1/32 Revell Tornado GR.1.

Gallery Article by Vinny Ibarra on July 6 2003

 

1/32 Revell Tornado IDS converted to GR.1.

My name is Vinny Ibarra, I'm a lawyer by profession and I live in the Philippines. This is my rendition of Tornado ZA 447 "MiG Eater", perhaps the most famous Gulf War Tornado. "MiG Eater" destroyed an Iraqi MiG-29 on the ground during a runway denial attack on the first night of Desert Storm. 

 

Click on images below to see larger images

The kit began as a Revell 1/32 Tornado IDS. I added a TAC Scale (now CAM Resin) detail set, Paragon Flaps, Laser Rangefinder and Skyshadow ECM pods. The TAC Scale set also includes an Eduard PE set, which includes a fret for the boarding ladder. A few months into the project, a new Revell GR1 kit was released and I used this kit's 2250 gallon tanks. The pitot covers were scratchbuilt from plastic sheet and scraps while the RBF tags were made with a colored printer. The yellow-colored sidewinder covers were made from epoxy putty. The landing gears were strengthened with aluminum tubing. 

Additional details came from copper wires and stretched sprue. The model was painted in Desert Pink (actually a light brown shade) and weathered with a weak paint wash and by spray painting dissimilar panel lines with a lighter shade of the base color. The decal is stock and was sandwiched by a layer of "Wipe and Shine" (liquid floor wax akin to "Future") and Tamiya clear with flat base.

I shot these photos using a Digital Camera in my garage--on a pingpong table. As an added bonus, the garage appears as a convincing aircraft shelter.

Vinny Ibarra  (IPMS-Philippines)

      

Photos and text © by Vinny Ibarra