I just received a copy of the Hasegawa 1/48 F-8E(FN) Crusader, in special markings from the French Navy. It’s tempted to build it straight OOB, what with this HUGE cartoon image across the top of the fuselge and wings. However, that goes against my policy of modeling what’s on the boxtop, of using Hasegawa decals, and the fact that I want to build an American a/c from the Vietnam War.
My question is, the French version, as does this kit, has a larger horizontal stab than the American F-8’s. I don’t have any comparison drawings, and will working from the Squadron Walk Around book mostly unless I can find another good, really cheap reference. I got the kit compled, so that’s why I’m starting with the French kit. And I have all this cool color Eduard PE stuff to put on it, either for an F-8E or a J model. And I have new AM decals from AVI Print of MiG Killers, all F-8E’s.
How hard will it be to modify my Crusader’s tail to F-8E accuracy, and are there any other external differences to watch out for between the French and American versions?
TOM
Checking my Detail and Scale F-8 Crusader book, it says that the F-8J has the larger horizontal stabs that the French Crusaders were built with, along with the ‘double droop’ leading edges the French birds used. All were added during the F-8E remanufacturing program, along with stronger landing gears from the A-7. The book doesn’t say if the aircraft flew in Vietnam; however, since the first flight of the J was on January 31, 1968, I’m sure it fought there.
Hope this helps!
The small tail had an 18’ 2" span, 45 degrees of sweep at 25% chord (50 degrees at the leading edge), and a chord of 16" at the tip and nine feet at butt line 0 (fuselage centerline). If the FN tail is correct, it would have a span of 19’ 4". It was reportedly created by a cuff on the leading edge, which moved the leading edge forward 4 inches at the fuselage and 0 at the tip - however, this doesn’t account for the span increase.
As noted above, the small tail aircraft had a single piece leading edge slat. The FN and the J had a two piece slat of the same overall size.
There were antenna differences of course.