ESCI – 9030 – Sea Harrier FRS MK1

Description:

Unassembled plastic model kit in 1/72 scale of a British Aerospace Sea Harrier, the naval variant of the famous V/STOL Hawker Siddeley Harrier. The Sea Harrier was largely based in the Harrier GR3 but in the more noticeable differences is a raised cockpit with “bubbled” canopy and enlarged nose to fit the radar.

This was the first Harrier tooled by ESCI in 1983, depicting of course, one of the main variants of the Harrier, the naval FRS MK1 (Sea Harrier).

ESCI showed here one of their best examples of engineering, with nice engraved panel lines and a very accurate shape and size. Also did a clever design, allowing the forward fuselage part to be replaced on the future releases, to depict the GR 3 or the AV-8A variants easily. Kit include also one of the best seen Aden gun pods in 1/72 scale, with a correct shape and size.

In the odds of the kit, we can mention the basic detail of the cockpit, and the seat, which in particular is not very good, not resembling almost any known Harrier seat. There are some basic detail in other areas, but in 1983 this was the best FRS MK1 available (and for many modelers it remained so for decades) and can be considered yet a decent kit that worth it to build.

All the intakes doors are closed, while when parked, upper ones are usually open and this is a feature of the kit that skilled modelers often correct by cutting them and replacing by plasticard made new doors.

Not an impressive payload was included, a couple of fuel tanks and Sidewinders which are not particularly well shaped while the integrally moulded LAU-7 launch rail and adapter are very nicely done again. Don’t to forget it also included the Aden gun pods, very nicely done as mentioned above.

A couple of interesting mentions more about the kit, landing gear can be only built down as landed, and some build not so easy is required if you want to depict in the kit as in flight. Canopy can be posed either open or closed, if you are going for an open option, and aftermaket seat is very recommended to improve the model. A quite fragile part of the kit is the pitot tube in the nose, many modelers prefer to cut it and replace by a metal one later.

The kit included a decal sheet with two Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm markings. The kit was issued two times by ESCI (1983) and ESCI/Ertl (Probably 1992) and later, reissued under Italeri brand as Italeri – 1236 – FRS.1 SEA HARRIER (In 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2022).