Esci 1/72 McD.D/BAe AV-8B Harrier II

ESCI 1:72 MCDONNELL DOUGLAS/BAE AV-8B HARRIER II
'INBOX Review'

Reviewer: John Lacey (rec.models.scale)

History

The McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B was a US evolution of the earlier British Harrier family, perhaps most notably by it’s larger wing & raised cockpit. Naturally, this was merely the tip of the iceberg, as the new AV-8B was not merely a modification of the earlier design, but a more refined machine that greatly expanded on the original design’s capabilities. Initially, two versions were produced for the US & UK, the US variant or AV-8B being the subject of this kit whilst the UK machine was designated Harrier GR.5 and had many minor equipment differences. The AV-8B would be further refined into the Night Attack and Plus versions, the former mounting a FLIR system for all-weather capability and the latter an effective radar system. AV-8Bs entered service with the USMC and were deployed to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 with the later variants still an important part of the USMC arsenal. The type also achieved minor export success with Spain’s Armada and later with Italy’s AMI.

The Kit

This kit was sent to me by a friend in the UK (THANKS STEVE!!) and is one of the earlier models of the type with a mix of raised and recessed detail. The cockpit is adequate for the genre, with a one piece floor, sidewalls & rear bulkhead, a two piece ‘bang seat’ (with main seat body & separate head rest), a control column and an instrument panel. This panel & the side consoles are given decals for detail. The large intakes are blanked off by a plate upon which the forward fan is moulded. The four nozzles of the engine are two piece units that push into the fuselage sides, no doubt to allow movement, but I would recommend gluing them in place. The aircraft’s undercarriage is predominantly single piece units with only the rear assembly having two separate tires. Both the central main gears have their doors moulded onto the legs. Whilst the rear airbrake is with a ‘boxed in’ interior, the landing gear bays, whether on the fuselage or wings are not.. An interesting addition that I haven’t noted on a 72^nd scale Harrier before (including Hasegawa’s much later AV-8B) is the inclusion of the front ‘air dam’ just aft of the nose gear. Clear parts consist of a windscreen, canopy, HUD pane & ARBS nose and are more than adequate for the type & scale.

Options

I can’t recommend this one for ‘gear up’ without some surgery, but it’s certainly not beyond the capabilities of most modelers. Another option, although not noted as ‘optional’ as such is an IFR probe to be attached to the left hand side of the airframe. Photos I have of US Marine AV-8Bs have the probe both fitted & not fitted so the choice is there for the modeler. Stores are provided in the form of two drop tanks, two TERs with six Mk 82 ‘Snakeye’ retarded bombs and two AIM-9s. The stores themselves are fairly simplistic although the Snakes are usable, whilst the outer pylons have the AIM-9 rails moulded onto them, restricting their use somewhat. The type’s cannon pods are reproduced in four pieces comprising two halves for each pod, each facing half with the central ammo chute moulded on. The strakes that are fitted when the pod system (remembering it isn’t two guns but one gun and it’s associated ammo feed) isn’t are not present, meaning that the pods are the only choice here.

Colour Schemes

Three aircraft are provided for, with two sharing the earlier grey / green disruptive scheme over light grey lower surfaces with the third machine being a grey / green wraparound. Although the instructions note these colours as FS34079 (Olive Drab) and 36173 (Dark Grey) over an un-numbered light grey, both Don Colour & IPMS Stockholm note these colours as 34064 Dark Green & 36099 Dark Grey over 36440 Light Gull Grey.

Decals

In my kit, decals weren’t provided so I cannot comment.

Instructions

Instructions are typically Esci with a long double-sided page with colour schemes & multi-lingual aircraft history on one side with colour charts & ten construction stepson the reverse. Detail painting is noted throughout construction although they are generic colours rather than specifics.

Impressions

It would be unfair to compare this kit against later efforts, but for all this the model is a fair representation of the type. With the minor misgivings noted above, I think the model wouldn’t provide too much of a challenge to any competent modeler, but I would recommend careful research to someone who is unfamiliar with the type.

Conclusions

I’m quite happy with the kit, despite the faults I have mentioned and the kit compares favourably with many other kits of its genre and even some later products. Providing the kit wasn’t purchased at some exorbitant price, I believe it represents good value for money.

web hosting • domain names • video sharing
free online games • photo sharing
free blog • short URLs