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Panavia Tornado Recommendations

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  • Member since
    November 2005
Panavia Tornado Recommendations
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 12:36 AM
All,

I want to build a Tornado in an RAF scheme. I'm leaning toward the 1/32 Revell as I read about the quality being high, but that was just one review.

Wondering what recommendations people have for a *quality* Tornado--scale isn't important, and whether or not anyone has heard of any upcoming releases...I may just have to wait.

Thanks in advance.

Herkdrvr
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: The Hoosier State
Posted by plasticmod992 on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 3:14 AM
Hasagawa has resently released a Tornado in 1/72nd scale that is very good. You can build the "Desert Storm", GR-1A variant. I have compared this one to Italeri's offering, and the Hasagawa (molds/ tooling) looks superior. Decals, underwing stores, and detail is very accurate as well. For this variant, the aircraft wears the R.A.F.'s "Desert Pink" scheme. This color is available from the Hannants Xtracrylix line of acrylic paints, directly from their website. If you don't mind 1/72nd scale, it's a great kit to model a veteran R.A.F., war-tested jet. Good luck with your search!
Greg Williams Owner/ Manager Modern Hobbies LLC Indianapolis, IN. IPMS #44084
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Canada / Czech Republic
Posted by upnorth on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 4:07 AM
You have to be a bit careful with Revell's1/32 Tornado. The latest issue of it is the Luftwaffe's ECR variant and I believe it was issued as a normal IDS version a couple of years before, these are good and up to date. The basic kit is a bit old and when the first issue of it was made you needed the Aeroclub PE detail set to really do it right. Subsequent issueings feature revised tooling to make the Aeroclub set redundant.

In 1/72, the aforementioned Hasegawa and Italeri kits are very good, but have been eclipsed in recent years by the excellent Revell-Germany Tornado kits.

Do stay away from the old 1/72 Monogram Tornado, its been issued twice to my knowledge. Originally in the mid 80s and then again in the early 90s as an "Aircraft of Desert Storm" issue. Nothing is right with that kit, the nose profile is way off and I doubt fixable and the underwing stores resemble nothing the operational variants of the aircraft ever carried.

I don't know much about 1/48 Tornados, I think you're stuck with Italeri or Airfix for that, I'm told that the Airfix Tornados are better than Italeri, but I really am not sure.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 8:21 PM
Thank you both very much...I'll do some more investigating.

Regards,

Herkdrvr
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 28, 2005 5:23 PM
For the GR1:

In 72nd, the Revell Tornado is by far the best.

In 48th, opinion varies as to whether the Airfix or Italeri kit is better.

The Airfix GR1 comes with all sorts of interesting stores - JP233, UK Paveway II; ALARM anti radar missiles plus 1000 pund iron bombs. It also has a TIALD pod, two 1500 litre 'Hindenburger' tanks and two of the smaller (1100 litre?? can't recall) tanks. the AIM-9s in the kit are a little 'weedy', though, and better replaced by some out of a Hasegawa weapons set.

The Italeri GR1 comes with just 4 x 1000 pound iron bombs, plus tanks and ECM pods.

To my eye, the Italeri kit captures the look of the Tornado better, but a good friend and colleague (and better modeller than I am) prefers the Airifx.

For the GR 4:

You only have the Airfix kit, which is a repop of their ancient GR1, with a sprue containing Paveway II, Alarm and Storm Shadow, plus the RAPTOR recce pod, TIALD pod, the correct underwing pods (i.e. not two Sky Shadow ECM pods) and the undernose FLIR housing.

Personally, I bought the Airifix kit with the intention of doing a nostalgic build of a GR1 (to remind me of the 10 I built between the ages of 8 and 12) from that and using the new parts for attachment to the Revell GR 1... It worked out as being cheaper than getting hold of the Airfix 72nd weapons set and the Airwaves FLIR housing (and that would still leave you without the Storm Shadow). Not an ideal solution for everyone, I guess, but it worked for me!

In 48th, the Airfix GR4 is the only game in town at the moment. This is the GR1 kit with 2 x Paveway IIIs, the FLIR housing & BOL Sidewinder pylons (these have the ability to dispense chaff in 'real life' and came in handy over Iraq for a couple of friends...).

Disappointingly, the array of weapons in the GR1 kit were not included in the GR4 kit - the only air-ground ordance you get is the two Paveways, plus the tanks and underwing pods.

I keep hearing reports that Airfix included the weapons sprues in the second run of kits. I have never seen this (in the UK), not do I have any idea of how you tell the difference between the kit that only has the Paveway III and those alleged to be complete with an interesting array of weapons.

For the Tornado F3:

1/72 - Revell/Italeri kit is supposed to be quite good (never built it myself so can't comment); Airfix kit is average; Hasegawa supposed to be the best of the bunch.

1/48th - Italeri somehow more satisfying, but a little hard to find.

Airfix kit recently re-released with lots of goodies - new upper fuselage part to improve on old F3 release; 4 x ASRAAM missiles and the inclusion of the two outer wing pylons that are fitted on operations to carry a towed radar decoy pod and a chaff/flare dispenser; you also, IIRC, get the BOL pylons as opposed to the old rails.

If Mr Hasegawa is reading this, though, he should be aware that a 1/48th Tornado GR4 and a 1/48th F3 would sell very nicely indeed in the UK!
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 28, 2005 6:05 PM
If you do go for a 1/48 tonka, Paragon Resin do brilliant flaps among other things.
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Amarillo, Texas
Posted by k5ikl on Friday, October 28, 2005 10:25 PM
I have this one for sale if you are interested......

Cheers,

Jerry Cool [8D]

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 29, 2005 5:59 PM
Thank you all again for your insight (and sales offers). I think I'm considering the GR4--but I'm finishing a different kit at the moment. Any purchases will have to wait until afterwards.

Thanks again!

Herkdrvr
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 30, 2005 3:07 PM
If you are going for the Airfix GR1-4 of (E)F-3,then you'll need a aftermarket cockpit as the kit one is,well,a unfunny joke!!!! They have improved it but it's still very bad.As said before the Revell Tonka in 1/72 or 1/32 is the best.Some pointers for you;
The main gear mounts on the Revell in both scales are fiddly to fit & in 1'32 the weight of the kit means you need to firmly fit the gear & particulary the wheels.Also in the 1/32 ,the weight of the wing pylons makes the wings sag more than they should so i had to firmly glue them in place with strips of plastic to streangthen the fit.
Also,the weapon pylons on the RAF jets are different than those of other nations around the ERU & Crutching Pads (screw down pads that hold the stores firmly)
Check out www.edsaircraft.co.uk & you'll see what i mean.The Tonka on there is a EF-3 with BAe ALARM anti radar missiles filling a SEAD role.Unfortunatly,it has'nt seen ops yet.
Spike
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 30, 2005 6:17 PM
The 1/48 Italeri kit builds into a wonderful Tonka, although it is increasingly tough to track down.
  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: Dundee, Scotland.
Posted by Sasarchiver on Friday, January 27, 2006 3:10 PM
 plasticmod992 wrote:
Hasagawa has resently released a Tornado in 1/72nd scale that is very good. You can build the "Desert Storm", GR-1A variant. I have compared this one to Italeri's offering, and the Hasagawa (molds/ tooling) looks superior. Decals, underwing stores, and detail is very accurate as well. For this variant, the aircraft wears the R.A.F.'s "Desert Pink" scheme. This color is available from the Hannants Xtracrylix line of acrylic paints, directly from their website. If you don't mind 1/72nd scale, it's a great kit to model a veteran R.A.F., war-tested jet. Good luck with your search!


Is the desert pink the same as for the SAS Pink Panther?? Starting on my tornado GR1, but is the german variant, so was going to change color scheme to either desert storm or grey. Can someone tell me the model color id need for doing the tornado grey? and the color no. of revell for desert storm?

Every model u do u need to find out about it, its not just about building, i think! Can be frustrating though

Update:
This is a pic of the way the models supposed to look


This is a pic of the desert storm scheme


And the grey scheme version



If someone can point me in the right direction for revell color for those two schemes, thanku.

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Sydney, Australia
Posted by Phil_H on Friday, January 27, 2006 6:29 PM

The RAF "Desert Pink" is more a dark sand than a pink (and not even close to the "pink" used on the SAS Pink Panther). Haven't had a good look around, but closest match out of the bottle (or tin as the case may be) appears to be Humbrol 250 Desert Pink. Though it appears to be strictly a British colour, various references quote FS30279 as a close match.

Try these colour schemes from http://www.jpsmodell.de/dc/luft_e.htm

  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: Dundee, Scotland.
Posted by Sasarchiver on Friday, January 27, 2006 8:28 PM
ahh nice, thanks for that phil ;) were do u get the paint schemes from, like the pics in ur post??

thanks again phil
  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Sydney, Australia
Posted by Phil_H on Friday, January 27, 2006 11:05 PM

Paint schemes come from the site linked in my previous post http://www.jpsmodell.de/dc/luft_e.htm 

One more for the road...

  • Member since
    December 2005
Posted by ipms44268 on Saturday, January 28, 2006 5:41 PM
I just purchased the Italeri 1/48 Tonka ECR bird. When I opened the box I was very pleased and I cannot wait to build it up. Go look at Skis threads on the Tonka he built last year. Stunning model.
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