Jens,
First some clarification on F-8 engines: from a modeling standpoint there are two types - we'll call them early and late - distinguishable by their afterburner sections. The early engines, the P4, P12, P16 and P22 engines all had an afterburner tube that was like a corrugated pipe. Their flame holder was a five spoke design and the AB petals had a pattern that I call the "waffle iron" pattern.
This engine configuration applies to the F8U-1/F-8A, F8U-1E/F-8B/F-8L, F8U-1P/RF-8A/RF-8G*, and F8U-2/F-8C/F-8K
The late engines are characterized by an AB petal that I refer to as the "wave pattern", a four spoke flameholder, and an AB tube comprised of overlapping rings.
This engine configuration applies to the F8U-2N/F-8D/F-8H, F8U-2NE/F-8E/F-8J, F-8E(FN)/F-8P ......AND the RF-8G after 1978.
A note about the P420. It came about because the F-8J, which weighed 1500 pounds more than the E, was seriously underpowered, particularly in the landing pattern where bleed air from the compressor was diverted for the BLC, thus reducing thrust. On a hot day, the APC (Approach Power Compensator - autothrottle) could not cope with the power demands because it could not give 100% power. A number of interim solutions were tried, including reducing the wing incidence to 5 degrees, but in the long run the solution was more power. Pratt and Whitney responded with the P420 which had considerably more power, just under a thousand pounds in basic and 1500 in burner. These were not new build engines, the existing P20A's were overhauled to P420 standard and supplied initially to the fleet J's, but eventually to the H's still serving in the Reserves, giving the H a near 1:1 thrust to weight ratio at low fuel weights. It was a hotrod!. In 1977, the last F-8 fighters were retired, leaving just the RF-8G. The P420 engines were removed from the H's and J's, along with their improved A-7 style MLG struts and fitted to the remaining RF-8G's. I refer to these airplanes as RF-8G+'s, but that is my terminology and not official, but useful for differentiating between the two. The G+ is easily identified by the fact that it has the AB cooling scoops on the tailpipe, and a single outlet for the ACM exhaust on the right forward fuselage. The early engines had a longer bifurcated ACM exhaust and on the G+, the forward section was simply blanked off.
So those are the differences. You will note that neither set is a particularly good replica of the petals, but the early engine one (2094, I think) is better than the late one. Which one you use depends on the timeframe you want your model to depict: before or after 1978.
Hope this helps,
Tom Weinel
