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Best next level 1/72 Hunter kit?


stevehnz

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Skipping the Revell Hunters which are out on their own but have become either unobtainium or unaffordium which is the most accurate of the cheaper kits, ie Airfix, Frog/Novo etc? I'd like something that could be worked into a passable looking Hunter to try in some different paint schemes, ie Rhodesian, Kuwaiti for starters.

Steve.

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LOL - I am going through the same search myself right now. I am trying to chose between the various ones I have in my stash

I already eliminated the ZTS Plastyk one as its rear fuselage taper is way off and looks horrible.

I haven't found two sets of 1/72 plans that exactly agree with each other either. I am using the ones from Warpaint, SAM Datafile and some I found but can't remember the source. Anyway - a few notes may help you and I'd value other opinions.

Frog/Novo F1 - Seems pretty accurate early Hunter (F1-5) but a very worn mould - tips of wings/fin getting slightly short shot. No wheel wells, cockpit is a moulded pilot head and seat top and solid below that. Nose looks a bit wrong but sanding should fix it. No tail bullet. No Sabrinas. No airbrake. .Exhaust too small even for F1-5. Very poor detail and flying surfaces will need scribing in.

Frog FGA9 - Fuselage too fat, wingtip chord too wide, canopy sits a bit funny, intakes not angled quite right. Despite that, I plan filing the wing to a better shape at the tip and using this for a couple of Rhodesian Hunters.

Airfix F6 and FGA9 - probably the best. Yes it has shape issues. The nose is too long (need to remove a few mm between rear of cockpit and intakes) and rear fuselage is too short - I've read you need to add 4mm but I am still checking the amount for myself. Intakes look a bit too tall too. I've built a few of these over the years and haven't fixed the two fuselage length problems or the intakes and it still makes a good-looking Hunter to my eyes.

Matchbox FGA9/T7 - need the respective Aeroclub vacform replacements for the nose section for either F or T versions. Exhaust a bit too small. Usual Matchbox trenches. Wing tip needs a bit of sanding to shape.

For F1-5 and T7-8, it looks to me as though the exhaust can be fixed with the resin F1-5 exhaust from Aeroclub (designed for the Revell kit) but I haven't tried it yet.

Hope that is some help. I am sure others more expert will be able to provide more info. and opinions.

David

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Aaaw, cripes, it really is as bad as I'd thought. :( I'm guessing its FGA9s I want for both the Rhodesian & Kuwaiti ones, I haven't looked beyond that. Thanks for that input David, something to ponder . :unsure:

Steve.

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Probably the next most accurate would be the PJ resin kits, but it looks like they are also out of production. Sadly, they were never cheap.

Jim

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Probably the next most accurate would be the PJ resin kits, but it looks like they are also out of production. Sadly, they were never cheap.

Jim

I've just given my PJ Hunter away as it is way under scale with a thin, short fuselage and the wings have too much sweep back.

here's a couple of photos I posted of it against plans in my build thread in the Hunter group build section a couple of weeks ago.

23F2117A-98BF-40DA-9D53-4C742BD28C33_zps

B3871A5C-3652-4C1D-BAAA-07D1A17622C6_zps

Duncan B

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When toying with the Academy kit about two decades ago, I bought the Warpaint for the drawings, and was less than taken by them (and by the book as a whole, to be frank - heeps of data in the text that would have been better served with a couple of tables - I guess this was meant to substantiate the high word count...). I remember that panel lines didn't match between views, and I also think there was something wrong with the location of the inboard pylons in reference to the dog tooth.

Mark Gauntlett made a case on here why his drawings are the best (in the Datafile book), convincing me to buy one ;-) I'd have liked them to have sections included, but you can't win all the time...

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Steve

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be discouraging. How perfect does it have to be? Frankly, the Airfix one looks a very convincing Hunter when built OOB despite what I wrote. Curse this AMS!!!!!

DSCN2992a.jpg

David

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If you mean this one

http://www.super-hobby.com/products/Hawker-Hunter-F-Mk.VI.html

looking at the sprues pics on the above page, it's the ZTS Plastyk kit with the severely over tapered rear fuselage. Pity about that as in other respects it's very nice. BTW, this was a ZTS Plastyk original mould, not a Frog repop.

David

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If you mean this one

http://www.super-hobby.com/products/Hawker-Hunter-F-Mk.VI.html

looking at the sprues pics on the above page, it's the ZTS Plastyk kit with the severely over tapered rear fuselage. Pity about that as in other respects it's very nice. BTW, this was a ZTS Plastyk original mould, not a Frog repop.

David

Yes, that's the ZTS kit. Apart from the slimline rear fuselage, the nose looks somewhat bulbuous to my not very well trained eye.

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David, I'm trying to convince myself not to succumb to AMS over this, something decent would do which sounds like maybe Airfix as best alrightish bet then maybe Frog's but leave the rest (ZTS) alone. I have a couple of Revell kits, goodness knows why Airfix did that horrible looking Swift thing when a nice new tool Hunter would have been a much better idea. My Revell Hunters are saved for bigger & better things.

Steve.

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David, I'm trying to convince myself not to succumb to AMS over this, something decent would do which sounds like maybe Airfix as best alrightish bet then maybe Frog's but leave the rest (ZTS) alone. I have a couple of Revell kits, goodness knows why Airfix did that horrible looking Swift thing when a nice new tool Hunter would have been a much better idea. My Revell Hunters are saved for bigger & better things.

Steve.

Perhaps because the Revell Hunter was - by many accounts - a poor seller. I know that here in Brisbane they persisted on shelves for ages compared to most anything else. Now, whether the Airfix sales of Swift were better I don't know, but they seem to be gone already.

Me, I'd love to see a good 1:48 kit, since I have a small stash of the Revell 1:72 versions, but wouldn't say no to an Airfix version, especially if they could add to their trainer line with a two seater.

Shane

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Dear Mr Airfix,

Now we need a new Hunter - in both 1:72 and 1:48 - to the same standard as your 1:48 Meteor, please!

And don't forget the 1/72 Javelin from the 1/48 kit either.

Duncan B

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Perhaps because the Revell Hunter was - by many accounts - a poor seller. I know that here in Brisbane they persisted on shelves for ages compared to most anything else. Now, whether the Airfix sales of Swift were better I don't know, but they seem to be gone already.

Me, I'd love to see a good 1:48 kit, since I have a small stash of the Revell 1:72 versions, but wouldn't say no to an Airfix version, especially if they could add to their trainer line with a two seater.

Shane

There was a time in the Netherlands when the 3 model shops I frequented were dumping the 1/72nd kits at very low prices (6 - 9 Euros). Also the 1/32nd F.6 (12 - 15 Euros a pop). So something went wrong. I did my best to tidy them away.

Paul.

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Was the Hunter a poor seller or did retailers over order in anticipation of it being a better seller? (See also Airfix Nimrod)

Whichever it was I wish there were some of them lying around now.

Duncan B

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