Heller/Airfix 1:72 Javelin FAW9

[TeeELL 601]

If you have the old Airfix Javelin, you may well be familiar with its major shortcoming - the badly compromised rear fuselage and re-heat nozzles.  Having looked at all the ways people have tackled ‘correcting’ the problem, I decided to see if CAD would make the job easier.  The answer - yes and no!  The significant error in the size and shape of the rear fuselage presented a challenge because right and left are not symmetrical and getting the shape absolutely right is a critical factor (take note HPM).  It took me a dozen or so attempts to achieve a satisfactory ‘shape’ - and then the fun started, trying to ‘loft’ that shape to the symmetrical shape at the rear, got there in the end though.

 

With the fuselage plug created I needed to design the reheat nozzles, these sit such that they point inwards by 3 deg and down by a similar amount.  In addition there are 27 radial slots around the outer and rear face of the nozzle (not 24 HPM) and the upper and lower vents point in opposite directions.  I am indebted to The Jet Age Museum for being allowed to measure all the necessary parts for my conversion. 
The final addition was a pair of re-heat turbines, again measured from the example at TJAM, and pretty much the correct number of turbine blades!

 

[TeeELL 601]

I also produced a set of seamless intake ducts with suitable starter bullets and blades

[TeeELL 601]

I’ve been working on the navigator’s office, with photos and measurements courtesy of Paul Flynn of “Gloster Javelin - A Reconstruction” Face Book group.  Printing has proven challenging but I am going to paint one to see how it looks.

[TeeELL 601]

There has been a fair bit of progress in creating both the AI-17 equipped nav’s office and the AI-22 office.  These have now been finalised.

 

This is the AI-17 version:

and this is the AI-22 

I’ve started painting them, to bring out some details.  The radar display for the AI-17 is only 1mm in diameter with an orange display, the GEE boxes have green displays and the AI-22 has whitish displays.

 

Edited September 10 by TeeELL
Added text

[Gorby 20,040]

Impressive work.

[TeeELL 601]

This is a mock-up of the AI-17 forward consul:

 

At top is the display of aircraft data - ASI, Alt and Rad Alt

Below left is the AI-17 display - the blank in the upper extension is correct on later versions of the Javelin (it was the VHF Wide band homer ARI.18006 ‘TORIST’) 

To the right is the GEE navigation display unit.

Not shown below centre would be the RADAR hand controller.

This is an image of the AI-22 display.  It too would have had the TORIST display positioned centrally above the 2 displays, but using a horizontal prism unit.

[TeeELL 601]

I REALLY MUST remember to add a fire extinguisher to the right of the GEE unit of the AI-22 version!  Just need to try and fine a picture and dimensions of the old BCF-type extinuishers.

[TeeELL 601]

I’ve discovered a photo of an AI-17 equipped cockpit which must be an early version as the TORIS unit doesn’t feature and the upper ‘aircraft instruments’ display is quite different.  In fact, I believe this is a FAW1 - interesting to see the magnifying lens over the display.