1:72 Sea Harrier FRS-1 Photoetched parts instrument panel for Italeri ex Modell-Hobby/ITA

Vertical take-off from a deck and the Falklands War

The naval version of the Harrier first took off in August 1978 and entered operational service with the Royal Navy two years later. What set it apart from its land-based predecessor was above all the raised cockpit with a genuine view to the rear and the pointed nose with the Blue Fox radar, which turned a ground-attack aircraft into a full interceptor. The vectored thrust of the Pegasus engine allowed a take-off from a short deck with a ski-jump and a landing with no run at all.

The spring of 1982 put the whole concept to the test over the South Atlantic. Just under thirty of these machines covered the task force off the Falklands, flew from pitching decks in miserable weather and were credited with over twenty kills without a single one being lost in air-to-air combat. The ability to swivel the nozzles in flight became a legend before it could be reliably documented in combat, and to this day it is among the most frequently rehearsed chapters of that campaign.

How to work with photo-etched parts

The fret holds the front panel with its dials and small items of the cockpit. Cut the part out right at the edge of the tab, sand the remainder with fine paper and free the area of grease before gluing. Metal holds on plastic only thanks to super glue or two-part epoxy.

A mask or a printed marking

The cockpit is the territory of photo-etched parts, but the paintwork of the fuselage is a different question. Sharp color bands and roundels look best sprayed through a mask, whereas fine lettering and warning placards are more sensibly applied by printing.