Gentlemen,
Just a quick question…
I was considering the purchase of three model kits…and I was hoping to get your opinion as to their quality, fit, and other build aspects…
They are all 1/48:
A-4C skyhawk from hasegawa w/markings for Vallions, VA-153 Blue Tail Flies
(I was hoping to convert this to a A-4K (Kiwi)
F-4J Phantom II Show Time 100 hasegawa
A-10 Tunderbolt Tamiya
Any input as to the pro’s and con’s of these kits would be great…
Thanks,
Tank
tankbuster2005
the A-4’s & F-4’s from Hasegawa are very nice kits, I haven’t built the A-4 yet but I’ve looked one over at the LHS as for the F-4 it’ll need aftermarket seats to get the correct look on the Martin-Baker MK7’s, as for the A-10, I’d put the Tamiya away and get the Revell/Monogram’s, the Tamiya’s needs alot of help and the cockpit needs to be replaced with an AM set as with the weapons, the RM’s kit offers more detailed subject and will need a few corrections to make it a current plane but if you’re doing an Desert Storm plane then it’s almost on the mark for Exterior detailing
Tank,
I have only built the hasegawa a-4. I would definately recommend it. It is a great kit. If you are going to pose it with the canopy open, you may want to get an AM ejection seat (cutting edge and true details have nice ones). The only thing I’m not sure on is I think the a-4E/F converts to the -4K easier (might be wrong on this, but I think the reviews I have read where they do the conversion start with the e/f)
Hope this helps.
Leon
Thanks for the input guys…and if anyone else knows more on this topic…please keep the response coming…I can use all the intel I get…Thanks…
Also…if anyone has any great builds they’d like to tell us about please do so…
Tank…
I have built a couple of Hasegawa 1/48 F-4’s. An F-4E that I built was literally a “shake-n-bake”, it fell together. I built the F-4J “Show Time”, and for whatever reason, it didn’t seem to fit quite as well as the F-4E. I have no idea why.
A-4 [tup]
f-4 [tup]
a-10 [tdn]
dragonfly
Ive only built the Tamiya A-10 and let me tell ya, without the $100.00 upgrades and rescribing EVERYTHING, its a total piece of Cr… I hear the Monogram kit is far supierior.
Thanks guys for the heads up on the tamiya A-10…
It’s a disappointment because from the box it looks great…however…that’s why
I asked you first…maybe i’ll wait for a new run of it…say from hasegawa…
or try the monogram…
Any other input will be appreciated…
Thanks,
Tank
Hey Tank ,
Have you checked out the Skyhawk Association web site? www.a4skyhawk.org…very cool…
Very cool site Joe.
Thanks for sharing
Tank
I’ve build the Monogram A-10 and it really is worth considering. Despite RM’s reputation, they did a great job on that kit. And if you really want to detail it, Verlinden makes a nice detail set for it.
Good to hear some feedback on the other kits, since I’ve considered getting a Hasegawa F-4 kit someday.
Don’t forget that the A-10 is a relatively “old school” mould though, and has raised panel lines all over, so you’ll need to re-scribe. The decelerons are also moulded in the fixed open position, so you’d have to butcher them to close them up for a static display (they’re rarely seen open on the ground). The Verlinden set is good, and includes pit, plus some electronics boxes that you’ll need to open the fuselage for, but the pit doesn’t include a new instrument panel, which I found a bit odd, so you have to use the kit part.
Consider the Flightpath update for the kit too, which is VERY good, and even includes the turbine blades for both engines in etch. I’ve not used mine, cos I spent hours filling & sanding the kit parts to smooth the join between the blades & outer housing.
I’ve put her to one side for a while now, cos it was all getting a little intense, with all that going on, plus the re-scribe, some scratch building in the front gear well & a number of other things. I’ll dip back into it in due course, but it should make up into a great kit.
Sounds like someone should consider putting out a better kit of the a-10…I checked hasegawa and nothing seems to be planned for the near future…
Hi ya Tank.
I built the Tamiya A-10 and it is not a very good kit. You should go with the Monogram kit for the A-10. I was very disappointed with the Tamiya kit. As for the A-4 and F-4. The A-4 kit is right on, but if you plan to make yours as a Kiwi bird, you’ll need to use the A-4E/F version of the Hase kit. You’ll love the fit of the kit. I’ve built the F-4 Show Time 100 and it had only one fit problem which actually seems to be common to the other Hase F-4 kits. The mating of the wing to the fuselage where the front of the wing meets the forward fuselage. The recesses for the forward AIM-7’s don’t line up very well so you’ll need to do some careful dry fitting and filling. Other than that, the kit is a good build.