I/48th Monogram F-102A
This F-102A was built pretty much out of the box with the exceptions being an Eduard PE seat belt and after-market decals from Draw. A trouble free build but I was surprised at how big that finished model is. The gray paint was MM enamel The silver areas were a combination of MM Aluminum with a bit of Testors (the small squared bottle) chrome silver. The plane was finished with a light coat of Testors clear semi-gloss airbrushed to blend most everything together. The anti-glare panels and nose were left in MM flat black. The last photo shows the actual F-102A 57-0898 from the SC ANG that I was modeling. This F-102A model will be a companion to the SC ANG T-33A I recently completed and posted here a short while back
The sun, moon and the stars aligned to make a very respectable, strong build of the Monogram F-102. I wonder when that kit was pressed? Some folks talk about warping or the words long in the tooth . . . but, what I see from the pictures its what Monogram wanted to make.
Two thumbs up Jim.
Thanks Stephen, the kit was #5827 copyright 1990 per the data on the instructions.
Nice work! I love seeing these Monogram jets built.
Thank you John.
What Stephen said, Jim. Very well done and respectable '102. Great to see these more classic kits being built so cleanly. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Andrew and I agree with enjoying seeing some of the old 'classic' kits being built.
Great looking 102, Jim.
You did awesome work on the oldie.
Love it.
Thank you John.
Excellent Delta Dagger, Jim!
Love the classic Monogram kit.
Thank you Spiros and like yourself I too enjoy building the Monogram 'classics'.
Nicely done! I have read others have had much trouble with the kit, but like you I had none, other than my decision to close the canopy, which was all me!
Thanks Rob and I thought about closing the canopy too but eventually decided to leave it raised.
Nice Job Jim and I agree at 1/48 scale the finished model is rather big.
Thank you for your kind comment Tom and that build of the Monogram F-102A was a first for me. Over my modeling years I've built most every plane Monogram offered but the 102 was one that had eluded me. I never build their F-106A either...perhaps something to do with the delta wing design.
A great job on a kit that's not always the most cooperative while on the workbench. I like it a lot, Jim! Thanks for posting this one!
phil
Hello Phil and thanks for your kind comment. It was a fun build with only one small bump in the road (likely self induced) when I went to mate the wing section with the fuselage. The front section fit fine but the rear did not want to mount flush. Just a little minor plastic surgery remedied the problem. My hat's off to those folks who build that F-102A with the bomb bay open. WOW, that bomb bay is a kit just by itself.
Ah - don't see many 102's! Looks great!
Thanks Greg.
@bentwing, Great job Jim! And a timely article too as I'm currently working on the same kit. It's cool to see another one built; good old Monogram "bag for the buck!". 🙂 Way to go Jim!
Hello Gary, thank you and I look forward to seeing your upcoming F-102A build. There are many decal choices for markings out there from both active USAF squadrons as well as the ANG units. I certainly agree with you that the old Monogram kits are a real bargain and many/most of them will build up nicely with some patience and TLC.
Looks great, Nicely done!
Thanks Robert and I always look forward to seeing your model posts.
This is a great looking F-102. These Monogram kits are really nice kits and you have done a great job on the build.
Thanks Bob, I really enjoy building those fine old Monogram kits.
Very nice build Jim, great scheme with the SC decals. The model sure looks the part of an F-102. A plus is the photo of the real aircraft you replicated. You have to wonder where we would be in kit world if Monogram had kept going. One can speculate on that one. In the meantime, congrats on job well done!
Thanks Clark and I'm glad you like that F-102A. Its's a companion model to the SC ANG T-33A I built and posted a short while back. I join you in wondering 'what if' Monogram had continued its participation in the market. They were among the leaders in the industry back then. They produced many fine models and as we've seen here on IM, lot's of them are still being built.