In 1960 the Canadian Defence Staff were looking for ways to work with other nations on defence projects which would guarantee getting the weapons they wanted.  A request from the Army for better close air support in Germany led to a closer look at the Hawker Siddeley VTOL P.1127 project.  Early tests looked promising and the promise of production lines in Canada led to Canada joining the Quad-Partite Evaluation squadron flying Kestrels in 1965 and later ordering Harriers for the RCAF's frontline squadrons (to keep the Army happy).  The RCN showed an interest as these machines could fly from a carrier.  The 1966 rebuild of HMCS Bonaventure would eventually see her carrying 3 squadrons of Harriers.  The machine seen here was transferred by Hawker-Siddeley Canada as a flying testbed and for pilot training.  She later found her way to permanent display at the Canadian Aviation Museum.

What do you do when you are faced with a groupbuild for an upcoming big modelshow you need something new for but don't have much time to spare?

 You get that half-finished kit out of the stash, naturally!  This is the venerable 1/72 Airfix P.1127 which bugged me for a long time as I couldn't see how to finish it in an British Army scheme but then I asked myself  'Who else was on the German Cold War frontline needing air support?'.  Canada, of course!  The markings came from an old ESCI decal sheet which was a pain to use, the decals being glued to the sheet and then crumbling in the air.  Admittedly it's not my best work but it filled a niche and cleared a hole in my stash.
Nick

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