Esci/Ertl 1/72 Vought F-8E Crusader

ESCI/ERTL 1:72 VOUGHT F-8E CRUSADER
'INBOX Review'

Reviewer: David Hutton (rec.models.scale)

Do you love reading about older kits that still compete with the newer generation offerings? Sort of “an old dog with new tricks,” story? If so, here's one of those Kind-A-Classic kits we can all love. This is the ESCI/ERTL 1/72 F-8E Crusader, kit number 9066. This is one of the ERTL re-boxes, dating from the early 90’s.

The Vought-produced F-8 Crusader was a response to the U.S. Navy’s September, 1952 specification for a supersonic, carrier-based fighter aircraft. It utilized nearly the same engine as the F-100 Super Sabre, generating 18,000 lbs of thrust with after burn capability. On 21 August, 1956, CDR "Duke" Windsor established a new Level Flight Speed Record of 1,015.428 mph (1,634.173 km/h) in the F8U-1, beating the previous record of 822 mph (1,323 km/h) set by a USAF F-100. The Navy had it’s supersonic fighter!

In appearance, the F-8 married the look of F-100 Super Sabre and later A-7 Corsair II, the latter actually being developed from the Crusader. But under the skin, the Crusader was highly advanced. It took advantage of what were then contemporary aerodynamic innovations, like an area ruled fuselage, all-flying stabilisers, dog-tooth notching at the wing folds for improved yaw stability, and liberal use of titanium in the airframe.

Armament as specified by the Navy, consisted of four 20 mm cannon and cheek pylons on either side for two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. The F-8 Crusader was, in fact, expected to be the last U.S. fighter designed with guns as its primary weapon, which gave rise to it‘s nickname, “The Last Gunfighter.” The concept of plane-to-plane combat was thought to be outdated in the 1950’s, the idea being that interception and stand-off missile attack would become the norm.

Only later, during Vietnam, would the U.S. Air Forces realize that dogfights happen in the heat of battle and a gun-less fighter armed only with missiles was at a disadvantage in such action. Experience with the Crusader would lead to a re-emergence of gun equipped aircraft and a renewed emphasis on ACM - Air Combat Manoeuvring and the popular “Top Gun“ training schools.

But it wasn’t the cannon armament that set the F-8 apart. Rather, it was the shoulder mounted wing that was the Crusader’s most unique feature.

The Crusader sought to overcome the issue of weight, especially that incurred by complex folding wings for carrier storage. So, the F-8 was engineered with a special tilting wing assembly that could pivot up at the front by 7 degrees from its resting position. This minor movement increased the wings’ angle of attack, allowing the Crusader to achieve the short take off and landings needed for carrier operations. But, while the wing tilted, the fuselage remained level for increased pilot visibility.

The Crusader would go on to be used by both the French Navy and the Philippines, in addition to our own U.S. Marine and Naval air forces. But it was with the latter outfits, in the skies over Vietnam, where it would gain it’s notoriety. Of all U.S. aircraft to take part in the Vietnam War, it was the Crusader which was credited with the highest kill ratio, at 19.3:1. Interestingly, despite the "last gunfighter" moniker, the F-8’s achieved only four victories with their cannon — the remainder were accomplished with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.

It dawned on me recently that it was time to have an F-8 in the stash and so I hunted around on the internet for one. I found this kit, it was available and the price was right. Others, most notably the Academy Crusader, are supposedly better, but at 2.5 times the price of this one, well… the decision to purchase was easy.

So, what is in the box? Inside are four sprues of medium grey plastic parts, one clear sprue, a large 8.5 x 9 inch tri-fold instruction sheet and one of ESCI’s now classic yellow-paper backed decal sheets. There are a total of about 75 cleanly molded pieces, by my count. There is no flash to be seen, I detect no sink marks and this kit has finely engraved panel and surface detail.

ESCI was a pioneer in such engraved detail and this nicely rendered plastic is all the more surprising when you consider it is 20 plus years old. Oddly, the stabilisers have a weird pebbly texture, similar to what you see on some Eastern Euro kits. They are the only parts that exhibit this texture, the rest being slick and shiny smooth. A little 600 grit sandpaper will fix that.

The clear parts are well, clear... and look good, too.

NOTE. Some internet wags have suggested that the clear parts are too wide across the canopy/windscreen area. But I'm willing to bet that only the most jaded rivet counter will notice.

Options include the wing, which can be posed either up or down and separately molded flaps. This makes for some nice display options, should you want to do something a little more candid with the model. There is a full complement of 4 Sidewinder AIM’s, too, which look pretty nice. All in all, a slick looking little kit.

I suspect there will be a few fit issues that take a bit of putty or fitting up. But hey - this is modeling after all!

The marking and color options included are for two US Marine Corps Gunfighter’s, one from VMF(AW) 235 and one of VMF(AW)232. The first is depicted on the box top, with the red bands and stars. The second is a rather nondescript “common example” of a Marine Corps F-8E, with a flying devil tail badge. For my money, there would be only one choice between them - the box top example! Both aircraft are to be painted in the typical Navy scheme of the time: Topside gull grey, lower side white. Easy painting here!

The decals are from ESCI and are typical for them, meaning they are thin, matt finished, crisp, in-register and seemingly accurate:

They actually got the blue in the star and bar correct (which seems to be hard for some makers, these days) and there is enough stenciling to busy up the exterior so it ends up looking right. The cockpit details are decals, including seatbelts. With a closed canopy and a little scratch built "business" in the office, this is just fine. In fact, I've come to prefer it this way in 1/72.

WARNING: These decals are over 20 years old, so are immediately suspect. I’ve not had many troubles with those from similar ESCI kits, but there is the chance they haven’t held up well. If you wanted to use them, plan to apply a thin coat of clear enamel varnish to help hold them together.

So how accurate is it? I honestly don’t know. I’m not a rivet counter and I like looking at kits in the box, just as well as built-up. I’m only passingly familiar with the Crusader, too. All I can say is the little included details, like auxiliary engine scoops on the back, landing gear fiddly bits and so on look correct for the “Echo“ version F-8. The few of these I have seen built up on the internet look alright, the only complaint heard being that silliness about the windscreen width.

Besides, I didn’t get this kit for it’s accuracy. I collect ESCI kits, you see, especially their 1/72 aircraft offerings. These kits were, frankly, ahead of their time and it is worth it to me just to have them. I can say, though, that the ESCI kits of this vintage I have built have yet to let me down.

Overall Recommendation: I highly recommend this kit to intermediate builders in 1/72 scale. Due to the small size and fiddly nature of 1/72 kits in general, I hesitate to suggest it to beginners.

Flatly put, this is a gem. Seriously, this is as nice as many newer kits. I don’t know about you, but I like good value at an even better price. This kit offers that in spades, from what I can see in the box.

There are other Crusader kits on today’s market that have supplanted this old ESCI, most notably the Academy 1/72 already mentioned. But when you consider both it’s vintage, cutting edge moldings and value for the money, it’s hard to pass this one up.

Final Note: Sadly, ESCI and ESCI/ERTL are long out of business, so this and other ESCI offerings can only be found on the second hand market. So why should we bother? Because they are great kits and, fortunately, there are many of them still around!

I snagged this sample off eBay for $12 USD, all up, with shipping. In fact, it cost as much to ship as it did to purchase it. You do the math.

Say what you want about eBay, but it can lead to some great deals. These kits are frequently seen there and it is likely the best place to get one if you fancy a sample.

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