F-11A querstion

[ghornak]

I bought a kit of the Hasegawa EF-111A "Eledtric Fox' at the local hobby show we had in Stafford this year. Is this kit the regular F-111A with a sprue to the stabilizer for the 'Electric Fox" version? The stabilizer for the original F-111A should be in the box and if that's the one I would like to build I'll just need to locate a sheet of decals for the original F-111A, right? I've mostly dealt with Navy planes and this one is kind of new to me. Thanks for your help.

[Andre]

You can't build the Hasegawa EF-111A kit OOTB as a straight A, unfortunately.

While the standard F-111 tail is included, Hasegawa's "EF" boxings have a different lower main fuselage sprue compared to the kits of the strike / bomber versions.

HTH,

Andre

[Skull Leader]

In addition to what Andre has said, you do have something of a third option.... you could build the prototype EF that was testing the EW "canoe". From an external standpoint, it had the regular tailfin, Triple Plow I intakes, and the EW bottom fuselage included in the kit

[Jay Chladek]

In addition to what Andre has said, you do have something of a third option.... you could build the prototype EF that was testing the EW "canoe". From an external standpoint, it had the regular tailfin, Triple Plow I intakes, and the EW bottom fuselage included in the kit

If it is the bird I am thinking of, externally it had all the EF features, including the tail fairing. It just didn't have any of the internal instruments. I don't recall seeing any pictures of an EF test bird with just the canoe as the new tail was one of the biggest milestones of the project due to it being so different from the stock F-111 tail sections. So the Air Force did their best to get as much testing done on that piece ASAP. If there is a picture, I would love to see it.

As for the kit you have, my advice would be to perhaps do a straight up trade with somebody else for a standard Hasegawa F-111 kit. The Hasegawa kits are not very common and even the Raven versions are somewhat in demand as they don't pop up terribly often (although they seem a little more common than some of the bomber birds).

Edited August 9, 2012 by Jay Chladek

[Andre]

I don't recall seeing any pictures of an EF test bird with just the canoe

A modded F-111A with just the ventral canoe and the standard tail without the football did actually fly late in 1976. It retained the SEA colors.

There's a b/w pic in a fetre on the EF-111 in an old Air International issue from, from the top of my head, 1986.

Cheers,

Andre

[Jay Chladek]

Mmmm, learn something new everyday. Very interesting.

[Skull Leader]

It was the 59th airframe, F-111A 66-0041. It wore the standard SEA camo paintscheme with dayglo orange stripes on the nose, tail, wings, and stabilizers. It was later fitted with the "football", but flew for a time without it. There is a pic of the jet in this configuration in "F-111: Success in Action" by A. Thornbourogh and another in Jay Miller's "General Dynamics: F-111 Aardvark" aero series book.

[Jay Chladek]

It was the 59th airframe, F-111A 66-0041. It wore the standard SEA camo paintscheme with dayglo orange stripes on the nose, tail, wings, and stabilizers. It was later fitted with the "football", but flew for a time without it. There is a pic of the jet in this configuration in "F-111: Success in Action" by A. Thornbourogh and another in Jay Miller's "General Dynamics: F-111 Aardvark" aero series book.

Was this the same jet that they eventually painted up in the gray and blue scheme with the lightning bolt trim?