SEPECAT Jaguar E desert camo 1:72

Building a two-seat Jaguar has been a dream for some time, so I grabbed the Hobby Boss kit as soon as it appeared back in the stores. Unfortunately, I had not researched well otherwise I should have preferred the "A" version. Nevertheless, let it be the tactical training aircraft with live ammo (I hope they existed ?

I found a wonderful source of information about French Jaguar (aeroprofils.com/arti..epecat-jaguar-a.html) which answered all my questions. I've selected the most complex 4-tone camo sometimes called "Tchad". I intended to represent one of the aircrafts of the Operation Daguert which weared this camo among others (although there were no "E" Jaguars involved). To copy the 4 shades of tan I mixed the following Vallejo paints:

1. Sand primer as the basic "creme" color
2. US Sand as the sand color (just on a couple of places)
3. US Brown / Dark Tan FS30219 + US Sand (3:1) as the middle tan color
4. Camo Pale Brown + Dark Tan (2:1) as the dark tan color

The kit is probably targeted to kids because it is very easy to build and has just minimal level of detail. While the general shape of the aircraft might be accurate, it has very pronounced and mostly random panel lines not corresponding the prototype. The cockpit is just fantasy, and the ejection seats don't even resemble real ones. The landing gear are too smooth and lack detail, and most parts are too thick for the scale. But it saves the learners from frustration.

The kit shares the same stores with the combat "A" version. You need to pay attention that the ASM missile is not correct, but the bombs are OK for the type. After studying the articles about the Operation Daguert, I've chosen the all-French loadout for the interdiction mission used during it: a pair of heavy BGL-1000 laser-guided bombs with the ATLIS pod, and the typical combination of the ECM pod and one AAM on the outer pylons.

The decals have quite a low resolution and sometimes wrong color, but are thin enough and lay well. There are quite a number of stensils, and they are positioned correctly on the painting scheme, but since I wanted the Daguet-style appearance, I needed the roundels without the outer yellow circle. Hi-Decal product seemed OK but the quality of its transparent film appeared to be not so good, so I've got silvering here and there. But that's better than the stock decals anyway.

Masking and painting took expectedly a week, and it was quite an experience. Almost everything turned out perfectly although the camo spots are not always up to the real aircraft - I had to imagine here and there to get the consistent look.

I hope you like how this jet looks. At my opinion, it's leather-toned camo looks quite exotic, but due to its scale and low detail it is a bit "toyly".