Kit Previews
Hangar 47 strives to provide historical information along with the details of the kit…enjoy.
F3F-2 “Flying Barrel”
Grumman F3F-2 Flying Barrel by Special Hobby 1/72 scale Kit No. SH72106 Cost: $26.00 Decals: 4 versions Comments: Engraved panel lines; includes resin and photo-etched parts; very detailed example of U.S. Navy’s last biplane fighter History The highly maneuverable...
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat
In the dark months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Grumman F4F Wildcat was the primary fighter operated by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Throughout 1942, Wildcat pilots held the line, checking the Japanese Zero despite its greater maneuverability, in part due to the Wildcat’s superior firepower and ruggedness.
Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair
The F4U Corsair marked a turning point in piston-engined fighter design and pointed the way to the highest-performing and final generation of such aircraft before jet fighters came on the scene. It was the first single-engined fighter with an engine capable of power in excess of 2000 hp, and was also the first fighter to exceed 400 mph in level flight. The F4U-4 saw action in the Pacific in the final months of WWII but came into its own during the Korean War.
F-4B Phantom II
McDonnell F-4B Phantom II by Fujimi 1/72 scale Kit No. G-11 Cost: $14.00 Decals: Two versions, both for U.S. Navy squadrons (VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" and VF-213 "Black Lions") Comments: Crisp mold, very good external detail but the engraved panel lines are a bit weak....
F-4C Phantom II
Monogram’s 2010 re-issue of its 1979 F-4C Phantom includes a 20mm gun pod, full complement of Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles, an electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod, underwing drop tanks, and a multi-part canopy.
F-4C/D Phantom II
McDonnell F-4C/D Phantom II by Accurate Miniatures 1/72 scale Cost: $23.00 Decals: 9 versions - 2 flown by Colonel Robin Olds, USAF, 1967; 1 of 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing, with Bicentennial paint scheme; 1 flown by Colonel Chuck Yeager, C.O., 4th Tactical...
F-4E Phantom II
McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II by Esci 1/72 scale Kit No. 9027 Cost: $12.00 Decals: Four versions -U.S. Air Force, Israel, West Germany and Australia Comments: Engraved panel lines; nose cone consists of two halves; full load of air-to-air missiles; decals are high...
F-4E Phantom II
McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II by Hasegawa 1/72 scale Kit No. CT2:900 Cost: $12.00 Decals: Two versions - both U.S. Air Force Comments: Sparrow missiles only; mix of engraved and raised panel lines; TISEO target acquisition camera; choice of standard or...
F-4F Phantom II
The F-4F was a cheaper, simpler version of the F-4E, modified to Luftwaffe specifications for export to West Germany. Nearly identical to the F-4E, it had the same General Electric J79 powerplant, integral 20mm cannon and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, but had a simpler version of the F-4E’s fire control radar.
F-4J Phantom II
McDonnell F-4J Phantom II by Monogram 1/72 scale Kit No. 5440 Cost: $15.00 Decals: One version - U.S. Navy VF-92, U.S.S. Constellation Comments: Outstanding cockpit detail, time-intensive intake construction, very good decals History The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom...
F-4J Phantom II
The McDonnell F-4J was an improved version of the Navy’s F-4B. It featured upgraded J79-10 General Electric engines capable of a greater maximum take-off weight of 58,000 lbs., the J also had greater thrust at sea level, 17,900 lbs. The F-4J incorporated a host of improved avionics: upgraded radar warning and fire control systems, and an improved navigational computer. But it also carried equipment the B lacked altogether — an inertial navigation system.
F-4S Phantom II
The McDonnell F-4S was an upgraded U.S. Navy F-4J with improved radar equipment, and entered service in July 1977….
F-5A Freedom Fighter
Northrop F-5A by Kinetic 1/48 scale Kit No. K48020 Cost: $40.00 Decals: By Cartograf for 16 different versions - USAF (3), Canadian Air Force (3), Netherlands Air Force (2), Royal Norwegian Air Force (2), Greek Air Force (5), and South Vietnamese Air Force (1)...
F-5E Tiger II
Northrop F-5E Tiger II by AFV Club 1/48 scale Kit No. AR 48102 Cost: $35.00 Decals: Four versions - U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Singapore Air Force Comments: New tooling, engraved panel lines, drop tanks, two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles History...
F6F-3 Hellcat
Grumman’s F6F Hellcat did more than any other Allied naval fighter to turn to tide of World War II in the Pacific. Otaki’s kit of the F6F-3 features no-hassle, straightforward construction, engraved panel lines, and a modicum of cockpit and landing gear detail to remain competitive over 30 years after its initial release in the 1980’s.
F-8 Crusader
F-8E Crusader by Hasegawa 1/72 scale Kit No. 339 / C9:900 Price: $15.00 Decals: Three Versions - One U.S. Navy (VF-162 "Hunters"); One U.S. Marine Corps (VMF(AW)-312 "Checkerboards"; and one French Navy (Flottille 12F (VF-12) Comments: Older kit, basic cockpit, raised...
F-8E Crusader
F-8 Crusader by Academy 1/72 scale Cost: $22.00 Decals: Two versions - both U.S. Marines Comments: Engraved panel lines; Detailed cockpit, landing gear and intake trunking; Optional position air brakes; Variable incidence wing; Full complement of AIM-9 Sidewinder...
F9F-2 Panther
The F9F-2 Panther entered service with the US Navy one week after hostilities began in Korea, and quickly became a fighter-bomber workhorse. It made up 85 percent of all Navy and Marine fighters deployed in Korea, and dropped more ordnance than any other Navy aircraft in its close air support role.
F-14A Tomcat
The F-14 Tomcat arose from the ashes of the Navy’s F-111B program to become the Navy’s main fleet defense interceptor for over 30 years. Designed around the million-dollar Phoenix missile, the F-14 bested Soviet fighters in two separate Gulf of Sidra incidents off the Libyan coast in the 1980’s.
Grumman F-14B Tomcat
The F-14 Tomcat was the U.S. Navy’s designated fleet defense interceptor for over 30 years, protecting U.S. aircraft carriers from all threats at long range. It helped cover the U.S. evacuation from Saigon in 1975 and was still conducting operations over the Persian Gulf three decades later. Starting in 1987, the F-14B was the first of many upgrades that kept the type in service into the 21st Century, with more powerful engines and improved search radar.