AIRFIX 1:72 F-80C SHOOTING STAR

 

Reviewer: Mark B  (smakr@bigpond.com)
Kit Review submitted:  November 1999

Aircraft:
Lockheed developed the XP-80 Shooting Star to meet the threat of the German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter at the closing stages of World War 2.  It was rushed into production as the P-80A and sent to Europe in early-mid 1945 as a bomber escort but it was too late to see combat against the German jets, and as such the original production order was slashed dramatically.  The Shooting Star had the distinction of being the first jet aircraft to serve operationally with the USAAF from late 1946.  At this stage the revamped P-80B variant had entered the scene with improved wing structure and JATO capability.

In 1948 the final production variant, the P-80C with engine changes and other improvements was ordered and almost 800 examples were built.  Many A & B versions were converted to C standard, with around 50 delivered to the US Navy under the designation TV-1.  Also, in 1948 the USAAF became the USAF and the P (Pursuit) prefix became F (Fighter), resulting in the redesignaion of the Shooting Star to the F-80.

In 1950 the Korean war commenced and a large number of F-80C Shooting Stars were available and used in the Theatre.  The first conclusive jet-versus-jet combat of the war took place in November 1950 along "MiG Alley" when an F-80C destroyed a North Korean MiG-15.  The F-80's were soon being replaced at the front line by F-86 Sabres, so were relegated to Ground attack missions and other support roles.  Wing tanks were added to enable more endurance on these longer missions, usually taking off and returning to Japan.  By the late 1950's and at the conclusion of the Korean War the F-80 Shooting Stars were relegated to Training duties, sold to poorer South American countries and generally phased out.  An era of the first fighter jet aircraft of the USAF having been indellibly edged into aviation history.

The Kit:
This is basically a reissue of the 1974 release of the same aircraft and type.  Reissues are often cause for much deliberation, because it is usually quite an uncertainty just how much of a 'reissue' a kit will be.  Most modellers expect reissues to be the basic mold of the original product with perhaps some slight updating or correcting, new instructions and a new decal sheet.  It was only a couple of years ago that I purchased a second hand F-80C from Airfix, circa early 70's (see boxart below!), since the kit was hard to find, so I have the ability here to compare the two kits.  In short, yes, some slight amendments to the reissue kit have been made.


Early boxart for this particular kit 
The kit I purchased second hand a couple of years ago
(picture supplied by Walter Fischer)

The box is marketed as a Skill 2 kit by Airfix, and as is the practice of their recent boxing techniques, you are provided with a summary of part numbers, dimensions, short history, Humbrol paint numbers and details of the examples the kit will produce.  The 3 sprues supplied are loose in the box with the instruction and decal sheets - the latter having backing paper to protect its surface.  A couple of parts had become detached and were loosely floating around the box.  There is a one-piece canopy that is also loose in the box.  Parts are molded in crisp light grey (better than the softer metallic grey of the earlier release) and there are about 52 in all.  The kit has finely raised panel lines and etched control surfaces with very minor flash on some parts that require cleaning but nothing to be concerned about.  Wheel bays have some plumbing detail and are quite shallow.

Instructions:
This is set out in a large 8-paged A4 sized booklet with F-80 history on the front (much of which is reproduced above), symbols, large exploded assembly steps that are very easy to follow and four-view diagrams of the two versions the kit produces.  Positioning of parts is generally quite clear with only one or two exceptions - locating holes on the aircraft and sheet having much to do with the ease.

Construction:
Cockpit detail is reasonable, given it's an Airfix kit, with a tub, seat, control stick, instrument panel with HUD and pilot figure.  Everything is basically attached to the tub and this neatly sits in between the fuselage halves along with the nosewheel bay floor/ceiling and the nosewheel undercarriage.  The nosewheel is one-piece aside from the clear headlight part that is attached to the front.  The instructions quite rightly point out that nose weight is needed, so pack as much into the nose area as you can to prevent tailsitting.  The fuselage halves go together very easily with the help of rubber bands and didn't require any putty.

The main wings are next, and this is simply a one-piece underwing and two upper halves.  You will need to drill out your own holes for either (or both) pylons under each wing - at the tip of the wing and the mid underwing pylon if you wish to display stores. I used the Excel #11 to just poke through a hole large enough in the marked spots without any trouble.  The main wings were sub-assembled in full, ready to affix to the aircraft.  However, it is slightly undersized for the area it is allocated to in the belly of the aircraft, so this requires a bit of putty to fix.  There is also a tiny step at either end - that is, the roundness of the wing roots is not flush between wing and fuselage.  A small bit of sanding fixed this up.  Gaps were also evident at the upper wing halves to fuselage joints and also required a touch of filler.

The exhaust pipe went in well, obviously the area needed to be painted for preparation as it sits jutting out a tad.  Canopy and the tailplanes went on very well and were easy to position.  The intakes on the otherhand were not so forgiving.  The splitter plates went on fine, but the intake covers themselves were not happy in being coaxed into the correct position.  While it is more an annoyance than that much effort, putty and sanding on both intakes to smooth them out was needed.

Main undercarriage was simple to assemble and dry fit testing didn't reveal any real concerns other than perhaps adding in superglue for strength.  The fit of the gear doors (for wheels up modelling) was a bit problematic.  Since the doors and the airbrake are in a number of pieces, you need to tack dry each component at least, before going onto the next.  A bit of trimming was required, but nothing much to complain about.

For stores you have the choice of three different options for the two underwing pylons.  500-lb'ers look like the bombs supplied in the kit, plus the two varying large ferry tanks used on the F-80C's that took off from Japan on ground support missions, and had to fly back again, during the Korean war.  I chose to place bombs on the mid-wing pylon and the more common variety of the ferry tank supplied for the pylon under the wingtip.

Versions/Decals:
The kit provides a decal sheet for two different F-80C examples from the Korean War based at Suwon Air Base.  The decals are in very good register for both examples and were thin, conforming to the model's surface very well with Decalfix.  A little bit of excess carrier film needed to be trimmed but I thought the decals supplied in the kit were fine.  Of course, there is nothing stopping you from getting hold of one of the many aftermarket decal sheets and doing an alternative design.

"Saggin Dragon", 16th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter Wing, 1951 is one of the examples provided for, and the subject I subsequently chose.  Word of warning though, the blue nose decal only wraps around the top of the nose and around behind the cannons - that is, it does not cover the nose itself.  This is, I assume, to allow you to paint the panels around the cannons so that the decal can match it and not have to be placed over (and cover) them.  But unfortunately, striking the same shade of blue as used on the decal was not an easy task.  Humbrol 25 blue was about the closest but a touch too light, Revell 56 might actually be a better match.  All I can say, is test it first and experiment.  On my model (using both H25 and R56) the result is noticeable only to the keen eye on scrutiny - but noticeable nonetheless!  This aircraft is overall natural metal finish - I used Metalcote Polished aluminium, with black anti-glare panels and inner wing bands.

The second example is "The Spirit of Hobo", 80th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 8th Fighter Bomber wing, 1952.  Again this is an overall natural metal finish aircraft with the black wing bands and anti-glare panel.  Triple yellow striped decals are provided to wrap around the wingtip tanks and mid-fuselage, plus a decal for nose art for the type. 

Accuracy (& Reissue comparison):
This is really just a reissue of the gluggy but basically accurate 1974 Airfix kit - however, it is clear from comparison of the two outcomes, the latest reissue offering is slightly thinner in the fuselage and thus slightly longer in span, which is more accurate than its predecessor (in fact just about perfect).  Dimension of the length is a let down, overscaled at about 4-mm or a couple of feet in real life! The kit does nothing other than capture the F-80C Shooting Star's lines well, it is not a miniature replica by modern standards but is quite acceptable nonetheless.  

Conclusion:
If you are looking for a basic rendition of the F-80C then this Airfix offering is a good way to go.  It will not be as spot on and accurate as perhaps a Hasegawa or like offering will, but it was a quick and relatively easy build that would suit all modelling skills, with only the intakes as a bit of a question mark in terms of a little bit of extra effort needing to be done.  The rest was basically plug a few gaps and sand it smooth (careful of those raised panel lines).  It is certainly an improved effort on the 1974 release, albeit marginal, but nonetheless a good simple build. 

 

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