Silver Cloud 1/72 resin P1154 "Supersonic Harrier" kit.

[Billy Buccaneer]

Hello all, this is my first post on here so I have a whole heap of catching up to do! Below are photo's of my recently completed P1154 "Supersonic Harrier" kit.

( Silver Cloud SCK7202 ). As I'm an ex-Harrier "rigger" techie that served on Harriers from 91-95, I had to have one of these kits, (plus its respective weapons set), as soon as it was released a few years back. This is/was my first experiance of a resin kit, but it was an easy & enjoyable build.

I especially enjoyed the additions & alterations aspect of the build. I highly recommend the kit ..... if you can find one!

I hope fans of all things Harrier like "the look" of it as much as I do.

I've tried to make it resemble the smaller, real world GR1's of the early 70's by adding 5 mm long "combat tips" to the wings, a ventral fin to the rear fuselage & made 4 mm longer replacement tailplanes as the kit items looked too small to me. I've also added various aerials & data probes etc. to the fuselage from plastic stock & wire, plus an etch brass hover yaw vane.from an Airwaves etch set for GR5 Harriers. ( AEC72034 ). The "bolt-on" In-flight refueling probe was "robbed" from an Italeri GR5 kit.

I've finished it as a "What If..." / Counter-factual Hawker Siddely Harrier FGR 1, Ser. No. XV802 "Double X-Ray", of 20 (F) Squadron based at RAF Wildenrath, West Germany in March 1972. This is what the RAF should have had had the Labour government of the time not cancelled the P1154 project in Feb. 1965 ! ( The real world XV802 "Double X-Ray" was a P1127 derived Harrier GR 1 that served with 20 Sqdn. at Wildenrath until lost in a crash near Hanover on the 21st of March 1972 which, unfortunately, killed the pilot ). As mentioned above, I've painted & decalled it as real world GR1's were in the early '70's, ( mostly ). The decals were a mixture of kit, ( national markings, some stencils & some serial No's ), Xtradecal, ( some serial No's ), Model Decal, ( Harrier GR3 inst. panel & stencils ) & Aviation Workshop, ( 20 Sqdn. badges from one of their 1/48th, yes, 1/48th, Harrier GR 7 decal sets ). I also managed to apply little black squares around the airframe to represent the reaction control system "puffer ducts" & also two tiny brown squares to represent radio altimeter dielectric panels / aerials. ( On the panel just forward of the nose gear bay ). Oh, nearly forgot ! The white Double X's on the fin came from an Airfix Hunter FGA9 decal sheet.

The underwing stores / weapons comprise the twin 30mm ADEN gun pod & centre line pylon from the Silver Cloud P1154 weapon set, ( SCK7203 ), the tandem bomb carriers & BL755 cluster bombs were robbed from an Airfix Jaguar GR1 kit & the pair of SNEB 68mm rocket pods came from a Hasegawa Jaguar GR1 kit.

( Well, a Harrier's not complete without a pair of those ). Each BL755 received an etch brass fusing propeller to their noses which came from the same Airwaves etch set that the hover yaw vane came from.

I've just got to finish its display base & it's ready to be displayed on my local model clubs tables at the Nationals at Telford next month.

It's been a few years since I was last at Telford so I'm really looking forward to it. See you there if you're going.

Edited November 3, 2012 by Billy Buccaneer

[swordfish fairey]

Ahhhh! what could have been eh? You've done a great job with it BB the markings set it off a treat. The only thing I can see wrong with it is, it's not in Navy markings...........Well done mate.............Smudge

[AdrianMF]

Nice one! Great subject, thoughtful mods, and an informative write-up! Look forward to seeing it at Telford.

Still think those wings look a bit small though!

Regards,

Adrian

[BritJet]

Very nicely done. Such a shame we never got them into service, as good as the Harrier was the P1154 would have been far more capable.

Steve

[Col.]

That certainly looks the part, very realistic, a 'what should have been' indeed. Perhaps the first time I've seen one of these built and now on my wants list.

[Alan P]

That's very nicely rendered. A really well-thought-out conversion to an operational airframe too.

Al

[tonyot]

I`m with everybody else, what really nice tidy model with well thought out modifications and cracking colour scheme. I could just imagine one of those landing out on the Sennelager training area during the 1970`s or 80`s and being pushed underneath a camo net in the woods PDQ under simulated NBC Code Red conditions with everybody sweating buckets in their ressies and noddy suits .

All the best

Tony O

[Spitfire31]

Very neat build of a fascinating subject (of which I readily admit that I know nothing)!

Kind regards,

Joachim

[goose]

A subject that i nothig about aswell, but that looks ver very cool. What it could have been, makes you wonder, great work.

Edited November 1, 2012 by goose

[CockneyCol]

Very nice indeed, I have one of these to do, but it will be getting FAA markings and a few suitable mod's even if it is a single seater.

Really impressed by this build, lots of brilliant back work too.

Cheers

Col'

[jimbuna]

A beautiful looking example.

[F-32]

Really great build

[HOUSTON]

GOSH!

How good is that!

[Miggers]

Very nice Billy(though you've no excuse for not getting it "right" being an ex-Jump jet spannerman!!!).

I reckon the PCB Pegasus would have been a rowdy beast,but pretty spectacular to see

in action.

Good one mate.

[russ c]

Really well done !!

[Sean1968]

A nice build of an unusual subject, great stuff.

[JMChladek]

Wow!

I've only ever seen drawings of the 1154 (which is all that was done near as I can tell). But to see one nicely rendered as a model makes it a VERY nice looking beast. Very well done and I had no idea anyone even did a resin kit of it (probably not anymore as most cottage industry companies tend to only last a couple years at most anyway).

[oldhouse]

Looks really very nice !! Finefinish !! Great Job !!Peter

[Billy Buccaneer]

Many thanks for your enthusiastic comments folks, they're much appreciated. Chuffed to bits you like it. While I was building it I was wondering to myself that if the P1154 project had gone into production & RAF service, would the Jaguar have been built / gone into RAF service as an attack / recce aircraft? After all, the P1154 Harriers were to have a radar & would also have been able to carry a recce pod similar in size to the Jags, so it would have been a more flexible, go anywhere multi-role aircraft that could, literally, "pop-up" anywhere. Just a thought.

If anyone going to "The Nationals" at Telford wants to have a good close-up look at it "in the flesh", bring a magnifying glass to the East Neuk Model Club stand in Hall 2, block 2D. You'll find all the faults on it that don't show up in the photo's.

Thanks for looking. Kind regards, Wullie.

Edited November 2, 2012 by Billy Buccaneer

[Mike DeTorrice]

This is an outstanding model of the fascinating P1154 ! Top grade in every area and very enjoyable to look at in your fine pictures.

Mike

[Billy Buccaneer]

Hello again folks. I finished my P1154's model show display base yesterday, so here's a photo of it "on display".

I've finished it in time for Scale Model World in Telford this weekend so I'm bringing it ( & a few of my favourite Classic Airfix Aircraft collection ),

to display on my local model club's stand. See you at Telford ? ?

Edited November 5, 2012 by Billy Buccaneer

[Hawkkeeper]

if only the real thing entered service, really nice job Billy.

[perdu]

Dammit she's a looker Billy

Well made too

Yes if only, I don't have many charitable thoughts of Wilson's crew

THIS doesn't help him out at all

Thanks for showing us it, I hope to find you to look at her in the "flesh" on Saturday

bill

[Colin @ Freightdog Models]

Hi Wullie,

Thats a lovely build! I hope to have the P.1154 back in production (with the weapon set included) and on sale early 2013. Masters came back from Anigrand a while back and are getting a bit of a tidy up before production in the UK starts (shame the real one didn't!)

Colin (Silver Cloud AKA Freightdog)

[Billy Buccaneer]

  On 06/11/2012 at 15:36, Colin @ Freightdog Models said:

Hi Wullie,

Thats a lovely build! I hope to have the P.1154 back in production (with the weapon set included) and on sale early 2013. Masters came back from Anigrand a while back and are getting a bit of a tidy up before production in the UK starts (shame the real one didn't!)

Colin (Silver Cloud AKA Freightdog)

Thanks for the appreciative comments folks, especially Colin @ Freightdog Models. Chuffed to bits you like it.

That's fantastic news that you plan to re-release the P1154 complete with the weapon set. I'd definitely buy another so I could build it as a interceptor / fighter.

A pair of P1154's would sit nicely with the Airfix TSR2 that I'm in the middle of building at the mo'.

If anyone wants to have a good look at it at SMW, Telford, bring a magnifying glass to the East Neuk Model Club stand in Hall 2, Block 2D.

That way you'll find all the faults that don't show up in the photo's !

Bye for now. Wullie.

Edited November 7, 2012 by Billy Buccaneer