F-5F + Rear cockpit detail in 1/48

[SERNAK]

 

Hello everybody,

 

I would like your help to solve an issue I have with a certain detail from the rear cockpit of the Monogram F-5F, which nonetheless also appears on the AFV Club kit.

 

The detail I'm referring to is a piece that seems to be something like boxes, as you can see on the attached combo of photos. Now, I presume these are there to host all the electrical equipment (circuit placards, etc.) of the aircraft however, both Aires and KASL Hobby as well as, on the real cockpit these boxes do not exist.

 

Does anyone know if this particular detail (boxes) ever existed and what was their role? Or, I should remove them from my kit?

 

Thank you for your attention guys.

 

 

Sernak

Edited September 20, 2018 by SERNAK

[SERNAK]

Back with an update.

 

I had further researched the subject and it seems that the F-5E is the only version that carried these boxes, (as shown in the photos above) that hosted the aircraft's avionics.

 

Now, I can't figure out why did Monogram and AFV Club chose to add these boxes to their kits, especially AFV since this is a new kit and therefore, better researched. I had also a look at the Hasegawa and Kitty Hawk 1/32 F-5Es. The boxes are there but, if you have a look at the Kitty Hawk F-5F, you will notice that are missing.

 

The conclusion is that the F-5E had hosted the aircraft's avionics in those boxes and on the F, these boxes were relocated.... somewhere🙄.

 

Hope this information will help a lot of you to fix this detail.

 

Thank you for your attention guys.

 

 

Sernak

Edited September 22, 2018 by SERNAK

[Gunny]

I’m not sure if I understand your question as it is written. But l’ll try to answer based on the are quite visible with the single seat F-5E. The F-5F is a two seater & thus those boxes you refer to on the F would have to be relocated elsewhere inside the airframe. Just because they are present in these F’s you have pictured does mean they are used. Just like many other kits are released with extra parts that don’t go with said kits because they are retained in the original tools due to anticipated further realeases of a different variant. All too common with just about every modeling company. HTH.

 

Semper Fi,

Masterguns

[SERNAK]

Hey Gunny,

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

The "boxes" I'm referring to that are part of the airframe on the Monogram kit (AFV Club offers them as a separate part) have held the aircraft's electrical equipment (at least, this is how they're described in one of the aircraft's T.O. that I managed to find online). Now, from photos I had the opportunity to find online (close-ups of that particular area) as well, from photos in several books about the aircraft, only the F-5E had them on the rear (behind the seat and the canopy's mechanism). As you can see on the photo I've got from the real aircraft, the F-5F had obviously relocated them somewhere else in the airframe.

 

As you point out, scale modelling companies have included parts for future releases of different variants in a kit. I suppose this is what Monogram had in mind when they produced their F-5E and F.

 

I'm not trying to reproduce on my kit every single detail of the real aircraft, however, some details are too obvious to just ignore, that is why I've tried to find a solution.