TANMODEL Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star - 1/72 TANMODEL

[Julien]

Lockheed T-33
1:72 TanModel

 

 

 

The T-33 is a jet trainer developed from the P-80 Shooting Star by Lockheed during the late-1940s. Initially intended as a trainer variant of the P-80 fighter aircraft, the T-33 was created by lengthening the fuselage of the P-80 by approximately three feet and adding a second cockpit. Over 7,000 T-33s were built in total, far outstripping production number of the original fighter aircraft. In total, over 30 nations have used the T-33, many of which were supplied via the US Foreign Military Assistance programme. As well as being one of the most widely used jet trainers in the world, the T-33 has been used for reconnaissance, target towing, drone directing, and even as an aerial target. Some counties have flown the T-33 on combat operations, for example the Cuban Air Force during the Bay of Pigs invasion. A handful of airframes are still in service with the Bolivian Air Force, and of course many more fly on in the hands of private operators. As well as those manufactured in the US, T-33s were made under licence by Canadair in Canada, and Kawasaki in Japan.
 

 

The Kit
For this kit Tan model have taken the excellent Platz Plastic and re-boxed this for the European market with an impressive 10 decal options and a set of canopy masks. Tan Model have even impressed Platz to such an extent that they are going to import this boxing back to Japan (at the time of writing it is unsure if this will cause a modelling paradox making the world to implode!).  The kit is packed into a glossy, top-opening box, inside which are four sprues of grey plastic, a single small clear sprue, decals, masks  and instructions. As with other kits by Platz, the parts are superbly moulded and the overall impression is of a high-quality, state-of-the-art kit. Surface detail is very good, with finely engraved panel lines and fastener/rivet detail. There is no evidence of flash anywhere on the parts and ejector pin marks are well controlled. The sprue gates are fairly restrained, although those on the leading edge of the wing will need to be dealt with carefully.

 

Fans of the unconventional look away now, as construction starts with the cockpit. This sub-assembly is made up of eight parts, including a nicely moulded cockpit tub, a pair each of ejector seats, instrument panels and control columns, and the internal framework for the canopy. The instrument panels and side consoles are represented with fine, raised detail, but decals are also provided if you prefer them. The seats are perhaps the weakest aspect of this area, although they are far from bad.

The fuselage is split into four parts, with a break just aft of the wing trailing edge. The cockpit fits inside the front fuselage along with the nose gear bay and rear bulkhead. The aft section can be left off anf the engine exposed. There is a trolley for the rear fuselage. The instructions recommend the addition of 3 grams of nose weight, so take heed of this lest you end up with a tail sitter.
 

 

 

Moving further down the airframe, the rear fuselage is split vertically with the tailfin moulded in one piece on the port side. Nevertheless, the trailing edge of the rudder is a little thick and could benefit from some sanding down. Here the join line is moulded at the bottom of the starboard side of the fin along a complex panel line at the base of the fin in order to disguise the join on the finished model. A basic jet pipe is included to prevent the dreaded see-through effect. The wings are split into upper and lower halves, with the lower span moulded in a single piece. The main landing gear bay is pretty good, with some convincing structural detail moulded in place. The tip tanks look very good, but you will need to take care when sanding out the join line so as not to destroy the raised reinforcing strip.
 

 

The landing gear is very nice for the scale, and the wheel rim/tyre join nicely defined which should help when it comes to painting. The landing gear doors are all pretty thin which is nice, and adds extra realism, as do the separately moulded airbrakes and hydraulic actuators. The canopy is moulded as a single, solid part. This is a bit of a disappointment as the cockpit is pretty good, but having said that, it is reasonably thin and clear.
 

 

Decals
The new expansive decal sheet is printed by Cartograf and is upto their usual excellent quality. There are 10 options on the new sheet;

 

• Luftwaffe JA-396. 2/JG71, Ahlhorn AB, West Germany 1962.
• Spanish Air Force. E.15.10 No.41 Group, Valenzuela Air Base, 1982.
• Turkish Air Force, 4228/8-228, Izmir AB mid 1970's.
• Turkish Air Force, 25791, Izmir AB mid 1970's
• USAFE, 0-34958/TR-958. Soesterberg AB, The Netherlands 1972.
• French Air Force 53103/314-VP, Creuk AB, France 1970's.
• Belgian AF Ft-10, Blind Flying School, Brustem AB, Belgium 1968
• Italian Air Force, MM-51-17531/6-31, 636, Ghedi AB, Italy 1977.
• USMC 2138078/MY/078, USA 1975.
• Indonesian Ar Force, J-333. No.11 Sn, TNI-AU, Halim AB, Indonesia 1972

 

 

 

Conclusion
The original kit from Platz is a new tool quality product. The additions from TanModel make this a must get kit. It should also now be more available in than the original kit was. Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

 

Distributed in the UK by

[bootneck]

1:7th scale?  Wow, I thought this will be big!  Typo?

 

A very nice, clear and concise review there Julien.

[rs2man]

Just checked on Hannants website & it's listed at £31.95 , which seems extremely expensive , nice kit though it is .  I think I'll continue to order the Platz kit from Japan when I need one .

[kapam]

Thanks Julien

Great review of an excellent looking kit! 

Love the little humorous touches in your approach - you clearly have a knack for the art of kit reviewing!

At least I can afford to read and re-read your review, even if I can't afford the kit!

Incidentally though, I notice a sprue photo of what seems to be the jet motor and transport cradle.

Is that also in the Platz kit?  I recall reading that the Platz issue provided the separate tail, but no engine.

Can anyone put me straight on that?  Might explain the additional cost.

Edited November 16, 2016 by kapam

[Julien]

Hi,

 

Thanks. There appear to have been two versions of the platz kit, one with the engine & transport cradle, and one without.

 

JUlien

[stevehnz]

Any ideas which was which? I can't see me buying this at these prices but maybe the simpler Platz kit off ebay may be an option. I think I can cobble the Belgian decals together, from bits & pieces OK. Failing that, the older Hasegawa kit is looking better all the time.

Steve.

Edited November 17, 2016 by stevehnz

[rs2man]

6 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Any ideas which was which? I can't see me buying this at these prices but maybe the simpler Platz kit off ebay may be an option. I think I can cobble the Belgian decals together, from bits & pieces OK. Failing that, the older Hasegawa kit is looking better all the time.

Steve.

 

Have a look at this link to Hobby Search in Japan

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/search?typ1_c=102&cat=&state=&sold=0&sortid=0&searchkey=1%2f72+platz+t-33

 

One of them says "with engine" & is more expensive , so I assume all the rest don't . Incidentally , the Tan Model kit is listed as available to pre-order at 4930 Yen . 

[Paul J]

Tempted. I have some Leading Edge decals for RCAF ones which oddly enough are not included on the kit decals. There again, so many operators of the T' bird there will be aftermarket sets galore I suspect

[Julien]

1 hour ago, rs2man said:

 

Have a look at this link to Hobby Search in Japan

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/search?typ1_c=102&cat=&state=&sold=0&sortid=0&searchkey=1%2f72+platz+t-33

 

One of them says "with engine" & is more expensive , so I assume all the rest don't . Incidentally , the Tan Model kit is listed as available to pre-order at 4930 Yen . 

As John quite rightly points out the one that says "with engine" and shows the fuselage being split on the box art is the one with the additional sprue.

[Ultimate Products]

Hi everyone

 

I would just like to say thank you to Julian for the review, very clear and concise.

 

A couple of points for you....

 

This is an extremely limited run version, with a total of only 999 produced, we had the first 200, there will be no more produced  Once they're gone, they're gone!  Also, each kit is holographically numbered for proof of edition.

 

The Tanmodel (this) version of this kit has the transport cradle/dolly and engine.

 

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask.

 

All the best

 

Lee