Italeri 1/72 F-5F

[pollie]

http://www.italeri.com/scheda.asp?idProdotto=2549

Now we need some exotic decals; Kursad you listening?

[kurnass77]

Armycast just annunced a sheet,look here.

Gianni

[Sebastijan]

Gianni, Armycast sheet is for F-5A/B Freedom Fighters - unusable for F-5F.

[kurnass77]

You're right Seb,just noted!

Gianni

[tobiK]

Armycast has no "F" variant on the sheet. How about Twobobs? AFIAK they made a bunch of 1/48 decals for the F-5E and F!?

[Hajo L.]

Great, a F-5F in 1:72! Haven´t noticed that Italeri re-issued that kit! Did it hit the shelfs already?

Also a great choice of kits-decals, I´d say!

HAJO

[Jay Chladek]

Excellent news. I have an Italeri kit, but have been reluctant to build it due to it being my only example and too many schemes to choose from. All we really need are some of the 1/48 F-5E sheets to be scaled down since most countries that had Es also had Fs (Saudi Arabia went with F-5Bs for training strangely enough). I would like to see somebody do the VFC-111 schemes done in that scale since they have a nicely painted F-5F or two in their inventory.

As for me, I'll probably do one in NASA colors (they had one for testing painted in a unique scheme) and a second one in MiG-28 markings (I have an extra Top Gun sheet I can use for that at least, easiest decal scheme ever).

[f5guy]

I'd much rather see a new tool 72nd F-5E & F, than a reissue of a pretty mediocre kit After all of these years, I still can't believe that there's not an up to date kit of the Tiger II.... Perhaps someone will do a resin cockpit for it? Fred K.

[Rex]

Jay, VFC-111 is one of the decal choices in the re-released kit. They also were included in an F-5N/F sheet by Authentic.

I'm glad to see this kit repopped, I have a ton of F-5F decals from over the years, and I only had one kit.

[Diego]

Iranian F-5Fs are already available from HI-DECAL: IRIAF F-5E/F

Finally, you will be able to make the F-5F with the big tigerhead on the fin, as well, switching the serial numbers, the F-5F painted in the dark green Azarakhsh scheme:

(MEHR)

BTW: Note that the Italeri reissue is the original, i.e. non duck-nosed F-5F. To make most of the agressor birds from the box you will need to use the flat nose and bigger lerx from their f-5E kit...

Edited May 9, 2016 by Diego

[Paul Boyer]

A few years ago, I built this Italeri F using the Authentic decals. Not happy. The decals were brittle and fractured easily. Also, the shape of the full-tail sunset design wasn't right with too large a red area at the bottom. Hope another manufacturer can do it better. And, like the others here, I also hope new kits of the E and F come along. They're long overdue.

[Rex]

Good to know, Diego and Paul. Thanks for the info.

[pollie]

Yes, I would also like a new F-5E/F and yes believe a proper one is long overdue but for now this is it. I am glad Italeri decided to reissue it because they are hard to find and it is, AFAIK, the only game in town. I will buy a couple for sure to add to the one in the stash....If a new one is on the horizon I'll quickly sell them :-)

[Quixote74]

BTW: Note that the Italeri reissue is the original, i.e. non duck-nosed F-5F. To make most of the agressor birds from the box you will need to use the flat nose and bigger lerx from their f-5E kit...

True that it appears most (all?) the decal options in this release feature the late mod 'duckbill' nose and LERX, but I don't believe you can steal or copy the nose from Italeri's late single seater as the noses of the single and two seaters are different (regardless of the radome chines being present or not). The F has a more elongated shape, with a subtle curvature not shared on the single-seaters. It's possible just the radome itself is the same, but I don't believe so. Anyone got E and F kits to verify?

It'll also be interesting to see if the plastic itself is modified to reflect the changes to the later two-seaters. When Italeri reissued the F-5E several years back they revised the tooling to include both LERX and nose changes that were applicable for the Swiss Tiger of the kit's markings. It was a permanent tooling change, meaning the original E boxings are all you'll see of the roundnose/small LERX kits. If the same holds true here the early F boxings may now be even more rare.

[thegoodsgt]

A few years ago, I built this Italeri F using the Authentic decals. Not happy. The decals were brittle and fractured easily. Also, the shape of the full-tail sunset design wasn't right with too large a red area at the bottom. Hope another manufacturer can do it better. And, like the others here, I also hope new kits of the E and F come along. They're long overdue.

Hmmm, getting the decals to fit perfectly on the vertical stabilizer will be challenge, even if they're properly sized. I may consider simply painting those markings on. The design doesn't look like it would be terribly difficult to mask.

Steven Brown

Scale Model Soup

[Jay Chladek]

I don't know if I necessarily would call the Italeri F-5F a mediocre kit given these were the best of the bunch when they came out in the mid-1980s. Yes, they have raised panel lines. Yes the rear canopy retract system detailing is crap and the aft cockpit's instrument panel was a work of fiction. But, the shapes of the major assemblies were very well done and out of the box it had the proper look (provided the canopies were closed). I've seen plenty of contest winners done with the F-5F kit.

That being said, yes I would LOVE it if somebody like AFV club were to use their 1/48 F-5E/F data and produce a kit in 1/72. Given the real gems that Esci did with their F-5A/B series (the Esci F-5B still being the best starting point for doing a 1/72 T-38), imagine what they could have done with the F-5E/F series back then. Aside from the Italeri and Airfix offerings, all we ever got were the crude Trumpeter/Hobbyboss offerings which were essentially Italeri copies with recessed panel lines. The Hobbyboss kit has some detailing improvments in spots, but it also went backwards in other things. The only saving grace for it is the kit is dirt cheap at under $10.00, but I've had to scrounge bits from an Italeri F-5E I built in High School to correct a few of its flaws (canopy and intakes). Even then, you still have some work to do though.

[hemspilot]

Finally, a 1/72 scale Mig-28! Nobody had ever seen them this close before.

[STEN8]

The ESCI F-5A/B kits in 1/72 scale are masterpieces - at least in terms of a mediocre model builder doing the best he can. I cannot address shape or accuracy issues, but they sure do build easy. And they look great on the shelf. I buy them at model shows whenever I find them. Like the Fujimi Cutlass, a Swiss watch of a kit.

[Andre]

It'll also be interesting to see if the plastic itself is modified to reflect the changes to the later two-seaters. When Italeri reissued the F-5E several years back they revised the tooling to include both LERX and nose changes that were applicable for the Swiss Tiger of the kit's markings. It was a permanent tooling change, meaning the original E boxings are all you'll see of the roundnose/small LERX kits. If the same holds true here the early F boxings may now be even more rare.

By the look of it, she now has the enlarged LERXs as per the F-5E Swiss Tiger changes:

http://www.italeri.com/scheda.asp?idProdotto=2549&idCategoria=1&idSottocategoria=3

Cheers,

Andre

[Paul Boyer]

The ESCI F-5A/B kits in 1/72 scale are masterpieces - at least in terms of a mediocre model builder doing the best he can. I cannot address shape or accuracy issues, but they sure do build easy. And they look great on the shelf. I buy them at model shows whenever I find them. Like the Fujimi Cutlass, a Swiss watch of a kit.

Yeah, I like the Esci kits, too. However, the canopy of the two-seater (F-5B) has problems. Esci, like the Sword T-38 (really mostly a copy of the Esci F-5B with some corrections) missed that there is a solid bow between the canopies. In the closed position the profile is a little too flat at the peak between the canopies. There should be some "flatter" point there, but the kit's is too much in my opinion. Nobody makes a decent T-38 in 1/72 . . . yet.

[RAGATIGER]

Hi there

One of the things to have in mind with the F-5F is the lack of counterweight on the tail otherwise in general is OK

Pne question for the Tiger experts? Who use the ducknose other than the Swiss, Malasian, US Navy Agressors???

Best day

Armando

[Andre]

Who use the ducknose other than the Swiss, Malasian, US Navy Agressors???

Republic of China and South Korea, for starters - and Austria, if you want to be pedantic, since they leased a number of Swiss F-5E's as a stopgap between the Draken and the Eurofighter.

Cheers,

Andre

[Mike J. Idacavage]

Hi Jay!

I like your thoughts about doing one in NASA colors (no surprise!). I built an Italeri F-5F many years ago (early 1990s?) in NASA markings. The references that I have/had were only of a predominantly white aircraft wit NASA Wurm markings along with a small meatball on the fuselage. Are you referring to a different color scheme for a NASA F-5F? If so, any chance that you might have a reference for this? I would love to build another with some more color if possible. Here's an old photo on my previous 1/72 Italeri NASA F-5F build.

For those eagle eye observers in the group, that is not a mistake with what looks like gun barrels in the nose. It has been years since I did the research but I believe that NASA either had dummy tubes in place or that they were used as a type of Pitot/air collection system as the photos I had clearly showed them in place.

Have fun modeling

Mike

:cheers:/>/>

Excellent news. I have an Italeri kit, but have been reluctant to build it due to it being my only example and too many schemes to choose from. All we really need are some of the 1/48 F-5E sheets to be scaled down since most countries that had Es also had Fs (Saudi Arabia went with F-5Bs for training strangely enough). I would like to see somebody do the VFC-111 schemes done in that scale since they have a nicely painted F-5F or two in their inventory.

As for me, I'll probably do one in NASA colors (they had one for testing painted in a unique scheme) and a second one in MiG-28 markings (I have an extra Top Gun sheet I can use for that at least, easiest decal scheme ever).

[RKic]

That looks sharp, Mike!

[Jay Chladek]

Hey there Mike. It was your F-5F that I was thinking of and one of the easiest NASA conversions to do if one has some NASA worm font decals in their stash (which I do).

I've only ever seen that one photo of the NASA F-5F printed in WAPJ (Volume 25, Summer 1996). I've not seen any other images of that jet. So I'm in the same boat as you are. As for the nose, the F-5F only ever mounted one gun. The second thing that looked like a gun was an avionics cooling scoop. It was slightly fatter than the 20mm cannon. Looking at the NASA F-5F picture in my copy of WAPJ, the scoop/vent is there on the right side of the nose (painted flat black like the anti-glare area), but there is no gun or scoop in the gun recess on the left side of the nose.

BTW, concerning the lack of a counterweight in the tail of the Italeri F-5F, it was only present on jets with the radar mounted in the nose. Navy adversary F-5Fs (at least those used in the 1970s and 80s, not sure about the VFC-13/111 F-5Fs or the former swiss F-5E/N models of today) didn't mount the radar, so they had no need for the 300 pound counter weight. This would mainly apply to anyone looking to do the black MiG-28/F-5F two seater seen in Top Gun. It is pretty easy to make one otherwise.

Edited May 10, 2016 by Jay Chladek