Scale aviation modeller international

Something Japanese

A

t the end of September,

there are two major

shows in Europe -

We have E Day in Prague

where most manufacturers

attending will be announcing

something new and in Japan

you have the Japanese Toy

and Hobby Fair and event

mainly aimed at retailers

where most major Japanese

companies will announce

something new. So, we will

have more information on

Tamiya’s new Spitfire and how

many new decal variations

on an existing

tooling Hasegawa

can announce!

But surprisingly

Platz, has announced

three new 1/72 scale

kits before the show

including a Mitsubishi

F-1 and McDonnell

Douglas (I cannot say

Boeing) F-15C Eagle both

in Japanese markings.

The third kit was a bit

of a surprise and it is

a new Supermarine

Spitfire Mk.IX, which

just goes to show

that the Spitfire is

iconic all around the world.

David Hannant 1930-2018

I

t is with great sadness that I have to

report that David Hannant passed away

last month after a short illness. I have

known David for over 20 years and under his

leadership, Hannants turned from a small

toyshop in Lowestoft, to one of the worlds

largest online scale modelling retailers.

Although David retired a couple of

years ago he was still a familiar sight

on the stand at Telford and I will really

miss our regular Sunday afternoon

chats on the state of the hobby.

Our condolences, to his family,

friends and work colleagues.

The Editor

A New Old

Airliner

I

t is hard to believe that the ambiguous

Boeing 737 has been in production

for over 50 years and now with its

fourth major variation in the shape

of 737 MAX production will continue

for at least a further 20 years.

When Zvezda released their 1/144 scale

737-800 in 2017 their were clues that they

were also going to produce the 737 Max as

the types split wing tips were in the box.

The Max will be produced in three

versions the small 172 seat, Max7 replacing

the 737-70, the 210 seat, Max 8 replacing

the 737-800 and the 220 seat, Max 9

unsurprisingly replacing the 787-900.

Unsurprisingly Zvezda has chosen to release

the most ordered variant the 737 Max 8.

All the changes applicable to the Max

8 have been replicated by Zvezda in their

new kit including the distinctive Leap

Engines with their saw-toothed rear

ends. The new kit will come with marking

for Boeings test aircraft though with 180

aircraft in service and a further 4000

examples on order it will not be long before

the aftermarket will be releasing decals

for airliners from all around the world.

All we need now is for Zvezda to release

the short and long fuselage 737 versions

and we will be able to produce any Boeing

737 produced in the last twenty five years

as well as the next twenty from their kits.

Let’s Go Retro

T

he 1950s is a fertile

hunting ground for

model manufacturers

as this is an era that has been

overlooked. Now Kittyhawk

are going to release kits of the

North American Fury used by

the US Navy until the 1960s.

The original FJ-1 was not a

success but lessons learnt in

its design produced the basis

for the very successful F-86

Sabre. The Sabre has always

been a favourite with kit manufacturers

due to its service in the Korean war and

subsequent use by so many nations, but the

naval variants have never received that much

attention. Well that is about to change with

the release later this year of both the FJ-2

and the FJ-3 with its more powerful engine

and larger intakes. Most FJ-2 served with

the US Marines in an overall silver finish and

carried some quite attractive markings but

the type was not a success and was quickly

retired from service after just 4 years.

The US Navy got its FJ-3s in 1953 and during

it’s nine years of service the 538 examples were

constantly modified. Due to the larger number

produced it also carried a wide range of schemes

mostly on the classic Gull Grey over White

camouflage. The

built-up images

show that kit will

come with open

gun bays and a good

level of detail in the

cockpit though it

is not clear if it will

also feature a folded

wing option.

Let’s hope

sales are good

and Kittyhawk

may then

consider the

Vought Cutlass a

worthy follow up.

T

he Vought F-8 Crusader

was a direct response

to a United States Navy requirement

for a modern supersonic, carrier-based fighter. Utilising nearly

the identical powerplant of the North American F-100 Super

Sabre and looking like the big brother of the A-7 Corsair, the

F-8 Crusader became the world’s first carrier-based aircraft to

break the speed of sound. The Crusader was quickly pressed into

service over the skies of Vietnam with the growing American

commitment in Southeast Asia, where it served with distinction

with US Navy and US Marine Corps. As a predominantly cannon-

armed fighter, the F-8 has been seen by many as the end of the

line for all-cannon-armed fighter jets - making the F-8 the ‘last

of the gunfighters’. The Navy went on to utilise the Crusader in

the more of a traditional dogfighting interceptor role, whilst

the US Marines operated it as a limited strike/attack aircraft.

The Crusader was also fielded as a dedicated reconnaissance

version the RF-8, along with a two-set trainer, as well as a Drone

Controller aircraft and also served with NASA as a flying test bed.

The Crusader eventually proved its worth through action and resiliency

and found frontline service across four decades including service with

the French Navy. The Philippines Air Force was the third and final

operator of the F-8 and these were retired in 1991. The XF8U-3 was

a highly-modified offshoot of the F-8 Crusader line, and this version

became known as ‘Crusader III’, however, the prototypes competed

unsuccessfully against the McDonnell Douglas offering that would

eventually become the F-4 Phantom. The F-8 Crusader remains one of

the icons of 20th Century aviation, and the ‘last of the gunfighters’ is

showcased and celebrated here in this new Datafile from

SAM Publications.

CRUSADER

THE VOUGHT F-8

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

By Andy Evans

pre-- order

now

32

M D F

F-8 CRUSADER

ORDER HOTLINE: 44 (0)1234 211245

ORDER ONLINE: http://www.sampublications.com

F-8 CRUSADERM D F^32

CRUSADER

THE VOUGHT F-8

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

by Andy Evans

THE VOUGHT F-8 CRUSADER

SAM Publications

Modellers Datafile • 32

000-CoverFront-MDF-OUTPUT-FRONT_MDF32-Cover.Crusader.indd 1 14/09/2018 12:45

Cover: Illustration Purposes Only

MDF 32

CRUSADER

£24.99

+ P&P

SAM-MDF-32-Crusader-Ad.indd 1 14/09/2018 13:38

36 • OCTOBER 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

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