1/48 Testors Northrop F5-A Freedom Fighter

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

The kit is the ancient Testors (ex-Hawk) 1/48 F5-A. Its another model photographed for the first time ever on August 1 at the Coffield Regional Airport. It’s not much of a build but I’ve always loved the look of this series and all the variants. One of the pilots I met at the Rockdale airport told me he had trained in the T-38 and said how much he had enjoyed it…he said, “hey, they’re still using it today so something must be right!” :D

This model was built about 18-22 years ago (back when I was working a kit almost everyday). The finish is Floquil Bright Silver with kit decals. It seems like every Testors plane I’ve built came with very nice decals. I built it concurrently with the ESCI (ex-OEZ?) Iraqi MiG-21 MF.

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/p/161794/1762199.aspx#1762199

Sure enough, the MiG-21 went to Rockdale too. Both were popular “export” high-performance fighters for the East and the West respectively and it was fun to build and compare them.

Again, thanks for letting me bore you all! Here’s she is, with the old hangar at Coffield Regional Airport filling in as a rural airstrip in the Philippines.

Check out that “area-ruled” fuselage!

2

Sweet build!

3

Thank you Glenn! I’m glad you like her![:D]

Gary

4

Nice work on an old kit! I like the base, too!

5

Thanks Fly-n-hi! Much appreciated encouragement from a great model builder.[B]

Gary

6

Thanks, although I consider myself to be mostly average.

You did a good job preserving the raised details. Whenever I build Monogram kits I end up sanding off half of the panel lines!

7

Thank you, I guess I’ve built so many kits with raised lines that I got better with that. Honestly, when I started building model planes as an adult, there was no internet[:O] and only FSM for info and ideas. I didn’t even know there was anything “wrong” with Monogram (or Testors [:D]) kits back then!

Gary

oh, I’ve followed your builds here and I’d say you were way more than average Fly-n!

8

Impressive build all the way around! I love the hardstand detail, the oil drip spots, the seams…all look so real!. But, the photos take the cake! Your framing, the background, the blending of you hardstand into the background, etc.are all masterful!

9

Looks like Clark AFB to me :wink: another great job on a classic kit my friend! I am with you about the F-5 family. They just look right!

10

Man, you’re gonna make me blush! Thank you so much. Sometimes I get lucky with the pics, but my dear ol’ dad would always say, “even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then.” I think I’m that blind hog he was talking about.[:D] I’m really tickled that you like it. I can feel my head getting bigger as I type![:)]

Gary

11

Stik, you da man! Clark looks like that? [H] These are classics aren’t they? Kids these days don’t know what they missed, eh? I had a toy F-5 as a pre-teen, white as recall. I remember “flying” it around the yard…zoom, zoom! Thanks for the great reply, you are a prince among men sir!![:D[

Gary

12

Lol! Thank you sir, you are far too kind. I have no idea what Clark actually looks like. Never been to the PI myself… But I do understand that the airfield scenes in “13 Days” were filmed there (complete with PAF F-5’s and Gate Guard F-8’s) and that area did not look too different from your lil’ airport from Texas. I have built that kit a few times myself over the past 45 years and have another in my stash to build one of these days… Housecoat beware because she’s gone be loaded with Snake & Nape…