Tag Archives: heller

Kit Bashing, Technology

Vehicle I-D: RF-84F Thunderflash & YRF-84F, an appeal to Monogram!

Video

Iowa Air National Guard photo, November 1960.

174th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Iowa Air Guard, Sioux City Sue RF-84F, photo taken in 1960, aircraft retired 1961.

Iowa Air National Guard Photo by Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot, October 2013.

Sioux City Sue, 2013

Iowa Air National Guard Photo by Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot, October 2013.

Iowa Air National Guard Photo by Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot, October 2013.

Iowa Air National Guard Photo by Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot, October 2013.

Iowa Air National Guard photo, April 1958.

The secret hi-tech for 1960s aerial-recon; big lens, big negatives.  The RF-84F also used a three camera system called Tri-Metrogon, to take horizon-to-horizon photos.

Iowa Air National Guard Photo by Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot, October 2013.

Official video report about the history of the RF-84 and the restoration of Iowa Air Guard gate guard Sioux City Sue:

Iowa Air National Guard photo, February 1960.

The large ‘screen’ at top center of the instrument panel is not for radar, it’s the pilot’s aiming view-port for the camera.

Iowa Air National Guard photo, June 1958.

Before the unit got the proper equipment for developing the massive negatives, they had to drape them over chairs to dry them.

Iowa Air National Guard photo, August 1958.

Republic Aviation Corporation YRF-84F Thunderstreak. NACA photo, 1954.

And now for something different, how about the YRF-84F?  51-1828 — NACA tail number 154.  Only one built.  NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station used the aircraft from 1954 until 1955.

Model Kit Round-Up:  Italeri’s RF-84F was the first in 1:72 scale, first released in 1974 (according to ScaleMates).  It’s also been issued by Revell-Germany and Testors.  It’s a modification of their F-84F kit.  It’s very basic, no interior details, surface details are raised. Reviewers say it has shape problems.  With patient searching it can be had as a pre-owned kit for as little as five bucks (not including shipping), yet for some reason most internet sellers expect at least $20 and as much as $40 (outrageous).

Another RF-84F in 1:72 scale is the PJ Production multi-media kit, in resin, PE, metal and vacform plastic.  It is highly accurate and detailed.  Reviewers report it is not for beginners and requires a lot of dry fitting to reveal the difficult areas of assembly.  The kit has been around for at least a decade, yet PJ Production website still lists it as a “new product”.  It lists for 41.50 Euros (about $50 to $60 USD depending on the exchange rate).

PJ PRODUCTION HAS NEW STUFF FOR 2014!

Almost forgot that in 2018 Sword issued their RF-84F.  The quality of the parts is typical of Sword kits.  Issued in two boxings with four different markings per box.  Initial reviews are good.  In the United States the price ranges from $20 to $32, and they’re selling fast.

For decades the only 1:48 scale RF-84F was the not so good Heller kit.  Apparently first released in 1979-80 along with its F-84F Thunderstreak.  About four years later Monogram released its way better F-84F, but for some reason decided not to do a much needed RF version.  The Heller kit is as basic as the 1:72 scale Italeri kit, it’s been re-issued continuously and the U.S. price for previously owned kits averages $20, while the latest new issues are going for as much as $40 (outrageous given its age and lack of quality).

About 15 to 20 years ago Foundier Miniature (FM) tried to improve the Heller kit by adding resin parts for the cockpit, metal parts for the landing gears, and PE parts for things like the speed brakes/spoilers.  It was issued under their Xkit label.  Beware, the kit I bought (second hand) has massive warp-age of the Heller parts.

It also has a massive decal sheet marked F-84F, and a tiny sheet marked RF-84F.  The large sheet is from FM’s F-84F issue, but you’re meant to use the national insignia on that sheet for the RF-84F.  The instructions are modified Heller instructions with additions to show the usage of the FM detail parts.

And now for something really outrageous.  Recently a Japanese company called Tanmodel issued the newest 1:48 scale RF-84F.  You’d think it was the best damn thing in the world going by how much sellers are asking for it.  An internet review said it was better than the ancient Heller kit, but the recessed surface detailing is not much better than Monogram’s raised detailing.  In fact the reviewer said the recessed rivets (which there are no such thing on real airplanes) look more like 1:32 scale rivets, the pics of the completed kit makes it look like the trench-n-divet surface details are raised because they’re so over-scale.  You get air intake ducting and an exhaust pipe.  You also get a detailed camera bay, which is pointless because the fuselage is not molded so that you can poise the access  door in the open position (you could do surgery).   The ultimate reason this kit is so outrageous is its asking price, I’ve seen prices ranging between $70 and $180!!!

In 1:32 scale there was the I.D. Models vac-formed kit, released in the 1990s.  It was basic, no detailing, only the main fuselage and wings, canopy, external tanks, nothing else.  Starting in 2014 there were rumors that Kitty Hawk was going to issue a 1:32 RF-84F.  The rumors got a lot of people excited, so far nothing has materialized.

Everybody needs to contact the neue Eigentümer der Monogram and demand they make a 1:48 scale RF-84F!

For now (meaning whenever I get a round to it) I’m going to attempt to mate the nose and main wings of my warped Heller-FM RF-84F to one of the many Monogram F-84Fs in my stash.  (somebody attempted it using a Kinetic/Italeri kit)

Vehicle I-D: TIME TO SEE THE ‘DOC’ (B-29)

RETIRED USN CRAFTSMAN RECALLS DAYS OF BEING PAID TO BUILD GIANT MODEL PLANES!

SUPER GUPPY BE OLD, BUT NASA STILL USES IT!

Kit Bashing, Reviews

1:72 Shock & Awe Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, or, Why You Can’t Trust Scale Drawings! Plus massive historical confusion about Revell-Monogram!

I’m an idiot; a nut for the combat ineffective F-104 ‘Missile with a Man in it’ Starfighter so I’ve collect too many, and then I went and spent what precious little money I have on a book of scale plans.  And now those scale plans might actually be wrong!

I checked my collection of 1:72 (1/72) scale F-104s against the Mushroom Modeling Publications (MMPBooks) Scale Plans:  Academy, ESCI (ERTL, Italeri), Hasegawa, Heller, Matchbox and Monogram (not Revell), with interesting results.

Click the pics in the gallery to see more:

Conclusion: I’ve compared only the canopy, fuselages and wings because there is a plethora of aftermarket detailing sets out there, so all you really need are decent canopy, fuselage and wings.

All kits had fuselages longer than the MMPBooks Scale Plans, but both Academy and Heller have the largest fuselages in length and circumference.  Academy is the worst offender due to the obviously oversized cockpit and canopy.

Despite being an old kit (almost as old as the Heller kits) the ESCI kit still looks good.  Matchbox looks toy like but seems to be shaped right.

Everybody likes Hasegawa, so much so that many kit builders find it heresy to even question the accuracy of their kits.  But I remember the days when their kits were junk!  This Hasegawa kit is definitely not from their junk days in the 1970s.  It’s the best two seater F-104 available in 1:72 scale.

The 1990s issue Monogram kit is the winner for straight out of the box appearances.   What’s interesting is that there are some reviews out there about the Monogram F-104C that complain of too many rivets, canopy defects and even that the Monogram kit is the same as the Revell F-104G kit with raised panel lines. My kit has fine recessed panel lines and neither too many rivets or a defective canopy and is hands down the best looking of the bunch.  I believe there is confusion because before Revell and Monogram were forced to merge (by parent company Odyssey Partners of New York, in 1986) they issued their own F-104 which was an old kit with raised panel lines and lots of rivets.  Since the merger many kit bashers think every Monogram kit was originally a Revell kit, or vice versa.  In 1996 Monogram issued a new tooled F-104C, it is not the older Revell kit. Lets confuse you even more by talking about Revell Germany.  Currently it’s known as Revell Germany here in the U.S. and since 2000 they’ve issued a lot of Hasegawa kits under their label.  However, through the 1970s to early 1990s Revell Plastics, or Revell AG (what we now call Revell Germany) issued a lot of junky kits, old Revell kits with raised lines and masses of rivets, crappy old Frog kits, and even Matchbox kits when they bought all the Matchbox molds.  From 1980 to 83 Revell was owned by a French company called CEJI, sometimes kits were issued with the label Revell-CEJI.  In the 1990s Revell Germany (officially Revell KG, or Revell GmbH) was issuing almost anything under the sun regardless of how crappy the quality was (or is, as they are still issuing old Frog and Matchbox kits).  Clue, since the late 1990s Revell Germany has been using blue bordered end opening boxes.  And for even more confusion, in 2006 Revell Germany became officially independent of what we now call Revell USA (or Revell-Monogram), however, between 2007 and 2012 both Revell-Monogram and Revell Germany were taken over by Illinois based Hobbico.  And don’t forget there’s also ‘Revell-Japan’ sometimes Takara sometimes Gunze Sangyo, ‘Revell-Mexico’ Lodela and ‘Revell-Brazil’ Kikoler!  So, the only way to tell the quality of the kit is to open the box and look at the parts, something hard to do when many surviving brick-n-mortar shop owners would shoot you for doing so, and when most kit purchases are now made through the mail or internet.

Another indicator that the MMPBooks 1:72 Scale Plans might be wrong is that all the kits had main wings and elevators (horizontal tails) that were identical to each other dimensionally, and were slightly larger in span and cord than the Scale Plans.  For even more evidence that the Scale Plans are wrong; when you compare the kit fuselages to the overhead view they’re even longer than in the side view! This could put me off buying anymore MMP Scale Plans books.

For those who love math, to find out how long the F-104 fuselage should be in 1:72 scale do it yourself!

1:72 comparison F-86 Saber Fujimi vs Heller, or, Nobody is Perfect!

Kit Bashing, Reviews

1:72 comparison F-86 Saber Fujimi vs Heller, or, Nobody is Perfect!

In 2011, I compared Heller, Hobby Craft (now issued by Academy) and Fujimi F-86F Sabers but did not have any scale drawings to check accuracy.   I’ve gotten my hands on some Japanese 1:72 scale drawings and checked the Fujimi, Heller and a High Planes conversion fuselage (I no longer have the Hobby Craft kit).

Click pics to make bigger

Part One: Heller, Fujimi & Hobbycraft F-86 Sabre kits compared 

 

Kit Bashing, Reviews

Kit Bashing: Heller, Fujimi & Hobbycraft F-86 Sabre kits compared

Don’t throw out that 40 year old Heller kit just because it has raised surface detail.  You can always use the wheels, landing gear doors and speed brake doors.

fuselages

The fuselage of the Heller kit has a better shape, but it doesn’t come with the fuel dump (fixed easily), and the area where the elevators attach is the wrong shape (it’s too straight).  The vertical tail/rudders on the Fujimi and Hobbycraft kits are bigger in area, and taller than the Heller kit.  Fujimi and Hobbycraft have subtle recessed surface details.

f-30 wings

The F-30 wings are about the same size in all three kits.  With Hobbycraft (now issued by Academy?) you get the added benefit of separately molded slats.

f-40 wing

Surprisingly Fujimi does not make a distinction on its packaging regarding the type of wings their kits come with.  In their “JASDF” issue you get an F-86F-40 with the extended span, slated wing.  In their “Mig Mad Marine” issue you get the F-86F-30 with the in Korean War theater hard fenced wing conversion.  Fujimi’s boxes just say “F-86F” (at least on the kits I have).

intake trunks

The old Heller kit has the best detailed main wheels. The Fujimi main wheel tires are the biggest in diameter, followed by Hobbycraft.  Photos indicate that the Fujimi tires might be the correct diameter, but the Heller wheel definitely has the best detail.  All three kits have similar nose wheels.  The real F-86 used at least three types of nose wheels: Two types of spoked wheels, and a solid wheel.  Most of the pictures I’ve seen of the solid nose wheel is of South Korean and West German Sabres.

intake trunks

The Heller and Hobbycraft kits have a short intake trunk.  The Hobbycraft kit has the nose wheel bay and cockpit floor molded onto the trunk.  The Fujimi intake trunking also has the nose wheel bay and cockpit floor molded on, but is much deeper and actually goes somewhere.

fan blades

That somewhere is an incorrectly faced engine.  The fan blades should be set back more (there should be a section of venturi before the blades), and the nose cone should be larger, but who’s gonna really notice once it’s assembled?

doors

The wheel bay doors, and speed brake doors are much better, and accurately detailed on the old Heller kit.

nose gear doors

Hobbycraft has screwed up its nose gear door.  They’ve put the locator stubs on the wrong side.  Their instructions give a vague indication of placement on the correct side of the wheel bay, but if your not paying attention and simply go with the locator stubs you’ll end up with the door on the wrong side (it should be on the pilot’s left side).

elevators

All three kits have issues with their elevators.  The Hobbycraft kit has the shortest, with the least angle of sweep, and rounded tips.  The Fujimi and Heller elevators have the same angle of sweep, but with different shaped tips.  The Heller elevator is the longest of the three.  From three view drawings of F-86F-30s it doesn’t look like any of the three kit makers got it right, although Heller’s looks the closest to being correct.  The Fujimi and Hobbycraft elevators look more like earlier F-86A/E elevators (according to three view drawings).

Other notes: The cockpit details on the Heller kit are worthless.  Fujimi has a nice looking instrument panel (not necessarily accurate, but it looks good), and it looks like Hobbycraft has copied the Fujimi panel.  The detail on the side consoles, in all three kits, is spurious at best.  All three kits have similar looking seats.  All three kits have canopies that can be posed open.  The Heller and Hobbycraft kits come with external fuel tanks, while the Fujimi kit comes with Sidewinder missiles as well as external fuel tanks.

You can improve the Fujimi and Hobbycraft kits with some of the parts from the Heller kit, but you’d still need aftermarket photo etch, or resin parts to improve the wheel bays and cockpits (or scratch build your own).

A note on references: In one book I have (no names/titles mentioned) there is a color photo of a South Korean F-86, with the -40 extended slat wing (and solid nose wheel).  At the back of the book is a color profile of the same aircraft, except it shows the -30 hard fenced wing.  It’s just an example to show that you can’t trust a profile, instead use photos of the real thing.

Part 2: F-86 Saber Fujimi vs Heller, or, Nobody is Perfect!