Kitty Hawk 1/32 F-5E/F Tiger II / Special Interest Group (SIG) !

[SharkOwl]

I just checked the 1/32 ''Future Release'' listings of Hannants (UK), a quite good reference to review what is coming on kits and after market products.

 

Nothing now on the ‘'radar'' on the aftermarket side (resin / photoetch / decals / etc..) related to the new Kitty Hawk 1/32 F-5E Tiger II Kit.

It is probably too soon for manufacturers like Eduard, Aires, Two Bobs, Etc ….   

 

Please do not hesitate to share with us here any aftermarket products related to this F-5E Tiger II that you might discover during the next weeks / months. I also check KASL of Taiwan on a regular basis.

SharkOwl

 

Hannants (UK) 1/32 ‘'Future Release'' listings :

https://www.hannants.co.uk/futurereleases?search_direction=asc&scale_id=953

Edited April 19, 2018 by SharkOwl

[Guest Airfixer]

Heads-up! KH Assembly Guide.

 

Lower Fuselage Chaff/Flare Dispenser Installation:

 

• Part B12 (dispenser/rear aerodynamic fairing)
• Part B37 (fwd aerodynamic fairing)

 

Kittyhawk's assembly guide erroneously suggests to consistently install the lower fuselage chaff/flare dispensers. 

 

In fact, only two of the proposed Kittyhawk marking options had those dispensers installed:

VFC-111 F-5N, 76-1548 "101" and VFC-111 F-5N, 76-1557 "106". (former Swiss AF a/c serialled J-3023 and J-3032)

 

 

In case you may be a stickler for such details and fancy some filling and sanding, there you go:

 

HTH

 

Erik

 

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Tweak List - Kittyhawk proposed marking options versus kit content/kit plastic:

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=66843&p=1031030

[SharkOwl]

Thank you Erik for all these interesting tips.

The more we know, the best our future 1/32 KH F-5E projects will be. 

 

Concerning the Fin Fillet extension missing.

Can you, starting from the KH main fin part, gave us a good indication of the dimensions (in millimeters) of the fin fillet extension

and the right plastic card thickness to scratch build our own part. A scale drawing of the fin fillet at 1/32 scale would be super too.

 

Thanks in advance

Illustrated below a Tunisian AF F-5E Tiger II

SharkOwl

 

Edited April 19, 2018 by SharkOwl

[Guest Airfixer]

I'm afraid plasticard alone will not do trick.

 

The shape of the ADF fillet isn't overly complex, but it's in no way just a strake.. Geometrically speaking, it's a tetrahedron.  In the plan view the fillet describes an extremely elongated pointed arch. The cross sections of the of the ADF antenna enclosure per se are triangular.

 

Just to give you an idea of the basic shape. Quick & dirty:

 

 

 

The most interesting and challenging part of the surgery will be achieving a proper transition between the ADF enclosure and the base of the vertical tail. To date, I'm still searching for high-res photographs showing the transition area from up close.

 

In principle, potential aftermarket ADF fillets should include the transition, necessitating only minor plastic surgery of the kit parts.

Just two cuts along two existing panel joints. No biggie.

 

F-5EM vertical tail minus ADF enclosure revealing the ADF antenna installation:

(Pics shamelessly stolen from Rato Marczak's website: http://www.ratomodeling.com/references/F-5EM/index.html)

 

 

 

 

ADF fillet shape and location:

 

 

 

ADF fillet details:

 

 

Edited April 20, 2018 by Airfixer

[Seversky]

I'd still like to know why this wasn't included in the original design of the kit.

 

Me too

[Guest Maxim]

A bad oversight if you ask me and a rush to produce.

[Guest Airfixer]

I'd still like to know why this wasn't included in the original design of the kit.

 

Yep. They totally ignored a couple of must-haves/basics. But hey... In return they included a pair of AIM-7. 

 

In general, subject research is (soooooo) totally overrated.

Edited April 20, 2018 by Airfixer

[Guest Airfixer]

A bad oversight if you ask me and a rush to produce.

 

The sheer absence of basic features as well as the more than hapless selection of marking options sort of implies that even those to oversee did not know any better right from the start. For whatever reason...

 

Except for the kit's early instrument panel and some operator-specific features, we have a "near-perfect" late F-5E in the box. 

Overall kit detailing is great, except for some sink and mould marks surface textures are exquisite, (dry)fit is reasonably well, shape and proportions leave very little to be desired. Some trimming, filling and sanding is always part of the show.

 

Given the plethora of mods, upgrades and configurations the F-5E/F has undergone over the past four decades, calling for a single kit to wrap them all up in one go would be a bit too much to ask for. I'm sorry to say that KH quite evidentially bit off more than they could chew in this regard.

 

By the way...

Pretty much the same (to a lesser extent, though) goes for their F-86D/K boxings...nice plastic, fairly accurate, but faulty and shady assembly and painting instructions and marking options. In a nutshell, with the F-5E they continued where they left off with the F-86D/K.

 

Erik

 

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Tweak List - Kittyhawk proposed marking options versus kit content/kit plastic:

http://forum.largesc...66843&p=1031030

Edited April 20, 2018 by Airfixer

[SharkOwl]

Kitty Hawk take notes :

 

Here is the added sprue of 1/48 scale AFV Club F-5E Tiger II Reference No. AR48S02 with decals for

Chile and Morocco, including :

 

a brand new fin with ADF fin fillet ;

an in-flight refueling probe ;

an array of new antennaes for these versions ;

and

a brand new 3 x digital displays instrument panel for these two modernized versions ;

 

Lets hope KH will eventually made a rebox version of their 1/32 F-5E Tiger II with such parts

 

or (more probably) …

 

Lets hope that aftermarket resin masters like KASL of Taiwan will offer us these parts as soon as possible.    

 

In the meantime, I will take close measurements of this fin fillet AFV Club part at 1/48, put it at 1/32 (1.5X) and with

the infos procured here by Erik, I will try to scratchbuitd my own fin fillet part. The same for the in-flight refueling

probe.

 

To follow here with some photos.  

SharkOwl

 

Edited April 20, 2018 by SharkOwl

[Guest Airfixer]

Call it gut instincts...

 

But I wouldn't hold my breath to see more versions released by KH other than the current F-5E and future F-5F boxing.

I hope I'm wrong...

 

AFV Club knew exactly what's what.

Plenty of pages to be taken from AFV Club's F-5E book. 

Edited April 20, 2018 by Airfixer

[Tony T]

 

Anyone please have the dimensions of the model box, pref in cm.

 

Thanks

 

Tony

[Daniel Leduc]

40 x 26 x 8.....

 

Dan.

[Kagemusha]

Incidentally Tony, I bought one off ebay from China, sailed through customs.

[Scotsman]

Me too , it was a weird experience getting a package from china without it being held to ransom at the Post Office.. nice feeling !

[Kagemusha]

I've hardly ever had a parcel held from China - even a B-17 - if you don't ask...