Trumpeter

1/72 F-105G 'Wild Weasel'

Kit Number: 01618

Reviewed by  Keith Pruitt, IPMS# 44770

MSRP: $36.95 Imported by Stevens International - Web Site: www.stevenshobby.com History The F-105 evolved from a project begun in 1951 by Republic Aviation at Farmingdale NY to develop a supersonic tactical fighter-bomber to replace the F-84F. The massive F-105 was intended primarily for nuclear strike missions. The prototype first flew on October 22, 1955, but the first production aircraft, an F-105B, was not delivered to the USAF until 1958. The F-105D all-weather strike fighter and the two-place F-105F dual-purpose trainer-fighter were also built before F-105 production (833 aircraft) ended in 1964. F-105G aircraft were nicknamed "Wild Weasels" and specialized in jamming enemy radar and destroying surface-to-air missile sites. The aircraft in this kit depicts the "Wild Weasel" version. First Look

Inside the box are four sprues of injected molded light gray plastic, and one sprue of clear plastic, for a total of 144 plastic parts. This kit has a lot of parts for the scale! The parts have fine, crisp recessed panel lines and rivet details, with no flash on any of the parts. The clear canopy parts are thin and clear, with faint raised framing. There is an extra canopy section included on the sprue, apparently for the single-seat version of the aircraft.

The instructions include 22 steps, and include the history of the aircraft. There is a separate page that includes a paint chart, listing paint colors by Mr. Hobby and Mr. Color numbers and by color name. The page also indicates painting and decal placement instructions. The decals appear to be quite thin and printed in register, and include markings for three different aircraft, all in the Southeast Asia scheme (Dark Tan/Medium Green/Dark Green over Camoflage Gray): F-105G(62-4440) 17th WWS, 388th TFW. F-105G(63-8321) 516th TFS, 388th TFW. F-150G(62-4444) 128th TFS. The instruments are included on the decal sheet. And, there are a great number of markings for the ordnance. Construction The build starts with the cockpit, composed of a total of 9 parts. The instrument panels and side consoles are smooth, with only decals to represent the instruments. However, this works pretty well for the scale. There are no seat harnesses, either molded or by decals. I'm not certain of the accuracy of the pilot seats, but they look good in this scale. With no hinge attachments, the canopies do not appear to have an "open canopy" option. While the entire engine is not included, the molding for the exhaust is very nicely done, and provides a nice representation of the visible portions when completed. The sprue attachments on fuselage halves are also on the mating surfaces, so the modeler will have to sand both the outside surface and the mating surface. The instructions do not call for nose weight, and a dry fit seems to show that it isn't necessary, but I did install one small lead weight just to be sure the finished model is not a tail-sitter. The cannon bay, molded into the left fuselage half, has a fairly nice representation of the weapon, but the door has no interior detail, and would have to be cut into three pieces to be correct in the open position. Many of the small surface details, like antennae and vents, are molded as separate parts. These could be left off until final assembly, which might make the painting more complicated, or added prior to painting to insure that they are included in the painting. The second option might make them vulnerable to breakage when handling. I chose to add some prior to painting, and of course, they disappeared by the time final assembly was completed. As tiny as the parts are, I was never able to find them. Although parts fit seemed very good all around, I used a small amount of filler putty and/or Mr. Surfacer 1000 on most of the major seams. Painting There are slight variations in the paint scheme for the three aircraft. These are very slight, and would only be noticed by the most avid aviation historian. The multi-color SEA scheme do make the painting more involved and more time-consuming. Some of the paint callouts are questionable. On the gear bays and various details, I found several references on the internet that differed from the color indications. I suggest checking references carefully. While it has nothing to do with the kit, I did have a slight paint reaction with my gloss clear coat, but this was only in one spot, and I have no idea why it happened. Decals After a gloss coat, I applied the decals. They were thin and printed well, and went on quite easily. They released from the backing within a few seconds after dipping in lukewarm water. I used both Microset and Microsol, with no problems whatsoever. However, that multitude of decals, that are intended for the ordnance, have NO indicators on the placement page or in the instructions. I had to go to the internet for photographs of the missiles to even have an idea where to put the decals. There is the same issue with the decals for the drop tanks. There are no indicators where they are to be applied. This slowed down progress, and added a couple of hours to the amount of time to complete the model. Final Assembly I added the landing gear and doors, ordnance, exhaust, and elevators/horizontal stabilizers. I attached the pitot tube to the nose early on in this phase, but I suggest that it be done last. It is very easy to bump it, either breaking it or causing misalignment. The main landing gear were somewhat annoying to attach, as the actuators are fiddly and not easily fitted into the proper position. Purists will likely scoff at my choice of under wing stores, but I liked the look. Overall Impression This is an extraordinarily detailed kit out of the box, and the aftermarket is already producing sets to add even more detail to the finished model. Based on the size and number of parts, and the more complicated paint scheme and assembly, I think it might be a difficult build for the inexperienced-to-average modelers. However, this kit is an excellent starting point for the average modeler to build and refine their skills and experience. For those modelers with experience in dealing with small parts and researching available references, I would rate this kit as Highly Recommended . I would like to express my gratitude to Stevens International and IPMS for this review sample.

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