Monogram 1/48 F-106 Delta Dart

MONOGRAM 1:48 F-106 DELTA DART

Reviewer: Brian Manning (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 22 June 2003

Aircraft History:

The F-106 Delta Dart was the successor to the F-102 Delta Dagger and effectively concluded the century series of fighter development for the USAF when it finally retired after three decades in service. Unlike its predecessors and subsequent production F-111 aircraft, not a single shot was ever fired in anger. Initially plagued by a number of development problems the F-106 went on to equip the Air Defense and ANG in primary roles for both units. The first F-106A went into service in 1959 and the last one was retired in 1988 and represented the all-weather supersonic interceptor capabilities that the USAF were after during its era.

The Kit:

I’m not aware of any other Darts in quarter scale so Monogram is the kit of choice. The parts are typically 70’s style of molding with raised panel lines, light grey parts and no flash. This kit builds into a good model out of the box and includes options such as rear open air brakes, open cockpit and bomb bay detail with missiles.

Construction Notes:

Construction was pretty straight forward and it started in the cockpit. A pilot figure is included along with a realistic ejection seat which has some molded detail, instrument panel, control column and rear decking under the canopy. Apart from the panels being painted in black and other parts picked out with some drybrushing, the interior was painted in medium grey. Noseweight was added, the rear exhaust was also trapped in the fuselage halves which were then closed without problems.

After the seam lines were tended to the wings were assembled and attached to the aircraft. These fit quite well but a dab of filler is needed around the roots. The intakes were next and again the fit was good. The nose was affixed and the subsequent join line removed with another dab of filler and some judicious sanding to blend it in.

The rear air brake can be shown open which adds a sense of additional detail to the model which I think should be used. I found they fit better open than closed but some careful painting and positioning is required.

Inside the missile bay an interior green wash was applied with some black and olive colour to pick out bits of detail and give the appearance of some oil and hydraulic leakage. The Falcon missiles supplied are the standard ordnance for the Delta Dart and these were painted in gloss white and red. A pair of large auxiliary tanks are supplied to affix under the wings and no problems whatsoever in putting these on. The aircraft was then primed in light grey before being painted in overall aircraft grey.

The undercarriage was assembled and placed on after the model had been painted. The struts were painted in matt aluminium and the bays given a wash similar to that said being applied to the missile bay.

Following from that, also after painting, the external bits and pieces were added including the canopy which was an excellent fit to the fuselage, and I left the cockpit open so that the lovely work I did could be admired by all and sundry.

Decals:

The decals were a bit on the yellow side having aged, and these were fixed up with a good dose in the sun for a couple of days inside a plastic bag, placed against a window. The colour register is solid without being absolutely impressive, again due to their age and the printing standards a couple of decades ago and they have a medium thickness to them. They respond well to setting solutions, including the various amount of stencilling provided.

Overall:

A straight forward project that builds into a fine replica of the Delta Dart in quarter scale which should be in the scopes of most modellers with a few kits under their belt.

Kit Details:

TBA

Instructions:

TBA

Colour Schemes:

TBA

Accuracy:

TBA

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