1/72 Scale F-8 Crusader Reccomendations

[HCS-5 AO1]

I was watching some Vietnam era videos recently and it struck me that I have not built a Crusader in years, in fact, the last kit of this bird was the old Fujimi/Bachman kit that was sold in the late sixties or early seventies. It's not that I wanted not to build one again or that I disliked the aircraft, it was just that what I had seen in my local shops over the years never caught my eye. Poor box art will kill a sale if it can't grab a person's attention. Maybe that's why I still love the old Revel, Monogram, and Airfix kits that I would get as a kid, they just fired my imagination. When we started getting pictures of a completed kit on the box top it felt to me that the magic had gone. 

 

Anyway, I would like to build an F-8 once again and I would like to know who makes the best one in 1/72 scale. I really would like one with at least a basic cockpit as I remember the Fujimi kit was okay and the off-scale Revell kit of the same period that I had been given as a gift was seriously lacking, in everything. Since I never worked on this airframe personally, the last ones in the Navy at the time were RF-8's that a Reserve unit was flying out of Anderson AFB or somewhere near that base in the early 1980s. Surface detail isn't much of a concern as if it's got rivet pox I can just sand them down but I would just a decent kit of good quality. 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2018 by HCS-5 AO1
Faulty memory

[Laurent]

For E and J versions, the best kit is the Academy.

[habu2]

Academy. 

 

The old Esci kit looks good in the box but I haven’t built it. 

[Laurent]

1 hour ago, habu2 said:

The old Esci kit looks good in the box but I haven’t built it. 

I've built it when I got back in modelling. Recessed panel lines but not nice. Reverse-engineering based on the Hasegawa kit AFAIK. Rebox of the Kangnam kit I'd say (same misaligned fasteners on the front fuselage panels): http://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=6481&mobile=on

[picknpluck]

The Academy kit without a doubt for 1/72. It is a REALLY nice kit! 

[Paul Boyer]

Hands down, the Academy Crusader kit. Only good for the later versions, however, F-8E, F-8J and the foreign air arms. Earlier versions can be done with extra modeling to reshape the nose and radome. The Photo Crusader (F8U-1P, RF-8A/RF-8G) will need a conversion kit, and none really are great. Maybe someday another company will do the Photosader - maybe like Sword. Here's my Academy model:

 

 

[Hajo L.]

Just to add to the choir: The Academy F-8!

 

 

HAJO

[Johnopfor]

12 hours ago, Paul Boyer said:

Hands down, the Academy Crusader kit. Only good for the later versions, however, F-8E, F-8J and the foreign air arms. Earlier versions can be done with extra modeling to reshape the nose and radome. 

 

 

Muroc models has some conversion sets for the Academy kits for early Crusader versions....

 

https://www.facebook.com/MurocModels/

[Keroburner89]

Another +1 for the Academy kit, and they've been doing some nice repops with LE decals such as the E with VF-111 and VF-162. It's gorgeous, but yes as mentioned, such a lack of scale love for the A, C and RF-8 in both 1/72 and 1/48 unless you want to go crazy and do weird stuff with resin and vac form.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again... Kits of F-8A, F-8C and damnit an RF-8A/G!

[Glynn Jacobs]

Academy, again!

 

WARDOG

[HCS-5 AO1]

Thanks, guys, I was wondering about the Academy kit, looks like this is the one to get. Not sure when it'll go on my bench but that's the best thing about being retired, it's like a second,  or in my case, third childhood without the school and anime instead of the Flintstones and Bugs Bunny for entertainment. I might get two, one in Navy markings and one in Kazama Shin's F-8 from the anime Area 88. I'll need to find the decals second hand though since I don't feel like spending $30+ for the Hasegawa kit. For those who've never heard of Area 88, it's a Japanese anime and manga that was initially produced or published in the early 80s with three Original Video Animation or OVAs that was based on the comic or Manga. I had all the US comic books but lost them over the years. In the early 2000s, a 26 episode anime series was released. There are clips from both the OVAs and TV series on YouTube if you're curious about what I'm talking about. Just the fact that I have the chance to have a good looking model in Shin's personal markings is too good to pass up. 

 

 

Anyway, thank's again and Happy New Year!!!

[bdt13]

A01-

 

If you can find it there was a 1-100 scale F-8 in Shin Kazama's markings from Takara. It comes with a 1-24 scale figure of Area-88's hero.

[TheRealMrEd]

Don't forget the Muroc Models conversion sets for the F-8A and F-8C, using the 1/72 Academy kit:

 

 

Ed