Paul A H Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Grumman F9F-3 Panther 1:72 Hobbyboss The Grumman F9F Panther belonged to the first generation of jet aircraft developed in the 1940s. It was also one of the first jet fighters deployed by the US Navy and it served with distinction during the Korean War. Well over 1000 examples of the type were produced, but despite this the Panther was only exported to one foreign customer: Argentina. The F9F-3 variant was powered by the Allison J33 engine as an insurance against the possible failure of the Pratt & Whitney J42 fitted to the F9F-2. In the event, the success of the J42 powerplant led to all F9F-3s being converted to use this engine anyway. The Panther was eventually replaced by a swept-wing derivative, the F9F Cougar. The new Hobbyboss Panther arrives in a compact, sturdy top-opening box adorned with a picture of a glossy blue F9F soaring high above a desert coastline. Inside are three sprues of grey plastic and one small clear sprue. In common with other Hobbyboss kits I’ve seen, the parts are extremely well packed. The more delicate areas are wrapped in foam for extra protection. The plastic parts are very well moulded indeed. Surface detail is comprised of fine, engraved panel lines and a engraved fasteners and rivets where appropriate. The cockpit is made up of a tub complete with side consoles, an instrument panel, rudder pedals, control column and a single piece ejector seat. The controls and instruments on the side consoles and instrument panel are picked out using crisp, raised detail, although a decal is provided for the instrument panel too. Although the ejector seat is moulded as a single piece, it is very nicely done and will easily pass muster under the canopy. The nose gear bay and nose gear leg must be installed before the fuselage halves are cemented together. Care will have to be taken not to break off the nose gear leg later in the build. The landing gear bays themselves feature plenty of detail, which gives them a nice, busy look. The lower wings are moulded in a single piece which includes the main landing gear bay. Holes for the wing-mounted ordnance are flashed over, so adding the included rockets or bombs will be a doddle. The engine intakes are comprised of v-shaped pieces of plastic that fit between the wing halves. They will have to be blanked off at the far ends in order to avoid the dreaded see-through look. The aforementioned ordnance is comprised of six rockets, six 100lb bombs and two 100lb bombs – a very decent selection by most manufacturers’ standards. The canopy is moulded in two parts, allowing it to be posed in the open position to show off the cockpit detail. Two decal options are provided: • F9F-3 123071, VF-51 “First Kill”, July 1950 (this is the aircraft that scored the US Navy’s first air-to-air kill of the Korean War); and • F9F-3 122581, VF-51, 1950. Both aircraft in the glossy dark blue scheme depicted on the box top. The decals are fairly well printed and look reasonably thin and glossy on the sheet. Conclusion This looks to be a real gem of a kit. Shape-wise it looks pretty good and it captures the look of the Panther nicely. Although the kit is pretty rich in detail, it is still fairly simple and it looks as though it should go together without too much trouble. Fans of naval aircraft that prefer their models with wings folded may be disappointed by the lack of such an option, but on the other hand it makes life easier for those that don’t. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Now that looks tasty! Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tailspin Turtle Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 As far as I know, the F9F-3 was considered underpowered with its Allison J-33 engine and did not receive the stores pylons that the P&W J42-powered F9F-2 did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanzerPaulo Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Cant't with to see it in the local store... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I've got one. It is as described above, a nice little kit. Its on my to do pile but when, who knows! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Looks like they didn't fix the major canopy goof from their F9F-2. The break between the forward windscreen and the rear canopy should be perpendicular to the bottom edge of the sliding rear portion. HobbyBoss has moulded it perpendicular to the centerline axis of the airframe. Not an easy problem to fix...probaby requires a vacuform replacement. And Tailspin Turtle is correct, the F9F-3 was never fitted with underwing stores. That being said, this kit (and the F9F-2) are light years ahead of the old Hasegawa kit! Cheers, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tailspin Turtle Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 A few more thoughts and comments: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2012/01...-3-panther.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 A few more thoughts and comments: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2012/01...-3-panther.html Excellent blog spot there Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Excellent blog spot thereJulien Tommy knows his stuff when it comes to USN aircraft! Cheers, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMChladek Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Looks like they didn't fix the major canopy goof from their F9F-2. The break between the forward windscreen and the rear canopy should be perpendicular to the bottom edge of the sliding rear portion. HobbyBoss has moulded it perpendicular to the centerline axis of the airframe. Not an easy problem to fix...probaby requires a vacuform replacement. And Tailspin Turtle is correct, the F9F-3 was never fitted with underwing stores.That being said, this kit (and the F9F-2) are light years ahead of the old Hasegawa kit! Cheers, Bill Actually, if you build it with the canopy open, you can sand in the proper angles into the windscreen and the canopy itself and do the rest with paint. Provided the canopy doesn't get closed (revealing a gap) no one will be the wiser. Build it canopy closed and then it becomes a problem. Main reason why this -3 has the bombs is because it is essentially the same plastic as the -2. I would like to get the -3 myself so I can make the F9F-2 that Neil Armstrong ejected out of (even though I don't know what the three digit squadron number the plane was, or if it had an assigned pilot's name on the canopy rail). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billter Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 No underwing stores? I've just visited this website https://www.flying-tigers.co.uk/2017/grumman-f9f-panther-latest-hobbymaster-century-wings-inflight-200-announcements/ where one can clearly see the underwing armament... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tailspin Turtle Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 1 hour ago, Billter said: No underwing stores? I've just visited this website https://www.flying-tigers.co.uk/2017/grumman-f9f-panther-latest-hobbymaster-century-wings-inflight-200-announcements/ where one can clearly see the underwing armament... I looked but didn't see any photos or other evidence that the -3 ever got the capability to carry external stores. The -2B, yes; most -2's eventually; the -5s from the get-go but not the -3 with its Allison engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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