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Dan DeSilva
72 articles

1/48 Hobbycraft F9F-2 with adjustments

November 29, 2012 · in Aviation · · 10 · 1.8K

Here is my -2, with a new nose section- the F9F-5 forward fuselage (with canopy) suitably shortened to fit the correct length of the F9F-2. I also used Monogram wing tip tanks. I built the kit as one of the Blue Angel Airframes readied for the Korean War. When the Blues first went in, they did not use the actual airshow aircraft, as they went directly into rework- the pilots took other aircraft that were combat ready at the time. By the second tour, the airshow aircraft were in theater. I have done my best with a number of references to model this airframe as it should have looked. I used aftermarket and kit decals all peiced together to finish the aircraft.

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3 additional images. Click to enlarge.


10 responses

  1. Nice job, Dan...I like that.

  2. Knowing how bad that kit is (on its own it's a doorstop, at best), you have done some really great work here.

    • yeah, once I realized the fuselage was F9F-5 length, I started there, then as I was checking pictures I noticed the canopy was off, the nose cone looked squashed, and then I read an article that explained what I had seen PLUS the fact the tip tanks were too small, and the ailerons were scribed differently on the top and bottom of the wings! Even after doing all I have, I realized the trumpeter wing fold lines are not correct on the upper surface of the wing! That I will let go, because you don't really take notice of them with the wings folded.

  3. Nice job Dan! I love the all blue schemes of that era!

  4. said on May 26, 2013

    Dan .. "we" had several F9F-2's at the old Olathe NAS, Ks in 1954, and yours is a REAL comparison to the real plane .. really like the photography on the model ...GOOD presentation, guy ! I can still mentally hear the Grumman start up, and taxi from the flight line !

    • Hi Ray, thanks for the kind comments. I wish I had time to photograph it in daylight when I first posted- my mistake to try and win a monthly prize by posting a whole host of kits at once! Anyway, I may still update this posting by replacing the pictures.
      I hope to get more of my kits uploaded over the summer.

  5. super fine work

  6. said on July 26, 2014

    Love your Panther.

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