Just completed the Fujimy 1/72 F7U-3 Cutlass for the “Dawn of Jet Age” and “NMF” Group Builds . I only used the PE set for the cockpit otherwise it’s OOB. The fit and detail is outstanding being an older mold. I used Polished Aluminum Alclad, alternating some panels with a mix of a drop or two of steel with the polished alum to get a subtle darker shade for certain panels. The kit decals were very good too. Only 320 of them were made and had a very short service record so I left it as a clean finish.
Thanks Eagle. I’m a 1/48 and 1/32 builder so this tiny thing was a bit of a small challenge for my fingers and eyes. The PE set is made by Eduard for RES-IM and UMM is the only one that has it in stock. Big improvement over the kit’s details.
Thanks again Eagle. I gave it a black wash to deepen details just prior to burying it in the fuselage halves. Once sealed up the details are hard to see.
The Fujimi Cutlass is an excellent kit, one of several “family” runs that Fujimi did back in the '90s, including F-86F Sabres, A-6 Intruders, A-4 Skyhawks, A-7 Corsair IIs, and Phantoms. Hobbycraft Canada’s 1/48 Cutlass is “based on” the Fujimi kit, but not as finely done. The old 1/48 Lindberg kit is the F7U-1 version which did not see squadron service. The -3 version represented by the Fujimi kit saw squadron service for a few years in the '50s and wore some pretty nice markings. Here’s my Fujimi F7U-3M:
Fujimi’s 1/72 is excellent and can be picked up on eBay for a few bucks. Hobbycraft made one in 1/48 and what reviews I read listed fitting problems and lack of detail. Fisher makes a resin one in 1/32 that is a beauty but the price tag is a bit on the expensive side.
Thanks, Don. The Hobbycraft Canada kit was actually produced by the Idea company in Korea (I believe). Nearly all of the early Hobbycraft kits were absorbed into Academy (not to be confused with Minicraft who for a time partnered with Academy), but I do not believe Academy has reissued the bigger Cutlass kit.
Don, you have the choice of 3 kits from Fujimi.
1: A straight F7U-3 as per Plasticjunkie’s model.
2: The missile-armed F7U-3M as per Paul’s model, with early Sparrows
3: The F7U3-P recon bird with the camera bay under the nose.
They’re nice kits with recessed panel lines and separate flaps/slats and date from the mid-late 80’s.
