Harrier GR.9A of the Portuguese Marines

[DogfighterZen]

I know, another Portuguese whif...   Well, Portugal never had most of my favorite aircraft and i just didn't want to build a real world model...
On top of that, taken by Captain Canada's suggestion, i wondered how the jump jet would look with the SEA camo and Portuguese markings, so whif it will be! 
Back story will come in the end when the model is finished. As it will be in PoAF service, it will be painted in the SEA wraparound scheme variant as i'm not a big fan of the white underside scheme.
Something like this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/LTV_A-7P_Corsair_II%2C_Portugal_-_Air_Force_AN0419768.jpg
This is the Airfix 1:72 GR7/9 that really hasn't been in the stash for long and, although i prefer the AV-8B+ with the big, pointy radome, this is the only variant i've bought so far so this one will be the victim.
No mods on this one, 100% OOB, i really wanted to start a new model with little fuss to get my mind of the endless PSR sessions on my F-16W.
So this is whats done so far...





Almost forgot the control stick but painted it and put it in place before the nose was assembled, although not much can be seen now.





Sorry about the blurry pics, i can't figure out how to focus on close up shots for small detail with my iPhone's camera (maybe not enough light?), that's all i have at the moment... 

[Dizzyfugu]

Cool idea!  

[Captain Canada]

Great idea ! Love that kit...makes me want to go buy another !

Try standing back and slowly approaching the subject. You can also hold the phone close in, then slowly back it away until it starts to focus, then start moving it closer, again slowly. Works for my iPhone.

Good luck !

[DogfighterZen]

Cool idea! 

Great idea ! Love that kit...makes me want to go buy another !

Try standing back and slowly approaching the subject. You can also hold the phone close in, then slowly back it away until it starts to focus, then start moving it closer, again slowly. Works for my iPhone.

Good luck !

Thanks, guys! 
I was thinking of having it in Portuguese marines air corps service but i will have to create my own decals for that.
Portugal's armed forces don't have Marine air corps, the navy doesn't have fighter jets, the air force only had a few fighters throughout the years so, i guess it makes it a fertile field for whifs.
Captain, i've also found that closing in and moving back would help to focus but it seems as though every time i close in, it loses focus just where it would begin to show detail... 
I'll try with more light next time.

[Captain Canada]

Ya more light will certainly help. iphones have an easy crop editing feature as well, so you could try that and see if you can see the details better

[DogfighterZen]

Ya more light will certainly help. iphones have an easy crop editing feature as well, so you could try that and see if you can see the details better

Thank you! i wasn't aware of the crop editing feature, guess i have to explore this gadget a bit more... I'll try it in the next pics. 

[DogfighterZen]

Ok, thread revival time!

Today i finally got the intakes airbrushed white, masked and assembled...



Took a bit of convincing but in the end it just needs minor PSR...



Now, lack of a backstory for this one has got me wondering if i really should finish it as a PoAF bird... What if the Portuguese Navy had some carriers?

[kerick]

Nice Harrier! I need to build one of these soon. I'll be waiting to see more of this one!

For your photos, may I suggest having the light shining over your shoulder from behind you and some more light shining in from the sides to reduce shadows? Placing light colored poster board or paper behind and around the subject reflects light which evens out the lighting and also reduces shadows.

[PR19_Kit]

What if the Portuguese Navy had some carriers?

Of COURSE they did! 

[DogfighterZen]

Nice Harrier! I need to build one of these soon. I'll be waiting to see more of this one!

For your photos, may I suggest having the light shining over your shoulder from behind you and some more light shining in from the sides to reduce shadows? Placing light colored poster board or paper behind and around the subject reflects light which evens out the lighting and also reduces shadows.

Thanks, Kerick!  The kit is great, goes together well, not much PSR, just a tiny bit on the wing/fuselage aft join and the intakes.
Re the photos, i do have to work on getting better pics, thanks for the tips. I'll have a go at your suggestion, but it would probably help if i had a real camera instead of my old iPhone 3GS. Maybe if i stop spending money on kits...

What if the Portuguese Navy had some carriers?

Of COURSE they did! 

This is what i love about this place...freedom of madness!!

And it probably happened way before the GR.9's timeline...

[Captain Canada]

Looking good ! Glad to see she`s back on the go.

[Snowtrooper]

When the US started to move into all-supercarrier force (partially mandated by the ever-rising weight of carrier aircraft), there were many surplus Essex-class hulls, never mind Independence-class CVL's, and on the British side Colossus/Majestic class and Hermes class (the myriad CVE's and Illustrious class were unfortunately mostly scrapped at the end of 50's) that could have found a new life as STOVL carriers, only that Harrier came a bit too late (and her live-fire demonstration at Falklands even later) to save them from scrapyard.

Of course, if those in responsible for military purchases in various countries would have been a bit more future-savvy, Harrier-carriers would of course still be more widespread.

Or if we really start whiffing, maybe the US wanted its allies to take greater responsibility for protecting the Atlantic, in practice forcing most of NATO countries to acquire carriers (at first most likely surplus US/British stock) already post-WW2 to meet the commitment. With many more carrier navies, there would of course have been a greater incentive to develop a "light" carrier that could launch all the planes a supercarrier could, but would be considerably lighter and smaller (and require a a smaller crew). Of course, with most of NATO having its own carriers would have incited a response from the Soviet Union (and its allies satellites), after the Sino-Soviet split China would also need a carrier to stay in the arms race, prompting India to acquire one, and pretty soon any nation with a navy would had to have one to stand a chance. South African carrier to support the Bush Wars, anyone? Israel acquires a carrier to be able to strike PLO camps in North Africa and/or bomb Iran's nuclear facilities from the Pacific? Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, and Filipino carrier forces playing chicken over the Spratly Islands?

[Old Wombat]

Driving from Tarawa to Okinawa on a "Pacific Battles" tour over an ocean jam-packed with aircraft carriers?

[DogfighterZen]

Snowtrooper, that's very much along the lines of what i have in mind... Portugal being one of the countries to acquire WWII carriers, to be able to keep a Navy with a naval air arm, which, in real world, was incorporated in the PoAF in 1952.
After those carriers were retired from active duty, a modern Portuguese naval (and aeronautical) industry, which had been established since the end of the war, built the new carriers that would replace the WWII fleet.
Will be fun to design the decals for the AN(Aviação Naval) or PoNA(Portuguese Naval Aviation), there's only one know marking for old navy aircraft, a black swallow.
BTW, this will not be the first PoNA jet to be finished as my F-18D is just waiting for the load out, which is being finished as i write...
And that just reminded me of the In the Navy GB and the F7F and the F8F i've got in the stash... 

[Army of One]

Looking good.......can't wait to see it finished........