All done! I failed at my attempt to get a model done in 48 hours. Again. It ended up being a 5 day effort, though in my defense once I missed the 48 hour deadline it became a more leisurely build.
It’s Monogram’s 1981 Harrier that I picked up on ebay in original first edition sealed box for $8. I have very fond memories of building this as a kid when it first came out, and it was both a labor of love and a reminder of how lucky us modelers are to have modern kits.
It’s finished as a USN AV-8A from VA-106 aboard USS Independence in 1975. After the USMC were impressed with their evaluation of the RAF’s new Harrier the USN and USAF both jumped on the bandwagon and tried it out. Both were impressed but the Air Force passed on the aircraft, at the time being focused on large, supersonic platforms. The Navy on the other hand looked back at the still relatively recent USS Forestall fire and saw an advantage in an air wing containing an element that could operate from a fouled deck.
The USMC ordered Harriers in 1969 and not long after the Navy placed a follow on order for 178 single seat AV-8As and 18 two seat TAV-8As. As delivered the Navy Harriers were identical to Marine veesions but over time the Navy fleet gained more capabilites with more advanced navigation and targeting avionics and the ability to carry Shrike and Maverick missiles.
This aircraft is pictured with a typical strike load of two Mk83 1,000lb bombs and drop tanks painted in VA-106 colors.
