Any comparisons of these kits? I’ve been considering building one of these kits as the F-84F (as opposed to the F-84G which I’ve already built) looks like one sleak bird. Plus it’s another one of those early Cold War jets that I’ve recently taken a liking to.
I know a recent FSM issue has a review of the Kinetic offering. Does anyone else have that kit and can offer some opinions?
Thanks,
Steven
Hey Steven, I just bought the Monogram version at a model show for $5.00. It had no decals in the box, no biggie. The kit is not too bad with all the panels being raised. Some of them seem overdone so I figured I would sand most of them off. I did some dry fitting and all looks good there. The Knetic version I hear is basically the same with some recessed panel lines. I have not seen both side by side but I figured $5.00 was a deal. I would like a more modern mold but hey, I got one now.
Steve
Steven, I have the Kinetic offering and so far it looks like it’s billed up to be in the other reviews. The clincher for me was the engraved panel lines…they are a tad on the heavy side. The surface of the model alos needs a quick wet sand. I think this may actually help the panel lines a bit. The detail is sufficient (at least to me)
I can’t comment on the fit, but it looks like a fun build. Again, engraved panel lines were what sold me on this kit.
I hope this helps.
You can take a look on the comments on these two reviews:
For Kinetic F-84
http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/kin/kit_kin_48001.shtml
For Revell-Germany (actually a reissue of Monogram 1984 kit)
http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/korean/84fpreview.htm
I have the Revell-Germany F-84f. Although I have not started building it, it looks very good to me by eye inspection. Surface details are good (although it’s raised lines). IMHO, even with today standards, it’s still very good. If you check on these reviews, you can see the Kinetic one is base on the Monogram kit, except it has a gun bay and with recession lines. Notice that the Revell-Germany F-84F, although is a repack of Monogram older kit, it does NOT come with USAF decal, it comes with German, Dutch and Belgian air force decals.
I have both kits, and I highly recommend the kinetic version. I volunteer at a museum where we are in the process of restoring the real deal, and I can tell you comparing the two kits to the actual airframe, hands down the kinetic folks did their research. The panel lines are not only recessed, they are also more accurate and match up quite well on the smaller panels to the actual plane. Also, the kinetic kit comes with a nose weight. I will see if I can get some side-by-side shots of the two fuselages tomorrow. That should help y’all out.
I have built several of the 1/48 Monogram F-84F kits (same as Revell of Germany) and recently purchased the Kinetic kit. As mentioned before, the new Kinetic kit has the gun bay and guns/ammo plus the recessed panel lines that are pretty accurate, except around the wing root. The fuselage outlines are slightly off on both kits, but not enough to be a problem unless you are a real nitpicker.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]