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Best 1/48 F-111E kit?


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1 hour ago, Ben Brown said:

I’ve seen some mention that there’s some problem with the slats on the HB kit. What exactly is wrong with them?

 

Ben


 

Lots.  Biggest issue is that the part between the wing and the flap was some how created backwards.  Almost like someone took a digital file and created a negative image. You can even see itin the directions where the part (M7 in the attached photo) is narrowest near the wing root and gets wider as you move out towards the wing tip. Exact opposite of what it’s supposed to be.  And, no, swapping to the other wing won’t work either. On top of being molded incorrectly, it doesn’t even come close to fitting.  Also, if you look closer, the flap structure is a strange combination of the long and short wing version. Like they used the short wing dimension but tried to match the long wing flap structure proportions. The result is that several of the flap sections are the wrong shape.  Check out some of Mr Varks wing photos and compare them to the drawing below.  Lots of other detail issues but those are the biggest ones I’ve been able to find. 
 

Notice that the real short wing flap essentially stops at the last hinge point where the HB kit has another section after the hinge.  Not huge but it throws the proportions off. 

http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/f111indetailjr_3.htm

 

F4475C0E-FEF6-4DDF-9E19-3DA1FB15FC64.jpeg

Edited by Cliff C
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If you're looking to correct the misshapen canopy there's an upcoming aftermarket replacement coming from Reskit. It replaces the whole cockpit/escape module where the canopy shape/width problems start. Apparently they also have a replacement planned for the bomb bay, which also has some shape problems. As for the wing problems there is no available replacement, only a couple sets designed for the Academy kit.

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Bottom line is the HB kit has issues, so does the Academy.  If you are a purist and can't get over them then don't build an F-111 now and wait for a new kit.  Otherwise close your mind to these problems and have some fun building an Aardvark that will look good sitting on your shelf.  I built the FB-111 version and replaced the canopy.  Maybe someday someone will do a better job on a plane that deserves better treatment.  Until then Academy and Hobby Boss are where it's at. I think it will be a long time before some company tries again, and who knows if it will be any better.

 

There are people around here who are really passionate about certain aircraft and nothing but perfection will satisfy them when it comes to that aircraft in model form.  That is not a criticism, just an observation.  Pick a person you care about, or think is or was a really great person.  Go read about them on the wikipedia or some such site.  You will find all sorts of reasons they were not so great.  Do you change your opinion?  Maybe.  It is the same thing on this forum.  There aren't any models that will escape criticism from someone on this site.  Does that mean we shouldn't build any models?  You just need to pick the level of perfection that will satisfy you.  My $.02.

 

Geoff M

Edited by Geoff M
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17 hours ago, Geoff M said:

Bottom line is the HB kit has issues, so does the Academy.  If you are a purist and can't get over them then don't build an F-111 now and wait for a new kit.  Otherwise close your mind to these problems and have some fun building an Aardvark that will look good sitting on your shelf.  I built the FB-111 version and replaced the canopy.  Maybe someday someone will do a better job on a plane that deserves better treatment.  Until then Academy and Hobby Boss are where it's at. I think it will be a long time before some company tries again, and who knows if it will be any better.

 

There are people around here who are really passionate about certain aircraft and nothing but perfection will satisfy them when it comes to that aircraft in model form.  That is not a criticism, just an observation.  Pick a person you care about, or think is or was a really great person.  Go read about them on the wikipedia or some such site.  You will find all sorts of reasons they were not so great.  Do you change your opinion?  Maybe.  It is the same thing on this forum.  There aren't any models that will escape criticism from someone on this site.  Does that mean we shouldn't build any models?  You just need to pick the level of perfection that will satisfy you.  My $.02.

 

Geoff M

Thanks everyone 

I’m not hunting for perfection, just want the best from what I can get…

Have a great week and happy holidays to all 

yossi 

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I had fun fixing the Hobbyboss kit, the Academy kit requires a lot of work to look ok and a ton of scratch building to make it look decent.

 

The Hobbyboss wings are quite funny really. All the parts you need are there they are just in the wrong places.

 

Verlinden did a lock on book which is the best source for info on the wing flaps, slats, spoilers and wing gloves.

The cockpit of the kit is a lot of work to fix, and is unforgivable as its not right for any version and doesnt even work as a model.

 

None of the kits have the forward ECM pod mounting point, which is on the reverse side of the Pave Tack pod.

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Had a friend kitbash both kits together to overcome the shortfalls. I chose the Academy kit with a ton of AM over the HB, just seemed like the way to go at the time, either way it is a lot of work to get a semi accurate bird out of them.

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's worth noting that there is a third kit out there, the Revellogram (ex-Aurora) kit.

Run Away, it's both the least accurate and the hardest build of the three. It dates to 1966, but was updated in 1981 to be somewhat closer to reality.

Last boxing seems to have been in '85, so you're unlikely to find it.

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On 12/12/2021 at 4:46 PM, Cliff C said:


 

Lots.  Biggest issue is that the part between the wing and the flap was some how created backwards.

 

 

 

That explains so much. I built an F-111G and had a ton of trouble trying go get the flaps to fit and now they are fitted, they just don't look right. One side sags a little because the attachment point doesn't seem to be in the right place.

 

Our of interest how did you go about fixing it?

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On 12/25/2021 at 8:40 PM, Alternative 4 said:

 

That explains so much. I built an F-111G and had a ton of trouble trying go get the flaps to fit and now they are fitted, they just don't look right. One side sags a little because the attachment point doesn't seem to be in the right place.

 

Our of interest how did you go about fixing it?

You have all the right parts, just in all the wrong places...

I cut them all off and put the back in the right order on the opposite wing and filited the tip part back into the wing as that part doesnt exist.

 

The Verlinden Lock on book is the best way to go for detailed photos of the control surfaces.

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I've also started separating the hinges and swapping the flap parts to the other side...but as I was doing this I realized it is probably far easier to just trim down the excess material on the inboard side and build up the outer parts with plasticard. I'm also slightly worried about getting everything realigned straight again with swap method.

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3 hours ago, sea-monkey said:

I've also started separating the hinges and swapping the flap parts to the other side...but as I was doing this I realized it is probably far easier to just trim down the excess material on the inboard side and build up the outer parts with plasticard. I'm also slightly worried about getting everything realigned straight again with swap method.

That was where I started thinking, just to add a fillet but its a lot harder than you think, and laying them back isnt so bad.
Took a long time, a long long time but I dont mind that.

Leave the middle track on for a level then cut it off when you get that far along.

Worked for me.

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Something that I haven't seen pointed out thus far is that the Academy & Hobby Boss kits only have Triple Plow I inlets. They include variants of the inlet spikes both with and without the large flat panel that fits alongside the fuselage. However, the Triple Plow II inlet spikes are 18" longer than the Triple Plow I ones. DMold created better inlets for the Academy kit, but their store has temporarily (hopefully) suspended operations.

 F-111_page.JPG 

 

However, even this isn't a completely accurate rendition of the Triple Plow II redesign. I've attached a link to a tutorial a couple posts down on what it takes to correct the inlets--good fun! I have eight (!) partially completed 1:48 F-111 kits (2 HB, 6 Academy) eagerly awaiting the release of the Reskit cockpits so I can finish them off. Assuming Putting doesn't invade and their various updates get released, once I finish all my kits, someone will announce a new-tool kit that will be correct OOB. But, I'm not holding my breath!

 

Edited by mrvark
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