Background
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love WWII aircraft. In fact, I build almost exclusively Second World War airplanes, with the occasional Cold War subject tossed in for fun. I rarely tackle the more modern jets. I just never feel much pull towards anything post 1970. That's not to say that there aren't some pretty epic looking aircraft out there, I just haven't really been actively collecting in that area. That timeframe doesn't interest me as much.However, I feel that a modeler should be able to build a little bit of everything and since I am sorely lacking in the jet category, I decided I should try something new. I had been meaning to branch out a bit with more modern subjects, but there were so many choices available, that I couldn't decide on what I should build. It was a conundrum, for sure.
It was then that I happened to read about an upcoming group build called the 50th Anniversary Hawker Harrier Buddy Build. As the name implies, this GB focused entirely on the Hawker Harrier and I immediately took notice. The Harrier has always fascinated me and I thought that that might be a good subject to start off with. Plus, it was being hosted by the International British Modeler and I have always liked his group builds. Usually I would have pushed it aside and said "Nah, I don't build modern airplanes" but not this time. I wanted to give it a shot and I am very glad that I did.
The Kit
For my kit, I selected the 1/48th scale Hasegawa Hawker Harrier Gr Mk.7. I've always enjoyed Hasegawa products, so I thought that this kit would be a safe bet and having built it now, I can say that it did not disappoint! The boxing was very typical Hasegawa, with great looking parts, nicely printed decals, and a good assortment of inserts to build multiple versions. As for the changes in different marks, I couldn't tell you much about those parts. I am not a Harrier aficionado, but there were a few sprues that ended up being leftovers, so I can assume that these were for different versions. If you need more detail on the Harrier and its many iterations, there are way better sites out there will give you a fantastic breakdown on those details. All I can say is that it looked like a Harrier to me, so I was pretty happy to build her up.
Construction was a simple affair, nothing too crazy or challenging. It followed the traditional Hasegawa instruction layout, so if you've build one, you've built them all. I did end up painting the topcolor incorrectly, but that was my own fault. I used an Extra Dark Sea Gray instead of a Dark Sea Gray and that was very wrong. I later fixed the color issue and it was smooth sailing from there on out.
Decals went on without much fuss. As usual, Micro Set and Micro Sol did their jobs well. There were a couple of smaller decals that gave me a tiny but of hassle, but the majority were spot on. Unfortunately, I had one decal that absolutely disintegrated, while trying to apply it. It was the glass breaking design that was supposed to go on the underside of the canopy. It didn't make it out of the water. That is still a sore spot for me, as I just don't think that the canopy looks finished without that cool design. Oh well, what can you do? You can't win 'em all and this kit was still a fun project.
There were a few areas that needed some additional attention. First off, the canopy clear parts had a very annoying seam that went right down the middle of both canopy pieces. I had to sand and polish that out and coat the parts in Future, to bring back the clarity. Also, I have read that the kit seat was incorrect for this version. Not having any background on the Harrier, I wouldn't have even noticed that issue, but I ended up using some reference shots to do a bit of scratch building/detailing, and added some Tamiya masking tape to represent seatbelts. Even though the tape belts aren't as detailed as aftermarket sets, I think it is still better to have something there, than to have nothing there at all. I think it turned out passable, so I'm happy with the results.
I did have some minor fit issues around the intakes and the wing extensions, but some superglue and sanding files took care of that for me. If you wanted to really go all out on this kit, I might recommend a one-piece resin intake trunking. That would bring up the detail quite a bit. I would also recommended a weapons set for RAF aircraft. Hasegawa gives you four pylons that are just empty and I would have loved to have had some additional weapons to hang off of the wings.
Conclusion
Overall, I have to say that this was a very enjoyable project. Sure, it was a simple build, without any real difficulties or crazy additions to contend with. But just think, normally I wouldn't have even considered a modern jet as a viable build project. Now, I've got a finished Hawker Harrier in my display case and I am even looking at expanding the stash, to include other modern jets! I think that that alone is quite an accomplishment. And to be honest, the group build gave me the perfect excuse to purchase a new kit! I may not have won any real prizes, but then again, I was never expecting to win anything. I joined purely for fun and inspiration. I still consider myself a well practiced amateur, so it was a honor to just build along side such fantastic craftsmen. I had a great time on the bench and I am so proud to have a Harrier in the display case.
Feel free to checkout my completed build over on my YouTube channel. And while you're over there, consider subscribing and maybe dropping a like or two. It lets me know what you guys might want to see in the future and really helps out the channel.
Thanks for joining me today, stay safe, and happy modeling.
