Revell 1/144 AV-8B Harrier II+
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Introduction
Most
of you have read me rambling on about Revell's latest releases. The AV-8B
Harrier II+ was among them. Well, you'll have to suffer through another
article, because this is a build article on Revell's Harrier. This will
be about the Marine version, the British version will be a future article,
believe me. I won't bother reciting the history of the Harrier. There
are more than enough sources, in print and on the web, that know a whole
lot more than I do about the Harriers. We'll just leave it at the fact
that the Harrier has been a revolution in aircraft design, and just what
the Corps needed. Trust me, from day one it is always pounded into all
aviation Marines, they exist for one reason, and one reason only - to
protect the Marines on the ground. What better way to accomplish that
than to have a vehicle that does not need Super bases with mile long runways,
the Harrier can live just behind the front lines. So in my opinion, the
Harrier has always been one of my favorite aircraft, and Revell has done
it justice with this kit.
The Kit
The
kit was actually released several years ago. (Granted, I can never be
considered a "Speedy" builder!) From what I understand the molds
were actually made in Poland. Regardless of where they did come from,
the moldmakers are artists. Is it a perfect kit ? No. I really don't think
there is such a thing. But it is a good basic kit. Built out of the box,
it will look like a Harrier. If the modeler wishes to do a little work,
it can be taken from the basic to the outstanding. Unfortunately, you'll
have to go by my results, which are near the lower end of the scale.
There
are several areas that do require attention. Like most models of the Harrier,
the Engine Auxilliary Air inlet doors are scribed all in the closed position.
While this is correct for some conditions, (running in straight and level
flight) very seldome will you see a Harrier with them all closed up. On
the ground, you will normally see them with the top 3-4 doors drooping
inwards, due to gravity. Although not a big thing, it is quite obvious
on the Harrier, so you will see the close up photo on the completed doors
in several shots. Another sore spot with me is the Speed brake. On the
ground, with hydraulics off, the brake surface will bleed down unless
locked. There are several shots of the Speed Brake well and surface as
I built them, again not a great item, but it does make a difference.
Another
problem area is the landing gear. I always check out Harrier models at
shows, and can't tell you the number of times I look and the Main gear
is not touching the table/mount surface. The Harrier does have unusual
gear, with a Nose gear, dual Main, and 2 outriggers. Might I suggest a
way around the problem ? I've built several Harriers in several scales,
and have found a simple way to avoid this problem. I attach the Nose,
and outriggers first, then measure the main and "Adjust" the
gear as needed to give me the proper stance. Not Brain surgery, but it
might save you a little anguish later on.
Another
item I've noticed on 1/144th scale models can be the over thick antenna,
and lack of Pitot tubes. Folks, most all aircraft have them somewhere.
Even though this is 1/144th, I've found a simple way to get around this
problem. Since I also build small scale ships, I always have some etched
brass sheets laying around of railings, etc. I just cut a small piece
of straight stock for the smaller antennas. The pitot tubes can be a little
tricky, these I usually cut a corner piece from a railing, all of these
are attached with CA glue. Another trick is the landing light. I use railroad
jewels in this scale. I realize MV products makes small lenses, but the
jewels "Sparkle", and catch the eye of the viewer.
As
you can see from the photos, the cockpit and ejection seat are very nice
little pieces in this kit. Spend a little time in this area painting if
you want to open the canopy. Speaking of the canopy, although quite thick,
Revell did a very nice job in this area. I decided to open mine with a
razor saw to be able to view the cockpit area. And if you've gone this
far, don't forget the HUD over the Instrument panel, the Harrier packs
a big ugly one.
Another feature on today's Harriers that you don't want to miss is the decoy flare ejector panels. Revell provide these as decals, but they are slightly raised panels on the aircraft. I chose to add this with 5 thou sheet plastic. You can also see these in the build photos, just behind the wing trailing edge.
Finishing
Most
everyone knows the Harrier these days is essentially grey on grey. Plus
since they are "Mud Movers" in the finest meaning of the word,
they tend to get a little dirty. The main colors on mine are: Gunship
Grey (36118), over Dark Gull Grey (36231), over Dark Ghost Grey (36320).
The reason I state on mine is: there are always variations, folks. Besides,
this will keep the "Color Police" happy! Open bay areas are
white.
The
decals in the kit are from Cartograph, and very nice. They are of the
"Show Bird" of VMA-231, Ace of Spades, the oldest Squadron in
the Corps. Of course, I figured everyone will build this, plus I have
a 1/72nd one in these colors, so I go digging for something else. I decided
on the "Show Bird" for VMA-223, the Bulldogs. I contracted with
Starfighter Decals
for a 1/144th sheet, which Mark did a tremendous job on. As usual, a few
months ago, DML re-releases their Harrier with these very markings! But
Mark provided markings down to the detonation cord embedded in the canopy,
so I can't recommend him enough. Overall, my example is a mix of the 3
groups of markings mentioned above.
As
usual for my builds, I had to add a pilot to show scale. This came from
a modified Prieser figure, painted to represent the current "desert"
flight coveralls, with the usual olive drab "Speed Jeans". (
a lot of fun to attempt to paint in 1/144th!!!) The base was 30 thou sheet
plastic scribed and drilled out to represent the decking on an LHD. This
was then mounted on a wood base.
Summary
Well, this Harrier's done..... and quite an enjoyable build. Hopefully, the next Harrier I build (GR-7) will be better. But in the meantime, you folks are the judges. Keep building !!
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