AIRFIX 1:72 F-84F THUNDERSTREAK

 

Reviewer: Peter Knight  (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted:  December 2000

Aircraft:
 The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was a revised version of the basic F-84 design that included a swept wing for higher performance.  It was brought into service to serve in the Korean war where its earlier models the F-84E & G Thunderjets did so well, but did not arrive in time to partake in that conflict.  The Thunderstreak was really a new aircraft but to achieve funding from the US Government it needed to retain the basic F-84 designation and be touted as an updated version to the earlier straight wing models (a new designation almost certainly would have meant a decline from the Government for further funding).  The F-84F Thunderstreak served in a number of air forces around the world, such as USA, Netherlands, West Germany, Norway and Belgium to name a few.

The Kit:
 Airfix provide the parts in its typical, no bag, loose in the box set up.   The kit has been around for a number of years and shows its age, likewise it is molded in the standard Airfix light grey plastic with raised panel lines.


supplied by Marcelo Rabello

Instructions:
 No different from other Airfix instruction sheets, it simply sets out the steps in large exploded view diagrams - with big bulky arrows and is easy enough to follow. Numbers (only) from Humbrol range are quoted for painting and a four view diagram shows decal placement and painting scheme.

Construction:
 A typical kit bash, this was an easy enough kit to slap together, everything fit fairly well with a few basic sanding (bye bye panel lines) and filling duties to contend with.  Gaps were prevalent most around wing joins (because the locating pins were larger than the holes!) and especially on the undercarriage doors (for those wishing to do a wheels-up depiction).  One of the other main problems to fix on this kit were the abundance of sink marks which were very prevalent on the underside of parts (tailplanes in particular) and alignment tabs that required sanding to fit snugly into the locating gash.

Detail wise Airfix have 'adequately' given the model coverage but as usual its cockpit detail is pretty sparse with instrument panel, seat and the rather inhuman looking pilot about the best the kit has to offer.  The kit, thankfully, also provides a blocking plate to place inside the fuselage to prevent a see-through model.  There is no wheel well detail and the surface detail is adequate but nothing more.

For stores you get four underwing pylons and corresponding drop tanks to put on them. The kit doesn't really provide any other options to speak of.

Versions & Decals:
The kit just provides for USAF natural metal version but I decided to grab an aftermarket set of decals and do another USAF version in the Thunderbirds Display team colours.  There are a number of aftermarket Thunderbird decal sheets around but finding one for the F-84F was particularly difficult.  I managed to find one from Modeldecal if I remember correctly, and painted the aircraft up in gloss white (after priming first) - it needed three thin coats to look white, and applied the decals.  This was fairly frustrating and required placement one at a time (eg: waiting for one to set before applying another nearby).  

Accuracy:
Italeri also produce the F-84F and perhaps another company or two as well (Heller?). The Italeri kit is much better than this one (I have built that kit too and can compare the two - see 'related reviews' at bottom of this page).  Airfix capture the look of the Thunderstreak reasonably well but it is just a few millimetres off in dimension and something about the spine, fin and nose section (which just about is the whole profile!) just doesn't look right!  The stickler for accuracy would have concerns, the bloke who just wants to throw together a basic looking Thunderstreak together wouldn't have anything to worry about.

Overall:
Not the most accurate Thunderstreak on the market but is probably one of the simplest (in build and design).  It needed just the usual sanding and filling attention that is common with Airfix kits of this era (wing joins, wheel doors, fuselage lines) but was otherwise a pretty straightforward and quick kit to put together.  If you are looking for a relatively cheap and basic replication of this aircraft the Airfix kit would suffice.

 

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