I’ve been wanting to take a step away from World War II and all these radial engines I’ve been doing lately (with multi-engine aircraft like the B-29 and C-47) and the Dauntless … I have a number of jet aircraft in the stash ranging between Korea, Vietnam, and modern day. One of the oldest kits in my stash is Hasegawa’s F-104C Starfighter, which is of course a Century Series aircraft. Well, my OCD says you cannot start a series in the middle of the series, must start at the beginning (I would never have started Star Wars with Episode IV, for instance), so clearly my next choice was the F-100 Super Sabre.
The kit in my stash was this relatively recent re-release of the 1980 Monogram Super Sabre.
I had built this one at the turn of the century as well as one time as a teen. I likely never would have attempted this Monogram kit again had it not been for one disastrous day in 2006 when, while at work, I got a call from my oldest who informed me that the shelves upon which many of my completed builds were displayed upon had collapsed. Smashed plastic all over the floor, including the F-100. My wife graciously suggested that I could replace everything that I had lost, which I proceeded to do. Some time after that, I acquired this kit via eBay, although I suppose had a waited a few years longer, I’d likely have bought the Trumpeter kit so as to build a different kitting of the Super Sabre.
The kit decals were colorful and still in good shape, but those were for natural metal Super Sabres. Having done those two B-29s recently, I didn’t feel terribly enthusiastic about tackling another NMF, so clearly that was leading me to a Southeast Asia camouflaged Hun. Problem was, I needed decals for such a Super Sabre. I found a decal set by Caracal Models, F-100D in Vietnam Part 2, that includes a couple of SEA Huns, one with my initials, SM, on the tail. That was going to be the build.
Primary paint came from the Vallejo set, USAF Colors “Vietnam War” Scheme SEA - Dark Green FS34079, Medium Green FS34102, Sierra Tan FS30219, and Camouflage Gray FS36622. I used several shades of Alclad II metallics on the notorious tail section of the Hun (steel, dark aluminum, magnesium, and metallic red). Other paints are Mission Models Interior Green, Tamiya White, Vallejo Insignia Yellow, Model Master Metalizers Steel, Titanium, Exhaust, and Aluminum, Vallejo Tire Black, Model Master Light Ghost Gray, and Model Master Faded Olive Drab.
Once I got all the interior parts painted and assembled, I put together the entire airframe and put down a coat of Krylon gloss black. I didn’t look close at the instructions where there are a couple of lights, clear parts, to install from the inside of the fuselage and had assumed I could put those on from the exterior. Nope. So I took care of that near the end of the build by filling those holes with clear canopy glue. It does not look as good as the clear parts would have, but it’s better than a couple of empty holes there.
Weathering came via Flory black wash, ground pastels, Tamiya weathering compounds, and AK Interactive streaking grime. The engine area of the Hun was notorious for generating so much heat that the paint in that area would burn away. I replicated that by splotching on some liquid mask, painting as normal that area, and then washing away the masking material. I put down random weathering compound shades, from burned blue to sand to metallic shades, and mixed them as best I could to replicate the burned metal look of this part of the Super Sabre.
Decals performed flawlessly. As an aside, if there is anyone building a Hun in need of the colorful decal sheet, I can send it to you.
So here is my Hun.
This is a good kit with detail that was very good for the era in which it was produced. I’d kinda like to do the Trumpeter kit to make a comparison. The engine exhaust can did not fit flush all around; I’m not sure if the poor fit was a result of my work or the kit itself, but I didn’t get an impression that I’d fouled up the fuselage in such a way to produce such a poor fit along one the starboard side.
As I was wrapping up my work, I remembered a 1/32 Tamiya F4 Phantom that I did with some REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT tags I had put on that build. I checked my supplies box and found 1/48 REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT tags, which I decided to hang off the bombs. I added a third to the nose gear strut when I found a photo depicting this.
I’m going to have to relax a little - just a little, and do some other things before I start my next build, the Monogram F-101B Voodoo. I have a 1/48 scale version, but also the smaller version from the 60s in a baby blue box. I’ll probably do both.
