TAV-8B USMC VMA-223 "Bulldogs" Trumpeter 1/32

Piero · June 8

Hello,

Here is my 1/32 scale TAV-8B, the two-seater version of the second-generation Harrier built using the single-seater Trumpeter AV-8B kit.

The TAV-8B has been used for training of the pilots by the USMC, the Italian Navy and the Spanish Navy: Italian e Spanish navy still use this iconic jets, while the USMC has just withdrawn them from operational service.

To make this two-seater version there is no conversion available on the market today in this scale, so I had to make a lot scratch-build using styrene sheets and various pieces from the spare parts left over from other kits:

· Extend the front section of the fuselage to accommodate the two cockpits;

· Extend and enlarge the vertical tail;

· Mould the clear parts to obtain the canopies;

· Make the fairings under the wings instead of the inner pylons;

· Create the fairing behind the rear cockpit;

· Remove the ventral chaff&flare boxes;

· FOD for the main engine air intakes.

In addition I used some detail sets as follows:

· Resin front undercarriage bay from Aires

· Resin exhaust nozzles from Aires

· 3D Resin wheels from ResKit

· Resin ejection seats from Aires

· 3D decals for cockpit instrument panels from Quinta Studios

· 3D HUD from Flying Leathernecks

· 3D resin underwing pylons from Flying Leathernecks

· 3D resin TER from ResKit

· 3D resin pitot, AOA and temperature probes from Flying Leathernecks

· 3D resin practice bombs from Flying Leathernecks

As for all of my Harriers made using the Trumpeter kits a lot of corrections and modifications are required to fix many of the problem of this kits:

· Nose’s profile;

· Undercarriage legs and doors;

· Wings profile;

· ECM/RWR bulges;

· Wings vortex generators;

· Extended ventral LIDs;

· All the panel lines and rivets;

· …

The level of modifications and improvements is up to the limit of the modeler's patience...

For the camouflage I chose the latest variant used by the Marines, the “Dark Harriers” with a very dark grey shade for the upper surfaces and a lighter, bluish grey for the lower surfaces.

As usual I used Gunze and Tamiya acrylic colors applied with an airbrush and Vallejo colors applied with a brush for the small parts.

This particular TAV-8B, assigned to the USMC squadron VMA-223 “Bulldogs”, appears in several photos with a very worn and weathered color scheme with different color patches applied here and there on the different panels or to cancel previous markings and codes of other squadrons.

Another interesting point of this camouflage is the use of very light grey stencils in contrast with the dark grey.

The decals come from several sheets, especially by Flying Leathernecks and Phoenix Decals sheets for the USMC AV-8Bs.

Some RBF tags and a couple of red FOD blankets give another splash of colors to the model.

I hope you like this model and enjoy the photos…

CIAO!

Piero