McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Harrier Plus "Tiger"

UMa Model introduces its first and highly ambitious plastic model kit – the 1/48 AV-8B Harrier II Plus. This newly tooled kit represents the iconic V/STOL attack aircraft, in service with the United States Marine Corps since 1993 and deployed in numerous international operations.

Developed with precision and advanced tooling technology, the kit features finely engraved panel lines, a highly detailed cockpit with 3D instrument panel decals, and a comprehensive set of accessories, including photo-etched parts, metal components, and masks for precise painting. It comes with a full range of weapon options and high-quality Cartograf decals for three USMC marking schemes.

This product is aimed at experienced model builders seeking the highest quality in design, accuracy, and detail.  

here are three paint schemes (two dark grey, one light grey) for modellers to choose from.

Painting A: AMA-214 Black Sheep Squadron, carrying the USS Charles aircraft (LHD-6) in February 2016.

Painting B: VMA-214 "Black Sheep Squadron", stationed in Ahamadi, Iraq in 2003. Jabir Air Force Base-Operation Iraqi Freedom

Painting C: VMA-311, stationed at Assad Air Force Base from March to October 2019-determined action

Key features of the kit:

• Detailed cockpit rendering with 3D decals on the dashboard.

• Photo-etched parts for added realism.

• Mask set for easy and accurate painting of the cockpit overlay and other parts.

• Extensive armament, including bombs, missiles, and homing pods.

• Decals from renowned manufacturer Cartograf for three US Marine Corps (USMC) aircraft variants.

  Painting A: AMA-214 Black Sheep Squadron, carrying the USS Charles aircraft (LHD-6) in February 2016.
  
  Painting B: VMA-214 "Black Sheep Squadron", stationed in Ahamadi, Iraq in 2003. Jabir Air Force Base-Operation Iraqi Freedom
  
  Painting C: VMA-311, stationed at Assad Air Force Base from March to October 2019-determined action

  Comparisons with the current ‘best-in-scale’ offering from Hasegawa are inevitable and, for the most part, UMa’s fresh tooling beats it comprehensively. Surface detail is excellent throughout, with fine engraved panel lines and a mix of recessed and raised rivets as appropriate. Certain panels are also raised slightly, as are the housings for the low-voltage formation lights, although the latter could arguably benefit from slight sanding to reduce their prominence. There are 13 styrene runners in total, plus separate intake units, mainwheel and nosewheel tyres, six metal parts, a photo-etched metal fret for the head-up display and canopy mirrors, plus canopy/wheel and colour scheme masks.

  Although there’s a similar approach to the parts breakdown (unsurprising given the subject’s complexity), many of Hasegawa’s mistakes and fit issues appear to have been avoided in this new product – notably the poor wing/leading-edge root extension (LERX) sub-assembly. However, UMa’s kit has a few ‘gotchas’ of its own; it has attempted to balance satisfying the ever-increasing focus on detail and accuracy with ease of assembly. The latter has been favoured to make the kit more attractive to a broader modelling audience… with the downside that accuracy suffers in places. While most will be easy to rectify, one appears to be (on first impressions) difficult to remedy. The parts breakdown also hints at more versions being released in future, including an RAF airframe.

  UMa’s cockpit – which fits into a separate nose section – is magnificent, from the finely moulded raised features on the instrument panels and side consoles, to the optional use of 3D-printed decals (which would require much of this lovely detail to be removed before application). Gone are the days of a Harrier kit having just a blank-sided ‘tub’; this multi-part sub-assembly has accurate oval recesses on the lower side panels, complemented by a detailed rear bulkhead and separate inserts for the angled sections between the side consoles and instrument panel

  The issues, The ejection seat is of the wrong type., It should be a SJU4/A but a Martin Baker MK12 as used by the RAF is included.
• Secondly, the intakes. they are wrongly formed resulting in the fan blades being 25% too small. But it will take major surgery to correct, Live with it or use FOD screens :-)
• Thridly, UmA misidentifies some colours in the schemes they oiffer, Check your references

 

• Of course, it should be stressed that the kit does not include paint or glue.