RF-8A Crusader by Sword

1/72 scale
Kit No. SW72149
Retail: $33.00
Decals: Two versions – Commander William B. Ecker, U.S. Navy, C.O. of VFP-62, NAS Key West, Florida, October 1962, during Cuban Missile Crisis; and U.S. Marines VMCJ-2, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Comments: New tooling, engraved panel lines, two-piece canopy, paint masks for canopy and cameras, first kit of the Photo Crusader in 1/72 scale

History

The F8U-1P Crusader (redesignated RF-8A in September 1962) was developed from the successful F-8 Crusader, the U.S. Navy’s premiere shipboard fighter in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. The photo reconnaissance version took its maiden flight on December 17, 1956 — just 19 months after the first flight of the prototype of the fighter which spawned it. In most respects the RF-8A was similar to the F-8A, with the exception that the fuselage forward of the main wheel wells was redesigned to carry cameras instead of the Crusader’s main armament of four Colt 20mm cannon. This caused a distinctive hump behind the canopy, extending back to the center section of the wing, and a noticeable flattening of the sides and bottom of the fuselage. The hump was necessary to maintain the area ruled or “pinched” appearance of the mid-section of the Crusader’s fuselage that allowed it to achieve speeds in excess of Mach 1. Five or six KA-45 cameras could be carried. Photo-flash cartridges could be carried internally for night photography. The RF-8 also carried a variety of electronic equipment, including UHF and VHF navigation and communication devices and a radar altimeter. Finally, the refueling probe was carried completely inside the fuselage, rather than in a blister as on the fighter versions.

Cuban Missile Crisis
RF-8’s at a particular moment in history were capable of performing the finest, most precise low-level photography in the entire U.S. military. During the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, the photo Crusaders of VFP-62 and VMCJ-1 performed intensive, daily high-speed, low-level reconnaissance of several Soviet intermediate range ballistic missile sites, and defensive anti-aircraft missile batteries, under construction in Cuba. The information their images yielded helped the U.S. government prove to the world what the Russians were doing in Cuba, and provided the U.S. with hard estimates of when the missiles would become operational. They were often fired upon, and in the latter stages of the crisis, attempts were made to intercept them with MiG’s. The real-time intelligence they provided, updated on a daily basis by pilots who put themselves at risk to bring it back, helped both diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis through negotiation, and gave military planners the data to develop priority targets in the event the U.S. had decided upon military action.

Vietnam
RF-8’s were soon deployed to Southeast Asia as the war in Vietnam heated up. As early as May 1964, photo Crusaders were flying low-level reconnaissance runs over both the Mekong River, and the Plaine des Jars region of Laos, to gather intelligence on communist activity there. Early on, these reconnaissance runs were fired upon, with Crusader pilots experiencing increasing amounts of flak. Three photographic squadrons performed the recon function in Vietnam; while VFP-62 and VMCJ-1, the photo reconnaissance squadrons that were veterans of the Cuban Missile Crisis, also flew missions over Southeast Asia, it was VFP-63 that became the Navy’s longest serving photo Crusader squadron in Vietnam, covering every major action over every country in the region for the duration of the war. VFP-62 was decommissioned in January 1968, and VMCJ-1 began to convert to RF-4B’s in October 1966. One year earlier, in October 1965, the RF-8G began to equip the reconnaissance squadrons, with improved KA-66 ad KA-68 panoramic cameras, better avionics and electronic countermeasures, and upgraded Pratt & Whitney J-57-P-22 turbojet engines of 16,000 pounds thrust.

A total of 144 RF-8A’s were built, with 73 of them ultimately being remanufactured to be RF-8G ‘s. During its service over Southeast Asia, from October 1963 to January 1974, 20 RF-8’s were lost in action. The last photo Crusader was retired by the U.S. Navy in March 1987, giving it a service life of 30 years.

The Kit

Sword’s RF-8A Crusader (F8U-1P prior to the Pentagon’s September 1962 re-designation protocol) is injection molded in dark grey plastic and consists of 84 parts, including 12 clear parts for the canopy and camera apertures. The kit comes on three sprues in a top opening box, with all parts in a zip lock clear plastic bag. The RF-8A features a cockpit with a resin ejection seat, separate control yoke, and main instrument panel with ample raised detail. There is a separate part on the seat for the ejection actuator loop handles.

The kit features intake trunking and a main wheel well with extensive raised detail, and there is a large clear part for the ventral surface of the nose section that includes the fairing for the forward looking reconnaissance camera. Sword has thankfully resisted the urge to make the kit overly complex, with two standard fuselage halves and a single assembly for the reconnaissance cameras consisting of just six parts.

Sword clearly engineered the kit with a few toward simplicity and a relatively trouble-free build. Although the Crusader had a variable incidence wing, no provision is made for the wing to be depicted in the raised position, and the entire wing assembly consists of only three parts. The landing gear are nicely detailed.

Not all parts provided in the kit will be necessary to build either of the Cuban Missile Crisis versions (photo birds of either VFP-62 or VMCJ-2), for the kit includes the rear ventral strakes later seen on the RF-8G. In addition, the instructions reference (but the kit does not include) parts for an electronic countermeasures fairing that was also a feature of the RF-8G. These parts correspond to Sword’s separate RF-8G version of the Crusader (Kit No. 72150) that has also recently been released, for those interested in the Photo Crusader’s Vietnam service.

Markings

Finally, there is a three-view color schematic of both versions for which markings are provided. The first is for a U.S. Navy aircraft, the RF-8A (Bureau No. 146871) flown by Commander William B. Ecker, commanding officer of VFP-62, based at NAS Key West, Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis. VFP-62 planes were recognizable for the distinctive horizontal “film strip” markings they carried on their tails, and Sword has faithfully recreated those markings. The second version is for a U.S. Marine Corps aircraft, RF-8A (Bureau No. 145646) of VMCJ-2 based at Guantanamo, Cuba during 1962. Both aircraft appear in a scheme of gull grey over with white, with white elevators and control surfaces. The decals have an attractive glossy sheen, and are fully in register with realistic color throughout.

Conclusion

This is a long-awaited kit of an historic aircraft that played a pivotal role during a decisive moment of the Cold War. Until now, the only option modelers had was to either scratch-build an RF-8 from the ground up, or resort to the crude but nonetheless serviceable aftermarket Ventura conversion kit, featured here back in 2012.  Sword’s RF-8A appears to be a gem, presented with a modicum of detail, but not overly engineered, and available to modelers at a reasonable price. Highly recommended.

References

• Blue Moon Over Cuba: Aerial Reconnaissance during the Cuban Missile Crisis by Captain William B. Ecker USN (ret.) and Kenneth V. Jack; Copyright 2012 by Osprey Publishing; Oxford (United Kingdom)
• F-8 Crusader in Detail & Scale by Bert Kinzey; Copyright 1988 by Squadron/Signal Publications; Carrollton, Texas
• RF-8 Crusader Units Over Cuba and Vietnam (Osprey Combat Aircraft No. 12) by Peter Mersky; Copyright 1999 by Osprey Publishing; Oxford (United Kingdom)