The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military jet fighter which served the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Initially designed by McDonnell Aircraft as a long-range bomber escort known as a penetration fighter for the Strategic Air Command (SAC), the Voodoo was instead developed as a nuclear-armed fighter-bomber for the Tactical Air Command (TAC), and as a photo reconnaissance aircraft based on the same airframe.
Extensively modified versions were produced as an all-weather interceptor aircraft, serving with the Air Defense Command, later renamed the Aerospace Defense Command (ADC), the Air National Guard, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the unified Canadian Forces after 1968.
The Voodoo’s career as a fighter-bomber was relatively brief, but the reconnaissance versions served for some time. Along with the US Air Force’s U-2 and US Navy’s RF-8 Crusaders, the RF-101 reconnaissance variant of the Voodoo was instrumental during the Cuban Missile Crisis and saw extensive service during the Vietnam War.
Interceptor versions served with the Air National Guard until 1982, and in Canadian service they were a front line part of NORAD until their replacement with the McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet in the 1980s.
The Kit
Revell’s 1/48th scale F-101 Voodoo kit is almost as old as the real plane’s glory days. Considering its mold age, the kit still hold very well after all this years with little to no flash on the sprues. The main fuselage halves have an almost perfect fit with little filling and sanding required. This is good news, the fuselage has raised panel lines thus there are less chances of sanding them down. I have built a lot of Revell / Monogram kits and one thing that stands out is how nice and detailed the cockpit tub on this kit is.
If you like the tedius but rewarding job of painting buttons and knobs (like myself), I promise you’ll have a nice time painting this one. For stock decals, they are absolutely not bad at all.
As you can see on the pictures, they show no signs of silvering and they were applied on a single coat of Testors Spray Gloss Cote later to be sealed under Dull Cote.
You might find a few after market products for this kit if you suffer from AM syndrome. In my humble opinion, out-of-the box, the Revell F-101 Voodoo Fighter makes a nice display and representation of this airplane. What else can you ask for $20 or less? Long Live Revell and Monogram!
Highly Recommended!
