Viper88 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 (edited) Which do you prefer to build and why? Some build all and anything that is a modern jet but there are those who have a preference. F-16's and F-15's seem very popular subjects and these are presented well in all scales (look at the nice Tamiya F-16 kits). Seems Airforce is more popular but shocking that there is not more hollywood movies with airforce jets. Look at the biggest jet movie ever Top Gun which is Nacy, TV series JAG which is Navy, makes you wonder. Thought this may be a good discussion. Edited August 13, 2012 by Viper88 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gonzalo Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 My favorite airplane is the F-4 Phantom in all variants, however I prefer the air force ones only because I was in the air force. My second favorite is the F/A-18 in all variants because it looks cool! After that I pretty much prefer USAF jets because they just look awesome. That's not to say Navy jets are not, but like I said before I was In USAF so hence the preference. The funny things the F-4 was originally for the Navy and the F-18 was originally for the Air Force. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Doughboy Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Air Force. They have the sexiest planes (minus the Super Bugs) and they have the best planes. Mostly I have the little red lines around the gear doors on Navy birds! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hornet97 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 U.S. NAVY all the way! They have had better looking planes and better movies than the air force and the airforce bought more Navy planes than the Navy has bought their planes phantoms, sluffs, skyradiers all were Navy planes to begin with, and the Navy has U.S. arifeilds you can put almost anywhere in the world. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
graves_09 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 USN: Because you can only build so many Medium Gray A/C! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joe Hegedus Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Navy. Is there any other kind? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmk0210 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I don't have a preference. USN, USAF, USMC, they all have sexy jets. I don't even have a preference for jets actually. The prop jobs were cool in their day too. I just love high performance aircraft. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChippyWho Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Both, but Navy or Marines are my subjects of choice. Lay-deez hand Gennlemen, I give you...THE F-14! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 There is no U.S. Airforce. There is a U.S. Air Force however ;) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I don't have a preference. USN, USAF, USMC, they all have sexy jets. I don't even have a preference for jets actually. The prop jobs were cool in their day too. I just love high performance aircraft. +1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
john53 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I have no clue why but I would guess I build 3 to 4 times as many Navy planes versus Air Force. It may be that the Navy has a more diverse and interesting "flock" as compared to the Air Force. The only other thing I can think is it is something "subliminal". Maybe something in all those cool old Navy movies?---John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kale Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I prefer NAVY over airforce. Mostly because the F-14 was the sexiest plane EVER. After that Air Force aggressors are pretty cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
galileo1 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Although I build varied subjects from all branches (yes, Army and Coast Guard as well), I've always preferred Naval Aviation. I don't know, when you're able to bring down tons of airplane into a pitching ship and still catch a 3-wire, there just something special about the Navy. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Phantom ordie Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 If it ain't got a tailhook what good is it? I don't mean those faux things that are on the back end of some Air Force planes that would snap off on a carrier trap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mingwin Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 USAF hands down! ...excepted for Adversaries! USAF got a lot more variety of jets, bases/assignments , camo/schemes... they might not be the most modern jets, but there was not much century series in the navy...neither A-10...nor spy-planes or real stealth jets... USAF might not have the hornet... anyway i prefer canadian CF-188 over any navy/usmc hornet... so it doesn't really counts! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 CANADIAN , but after that comes USN. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChippyWho Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 (edited) there was not much century series in the navy...neither A-10...nor spy-planes or real stealth jets... An excellent point, and I find most of the Century Series (except the F-107 -what was that about?!!) absolutely sublime in elegance and pugnaciousness combined. Too bad some of them never got active and 'went CollectAire'! However, the salt-water guys did have some equally drop-dead kit: F-8, A-4, A-7, RA-5... A-10? Well, there was never gonna be an answer to that! Spy-planes: U-2 or SR-71, the latter still the greatest aircraft design ever in my book. Now, I KNOW the Navy had these, cuz I seen one on a carrier (Intrepid?) in 'I Am Legend' -would love to have seen that sucker trap! Real stealth jets: you got an F-117 -sorry, a highly capable aircraft but looks like an outbuilding collapsed in a gale! Or B-2 -again a fine machine, but aesthetically a boomerang designed by committee. I'm looking at these purely as modelling subjects, of course, where personal taste outweighs any other consideration. Now whatever happens, do NOT look at John Vojtech's Testors B-2 ...Oh well... Edited August 14, 2012 by ChippyWho Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erik_g Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Real men build Swedish Airforce jets.. Not a real man yet, but I will be, some day.. By the way, does an Iranian F-14 count as a "US Navy" jet? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mawz Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Of the two? Generally Navy, they have more interesting paint schemes for modern aircraft. But really I don't do a lot of modern US stuff, I like the designs, but since I generally prefer to do demo birds (for the more interesting schemes), I tend to do Canadian CF-188's or European F-16's instead. Better demo schemes. The exception is the CoNA schemes, which are just frikkin awesome. Now for classic stuff, it's A-5's and F-8's, the best looking jets ever built. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmk0210 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 (edited) they might not be the most modern jets, but there was not much century series in the navy...neither A-10...nor spy-planes or real stealth jets... USAF might not have the hornet... anyway i prefer canadian CF-188 over any navy/usmc hornet... so it doesn't really counts! The Century Series was a bit of trial and error for the USAF. The F-102 being a bit of a disappointment and the F-104, while beautiful and fast, not really being the answer to any problem the AF had. The Navy had the F-8 as the rough equivalent of the F-104 (The Crusader arguably better for its role), the A-5 as the rough equivalent of the F-105 (carry a nuke in a supersonic dash across enemy country) and the F-4 as the rough equivalent of the F-106 (supersonic, all weather, bomber interceptor). The USAF got the F-111 to fill the A-6 Intruder's role, but never had anything like the Skyhawk (small, lightweight, maneuverable, versatile) until the F-16, which in the 70s and 80s would be the rough equivalent of the F/A-18A/C as a multi-role jack of all trades, master of none (and probably doing that better than the baby Hornet). Edited August 14, 2012 by dmk0210 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mawz Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 The Century Series was a bit of trial and error for the USAF. The F-102 being a bit of a disappointment and the F-104, while beautiful and fast, not really being the answer to any problem the AF had. The F-104 was actually a solution to a problem the USAF had, but by the time it entered service the problem had been redefined (the F-104 was designed in response to the lessons of early F-86A/MiG-15 encounters, but the later experience with the F-86E produced a different set of lessons which the US adopted). The Navy had the F-8 as the rough equivalent of the F-104 (The Crusader arguably better for its role), the A-5 as the rough equivalent of the F-105 (carry a nuke in a supersonic dash across enemy country) and the F-4 as the rough equivalent of the F-106 (supersonic, all weather, bomber interceptor). The F-8 was more akin the the F-100 than the F-104, a very successful aircraft obsoleted by changing priorities which would go on to have a lengthy and successful career in foreign service as well, the only F-104 variants which were really similar to the F-8 were the F-104G, CF-104 or F-104S, none of which served in the USAF. The main difference is the F-8 was successful in US service where the F-104 wasn't. The USAF got the F-111 to fill the A-6 Intruder's role, but never had anything like the Skyhawk (small, lightweight, maneuverable, versatile) until the F-16, which in the 70s and 80s would be the rough equivalent of the F/A-18A/C as a multi-role jack of all trades, master of none (and probably doing that better than the baby Hornet). The A-7 admirably filled the Skyhawk's roles in the USAF, much as it did in the USN and USMC. And the F-111 filled a role quite different from the A-6, which had no real equivalent in the USAF (which preferred either smaller or larger strike aircraft rather than a single mid-payload all-weather strike platform back then, it wouldn't be until the F-15E entered service that the USAF would have something really akin to the A-6 in payload and capability). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
majortomski Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Interesting thread. Well since they cut me checks for 21 years and 21 days I lean towards building USAF birds. But I'll chase after unusuall USN birds too, i.e. Harriers, F-35s. My second preference is actually the other guys planes, Russian and former Soviet fighters. And I have a huge softspot for Swedish designs. I have the utmost respect for their outside the box solutions which result in very unusual airplanes. Now if I could only afford those 1/48 Lansen and Tunnans that are comming out! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
model junky Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I find that I tend to build based on the uniqueness of the subject and the time period of the subject More Air Force aircraft during the late 40s to early 60s were bright and colorful NMF aircraft; shiny! More Navy/ Marine aircraft during the 50s to the late 70s as they were very colorful with their squadron markings. While I build subjects of both services for all eras, I can only make so many gray F-15s or SEA F-4s. I find the modern grey stuff a little boring. I honestly don't see myself ever building another F-22 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Maverick Taylor Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 (edited) Interesting topic of conversation. Here's my ten cents worth!! If had to really choose an Air Force jet, I would take any of the twin seat F-15s like the D and the E and obviously the I, DJ, and K for foreign Air Forces. In second place for the Air Force choice I would take the B-1B Lancer. It's big, loud and you know you're in trouble if you see that coming over the hills at you!! For Navy, well it has to be the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and not because of the Top Gun movie just to set that record straight!! In second place for the Navy choice, F/A-18F/G Super Hornet/Growler. You notice, there is a theme here? Multi crew aircraft. Anything that has two or more crew members is cool with me. These are my main points of interest however when it comes to actually building kits, anything goes really. My stash ranges from WWII to Korea to Vietnam, to Falklands to...you get the picture! Edited August 15, 2012 by Andrew Maverick Taylor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
utley Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 There is no U.S. Airforce. There is a U.S. Chair Force however ;) Fixed it for ya. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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