Finished The 48th Scale Kitty Hawk F-94C Starfire at Last.
I really like aircraft from this era. This Kitty Hawk kit was fun to build for the most part. The cockpit comes with some PE parts which dress up the office nicely. I found the fit to be generally good, with the exception of the canopy, which I found to be a bit too wide. This was a problem as I wanted the canopy closed. All went well until it came time to put on the landing gear. The main gear is molded with the oleos collapsed and the gear mounting pin is practically nonexistent. The gear actuator is also very flimsy resulting in a weak platform for this model. The wheels themselves are molded poorly as well, and the tires look too flat. I discovered corrected metal landing gear is available, unfortunately after I finished attaching the kit gear. This kit is built mostly out of the box, with the exception of seat belts and the landing and marking lights. Once again I added some Mike Grant decal rivets to accent the panels. I painted it with various shades of Alclad and ModelMaster enamels, using the kit decals, which fit very well. Though this model would not be very competitive (my fault), still I think it will look good in the showcase.
Looks good Jack, lovely nmf etc.
Shame about the undercart.
Still a very nice build.
That turned out beautifully, Jack...I like it. The KittyHawk kits (at least from my experience) are lacking in many areas, although this looks exceptionally nice. Those rivet decals are the cat's meow...I'll have to give 'em a try.
Well done Jack, don't see too many F-94's at all. Had the Hobbycraft offering a few years ago with some goodies but someone was looking for it on one of the forums and so I sold it. Now Kitty Hawk has since released this one, and you did a heck of a job on it. I have read that this has been beaten up on some forums, but you did point out some of the shortcomings of the kit, but you made it work and it looks like a rare F-94C, thats all that matters. Thanks for sharing Jack
Definitely looks the part Jack. The NMF has a natural look to it.
We'll done.
great model...fascinating subject...great paint detail
I think you did an wonderful job on this one, Jack. A NMF is difficult at best, and I think you really nailed this one. All looks just right. In this case, the credit is all yours, and not that of an exceptional kit. Keep them coming...
Looks good. I was looking at one in the hobby shop. I think I'll pick one up now! What was your solution for the collapsed gear?
I left it as it came in the kit, but had I known about the metal aftermarket gear available I would have replaced it.
A real stand-out model of an interesting subject.
I can pick out your work from across the room. Clean, crisp and right.
Thanks for sharing.
Nice clean build of a classic 1950's fighter. The canopy looks OK to me!
hey it looks really good to me - nice effect on the metallic finish!
If you hadn't told me all its faults, I wouldn't thought there were any, looking at it. Nice work on the NMF finish.
Ooooh, a cool 50s jet! I love it, she looks great Jack.
These 1950's jets are definitely cool, Jack, and you've done a marvelous job with this one. I'm many people would have given up faced with the difficulties you had, but you persevered, and the end result if well worth it.
It definitely looks very nice!
Jack,
Beautiful. I really like the work you do on all of your models. Very impressive.
Just coming to this now Jack: I have one of these on the to do list. Your's turned out great, gear and canopy fit notwithstanding, looks the part. Your NMF is nice as well, Nicely "Understated". Per your comment regarding the landing I will be ordering the SAC Metal gear for it. First time trying it.