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Can the 48th scale Hasegawa F-8E be made into an F-8C. If so what does it take?

Thanks,

Dave

Dave,

The only way to do it is with the F-8C conversion from Muroc Models. I believe you get everything you need except for a correct version ejection seat and the proper internals for an F-8C speed brake bay as the F-8C had a rocket pack in the speed brake bay. If you don't get an aftermarket speed brake set to show it opened then this is not something to concern yourself with. These last two items you'll have to source elsewhere. That I know of only the Cutting Edge F-8 speed brake set gave you all the necessary bits for all versions of the F-8 and it's out of production. Contact David Newman for further details/availability on his F-8C conversion at newmanispwest at yahoo dot com.

If you would like some images of the conversion just send me a PM.

Cheers,

Tom

Edited by Tom
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Cobra company do an F-8 Conversion, although designed for the Monogram kit there is no reason it wont fit the Hasegawa kit. The nose is wrong in this conversion. Though if you fill the nose on the F-8E it can be sanded back to an earlier one.

Superheat had a good picture of the nose profiles overlayed on here a while back which were a good reference of how to do this.

Julien

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Hi Dave,

I see you have already opted out, but sure, you can do it, it just takes a lot of work, either DIY or with the Muroc conversion, though that is much the easier way to go, but the conversion is not without some faults. I am traveling at the moment and can't get into a lot of detail on it but here are a couple photos that show the basic differences between noses of the E and the earlier versions.

C-Eradome3view-sm.jpg

A-D_vs_E_Radome_-_Left_Oblique_jp_copy.jpg

A-D_vs_E_Radome_-_Right_Oblique_jp_copy.jpg

A-DoverE_zps98c61fc6.jpg

EarlyRadomeAssymetry.jpg

Break, break..........

Antoine,

Your assumption is basically correct. For the D use everything in the conversion except the part for the upper left fuselage with the vent, and the spoked main wheels. For the nose gear you can use the Muroc spoked version or the kit disc wheel. Also do not use the replacement ECM exhaust forthe right fuselage - the D?H was the same as the E. You can use the kit windshield but you will have to remove the bit at the lower front that includes some of the E radome fairing. Check the photos above and this one:

EarlyWindscreenMod.jpg

Frankly, I think it would be much easier to use David's excellent vac with accurate resin internal framing, and shorten its center windscreen and use the kit IR dome.

For an H - the absolute best version of the Crusader, the above applies, but also do not use the upper wing part, since the H had the Shoehorn* fairing like the E. Also, use the kit instrument panel, since the H used the same radar scope as the E (the D used the same one as the C- the smaller round one). Do not use any of the Muroc wheels for an H, use the kit wheels.

HTH,

Tom

PS: It will be a few days before I can follow up on any of this, if that is needed.

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Hi Tom, thanks a lot.

I'm really learning something there, as I always thought that appart the different radôme shape, there was also a slight change on the whole front fuselage.

That makes the DIY options a lot more easy... At least I think!

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Hi Tom, thanks a lot.

I'm really learning something there, as I always thought that appart the different radôme shape, there was also a slight change on the whole front fuselage.

That makes the DIY options a lot more easy... At least I think!

Antoine,

There IS a substantial difference in the nose area, as the photos should show. I forgot this photo in my first post, it shows the profile difference very well:

AvsEradomeprofile.jpg

The APQ-94 radar was much larger than the APS-67 (B & C), or the APQ-83 (D) and required a fairing that extended back to where the intake blends into the fuselage. You can see the crease where that fairing meets the original fuselage in the second and third photos. All that area below the crease down to the intake must be removed to get to an ABCD nose. It requires shoring up the inside of the the nose with sheet plastic or epoxy putty, then a lot of sanding or grinding with constant checking for shape and symmetry, followed by smooth sanding and scribing in the details. It is a lot of work. I am working on some photos and drawings to show exactly what is required to do it yourself, but they are far from done and it will be a while before they are.

And that is it until after Christmas!

Cheers,

Tom

Edited by Superheat
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Thanks, I'll try to order those conversions.

You should have no problem getting Murocs F-8C conversion. I just got an updated product list from David yesterday and it's still available. He now has an F-8A conversion in 1/72 and 1/48 available, too. I believe Hasegawa is scheduled to re-release the Crusader.

Cheers,

Tom

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  • 2 months later...

There are two other options floating around out there for this conversion as well, but they are hard to come by these days and no longer being made as far as I know. Cutting Edge made CEC48419, a conversion set that included the nose sections and dorsal spine for the earlier versions. Cobra Company also made one too. I have no info on these sets, as I am just now starting the same process myself. My dad was a plane captain on a Crusader in the late 1960's with VF-13 and I am going to find a way to backdate an -E Hasegawa kit to -D in 1/48.

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There are two other options floating around out there for this conversion as well, but they are hard to come by these days and no longer being made as far as I know. Cutting Edge made CEC48419, a conversion set that included the nose sections and dorsal spine for the earlier versions. Cobra Company also made one too. I have no info on these sets, as I am just now starting the same process myself. My dad was a plane captain on a Crusader in the late 1960's with VF-13 and I am going to find a way to backdate an -E Hasegawa kit to -D in 1/48.

The Cobra Company set was (it is no longer in production) intended for the Monogram kit, and while it provides a reasonable hump-less wing center section, at the nose all it provides is a conical radome to directly replace the kit ogival radome. It also provides separate leading and trailing edge flaps and ailerons and main gear with a properly serviced shock struts and, hence, a better sit for the completed model.

48013lg_zpsrl3vlk4b.jpg

The Cutting Edge set, also OOP and fetching outrageous prices on eBay, provided just a wing center section replacement and two replacement nose halves and a few odd bits:

01_zpsj5dc7e6r.jpg

The problem with the set is that the nose is wrong. It was designed to use the Hasegawa kit windscreen as i, but the kit windscreen includes part of the larger E radome fairing so the C radome is too wide, too tall and too long. Refer back to the photo I inserted in my last post, as well the earlier ones showing the corrections necessary to the Hasegawa windscreen to convert it to an early version. Here is a photo showing an oblique view of a model with the CE nose compared to the aircraft:

CE_vs_LTV_zpsiumivr5g.jpg

In short, the only available conversion that is worth bothering with is the Muroc Models set.

Cheers,

Tom

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