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On 6/4/2020 at 12:03 AM, mrvark said:

OOB, I recommend the Academy F-111C Kit #12220 (NOT the earlier releases). It has numerous subtle improvements over their earlier releases plus the canopy is MUCH more accurate than the Hobby Boss one. Also, it has a selection of accurate weapons and a passable PAVE Tack pod. It is not perfect and could benefit from any number of upgrades. But, if you're standing a couple of feet away, it LOOKS like an F-111 far more than the Hobby Boss kit with its awful canopy.

 

Just out of curiosity,  other than the F-111C, what other versions are the Academy kit better than the HB kit?  Did Academy re-tool only the 'C'? 

 

Thank you. :thumbsup:

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4 hours ago, JackMan said:

 

Just out of curiosity,  other than the F-111C, what other versions are the Academy kit better than the HB kit?  Did Academy re-tool only the 'C'? 

 

Thank you. :thumbsup:


The C kit was the only version that Academy added new parts to, and only in the 12220 boxing.

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4 hours ago, Dave Williams said:


The C kit was the only version that Academy added new parts to, and only in the 12220 boxing.

Unfortunately, only the F-111C kit (12220) was re-tooled (in honor of the retirement of the F-111C). Years ago, there was a proposal to do a massive re-tooling of the kit, but it never got beyond  drawings of what the sprue trees would look like. I guess that when the accountants saw how much it would cost, they nixed the project. If you want to do a short winged version, I recommend D-Mold T-P II intakes (D/E/F only), ResKit nozzles, and Scaledown wings from OzMods. You can also do wheels from a variety of sources (ResKit, Res Art, North Star & OzMods come to mind).

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1 hour ago, mrvark said:

Unfortunately, only the F-111C kit (12220) was re-tooled (in honor of the retirement of the F-111C). Years ago, there was a proposal to do a massive re-tooling of the kit, but it never got beyond  drawings of what the sprue trees would look like. I guess that when the accountants saw how much it would cost, they nixed the project. If you want to do a short winged version, I recommend D-Mold T-P II intakes (D/E/F only), ResKit nozzles, and Scaledown wings from OzMods. You can also do wheels from a variety of sources (ResKit, Res Art, North Star & OzMods come to mind).


Jim,

Did they actually retool any of the existing parts?  I though they just added new sprues, one with weapons, and one with general detail/correction parts.  Seems like the new sprue could have simply been added to reissues of existing kits.

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16 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

Did they actually retool any of the existing parts? 

It's a bit hard for me to tell you exactly what they did because my kits have been ripped apart, keeping the parts I plan to use and discarding parts that I don't need. plus they are no longer in their original boxes. However I think the speedbrake/MLG door was improved and looks similar the Scaledown one and the wheels and tires were improved (maybe on the new sprue). The most important thing to me was that a small RHAW 'dimple' on either side of the nose was added (had just been a square with an 'X' in the middle originally) along with AoA probes. I think the cockpit was improved as well. Sorry I can't be more definitive, but it is definitely a better kit.

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I have several Academy and HB kits in my stash, in several versions, and just about every aftermarket 'upgrade' known to man.

So, if I wanted to go all-out for an accurate model, what route might produce the ultimate F-111F ?

 

Still the Academy kit as a base, or the HB with lots of additional work ?

 

K

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On 6/7/2020 at 5:43 AM, Piker38 said:

I have several Academy and HB kits in my stash, in several versions, and just about every aftermarket 'upgrade' known to man.

So, if I wanted to go all-out for an accurate model, what route might produce the ultimate F-111F ?

 

Still the Academy kit as a base, or the HB with lots of additional work ?

 

K

First, follow the link in my first post on 27 May.

 

It depends on what you want to do. If you want a jet that's parked and loaded with conventional bombs, then the weapon bay needs to be open. That is a steep hill to climb with the Academy kit, since the fuselage break is in the middle of the bay. However, if you want to hang B61 nukes on the inboards and tanks on the outboards with the wings swept back to 54 degrees, like it was sitting alert, then it is okay to have the weapon bay closed.

 

The Hobby Boss wings are a hot mess. The flap vanes (the all-red things between the flap and the wing) are wide at the tip and narrow at the root (opposite of what it should be) and I have no idea how you can fix that. If that isn't bad enough, the pylons have two locating pins, which allow them to be posed in one of two position, instead of being able to rotate to any position. If you want a model with the flaps down using either kit (NOT mandatory), I suggest getting the Scaledown wings from OzMods.

 

Triple Plow II inlets: D-Mold. Nozzles: Reskit. Wheels and tires: OzMods, Reskit, North Star, ResArt, (there may be more) -- take your pick. External fuel tanks: OzMods.

 

Cockpit: You're on your own. I'm currently working on some personal masters that pose the instrument panel at the correct 11-degree tilt back vice the vertical orientation that all of the injection and aftermarket kits incorrectly assumed. (Left is the panel for the A/C/E/F/G or FB, Right is for the D.)

 

In short, the available 1:48 kits aren't quite as bad as the old Aurora "Me 109", but it's not for the lack of trying...

 

200605_1-48_f-111_cockpits.jpg

Edited by mrvark
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Thanks for those tips.

 

Eventually I'd like to build two models - one model with a representative Gulf War load on the pan - with flap & slats deployed, RBF flags and bay open etc. then a second model 'in-flight' carrying one of the El Dorado Canyon loads - probably the 4x LGH option - I watched the aircraft return from that mission from outside the base on Brandon Road, a solemn day indeed.

 

I have read through your recent guide, and some earlier posts, but I'm still unsure whether it would be better to go with the HB weapon bay and integrate the D-Mold intakes, or just scratch-build the bay using the D-Mold intakes as the side-walls.  The Scaledown weapons bay looks too 'chunky'  to use, but might provide a rough reference.

 

Have you ever installed the D-Mold intakes successfully (in either kit) to represent the required additional spacing from the fuselage ?

 

K

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On 6/7/2020 at 11:29 AM, Piker38 said:

I have read through your recent guide, and some earlier posts, but I'm still unsure whether it would be better to go with the HB weapon bay and integrate the D-Mold intakes, or just scratch-build the bay using the D-Mold intakes as the side-walls.  The Scaledown weapons bay looks too 'chunky'  to use, but might provide a rough reference.

 

Have you ever installed the D-Mold intakes successfully (in either kit) to represent the required additional spacing from the fuselage ?

I'm confused. Scaledown does a MLG bay, not a weapons bay. I don't have one, so can't speak with authority about it. It came out before the D-Mold intakes. The tricky bit is that the inside wall of the intake serves as the outside wall of the MLG bay, if you follow. Hobby Boss made a 'complete' wheel well, but made it as a 'box', ignoring how the air would get to the engines. Academy just put a shallow fake bottom instead, which isn't correct either, but allows the D-Molde intakes to fit without major surgery. The bay itself is hard to get a look into unless you catch the MLG in transition (raised or lowered) when the door/speed brake completely extends. For me, it's not that big of an issue. Intakes first, whatever I can do to mount the landing gear second.

 

As for the weapon bay, once again, Hobby Boss made a 'box'. It's a starting point, but the real thing was more complicated. at the front the 'roof' was 17" high, at 63" back, it was about 26" high and at the back it was 31" high. As I think others have pointed out, they completely hosed the doors. My advise there is to use the 1:72 Hasegawa kit as a guide and cut your doors accordingly. I plan on attempting an open weapons bay on one kit--Lord knows how it will turn out. Here are some shots of the PAVE Tack pod cradle and modified weapon bay doors. The one show the Eduard pod advertised for the F-4 with its nose cut off so that it fits in the cradle. Note the large cut out box to allow the turret to rotate and the hump on the other side to fit the pod. The funny little bit at the top of the first photo is the ECM pod adapter used on both the front and back stations of the F-111F.

 

As to your question about installing the intakes at the correct spacing. No, but I plan to do it.

Edited by mrvark
Pics too small--see below
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My mistake. Yes, I was referring to the Scaledown gear-bay, not weapons bay.  As you say, it's hard to see in there, so I'll just do the best I can.

I will definitely take your advice to use a 1/72 Hasegawa as guide for the weapon-bay doors, but do you have a slightly larger image of your own version, too ?

 

That's a great image of the modification required to the HB canopy/module. Many thanks.

 

Last question... how do the short Scaledown wings compare to the Paragon set ?

I have both, but I'd appreciate your opinion of the two options. 

 

K

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On 5/26/2020 at 6:47 PM, Hooker169 said:

Hasegawa made a line of 1/72 F-111 kits 20 some odd years ago. They pop up on eBay regularly but are usually pricey.

The Hase kits are very nice indeed.

 

Those were some amazing Vark kits. I built the 111F kit and it is amazing. I wish they would have followed up with a 1/48 scale.

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