Hi all,
I’ve just pulled an Airfix 1/24 scale Harrier GR3 out of my stash in the loft, and I’m horrified by the standard of the kit supplied ejector seat, so I’m trying to find out if anyone makes a decent Martin Baker ejector seat for the 1/24 Harrier kits?
I’ve been out of the military modelling scene since leaving the RAF in 1993 (I have been building TV & Movie related stuff instead), so I have no idea what is out there now.
Can anyone help?
Thanks in advance,
Tony
Welcome to the boards [snWcm]
I’ve only found one source of AM stuff for this kit
http://www.djparkins.clara.net/fltpath/fpmaster.htm
It contains a full upgrade set for everything. Probably costs more than the actual kit does and would really need an experienced builder to make it worthwhile.
My suggestion - get some basic supplies; styrene sheet (like those For Sale signs, old credit cards), styrene rod, multiple guages of wire and siolder and as many hi-res pictures of the MBA Mk. 9A as you can find. It’ll be cheaper, faster and infinitely more satisfying to fix the kit seat, than spend a ton of money just because the seat isn’t any good.
Happy Modeling!
-Fred
Thanks Fred,
I think you’re right, that IS a lot of money to pay for a better ejector seat when a bit of plasticard & copper piping will work wonders on the awful kit one (I was just being a bit lazy).
I do need to make a good job of this one though (even though it’s my 1st aircraft build in 17yrs), as I actually worked as groundcrew around XV788 back in '84 when I was with 1453 Harrier detatchment at RAF Stanley (so it’s going to be mighty embarrassing if I mess it up [:$])
In the UK , Heritage Aviation do a number of upgrades for the 1/24 Harrier & Sea Harrier , including new intakes with the blow in doors.
Their ref HA AC 24003 Harrier GR3 Cockpit set provides a new cockpit interior including what looks to me like a very nice ejector (caveat: I am not an expert .) I bought this sometime ago so I cannot remember the price , but I am sure it’s cheaper than Flightpath, which is pricey but of good quality . This firm is still trading , bought stuff of them at last IPMS UK Scalemodel World . Try Hannants or Google them.
I’ve read many blogs which mention problems with Heritage’s seats (which is why I didn’t mention it). They all say the pit tubs are ok, but the seats are near useless.
Personally, I’d spend a few hours just re-detailing the kit part. If the basic shape is close, you’ve got a decent base to start with. As someone who has extensive experience with resin, I can tell you, most places just estimate shapes and pieces. They add a lot of things that are just flat out wrong, but looks busy. I can’t even begin to tell you how many resin kits I ended up having to remove and add detail from and to, just to get it close to being right. At the end of the day, I should have just built it from scratch, myself.
-Fred
Hi Steve, thanks for that info.
I’ve got to admit that I’m tempted to get the “Engine Off” intakes even if I don’t get anything else.
It’s probably old age playing tricks on my memory, but I don’t remember the ejector seat looking like that on the GR3, it looks very basic (almost the same as the kit item except for the harnesses).
I think I’ll have to get some good reference pics on the ejector seat before I continue with this (as my addled old brain obviously can’t be trusted anymore [*-)] ).
The good news is that I’ve got plenty of external photographs of XV788 from my time with 1453 flt at RAF Stanley, so I shouldn’t have any such problems trying to recall normal weapons configuration etc [:D]
Tony
Well, it seems my “Addled old brain” is worse than I thought, I just dug out the old 35mm photos of my time with 1453 flt at RAF Stanley, and found that “L” for LIMA had the serial number XV778 not XV788???!!!
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This means that either Airfix have messed up with the serial number, OR this is not the same GR3 after all.
These GR3s each only spent about 18months with 1453 Flt (due to the harsh enviroment) and were then crated up and returned to their home bases of Wittering or Gutersloh (so it is possible that it is a different “L” for LIMA), but what would the odds be that “LIMA” XV788 would be replaced by XV778???
Does anyone here know how I could find out for sure?
Cheers,
Tony
I’d go with your photo reference. Model manufactuers are not infallible. When I was building Trumpeter’s 1/32 Me-262, they gave decals for White 17, but the werknummer was wrong - even though there was plenty of reference on the web.
Thankfully, since the decal sheet had decals for other jets, I was able to scavenge individual digits from other werknummers.
If your sheet doesn’t have other numbers to steal from, look into getting a sheet of Woodland Scenics Dry Rub Transfers. They usually run $5-$6 for more numbers than you’ll know what to do with.
-Fred
Well guys, I’ve solved the mystery of the differing serial numbers of L for Lima… I was chatting with one of my old friends the other day and he reminded me that the L for Lima in my photo ( XV778) replaced the old L for Lima half way through my tour of duty with 1453flt in January 1985 because the old L for Lima had gotten so unreliable that it spent more time A.O.G. than in the air.
The serial number of the old L for Lima was indeed XV788
So XV788 was indeed with 1453flt until January of 1985 when it was replaced by XV778 [:$]
Hi guys,
SCRAP that last entry!!!
It seems that XV788 (serial no. option for 1453flt with Airfix 1/24 & 1/48 GR3 kits) crashed in Belize in 1975, and so it couldn’t have been with 1453flt in 1983.
It looks like Airfix have got the numbers wrong after all, and I was mistaken when I thought that it may have been the GR3 that was designated “L” for Lima prior to XV778 (as I do remember that this had a very similar ser no. to XV778).
Sorry for confusion,
Tony
Alright, I was able to find some older info on XV778…it would appear that XV778 carried the fin code “red 16”–it was twelve inches talland above the fin flash–and outrigger codes “yellow 16”–painted six inches tall oin the outrigger covers–back in May 1982. It was flown from Wittering to St. Mawgan, and then on to Wideawake, Ascension at the end of May 1982. Then, flown to Hermes a few days later.
10 June, 1982, sustained damage to the cockpit wiring from small arms fire while on a CBU sortie on Port Stanley. Damage was repaired aboard Hermes.
14 June, 1982, flown from Hermes to Port San Carlos FOB. Bad weather prevented any sorties at this location.
4 July, 1982, flown to RAF Stanley, while with Harrier Detachment it was coded “H”.
XV778 was flown back to Wittering before August 1983, and was back at Wittering at the time that Harrier Detachment became 1453 Flight. I couldnt find any info on whether or not XV778 was later assigned to 1453 Flt.
Here’s one detail that I did find that will help–during these deployments, there was a sealant applied to the Harriers, on all access panels on the upper wings, the main engine panel covers, the intake side panels, and the main access panels on the nose. This was applied rather crudely, so when you get to the paint stage, dont make them neat and pretty. You can replicate the color of the sealant by mixing equal parts of semigloss dark green and semigloss dark red brown. The roundels and codes were not overpainted with the camo paint, as many sources have claimed. These harriers retained the roundels in the 6 normal positions as well as the fin flashes. However, XV778, like all but one of these planes, did have the pilot’s name painted over. Again, this info is prior to 1453 Flt, but I hope it helps anyways.
Hi,
Thanks for that info, yes XV778 did serve at least 2 more tours on the Falklands after HARDET became 1453flt.
I still don’t know if XV778 returned at all during the time period Aug '83 - Jun '84, but it was with 1453flt while Mike “Alfie” Bass was there Jun - Sept '84 (designated “V” for VICTOR), and it returned for another tour in Jan '85 while I was serving with 1453flt (this time designated “L” for LIMA).
The confusion was actually with XV788 (the serial number given for “L” for LIMA with the Airfix GR3 kits with 1453flt decals option) not XV778.
I originally said on here that I thought it may have been the serial number of the GR3 that was replaced by XV778 in Jan '85, but after further digging I discovered that XV788 was lost in 1975 when it crashed in BELIZE so it couldn’t have been “L” for LIMA with 1453flt at all, and it now looks like AIRFIX just made a “BooBoo” with the serial number.
Thanks again,
Tony