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

10 additional images. Click to enlarge.