1/48 Tamiya Sea Harrier FRS1

by Tim Groombridge

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I love Sea Harriers. To me they represent an irrefutable solution to Labour Government cutbacks that was hard to ignore. The Sea Harrier was eminently capable in its niche role, and was a defininitive piece of hardware in the Falklands conflict. The SHAR's service life is testament to its ability, and it's taken us until now to develop anything that could do the job the Harrier was intended for (JSF). Graceful in its appearance, the Sea Harrier is the embodiment of a golden era of British aviation history and aeronautical innovation that is key to present developments and idealogy. To me, the Sea Harrier has a very well defined position in aviation history.

In terms of build, this kit has it's nuances. There is of course, the option to open up the back of the Harrier to display the Rolls Royce Pegasus engine, with the suggestion that you can choose to leave the panel unsecured - so that you can lift the panel to reveal the engine... achieving harmony between the adjoing panel lines proved to be challenging - so I glued the whole thing shut and applied a fair amount of filler (as per the rest of the kit) to achieve the desired lines of the fuselage. The jet nozzles were also problematic, and needed to be literally 'shoe-horned' into position. Overall though, I enjoyed building this kit and initial effort is rewarded by clean, graceful lines. Watch those decals though... go glossy. Mine silvered badly, my only regret with this build.

Tim

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Photos and text © by Tim Groombridge