Side consoles and instrument were detailed using Reheat placards and photo-etched bezels.

The windscreen needed some filler to blend it into the fuselage. If was masked and the frames sprayed black.

Undercarriage
The Jaguar's main landing gear is almost a mini-engineering project in itself and Airfix have avoided the temptation to simplify it by moulding the various oleos as separate parts. The assembly looks daunting at first but is takes no time to put together. I started by super-gluing the knuckle (part 14) to the main leg (part 10) and then adding the long compression oleo (part 17) before 'welding' them into place with liquid cement. This gives the whole unit a bit more rigidity before adding the rest of the parts. The whole process can be repeated for the other leg and brake lines can be added using fine wire or rubber strip.

The undercarriage legs were sprayed light grey and various oleo sleeves picked out with bright silver, while the wheel hubs were masked off and the tyres given a coat of Tamiya acrylic Dark Grey. The completed sub- assemblies were then put aside until later.

Modifications
As comprehensive as the kit is there were a few minor alterations and additions that needed to be made. As the fuselage also doubles up for the French Jaguar A there are two ECM fairings moulded to the fin that need removing. Photo 3 shows the unaltered kit fin on the right with the modified GR1A version on the left. Gently sand the unwanted ECM bumps away with medium grade wet and dry paper until the whole surface is flush. The RWR (parts 73 and 74) can be glued together and, when dry, slipped down the fin and fixed into place. Similarly there is a small bulge under the nose that also needs to be removed but this can be done when cleaning up the join line.

The kit doesn't supply the two tear-shaped cannon breech bulges seen on the undersides of GR1A's. A rummage through the spares box yielded two blister mouldings from an old canopy that were sanded to a more elongated shape and then fixed into place. The shell ejector chutes (situated behind the breeches) were fabricated from small lengths of Contrail strut. I dare say these missing items, as well as additional weapons and stores, will feature in an aftermarket detail set from one of the 'cottage' companies.

With the canopy fixed in place there was a slight step between the windscreen and the fuselage but this was easily cured by working in some 'worms' of Milliput and smoothing off the excess putty with a moistened cotton bud. The canopy was then masked off and the frames given an undercoat of Tamiya Flat Black.

The inside of the fuselage was reinforced with some strips of plasticard.

The fin needs the Jaguar A sensors removing (left) before fitting the RWR (right).

Stores and Weapons
A comprehensive set of external stores are supplied in the kit and consists of: a pair of overwing AIM9L Sidewinders and launch rails; Phimat chaff dispenser; AN/ALQ-101 jammer; four Hunting BL755 cluster bombs; a pair of 264 gallon drop tanks and the large Linescan recce pod. As the Phimat and AN/ALQ-101 are almost always carried on the outer stations these items are neatly moulded on their pylons in one piece. The Sidewinders are excellent, the only improvements I could make were to drill out the firing mechanisms and cut off the solid seeker heads and replace them with MV Lenses.

The instructions offer two configurations, the 'Gulf' option has the BL755's and their carrier racks on the inner hardpoints and a single drop tank carried under the fuselage. Some 'Gulf' Jaguars often carried finless belly tanks so check your references to see what's appropriate. The 'European' NATO load consists of the drop tanks on the inboard pylons and the recce pod on the centre line, though this format is also applicable to some 'Desert Storm' Jaguars.

NATO-based Jaguars usually carry the standard overwing strakes but these aren't included in the kit, despite what the finishing diagram shows you. If you choose not to model a Sidewinder armed GRlA then you'll have to either make the strakes from scratch or use the ones provided in the Heller Jaguar A

Paint Preps
With all the major airframe completed and join lines made good the model was given an undercoat of Halfords grey acrylic primer to check for any unseen blemishes. The trailing edges were thinned down a bit using a sharp blade and fine grade sandpaper. The undercarriage doors and wheel wells were given a couple of coats of chromate primer, the airbrake bays are usually the same colour as the exterior finish. Humbrol's Polished Steel from their Metal Cote range was used for the exhaust deflector plates and the gun ports. This was buffed up to a suitable sheen and then sealed with John~on Wax Klear. All the pre-painted areas were then masked off ready for the final colour scheme.

All the main subassemblies sprayed with primer read for the final paint job.

The finished model after a coat of Desert Pink and hours of careful ,weathering. (Click here for a larger image)

Decals and Finishing
The decals in recent Airfix kits have been of a high standard and the sheet in this kit is no slouch. Measuring some 33 x 14cm (13 x 5.5in) it has options for the Commanding Officer's aircraft from 41(F) Sqn at RAF Coltishall, wearing the old grey/green wrap-around camouflage, or a Muharraq based Jaguar flown by Sqn. Ldr. D.R Bagshaw during the Gulf War. This aircraft is overall 'desert sand' and has the 'Pink Spitfire' nose art. As the Gulf Jaguars carry little in the way decoration most of the decal sheet is taken up with the 'Euro' version and includes, not only a complete set of stencils and markings for the aircraft, but also a set for the external stores! The matt carrier film is very thin, the printing excellent and they hug the paintwork like limpets - the perfect decals?

I opted for the Gulf-based aircraft and while modellers will have their own favourite brand of 'desert sand', I used Humbrol's own version, No.250, which I feel has the right tone, but I lightened it considerably with light grey. For those who like their weathering, Gulf Jaguars are a dream! I mixed three batches of colour, the base tone and two of slightly lighter and darker shades. With the base tone applied and dry I then went over all the major panel lines with the darker shade, creating a 'patchwork' effect with an airbrush to break up the colour. If the effect looks too much, you can always go back and touch up problem areas with the base tone.

Some of the 'sharp' areas like the leading edges of the wings and the intakes were dry-brushed using dark grey and green paint to give the impression of the old camouflage colours showing through. The tips of the RWR were painted dark brown. For the false canopy under the nose, Tamiya Flat Black was airbrushed over a simple card mask.

Underside shot showing warload of centreline recce pod, drop tanks, Phimat and AN/ALQ-101 pods. (Click here for a larger image)

Another Airfix Jag finished in the old RAF camouflage colours with blue practise bombs. (Click here for a larger image)