SHAR

"I was today years old when..." I first used a 3D decal (on the right). 

Box art 

3D decals on - varnished over the top to get them to stay put and protect them until I can get the cockpit sealed up. 

3D decals on - varnished over the top to get them to stay put and protect them until I can get the cockpit sealed up. 

3D decals on - varnished over the top to get them to stay put and protect them until I can get the cockpit sealed up. 

Fuselage sealed up... getting all the undercarriage boxes and the like lined up properly was like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time. Had to peel the two halves apart again once to poke one bit back into place <grr>. 

Look a bit more Harrier-like (and gone off piste slightly from the instruction order, sorry Airfix). 

Warning, low flying Shar...

(Also draughty for the pilot, no thrust nozzles and no undercarriage, but you can't have everything, it's those defence cut backs again I guess.) 

Shar has wheels and doors.

(My dodgy TBD Devastator lurking in the background.) 

I'm going predictably off piste, fitting a post-Falklands FA.2 weapons load on an Operation Corporate era FRS.1 because it means I can put BAe (now MBDA) Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles on it.

"Like what you build, build what you like 😉" 

Gone early with the varnish, because I want to get the underside decals on (and the missile/pylon decals) before fitting the pylons to the wings, otherwise it's a nightmare. 

First decals on the Shar, Sidewinders and my sneaky Sea Eagles (had to get a bit creative with decals for them from my spares box). 

Shiny Shar, my Bae, is complete.. 

Ready to fly! 

Showing my fanciful weapon load-out: twin Sidewinders on the outer pylons (FRS.1 only had singles) and BADL/MBDA Sea Eagles (not integrated or fitted until 3 years after the Falklands) 

Showing off its VTOL capabilities by landing in a box. 

My old, slightly dusty GR.1 Harrier has dropped in to say hello (yes, I did it in steam-punk style WW1 livery, felt like a good idea back at the time!) 

Hovering around my other Fleet Air Arm models.