Hasegawa’s Jaguar
T2/E kit provides the option to make the SEPECAT Jaguar IB, the two-seater
version of the British “T2” in Indian Air Force service. SEPECAT Jaguars
have served the Indian Air Force for over 25 years in five squadrons comprising
of three versions: the Strike version (IS); the Maritime strike (IM) and the two
seat trainer (IB). The IB of this build is JT056 of the No. 14, Bulls, squadron
based in Ambala, India.
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Build
The kit was completed pretty much
out of the box. To modify the Hasegawa kit to the IB version requires the
removal of several blade antennas from the wings and fuselage, and the removal
of the fins on the tail. The overall fit of the forward fuselage section was
trying and resulted in a lot of work to align the parts. I think it was more
because of my lack of skill than the kit. The rest of the kit fell together
well, without a hitch. The kit has two major drawbacks - poor cockpit detail and
pathetic air brakes. I spruced up the kit's ejection seats with some belts and
thinned the air-brakes as much as I could. On the plus side, it comes with two
accurate drop tanks and corresponding decals, and an access ladder (a bit thick
if you ask me).
Painting
Indian Air Force Jaguar IBs
sported a two-tone dark green and grey wrap-around pattern until a few years
ago, when it was replaced by the boring all-grey scheme. I elected to use the
wrap-around pattern because the all-grey scheme is a bit boring and omits the
attractive Bulls squadron insignia. The main colors were Euro Dark Green and
Dark Camouflage Grey. Wheel wells were finished in Yellow Zinc Chromate and the
gun port is a combination of dilute gloss Red over a base of Jet Exhaust. I
experimented with post-shading weathering by lightening the base colors with
white and spraying inside the panel lines. The effect is not prominent in the
photos, but acceptable under natural light. Panel lines were highlighted with a
wash of green and brown chalk, and soapy water. Everything was sealed with
Future® for decaling. After decaling, a coat of Testors Acrylic Flat sealed
everything except the canopy.
Decals
The kit decals are excellent and
provide excellent stenciling for one complete British or French aircraft.
However, there are no aftermarket decals for Indian Air Force IBs. Therefore, I
created the squadron insignia on the air intakes, roundels, fin flashes,
numerals, and stenciling in Adobe Illustrator. The decals were printed by a
patient, Pete, of SpareTime Hobbies in Winnipeg, Canada (thanks!). I used a
single photo of a Jaguar IB of the Bulls squadron to guide most of my work (http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/
IAF/Images/Current/ Jaguar/Jaguar15.jpg).
To my disappointment, some of the decals silvered due to my lack of patience.
This is my first two-seater, and it was enjoyable to build.
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