F-84G Thunderjet; Imperial Iranian Air Force
Conceived as a day fighter with first flight happening in 1946, F-84's early career was plagued with a bunch of problems typical of early jets like underpowered engines and construction problems. Only the definitive F-84G version solved most of the problems. Thunderjet was extensively used during the Korean war, shooting down eight MiGs and destroying 60% of all the ground targets. F-84 was also the first fighter equipped with in flight refuelling probe, the first to carry nuclear bomb and the first aircraft, USAF demonstration team Thunderbirds flew.
More than 7500 F-84s were built and of that number, more than half were used by export users. Imperial Iranian Air Force received 34 F-84Gs in 1957 and used them until early 1965.
The kit
HobbyBoss released this kit as a part of their EasyKit series. This means that it has snap fit features and can be theoretically build without using glue. The fit however ain't that good, especially on the side panels below the cockpit. However, for a price, it is a very nice kit, that can be built in a week, as witnessed and can be a good palate cleanser build or a cheap kit to practice new techniques on.
The good:
– the price! I bought it for 5€ quite some time ago, but can be still bought for 5-10€($).
– looks like a Thunderjet!
– despite some troublesome parts, still mostly an easy build.
– very good decals with interesting marking options
The bad:
– “milky” unclear canopy with a bit too wide framing
– front landing gear is too low – I believe the strut length is fine and the wheel well is too deep
– some engraved lines are wonky – they get very wide in places like the tool skipped
– no machine gun nozzles on the intake ring
Model Data
Company: HobbyBoss / 80246
Scale: 1:72
Aftermarket: Hi-decal decals 72047
Paints used: Mr.Paint
MRP-003 Super Silver Metallic, MRP-008 Duraluminium, MRP-138 Olive Drab, MRP-147 Burnt Iron, MRP-148 Exhaust Metal, MRP-152 Pale Burnt Metal, MRP-004 White, MRP-173 Tyre-Rubber matt, MRP-129 Zinc Chromate primer, MRP-131 Interior Green
You did such great work on this, it looks perfect.
Thank you, Jay!
Fantastic result, Sebastijan!
The Hobby Boss Thunderjet never looked better!
Thank you, Spiros!
Wow, it looks really good especially in 1/72 scale.
Thank you, George!
Great looking Thunderjet, nice job Sebastijan!
Thank you, Joe!
Absolutey a superb result, Sebastijan @inflames
Especially considering the scale and the issues you described.
Thank you, John!
The issues were minor, really, but if you wanna build it proper, you need to use some elbow grease to fix those.
Despite the kit issues, this is a great-looking build!
Thank you, Greg!
Lovely work. Looks like a Thunderjet indeed!
Thank you, Brian!
This is perfect. How on earth do you make such great nmf?
Thank you, Felix! I used Silver paint as a base and used semi-matt varnish to dull it down before weathering. Photos show Iranian F-84s were dull aluminium.
Looks great. @inflames
Thank you, John!
Well done, Sebastijan (@inflames). Remarkable fit and finish on this Cold War jet.
Thank you, George! Not many of the F-84 models built, despite the number in use and the number of operators.