Royal Thai Navy Harrier

Hi All!

My fascination with the Harrier began when I saw a Marine Corps AV-8A at the annual Memorial Day Airshow at Lakehurst NAS in Lakehurst, NJ. It rose vertically, flew backward, spun around, and then climbed away at a steep angle. When it returned, it landed vertically. I was hooked at that point. For those who do not know, there are three generations of Harriers. The first is the experimental generation, which includes the P.1127 and the XV-6A/FGA.1 Kestrel. The 1st Gen of Harriers includes the AV-8A, GR.1/3 and the Sea Harriers. The 2nd Gen Harriers include the Harrier II.

The 1st Gen Harriers were unique in their V/STOL capabilities. But they were hampered by the lack of range and load-carrying capabilities. The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and the remaining Navies ( except for some reason the US Navy) added “Ski Ramps” onto their carriers, which allowed a fully loaded Harrier to take off. The Harriers were effective, though, as Great Britain would not have been able to take back the Falkland Islands without the Harrier( Sea Harrier FRS.1 and Harrier GR.3). The Sea Harrier FA.2 was used in the Balkans. But the writing was on the wall, and McDonald-Douglas and BAe started to work on what became the Harrier II.

There have been quite a few 1/72nd models of the Harrier GR.1/AV-8A, unfortunately, most suffer from shape errors. The best kit so far is the ESCI/AMT/Italeri series of Gen ! Harriers. I have not seen the new mold Airfix GR.1/AV-8A, but it is supposed to be very nice. The ESCI kit does have its warts, but careful modeling will yield very nice results. The first item needing attention is the blow-in doors on the intakes. The upper 4 doors are open, but ESCI molded it closed. Aries and Pavla had resin replacements, but they are expensive. So I cut each one and replaced them in the open position. The second item is the nose wheel doors, which ESCI wants you to glue them open. The doors are slightly smaller than the well opening, so they will need shims to be glued closed. The cockpit is sparse, and the bang seat is someone's imagination. Building the model presented no issues, but filler was needed here and there, especially around the nose.

Flash was minimal, but some annoying parting lines needed attention. After all of the seams were finished to my satisfaction, the entire model was wiped off with Isopropyl Alcohol to degrease and clean it. The instructions called for Gunship Grey upper sides and Gull Grey lower sides. I found a couple of images of Thai Harriers with the dark grey uppers. Vallejo Paints were used, and when the paint had cured, a coat of Future was added to prevent the silvering of the decals. The decals were thin and refused to tear, plus they responded well to the Micro System. I thought the scheme would be dull, but with the national markings and stencils (yes, I added all of those teeny-tiny stencils!). A second coat of Future was added to seal the decals and blend them in. When all was dry, a flat clear was sprayed on.

The remaining parts were added, antennas, wheels, the canopy, and the like were added now. A needle was used for the pitot tube. And the model was done.

The model of the Harrier represents an ex-Spanish BAe built EAV-8S "Matador" of the Royal Thai Navy on the HTMS Chakri Naruebet during 1998.

The ESCI Gen1 Harriers are not the easiest to build, but they have the shape and are reasonably detailed. The Italeri boxing of the ESCI Harriers is pricey ($30.00 and up), but they have the RWR tail included. ESCI and AMT boxings of the kits are very reasonable, but they do not have the RWR tail. The Italeri kits usually have better decals. Until I see the new Airfix Gen 1 Harriers, the ESCI Gen 1 Harriers are the best, but stay away from the ESCI Harrier IIs, as they are early test aircraft. So even if you have only a limited modeling experience, I can recommend this kit to you.

Bruce

3 additional images. Click to enlarge.