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1/32 BAe Harrier GR.5 ZD318 "first flight"


Piero

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Hello,

 

this is the first Harrier GR.5 to be completed and flown, the ZD318 alias DB1, as took the air for the first time on 30 April 1985 at BAe Dusnfold flown by the company’s Chief Test Pilot Mike Snelling.

This was a Development Batch machine that was never handled to the RAF and remains to BAe for his entire life. Now he is preserved as a GR.7A in the Harrier Heritage Centre inside Royal Air Force Wittering.

The colours denote the work-share between the main manufactures, Bae in the UK and McDonnell Douglas in USA.

 

The following photos are posted for modelling discussion only. All the rights are by the authors.

 

zzd318_2

 

zzd318_1

The model is the 1/32nd Trumpeter GR.7 kit converted/backdated to a GR.5.

All the conversion parts are made from scratch by me: MIRLS bulged nose, instrument panel with the Moving Map Display, MB Mk.12 ejection seat, rear ventral chaff&flare dispenser box, wing pylons and ventral pylon. I’ve made the FOD air intakes too.

I’ve also correct: all the undercarriage legs, the wings profile, the ventral strakes, all the ECM/RWR lumps and bulges, the four engine nozzles.

Aires resin sets were used for the front undercarriage bay and the main cockpit tub, the IP cover and the canopy frame.

Some PE parts came from the Eduard set, as for the hot-nozzles shield plates and minor details.

All the fuselage, wings, tail planes panel lines were completely rescribed correct.

All paints are from the acrylic range of Tamiya for airbrushing and Vallejo for bush use.

As I said before, the colours denote the materials used in the construction of all the Harrier II: front fuselage and main wings are made with Carbon Fiber Composite, the rear fuselage section is made with metal alloys, other in aluminium, fiberglass, titanium, acrylic, steel and others.

The few decals for the necessary safety/resque markings, the cold-nozzles angle calibration and the serial number/identification number are from various spare decal sheets.

 

 

318_1

 

318_2

 

318_3

 

318_4

 

318_5

 

318_6

 

318_7

 

318_8

 

318_9

 

318_10

 

318_11

 

318_12

 

318_13

 

318_14

 

318_15

 

CIAO!

Piero

Edited by Piero
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  • Piero changed the title to 1/32 BAe Harrier GR.5 ZD318 "first flight"

What a great rendition of the aircraft. I was at Boscombe Down when ZD319 “the grey one” when it came for testing. It definitely felt like a new era was upon the RAF, super modern shape and thinking. This is why I’m keen for a copy of the resin parts before I get too old…. Nope there we are.

Edited by Stevepd
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