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ITALERI 1:72 F-100D SUPER SABRE |
Reviewer:
Gavin Reed (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted:
23 November 2002
The F-100 was the first USAF production jet fighter to reach supersonic speeds in level flight. As the first plane in the 'century' series, it was part of a trend towards ever-faster fighter aircraft. In the end, the F-100 never saw much air-to-air combat - there are records of only one very probable, but unofficial, MiG kill over Vietnam. Apart from a period of escort duty, it's main combat role over Vietnam was as something of a 'bomb truck'.
The eye-catching boxart is enough to lure most modellers to purchasing this kit and thankfully the news is generally good, both inside the box and once the project is finished. I know Esci moulds (reputedly arguably the best Super Sabres in this scale) have surfaced inside Italeri boxes but I am not sure if this a reboxing or an original Italeri mould. I tend to think the latter because of the overall assessment but more on that later. In any case the parts are crisply moulded and light grey in colour on two sprues which float loosely in the box. I have come to the opinion that part the reason why Italeri kits are cheaper than other mainstream manufacturers is because they do not bag their parts. I’ve never really had a real problem with this, but would prefer if the clear parts were at least protected. There are about 70 parts in total including two transparencies for the canopy. Panel lines are engraved but the kit suffers from the traditional seam lines and some internal ejector pin marks that often marr Italeri’s reputation. The bottom of the box also features a colour option with paint chips from the modelmaster range.
Those of you familiar with Italeri style instruction sheets can skip this paragraph since it follows their standard lay out. The fold out sheet provides a brief overview of the aircraft in several languages on the front page and some information to modellers. Then follows a sprue diagram and letters assigned as labels to various colours used for painting throughout the project. Modelmaster range and FS numbers are provided, and can be referred to for external painting scheme and during construction. There are six construction steps which are very easy to follow and chiefly will not provide any problems as far as placement is concerned. The last couple of pages are devoted to providing multi-view profiles for decal placement and painting information.
The kit supplied cockpit is quite good with tub, seat, control column and instrument panel all provided and small detailing supplied for instrumentation. The seat comes in three parts and really only needs some seat belts to complete it. There are some annoying seam lines, however, that must be cleaned up before any of the parts would go together. Drybrushing inside the cockpit was a useful technique to pick out the bits of detail before it was installed inside the fuselage halve and left to dry.
The fuselage halves go together well but you must remember to include some nose weight to prevent tail sitting, 20g is suggested in the instruction sheet, and I suspect every bit of this is needed. The surface detail on the model is finely recessed and very nice, and all the bit what we have come to expect from Italeri. I am used to Italeri kits having raised panel lines which suggests again this is a new Italeri kit (since they have only gone to engraved lines in the last few years) and perhaps not one of the raised panel line Esci kits.
The fit of most of the parts is very good, but there are a few areas where the fit is not as good as what you would expect, which includes one panel area and the nose intake. A bit of work with putty and sandpaper is needed to blend these into the fuselage. The main wing section is split into a lower single section and two upper halves. The underwing section was installed first and was also a bit problematic as far as fit was concerned. The area behind the join needed a small amount of filler to plug up the gap. The upper wing halves were then added and do fit well against the fuselage. The tailplanes do not require filler but do need to be ‘held’ in position while drying.
Since I am about to discuss the options in the kit, I might as well cover the underwing stores, although these were left off til after decaling (note the nose probe bit next paragraph). For USAF buffs it must be said that the supply of stores in this kit is very good, with drop tanks, bombs and pods all provided, but I am not sure if these are entirely appropriate for the other Air Force examples covered in this kit. I installed one pair of each for my USAF version. The other options included are in-flight refuelling probe, arrester hook and two styles of jet exhausts. It’s best to check your references on which to install, or not to install, once you choose the example you are building. In my case the 1958 USAF F-100 does not have an arrester hook but other than its inclusion in the diagrams during the construction phase, there is no information in the instructions suggesting not to include it (I think arrester hooks were fitted to F-100’s from the mid-60’s).
The undercarriage is basically straight forward to assemble and install but care is needed to ensure the fit is both accurate and hassle free. And if you are fitting the red fuselage band near the nose, it is best to do this first and fit the nose probe after decaling.
Including the bottom of the box there are three versions one can build from this kit, which are from the USA, Denmark and French Air Forces. The Danish and USAF versions are in natural metal finish and the French features a camouflage and shark mouth motif. I was thinking about representing a Danish machine in the overall dark green some of their machines wore. Perhaps I will pick up a few more of these kits and try out the different schemes. The decal sheet is very well printed and live up to the reputation recent Italeri sheets have been given. There is a small range of stencilling and wing-walks, trims etc included and the decals set down well with model solution, with no silvering effect bedded down on a gloss surface, and sealed in with another.
The real let down of this kit would be in its measurements, nearly half a centimetre underscale in both forms, but at least it is in proportion so the look of the aircraft is still very convincing. Overall it looks right, and that is good enough for me, but no doubt there are a few flaws that others may have picked up on.
I’d certainly give this kit the thumbs up in a big way and would highly recommend it to other modellers who at least have built up some basic sanding and filling skills. The fit of the kit is generally very good but there were a few areas that needed attention. At half the price of a Hasegawa kit (which I am lead to believe has a few flaws) this kit also represents far higher value and would be my first choice in getting hold of an F-100 in this scale, if the Esci one can’t (and let’s face it, where can you find one of them nowadays?), and who knows this kit might be based on that mould too.
Related Reviews:-
Italeri 1/72 F-100D Super Sabre (Kevin Ronayne)
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