Airfix 1/72 Republic F-84F Thunderstreak

AIRFIX 1:72 REPUBLIC F-84F THUNDERSTREAK

Reviewer: Richard Stracey (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 19 April 2004

Kit Details:

AIRFIX #03022 1/72 -- REPUBLIC F84F THUNDERSTREAK

Aircraft History:

First known as the F96, the F84F was supposed to be a more powerful, swept wing version of the F84E utilising 55% of the tooling. As it turned out the figure was only 15%. Although the YF84F was delivered in May 1950, many problems were discovered and the J35 engine proved unsuitable. Re engined with the J65, an American built Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire, it flew in Feb.1951 but still with many problems and the first of two thousand three hundred and forty eight Thunderstreaks entered service in Jan.1954. The USAF was never very happy with it although it lasted with the Air National Guard till 1971. The F84F became the first fighter bomber with the new (West) German Air Force. Their record was not good, loosing 29% of their four hundred and fifty aircraft, a worse record than with the Starfighter! Other NATO air forces to use the F84F were Holland, Belgium, France, Italy Greece and Turkey. The only ones to see action were the French in the Suez campaign of 1956. The F84F had a span of 10.23m and length of 13.21m and was armed with four .50” machine guns and could carry a variety of bombs, rockets and drop tanks.

The Kit:

This 1974 Airfix kit consists of fifty nine quite well detailed parts in hard grey plastic and includes bombs, drop tanks and a pilot figure. Originally issued in USAF and (West) German markings, this re issue has decals for an Italian Diavoli Rossi aerobatic team machine and a Greek Air Force aircraft. The instructions are good as is the painting guide that quotes Humbrol numbers. The box is stout and has eye catching box art.

Construction:

The breakdown of the parts is conventional and the cockpit reasonable if the pilot is used otherwise seatbelts and a joystick are needed. Part No.8 that is supposed to sit flush with the fuselage top surface sits a bit low. It was easy enough to find a bit of scrap plastic to fill the gap. Airfix need to do a bit of housework on their dies as there were ejector pin marks on the pylons and the main wheels looked a bit second hand. It is best to leave the pylons till all painting and decaling has been completed, especially with the Italian version.

Decals were supplied for a bare metal Greek air force aircraft of No.340 Mira, Souda Bay in 1961 and a very colourful Italian aerobatic team aircraft from 1959. Both options have their problems. The Greek roundels are nearly black whereas they should be light to medium blue and the Italian machine requires a great deal of complex painting and decaling. It was this one on the box art that caught my eye and I have attempted. Being mostly aluminium and red, two of the most difficult colours to hand paint, it is really necessary to spray it. As the wings and tail planes fit the fuselage very well, it proved much easier to decorate the five sub assemblies before final assembly. The first task is to mask up and paint the under surfaces of the wings and tail red white and green and the leading edge of the fin, spine, fuselage top surfaces and the top tips of the wings and tail, red. All this then needs to be masked before everything is sprayed aluminium. The decals, with care, work quite well although the white undercoat is very slightly off register resulting in a very fine outline that, fortunately, doesn’t show up too badly against the aluminium.

Conclusion:

I was a bit worried that, being rather colourful, it might look a bit toy like but it didn’t and I was quite pleased with the result. Although the kit is quite simple I can’t recommend the Italian version unless one is quite experienced in painting and decaling but you will have to find suitable roundels if making the Greek one. I am sure that Microscale or someone makes suitable decals for the F. I couldn’t find any photos of the 1959 Diavoli Rossi aircraft although Flying Colours p.176 shows the slightly different 1958 scheme. The F was the main feature in Scale Aircraft Modelling of March ’85 and there is Profile Publications #95. Scale Models September’74 initially reviewed the kit. I was surprised to find no reference to Diavoli Rossi on the IPMS SIG Aerobatic Teams site.

RHS / 104

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