I took advantage of the holiday break to work on both model kits currently on my bench. As a result, my Thunderjet is nearing completion! I’ve since finished all painting, and added all of the decals. One decal on the sheet for this kit- #55 - is not mentioned in the directions. After a bit of sleuthing, I realized that this decal belonged on the port mainwheel door closest to the fuselage. The red and white striped decals that belong on the tail were a bit cumbersome to deal with, but taking care of them with extreme patience paid off. I opted to paint the nose red, rather than use the red stripe decal provided with the kit. I used MM insignia red, which is actually a darker shade of red than the decals. I’m not too worried about it however, as it gives a bit more variation in the color scheme. I carefully sliced the knight’s helmet decal from the sheet and applied it after the red paint had dried.
The next step will be to seal the decals in with a coat of clear gloss, and then cement the remaining parts on.
I have also wondered what do they need that round frame in the canopy for?
But what really got me wondering are those side panels in front of the wing leading edge. The funny thing is in your kit you got panels that have those rectangular openings - those are air doors that let additional air for the engine in. But you do the E version, that didn’t have it. I’m currently doing the G version that should have those doors - well in my kit I got the panels that were flush - without the doors, I had to scribe them in. Then I looked at the review of the kit I have - Hobby Boss F-84G - and it also had those damn doors. So now I think, regardless what it says on the box it’s a question of luck if you actually get an -E or -G version, dependeing on the panels they pack for you…
Anyhow - good luck with your build and have a nice day
Pawel, you bring up a couple of good points- I’m not sure what that round frame in the back is either! I’ve always wondered what it is - perhaps it’s something to do with the radio. I’ll check my sources later today and see if I can find the answer. I’m glad you brought up the doors - I didn’t even realize that they were the wrong ones until you said something! They were definitely the doors that came with the kit, and I’m really surprised that Hobbyboss would include the incorrect ones. Although the kit was molded with an in-flight refueling hatch, and refueling probes on the wing tanks. The E variant did not have these in fact, and I made the necessary corrections. I’ve heard wonderful stuff about Hobbyboss’ 1:32 F-84E. I wonder why they dropped the ball with the 1:72 scale versions! But I digress.
I was able to finish up my Thunderjet last night! I’m really quite happy with it. The only thing I would have changed would be the framework on the canopy. Guess I didn’t press down hard enough on the masking tape! But it still looks like a million bucks, and now it’s up in my display case looking like it’s ready for action. I gave it a wash with black craft acryilic paint, and created a some smudges with testors model master flat black. I sealed it with a coat of dull clear.
Thank you all for checking out my Thunderjet, and for offering your words of advice and encouragement!
Beautiful model! I’ve always liked the 1950s fighter jets. The colorful markings and natural metal finishes might have screamed, “Here I am, Mr. Enemy! Shoot me down!” but they sure looked sharp!
