contact. The canopy then gets a second dip in Klear.

Fit the windscreen using Klear applied in sparing amounts to the joints using a size 0 brush; be careful that capillary action

doesn’t take the Klear into the tiny gaps between the windscreen and IP coaming; if it does, remove the canopy, wash off

the Klear and start again! Be careful with this as I’ve heard that the windscreen does not always fit well. Once the ‘screen

is set, paint its seal matt black, then its sills and the rear of its frame in the airframe colour.

The Martin-Baker MB12H seat I used was modified from the Pavla MB12H seat (PAVS4830). Once the headbox front

and headrest had been careful razor-sawed away a triangular fillet of plasticard was used to give the headrest a better

angle. Detail was also added to the top of the headbox. The pilot figure was made from a variety of sources - TwoMikes,

PJ Products and Airfix. With reference to photos, a lot of the seat cushion detail was removed to get the pilot to sit in the

correct attitude. (Painting details for the seat and pilot are provided in separate documents.)

Once the seat and pilot had been fitted in place, the canopy was fixed to the frame. Simply drop it in place, making sure

the edge joints are ok and that the front frame meets the windscreen all around. Again, use a 0 brush to run Klear carefully

into the joints. Hold in place for 30mins until set; using tape after the first 5 minutes or so. Finally, paint its pale grey MDC

edging and the frames in the airframe colour.

The completed cockpit area with pilot, seat and HUD in place and with a Medium Sea Grey wash over the step decal lines

To get realistic upper and lower anti-collision beacons (parts Z8 in stages 30 and 52) - paint the mounting for them matt

black. Then drop red paint into their locating holes on the fuselage and paint the locating peg on the beacons red. Fix

them in place, using Klear as the adhesive around the edges. Result - a red glow in the beacons! OK, if your Harrier’s

beacons are green, it won't work, but Humbrol 50 Green Mist will do the job beautifully for those; as it will for the wingtip


v.4 31/08/2016


lights! If you wish to make your port wingtip light flash - paint a small red dot in its leading corner on its edge. When that’s

dried put a tiny white dot in the centre of the red one. Use Klear to give all the lights/beacons a glassy finish.

The outer ring of the FLIR lens, Z2, is carefully painted MSG, up to the engraved line. When dry the lens is fitted in place

using Klear. The clear nose cap (Z4) has a small amount of Humbrol 222 Metallic Blue dropped into what will be the front

the locating pin’s central hole before it too is fastened in place with Klear. After that, fitting the yaw vane (X18) is the last

of the detailed assembly to be done.

All that remains is to add the air-air refuelling probe, the pylons - which may need some gentle widening of their locating

slots and a bit of fettling and filling for good fits, ordnance and tanks in place and your Harrier GR.9/9A is completed.

Overall, this is a fairly quick, enjoyable and easily repeatable build, with a few tweaks that it’s as well to know for next time.

Yes, there will be a few next times!

Another view of Harrier GR.9A ZG472/62A in 1:48th scale - Kestrel Formation, Jedi 3, above the clouds at Scale ModelWorld 2011

References

I was spoiled on this build by having access to Andy Robinson’s intimate knowledge and excellent photographs of the real

ZG472/62A and Graham James’s superb detail and general photographs of umpteen Harrier GR.9s/9As; thank you both

for all your help which served better than any books (until the one Andy Donovan and I authored was written!) and

supplemented my own knowledge and photos. Copies of the usual journals: Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft Monthly,

and Aircraft from throughout 2010 and early 2011 also helped for images of Joint Force Harrier’s drawdown activities.

Here are some more photos of the finished model of GR9A ZG472/62A which should help explain anything that’s unclear

in the detailing and finishing sections… Images of the completed ZG477 and ZG511/82 will be added as I complete them.


v.4 31/08/2016


Above: A general view showing the individual weathering on the tailplanes and flaps.

Below: The completed cockpit and forward fuselage from the port side


v.4 31/08/2016


The RAIDS pod detailed centre line pylon, painted detailing under the empty wing pylons and weathered undersides


v.4 31/08/2016


The weathering patterns on the rear of the fuselage sides, applied with reference to photographs of the full-sized ZG472/62A; note also the

modified wing tip formation lights produced from the kit’s decals.

harrier gr.mk9 in 1:48th scale · harrier gr.9a zg472/62a in 1:48th scale - kestrel formation, jedi...

Documents