Sea Harrier FA2, Kinetic 1/48 (kit No. 48041)

The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft; the second member of the Harrier Jump Jet family developed. It first entered service with the Royal Navy in April 1980 as the Sea Harrier FRS1 and became informally known as the "Shar". Unusual in an era in which most naval and land-based air superiority fighters were large and supersonic, the principal role of the subsonic Sea Harrier was to provide air defence for Royal Navy task groups centred around the aircraft carriers.

The Sea Harrier served in the Falklands War (1982), and the Balkans conflicts (Bosnia, Yugoslavia,1992 – 1999); on all occasions it mainly operated from aircraft carriers positioned within the conflict zone. Its usage in the Falklands War was its most high profile and important success, where it was the only fixed-wing fighter available to protect the British Task Force. The Sea Harriers shot down 20 enemy aircraft during the conflict with two lost to enemy ground fire. They were also used to launch ground attacks in the same manner as the Harriers operated by the Royal Air Force.

The Sea Harrier was marketed for sales abroad, but by 1983 India was the only operator other than Britain. A second, updated version for the Royal Navy was made in 1993 as the Sea Harrier FA2, improving its air-to-air abilities and weapons compatibilities, along with a more powerful engine; this version continued manufacture until 1998. The aircraft was withdrawn from service early by the Royal Navy in 2006. The Sea Harrier remained in service for a further decade with the Indian Navy until its retirement in 2016.

(Source: Wikipedia)

The Kinetic kit in 1/48 scale (No.48041)

The Kinetic kit (released in 2014) is well detailed and was built almost OOB with only minor improvements. It is the only option in 1/48 scale, so much better than the long discontinued Airfix kit (1997) – which was in fact an upgraded FRS1 version – accurate but showing its standard of 80s quality…

I first added some detail to the cockpit’s sidewalls using thin strips of Evergreen plastic strip.

I cut off the mounting of the cockpit’s floor so I could fit the resin seat.

Then I closed the gap there and at the cockpit’s back panel with some Evergreen plasticard cut in shape.

Then I sprayed the intake and the front wheel well white using Mig Ammo matt white...

The engine fan was painted using stainless color from Gunze Mr.Metal color range...

I opened up a little more the locating holes with a twist drill to achieve a better fit of the two fuselage parts...

I improved a little more the kit’s instrument panel using the very nice Mike Grant’s decal sheet...

I painted and added some wash and highlighting to the cockpit sidewalls...

Using Mig Ammo Clear Glass I gave the gauges the shiny glass effect as needed...

Cockpit parts almost ready to put together...

Cockpit parts put together and then glued to the fuselage.

Using Milliput fine epoxy putty and the intake outer part of the kit I made the intake FOD’s.

I removed the locating ridges moulded on the fuselage with a blade for a better upper wing fit.

I painted the intakes using Mig Ammo matt white and gloss varnish.

I masked up the windshield and using Slingshot Model’s BetoSeto white glue I placed it in position. The same was done with the photo etched parts of the kit. 

I punched a circular shape of masking tape to cover the wing’s headlight.

After the basic build was finished, I prepared the model for the painting procedure. I washed it with soap water to remove any grease from my hands and dust residues. The first stage started by spraying Mig Ammo primer. Using primers we can detect any flaws on our models and prepare the surface for the paint.

The next stage is to give some shadow effect using the preshade technique. I used Mig Ammo’s tire black to do that.

The painting procedure started using the UK aircraft air set from Ammo range. For the nose cone I used a mix of Medium gunship grey (Mig 204) and white (Mig 050) in a ratio 90/10. Some color tone corrections were made by adding some drops of Mig 046 matt black. For the rest of the fuselage I used a mix of Mig 205 and Mig 050 in a ratio 95/5 and some small touch ups with Mig 207. The various shades and highlights came from using the basic color with some drops of matt black and matt white. After the paint job was finished I sprayed the whole model three coats of clear gloss varnish from Ammo range.

Fuel tanks were painted with the same mix of colors used in the radome and the the front section was painted with Tamiya’s XF-4. The chipping effect was done using Ammo’s Chipping fluid for scratches effect.

After placing decals to the whole model, weathering stage came next, using PLW Deep Grey (1602). Give it 2 hours to dry and then remove the excess with a cotton bud and some thinners. The dark streaks and engine grime (darker area on the fuselage sides and engines/plates) were made by airbrush and I used for that a very diluted mix of Gunze matt black and a brownish color (H-310) in a ratio 20/80. With the same mix I made that strange weathered look Sea Harriers have on the top of the fuselage and wing roots.

For the front wheel lights I used Ammo’s crystal smoke color to give the effect of the dark glass.

Finally I sprayed the model with matt varnish from Ammo.Give it at least 4-6 hours to dry before touching it. Check the photogallery below for the complete step-by-step build. Sea Harrier is a much different model subject and definitely deserves a place in your 1/48th scale jet collection!

You can order the Kinetic Sea Harrier FA2 1/48 scale kit online here.