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Kitty Hawk RF-101A/C


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Kitty Hawk has posted pictures of built RF-101A/C and an RF-101G models on their facebook page.  No release date given, but hopefully this means the kits will be released in the foreseeable future.  I have been waiting for a 1/48th RF-101A/C for as long as I can remember.  Even as kid growing up in the 80s, I always wanted to build a 1/48th RF-101A/C.  Hopefully this also means lots of nice new aftermarket decal sheets. 

 

Thoughts? 

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13 hours ago, Kurt H. said:

Kitty Hawk has posted pictures of built RF-101A/C and an RF-101G models on their facebook page.  No release date given, but hopefully this means the kits will be released in the foreseeable future.  I have been waiting for a 1/48th RF-101A/C for as long as I can remember.  Even as kid growing up in the 80s, I always wanted to build a 1/48th RF-101A/C.  Hopefully this also means lots of nice new aftermarket decal sheets. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

Concur wholeheartedly. The 1/48 RF-101C is the proverbial Holy Grail of kits for me.

 

Here's the facebook link...

https://www.facebook.com/song.wang.5076/posts/2085595758365705

 

Tony

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23 minutes ago, Ben Brown said:

The nose shape looks pretty good but they still used the B wings with the incorrect intakes, just like they did on the F-101A/C kit. :bandhead2:

 

Ben

I know...WTH:angry:! All the feedback given after their A/C kit hit the market and nothing but time to correct it and they just go ahead and release another single seater again with the wrong wings!! They could have corrected the wing and marketed the RF and remarketed the A/C. I hope they fixed the speed break sinkhole issues too. If not then I am glad I have a few aftermarket sets in the stash. Hey I'll still get a couple as I built their A/C as is but it would have been nice had they corrected that rather large error.

 

Regards,

Don

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They probably went with the B wing again to save $$, figuring most people won't know the difference. 

 

As much as it irks me to encourage their shoddy research by buying their kits, I'll pick up one of their RFs to replace my old Koster conversion. I'll probably rob the cockpit, windscreen, canopy, and afterburners to fix the KH kit. 

 

Ben

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Notice the intake front on this RF-101 (the same applies to the F-101 A/C Voodoo):

Image result for RF-101 Voodoo

See how it's pretty much perpendicular to the runway. It doesn't curve down and back.

 

Now, look at the intake of this F-101B:

Image result for F-101B Voodoo

See how its raked down and back/angle down and back.

 

The KH single seat Voodoo's use the dual seat  'B' wing/intake and not the single seat wing/intake. It's a big mistake and once you notice it you'll always look at your single seat KH Voodoo(s)  and see it.

 

Regards

 

EDIT: Spelling...:rolleyes:

Edited by Don
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2 hours ago, Ben Brown said:

... I'll pick up one of their RFs to replace my old Koster conversion. I'll probably rob the cockpit, windscreen, canopy, and afterburners to fix the KH kit. 

 

Ben

Good idea!

 

Regards,

Don

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  I never knew exactly what you guys were referring to about the  wing intakes till now. It's a huge difference that stands out like a sore  thumb once you know what to look for. It's something that they should have corrected, but like you said, it saved them a ton of money not to have to redo those molds. 

 

Joel

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Don't forget the engine vents on the starboard side. Another mistake that was pointed out repeatedly to KH. The new kits have the same error there too.

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To be fair i dont think ANY manufacturer who has done the 101 has picked up and molded the single seater intakes correctly.

Even the CH 101 recce conversion had late intakes which hasnt held anyone back from knocking out some great looking RF birds.

 

 

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But it's still a MASSIVE mistake and is completely inexcusable in this day and age. Imagine if this were an F-4 or for Pete's sakes an F-14 with completely misshapen and wrong intakes :jaw-dropping:!  The internet would be howling.

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Thanks for the explanation.   I started a Koster conversion a long time ago, but messed up the forward fuselage. Bill Koster was able to sell me an additional vacuform sheet  when I was ordering other stuff.  I also have the C&H resin kit, and someday I would like to build each of them, including the KH kit.  

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11 hours ago, Don said:

But it's still a MASSIVE mistake and is completely inexcusable in this day and age. Imagine if this were an F-4 or for Pete's sakes an F-14 with completely misshapen and wrong intakes :jaw-dropping:!  The internet would be howling.

Don,

   I completely agree with your statement. There are errors and short cuts on just about every kit. If every single kit was absolutely perfect, none of us would be able to afford to buy it, or in my case, my wife would have me committed for sure. It's what the errors are that each of us has to decide whether or not the kit is still a good enough example in scale. For me the vast majority are. 

Joel

 

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22 minutes ago, Joel_W said:

Don,

   I completely agree with your statement. There are errors and short cuts on just about every kit. If every single kit was absolutely perfect, none of us would be able to afford to buy it, or in my case, my wife would have me committed for sure. It's what the errors are that each of us has to decide whether or not the kit is still a good enough example in scale. For me the vast majority are. 

Joel

 

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Voodoo fan so I've built the KH A/C Voodoo errors and all with two more in the stash. The intakes are almost an impossible fix as they are so sadly you either suck it up and build the kit or you don't. Knowing that the RF will also have the same glaring error I will still grab two. My issue is that in this day and age with access to so many reference pictures, plans, and real examples that a model manufacturer would make such a massive mistake. Wrong seats, a missed panel line, a panel line in the wrong place, formation lights where there shouldn't be are all things easily corrected. But completely wrong wings is something entirely different in my opinion.

 

Regards,

Don.

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8 minutes ago, Don said:

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Voodoo fan so I've built the KH A/C Voodoo errors and all with two more in the stash. The intakes are almost an impossible fix as they are so sadly you either suck it up and build the kit or you don't. Knowing that the RF will also have the same glaring error I will still grab two. My issue is that in this day and age with access to so many reference pictures, plans, and real examples that a model manufacturer would make such a massive mistake. Wrong seats, a missed panel line, a panel line in the wrong place, formation lights where there shouldn't be are all things easily corrected. But completely wrong wings is something entirely different in my opinion.

 

Regards,

Don.

Don,

   Unfortunately, all the major kit manufactures are run by what we call "Suits" and or "Bean Counters". For the most part none are modelers, but financial businessmen who earn their living from the sales of these kits. The goal is produce the kit for the least amount of expenditure, hence, a larger bottom line. To them, the angle of a intake or misplaced panel line means nothing.  For additional versions, using as many of the existing molds as possible is a key in profits, and thus we end up with this syndrome of errors repeated over and over.  It wouldn't surprise me that their research to whom actually buys these kits shows  the casual builder, and even grandparents buying far more then us serious modelers, which is another issue of why we get what we get. 

Joel

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Wow some great comments here and as others have said it is all probably (most likely) a question of money. What do you have to spend to release this "new" kit. Use most of the parts from the first release, throw in some new parts, new decals, new box art for a little bit of funds and call it a day. Yup most people won't even know or care except us fanatics. I guess to them a Voodoo is a Voodoo is a Voodoo.

 

Yeah it bugs me that intake shape is wrong too. I tried fixing mine on the Monogram kit and still have a hole in the kit. Let's hope someone issues modified intakes as well as those small one on the starboard side some time in the future.

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The box art for the RF-101, published ages ago showing the Sun Run scheme, also showed the front underside of the nose featuring what looks like the Mod 1181 panoramic camera prism and some lumps associated with the ALQ-51 Vietnam era countermeasures, with RHAWS receivers on the tail but none on the nose.

 

So, apart from replacing the starboard upper mid-fuselage vent with a rectangular one and fixing the inlets - resin AM surely will meet this need? - we will need to consider: 

Pre or post Mod 1181 sensor arrangement

Pre or post Vietnam era self-defence mods

 

Need to see the sprues and work out what options are included. Otherwise, the test build looks stonking and I'll be buying a kit just to faff with, with another one or two to absorb the flurry of AM.

 

Really pleased about this kit. If it's 95% there we're laughing. Thank you very much indeed Kitty Hawk! You're a star!

 

Tony

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Gents,

 

Not too long after the release of the Kitty Hawk F-101A-C kit I had occasion to visit the Air Force Museum and photographed their RF-101C and F-101B intakes.  Here is  a composite profile and oblique comparison of the left intakes of those two aircraft for anyone who might still be in the dark about the differences between them,  They are substantial and quite noticeable.

 

F-101_Intakes-_zpszmhebgpz.jpg

 

To me, putting F-101B intakes on an A-C variant, is akin to removing the gun fairing from an F-4E kit, replacing it with the C_D chin dome and calling that kit an F-4C or D.

 

HTH,

 

Tom

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Since we are talking about the RF-101A/C I got my C&H kit out of the vaults and realized it does not have the camera windows. Ooops... the kit is no longer produced, and I got it at a store going out of business.

 

Not the end of the world, but still an annoyance. 

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2 hours ago, Superheat said:

...To me, putting F-101B intakes on an A-C variant, is akin to removing the gun fairing from an F-4E kit, replacing it with the C_D chin dome and calling that kit an F-4C or D.

 

HTH,

 

Tom

Nice pictures Tom and I couldn't agree more!

 

Regards,

Don

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I think there is at least one resin aftermarket maker that is considering making new intakes for the single seaters. That's all I can say as that person has not commited to doing this, as far as I can tell. I think it would be a good seller and I'd certainly like to do an RF-101A/C. The intake problem is one of those thing that once you know about it, you can't unsee it.

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Thanks for sharing the pictures. I can see the intake ramp, and the angle of the face of the intake are different.  Is the shape of the opening of the intake different as well?  It is hard for me to tell. I usually have difficulty seeing the shape issues other modelers see on kits, so I rely on others to find these issues. 

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