HASEGAWA 1:72 GRUMMAN F9F-2 PANTHER

 

Reviewer: Richard Stracey  (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted:  8 October 2001

The Panther first flew on the 24th Nov.1948 and was in squadron service in time for the Korean War where it became the principal  U S Navy fighter and ground attack aircraft. It also became the first Navy jet to shoot down another jet, a Mig 15 with which it shared its engine design! It proved to be a  tough, reliable and safe aircraft which was also simple and easy to service. It served with distinction with the U S Navy and Marines and Argentine Navy. Powered by a P&W J42 (Rolls Royce Nene) engine it was armed with four 20mm machine guns and six rockets or bombs and had a span of 11.60m and a length of 12.20m.

The Hasegawa kit consists of forty six parts in crisp, dark blue plastic including a clear two part canopy and pilot figure. All kit manufactures should go out and buy this kit to see how a kit should fit together! There many much more recent kits that don'’ even come close! This kit first saw light of day in 1978 along with Hasegawa's F9F-8 Cougar. The cockpit tub has adequate detail even with the canopy open with decals for the dashboard and side consoles. I can't comment on the seat as I can't find any details except that it was preferable to bale out as the seat was known as a back breaker. Being first generation (second if you count the German WWII efforts) it was simple and the kit seat looks OK but Aeroclub make a replacement (EJ023). Not having one, I used the kit one, with some seat belts added. There is plenty of space in the nose for weights (3g according to the instructions). There is nothing more to say about the construction except to leave off and paint separately the six pylons (32) as it will make painting the wings less complicated.

Painting is easy…blue (Humbrol 181 / Testors 1717 /FS15042) and aluminum. Hasegawa state “Inside of gear cover and gear well are the same color as fuselage”…that means blue. In Vol.8 page 1706 to 1713 of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft there is a large colour three view art work of a F9F-2 which shows the colour to be zinc chromate primer. Who is correct? Perhaps both? Another query concerns the VF123 option as a side view drawing is shown in Scale Aircraft Modelling Aircraft in Detail”of Jan.1979 shows the fin and rudder tip to be light blue rather than yellow as in the instructions. Also check the leading edge wing root as the area of aluminum seems to vary between aircraft. Again, they may both be correct.

The decal options are for Navy VF123, Marines VMF115 in sea blue and a Blue Angels in blue ( Humbrol 190 / Testors 1772 / FS15050) If you want something different, colourwise, then the Argentine aircraft were light gull grey over white. No doubt someone makes suitable decals. I had problems with the decals breaking up. I don’t blame Hasegawa for this as the kit was old and the decals had that dried out look  about them. I coated them with Microscale Liquid Decal Film which did the trick but remember each decal then needs to be cut out to restore the amount of carrier film.

Aeroplane Monthly of August 1976 has a good article in their “Fighters of the Fifty”series and March 1989 has some very good colour photos of a restored aircraft. Matchbox make a later Cougar, an F9F-5, with the taller fin and the option of making it with the wings folded.

I can recommend this kit especially for a beginner as it goes together so well and has a simple paint job. 


© Richard Stracey 2001

 

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