Eurofighter kit ; what's wrong with it?

[JackMan]

I know the 1/72 Revell EF2000 is the best one there is ( and I do have one single seater & 1 double seater buried elsewhere in my stash :) ) but I was cleaning my stash when I happen to dust off my old Tamiya EF-2000 kit (it's the Italeri re-boxed one)

http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=TA%2060731

I read somewhere that there are several flaws with this kit. Any one knows what's wrong with it? Can I still make it into a reasonably accurate EF2000? Otherwise I'm going to cannibalise the parts for an upcoming Pegasus EAP build.

[Armadillos]

Think one problem if you want to build a production machine is that the access doors for the eninge bays are those for DA`s when fitted with RB199`s which are completely different to the arrangement for EJ200`s.

[Bobski]

Think one problem if you want to build a production machine is that the access doors for the eninge bays are those for DA`s when fitted with RB199`s which are completely different to the arrangement for EJ200`s.

The Italeri kit is better for building one of the DAs than the production jets for that reason. Also to note that there are some shape issues around the wings.

[JackMan]

Sorry but what is "DA" and "RB199" ?

Also, what is the difference between a EF-2000 and EFA? I recall ESCI has a boxing marked as a EFA but to me it looked a lot like a Eurofighter. (I think one ESCI boxing even came with groundcrew & pilots)

[Andre]

Sorry but what is "DA" and "RB199" ?

DA stands for "Development Aircraft", ie. one of the preproduction birds; the RB.199 is the engine of these prototypes (it is mainly used in the Tornado). The production engine is the EJ200. The difference in engines lead to a number of differences in the access panels around the aft end betwen the DA and production aircraft. The Italeri kit, I seem to recall, features both RB.199 and EJ200 nozzles.

Also, what is the difference between a EF-2000 and EFA? I recall ESCI has a boxing marked as a EFA but to me it looked a lot like a Eurofighter. (I think one ESCI boxing even came with groundcrew & pilots)

The EFA, or European Fighter Aircraft, is an early name for the Eurofighter. Other names floating around were European Collaborative Fighter, European Combat Fighter, Future European Fighter Aircraft and European Combat Aircraft.

The ESCI kit represents one of the early mockups, I believe.

The EAP was a technology demonstrator and, while conceptually similar, is an entirely different aircraft really. Sorta like the YF-17 vs. the F/A-18A.

HTH,

Andre

Edited January 13, 2009 by Andre

[JackMan]

Once again, Andre comes through with his clear & concise explanations.

Thank Ya, my friend!

Yes, you are right. The Italeri/Tamiya kit has both types of nozzles. Just checked the parts. So the conclusion is that I cannot build the Italeri/Tamiya kit as a production EF-2000 but I can make it into a DA with the shorter nozzled RB.199 nozzles?

The EAP was a technology demonstrator and, while conceptually similar, is an entirely different aircraft really.

Yup, I know. I'm currently in negotiation with someone over a Pegasus Models EAP kit & hopefully can get my hands on it soon. Have read many unpleasant things about the kit. And I have recently discovered that the EAP used many parts from the Tornado (engines, nozzles, aft fuselage areas, tail hook, etc),That's why I was going to cannibalise the Italeri/Tamiya kit's RB.199 nozzles (now that I know what they are called & my curiosity has been satisfied about why the Ital/Tam EF-2000's nozzles looked so similar to my Italeri Tornado's nozzles :D)

I also thought about using the Ital/Tam kit's cockpit & instrument panels. Might even cut off the landing gear bay boxes & see if I can fit it into the Pegasus kit. I doubt if I will take much from the actual fuselage itself since the EAP & the EF-2000 are so different.

So the consensus is that the Ital/Tam kit is best used as a DA aircraft or used as spares/kitbash for the Pegasus kit. And then there's always a What-If ........ :D

Actually that all-black coloured British EF-2000 caught my eye too:

http://www.abpic.co.uk/search.php?q=ZH588&u=reg

Hmmm, decisions, decisions...... (it's always the case when you dig up an old kit from the stash, isn't it?)

[Yuri]

Yup, I know. I'm currently in negotiation with someone over a Pegasus Models EAP kit & hopefully can get my hands on it soon. Have read many unpleasant things about the kit. And I have recently discovered that the EAP used many parts from the Tornado (engines, nozzles, aft fuselage areas, tail hook, etc),That's why I was going to cannibalise the Italeri/Tamiya kit's RB.199 nozzles (now that I know what they are called & my curiosity has been satisfied about why the Ital/Tam EF-2000's nozzles looked so similar to my Italeri Tornado's nozzles )

Yes, if I'm not wrong while beeing a technology demonstrator (to test some of the features of the future EFA), the EAP took as many things "off the shelf" as possible to keep costs down

[Andre]

Once again, Andre comes through with his clear & concise explanations.

Thank Ya, my friend!

Glad to be of help!

Yes, you are right. The Italeri/Tamiya kit has both types of nozzles. Just checked the parts. So the conclusion is that I cannot build the Italeri/Tamiya kit as a production EF-2000 but I can make it into a DA with the shorter nozzled RB.199 nozzles?

Yup! Or you could either rescribe the engine panels or live with them as is, of course.

Yup, I know. I'm currently in negotiation with someone over a Pegasus Models EAP kit & hopefully can get my hands on it soon. Have read many unpleasant things about the kit.

Well, Pegasus is (was?) a one-man cottage industry type of company, so their products do tend to be a bit rough around the edges.

Then again, until Hasegawa or Tamiya see fit to do an EAP or a Have Blue XST (which is my only Pegasus kit in the stash)...

And I have recently discovered that the EAP used many parts from the Tornado (engines, nozzles, aft fuselage areas, tail hook, etc),That's why I was going to cannibalise the Italeri/Tamiya kit's RB.199 nozzles (now that I know what they are called & my curiosity has been satisfied about why the Ital/Tam EF-2000's nozzles looked so similar to my Italeri Tornado's nozzles :D)

In addition, the EAP tail fin is also reworked from the Tornado item, so you could perhaps use one as a basis.

I also thought about using the Ital/Tam kit's cockpit & instrument panels. Might even cut off the landing gear bay boxes & see if I can fit it into the Pegasus kit. I doubt if I will take much from the actual fuselage itself since the EAP & the EF-2000 are so different.

Now that would be quite interesting to see!

So the consensus is that the Ital/Tam kit is best used as a DA aircraft or used as spares/kitbash for the Pegasus kit. And then there's always a What-If ........ :D

I might (sometime...) finish my Italeri kit as a black and red JG71 anniversary bird with the RoG F-4F decals. How'd ya like dem apples. ;-)

Cheers,

Andre

[JackMan]

Thanks everyone for your input.

In addition, the EAP tail fin is also reworked from the Tornado item, so you could perhaps use one as a basis.

Yup, might do that too. Read from the Barrie Hygate book (British Experimental Jet Aircraft) that the fin was the standard Tornado fin and the curved taper on top was purely for cosmetic reasons. Even the vortex generators along the fin sides remained unchanged. They did remove that small air-inlet in the front of the fin though.

I might (sometime...) finish my Italeri kit as a black and red JG71 anniversary bird with the RoG F-4F decals. How'd ya like dem apples. ;-)

Be sure to put the tulip lips around the intakes, sort of like a sharkmouth around a JASDF F-2:

http://www.hlj.com/product/PLZPF-04

:D

[Andre]

Be sure to put the tulip lips around the intakes, sort of like a sharkmouth around a JASDF F-2:

Yup, that's the idea. I have several of those F-4F's in the stash, so I have no shortage of tulips - the radome needs a set as well!

Cheers,

Andre

[Grey Ghost 531]

I'm just finishing up the Italeri single seater. One big flaw is the intake. The nose wheel bay intrudes into the floor of the intake trunking and the center splitter only goes back about 3/8ths of an inch instead of all the way back. The trunking also ends about an inch back.

I only did the minimum to fix it as I take so long to build as it is now, that major surgery would send the project's completion into the dim and uncertain future.

I just beveled the top, front corner of the nose wheel bay until I just broke through and then moved the floor of the intake trunking a smidge forward until it just cleared the chamfered edge of the bay. I blanked off the square hole in the duct floor with plastic card, puttied it and called it good. I didn't deal with the short intake center splitter but I did add a small curved section to the roof of the bay to make it look like it extended further back than the kit provides for. It's okay if you don't use a flashlight when you peer in there.

I'm using the kit's development version Luftwaffe markings so I don't care about the airframe differences between the kit and a production Eufie. The paint job on the DAs is pretty neat, too.

I seem to have accumulated a bunch of prototype and development versions of aircraft in the stash thanks to Italerie's desire to get a kit out first if not best. Maybe I'll work it up into a theme collection.