Operation Granby…1/48 Sepecat Jaguar GR.1A, No. 54 Sqn RAF
21/2021
So, my dad has finally finished his mojo killer.
The Kitty Hawk kit looks good in the box but is no beginners kit. Many parts don´t fit good, pins don´t fit in their holes...so if you build it, dryfit everything.
Well, it didn´t turn out perfect (which kit does?), some glitches, but better than landing on the shelf of doom or in the trash. Kitty Hawk first released the French Jaguar and then the British one. The only thing Kitty Hawk did was changing the nose, the rest of the kits are the same. So my dad had to add the position/formation lights on the "bar" of the vertical stabilizer. Furthermore he reshaped the French pylons to the British form, using the Airfix kit parts as template. The British ones are shorter/smaller and not as pointy as the French ones. Regarding the loadout, if you want to build a Desert Storm version you can only use the two Sidewinders, the single fuel tank, the two BL-755 cluster bombs and the PHIMAT chaff dispenser. The rest of the kit weapons are useless for that. Sadly no AN/ALQ-101 included in the kit, bought a resin piece from Flightpath UK. The kit´s seat is too tall. For closing the canopy you have to remove some plastic of the kit´s bottom. Used lead wire to add some lines to the landing gear legs. Kitty Hawk only provides the earlier two antennas after the cockpit. "Sadman" already had the later style single antenna, did some scratchbuilding there. There was some kind of "adapter" between PHIMAT and pylon, no such thing in the kit, used a piece of plastic.
Painted the whole thing with a mix of sand and flesh. Kit decals used, only the little "Q"s on the vertical stabilizers came from Xtradecal.
Build thread here
https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235093580-operation-granby148-sepecat-jaguar-gr1a-raf/
Your dad is tenacious. Well done!
Despite the challenges, it turned out beautiful, thanks to your dad's exquisite skills, Reinhard!
Wow! That is a great looking cat! 🙂
Great-looking Jag. I love the Op Granby scheme - did one of these in 1/72 a couple of years ago. This is a real stand-out.
The pink Jag is a worthy result. Too bad the kit is a giant piece of... well a lot of four letter words.
/leaves out editorial on KH/
To me the kit looks great, Reinhard @grimreaper
Your dad did a wonderful job.
Congratulations to the Parental Unit for overcoming and conquering this kit - mine ended up in "file 13."
Well done Reinhard, very nice looking Jag...especially around the landing gear and looks like you put a fair amount of time in with the cockpit details.
Looks great, Reinhard (@grimreaper). Your dad did good.
Thanks to all for your comments!
Congratulations to your Dad, Reinhard. His persistence & skill have paid off with an impressive result. I've only completed one KH model to my satisfaction & I wouldn't say I'm busting to attempt another...However his Jag is excellent & just goes to show that determination & patience can pay off!
Nice build!
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A labor of love, It was my first experience with KH, (have the Mirage F1), it started ok, already knew what I was in for once I started on it. It really becomes a challenge when you start on the rear fuselage section, the fit is horrible, the exhaust cones don't even fit, And as stated wrong weapons for the time period is also an issue. But patience and perseverance got it finished. At a distance it looks great, thank fully that you really don't see the fit issues under the air frame. Another issue is the over engineering, the 100 piece landing gear (exaggerating) which makes it very fragile. over time sitting on the shelf. Open panels. Really not necessary and makes it more difficult. Congrats on getting it finished.
Looks great and thanks for the warning. I love the decal artwork by the way.
I have the French one in zee stash. This was one of the first KittyHawk kits if I remember right.
Don't like to see manufactures go to the wall.
Regards
Brian