Middle Weight GB 2006

This is my entry for the "Middleweight GB", a 1/72 Hasegawa AV-8B Harrier II. I finished it this afternoon. It was the first model that I got an acryllic wash to work the way it was supposed to (although, I'm still working on the technique). I really liked the kit, I think it went toghether very well. The other harrier is an old hasegawa mold, and it built almost as nice as this new one.






Incase you didn't notice, there is no main landing gear. I lost one of the small wheel hubs, so I'm going to pull the gear off an old, unpainted harrier and stick those on there. Also, I'm about to paint a dozen or so missles (for all my other jets too), so this one will get a pair of sidewinders.

Finished!  Here's my Tamiya P-47 Thunderbolt from 84th FS, 78th FG, Duxford, 1944.  Great kit overall with plenty of detail.  I did use Ultracast seat, wheels & propellers.  Kit decals went down very well except for the checkerboard on the cowling.  It's supplied in three pieces, but I still had a lot of difficulty in getting them to lay down fully.  There a still a few wrinkles, but I don't think they are visible. The ID stripes are decals as well and were pretty easy.

My major oops on this is the green zinc chromate at the wheel wells.  Didn't have any yellow zinc so I just went with it.  Alclad II for NMF, with a watercolor wash on ordnance and wheel assemblies.  I discovered the watercolor wash didn't want to stick to the glossy Alclad so I gave up on washing panel lines and left well enough alone. 

Thanks for the GB and comments are welcome.

Edit:  Hmm, the pictures aren't enlarging like they usually do.  I haven't done anything different....this is puzzling.

Thanks, Osher!  The Tamiya kit was great.  Nearly fell together and excellant detail all around. 

Good luck on the move.

That's a really nice looking bird arki30! I'd say you did a fine job with it. You should show it off over at the P-47 group build, those guys will like it too.

Joshua