The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a “day fighter”, the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunderjet was plagued by so many structural and engine problems that a 1948 U.S. Air Force review declared it unable to execute any aspect of its intended mission and considered canceling the program.
The aircraft was not considered fully operational until the 1949 F-84D model and the design matured only with the definitive F-84G introduced in 1951. In 1954, the straight-wing Thunderjet was joined by the swept-wing F-84F Thunderstreak fighter and RF-84F Thunderflash photo reconnaissance aircraft.
The Thunderjet became the USAF’s primary strike aircraft during the Korean War, flying 86,408 sorties and destroying 60% of all ground targets in the war as well as eight Soviet-built MiG fighters. Over half of the 7,524 F-84s produced served with NATO nations, and it was the first aircraft to fly with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team. The USAF Strategic Air Command had F-84 Thunderjets in service from 1948 through 1957.
[Source: Wikipedia, more info here.]
- 1/48 F-84G Thunderjet
- Product ID: 85-5481
- Skill Level 2
- Molded in Grey and Clear Parts
- Scale: 1/48
- Length: 9-11/16″
- MSRP: $29.99 USD
- Street Price: $23.99+ (Approx)
- Wingspan: 10-1/2″ Parts: 112
Description
Although it proved to be the most effective and successful fighter-bomber in the Korean Conflict, the contributions of the F-84G Thunderjet go well beyond even those accomplishments. The Thunderjet was the first production fighter-bomber to be fitted with in-flight refueling capability and it was the first fighter-bomber to have the ability to deliver a nuclear weapon. Features weighted tires, recessed panel lines, and standing pilot figure.
Optional armament, nuclear bomb, 250 lb. bombs or 5″ HVAR rockets. Authentic markings included for F-84G, 51-0896, 77th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 20th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 1952 and F-84G, 51-10651 9th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, Tregu, Korea, 1953. Molded in light gray and clear.
Building the kit:
This F-84G was started a few months ago after announcing its release. But I’ve got involved in other projects and the kit with finished cockpit and wheel wells painted, went back to its box. As some of you might have read, I build my kits mostly out-of-the-box. Something that caught my eye after opening the box was the level of detail on the stock cockpit and the wheel wells too. Speaking wheel wells, the included landing gear is well detailed, but the nose landing gear is rather flimsy.
I will suggest to be careful with the nose weight and/or consider a white metal landing gear from Scale Aircraft Conversions. Fuselage halves fit is very nice with little sanding and filling required. Wings to fuselage fit are also very clean with no filling (IMHO) required. Because both markings for this F-84G calls for the natural metal finish, it is good to start with good overall fits and the Revell F-84G offers a good base for the metal finish ahead.
Painting the Revell F-84G:
After all the main parts were assembled, sanding the joints is crucial. Metal finish is very unforgiving but as I mentioned before, the overall fit is very good and that’s a very good start. Although I have a positive experience with Alclad 2 metal finishes, I have used Model Master Aluminum Plate (buffing) for the platting effect on other models. I love the finish of Testor’s Model Master Aluminum Plate (buffing) either in a spray can or airbrush.
I took the kit outdoors and painted the whole model with a spray can. 30 minutes later I was buffing the finish with good quality (soft) paper towel and cotton swabs on those hard to reach areas. An Ultra Fine Sanding Stick from Squadron, helped me achieve the circular motion tiny scratches look on aluminum.
The F-84G kit includes a MK 7 Nuclear Weapon which in the instructions call for Silver but I did paint it with Alclad 2 DURALUMINUM (ALC 102). The flaps were also painted with Alcad 2.
Decals:
Decals on this kit are thin but strong. The white sections from the decals tend to be a little be translucent but no biggie in my opinion. They responded very well to Micro Scale Decal setting solution and the Model Master Metalizer did not react adversely to the decal setting solution which was used selectively on receded panel lines. I refrained from using Metalizer Sealer as it tends to dull of the metal finish.
