Monday, 7 August 2023

BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1

 Here’s my take on the Airfix BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1 XZ458 of 809 NAS. 

I built this as an impulse addition to my Falklands40 display of Sea Harriers. 


A year or so ago I built very nearly every aircraft, ship and vehicle which took part in the Falklands War that I could lay my hands on. As a James Bond fan, the one SHAR I really wanted but couldn’t get hold of was that known as ‘Pale Blue 007’ but Airfix had discontinued it. With them having recently rereleased the kit, I just had to buy it. 


The kit itself, based on their 2010 moulding, is OK but a far cry from their new releases. Its fit, however, is quite good, reminding me of a starter set, so much so that the instructions as to where to fit the fiddly aerial bits are totally omitted! 

Having made the Hasegawa, Italeri, ESCI  and now Airfix Sea Harriers, it is interesting to see how different they all are. Each have their charms and good points. 

The Airfix kit’s issues are that they supply the modeller with a WW2 pilot, have missing instructions for the fiddly bits and the panel lines have been scribed with a bulldozer! 

On the plus side, the Airfix kit is friendly to build, the single piece wing section ensures no unsightly joins, and the options for wheels up/down and air brake extended or closed are great to have; the detailing in the missiles meanwhile is better than any of the other 3 brands I have tried.


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The Kit

Brand: Airfix
Title: BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1 
Number: A04051A
Scale: 1:72
Type: Full kit
Released: 2022 (New Decals)

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