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Tim, Great progress, well done. How did the decals behave?

Lets hope that they make it through to the kit then 🤞

Dave, Look at the picture of this render, it clearly shows a 2 stage engine, ergo an NF30, the shrouds are smooth, nothing like those seen in this photo of an NF36 and as used on late war NF30s, all the renders of the kit show it with the smooth shrouds.

Dave, there's the wartime shrouds that are smooth when viewed from the side, then the postwar ones with more exits, similar to those used on the Sea Hornet NF.21, the postwar ones are quite obvious in the linked photo.

Where? All I'm seeing are the wartime ones, not the later post-war ones like those seen here

Agreed but they also need the post-war exhaust shrouds too

@LorenSharp count me in, foolishly I've just ordered the forthcoming B-24H and I have a set of 100 Group RAF decals which need to be stuck onto something, this may as well be it.

Patrice @TEMPESTMK5 Can you give me your opinion on this, less than 25% or not?

They're a representation of what people are being told are rivets, real rivets don't leave holes and my airframe colleagues who fit rivets to be flush of the surface to within 0.005" would be insulted if they knew that's what modellers think rivets should look like. The rivets show up well on NMF aircraft (such as the Viggen you've shown), because they're made of a different material and thus have a different colour, they would be better represented by decals. So do I but as an aircraft engineer who's worked in the maintenance environment for 40+ years, I don't see those lines as realistic, quite the opposite in fact. Absolutely, preferably in a pub over a few beers! Back to the kit, if IBG can get the shapes and details right (which it looks like they are), I shall just grumble and fill those holes.

I don't like them in 1:1 scale let alone 1/72nd (our riggers aim to get a countersunk rivet flush to 0.005" in 1:1). It's a shame that we'd need to take to the primer etc. I suppose the main thing is that the kit captures the shapes and nuances of the aircraft correctly. I'm pleased to see the attention to detail with things like the three types of spinner, the wing roots and exhaust panels, thumbs up to IBG for that.

I really hope they don't cover this kit in divots (they're not rivets, rivets don't leave holes), if you look at pictures of the real thing in Radu's book, the surface finish is as smooth as a baby's bum!

Srđan, Glad you could join us, welcome along, yours will be the 2nd Yugoslav F-84G in this GB. Good luck

Morning all! I've just been looking back through the build threads after the 1st week of this STGB, I must say there's an awful lot of love out there for the F-84, we have 48 build threads already. Martin @RidgeRunner the original proposer for this GB was clearly onto a good idea. Hat's off to Andre @Hook for the most build threads ranging from the old Heller F-84G through to the latest SH F-84F, clearly an F-84 obsessed individual. Dutch Streaks are proving firm favourites as well as USAF Thunderjets, we've yet to see anything in German, Thai, Iranian or Turkish markings yet. Good luck and thanks to all who have made a start. There's room for more to join us and as we've only just started, there's plenty of time.

Thanks for joining us, Bronco's are always welcome although not compulsory for this GB. Any twin boomed aircraft is welcome.

Le Français? Mais oui!

It's alright Andre, you've come to the right place, you're amongst friends here. That's a rapid start, well done.

Welcome along Stefan, it'll be good to see an early E, this one is well within the 25% rule btw. Good luck.

Welcome to the GB with what will be a colourful addition. Good luck with it.

As a teenager I used to go to Ryde or Shanklin model shops, there was also a model shop in Newport for a short while around the back of Nodehill school (it was here I developed my obsession with Heller kits). To save as much money as possible for modelling goods I used to walk most of the way to Ryde or Shanklin before hopping on the bus, Southern Vectis' timetable helped with this.

Nice! Hopefully they won't cover it in divots!

Wow! New learning! How exciting! I never knew the F-84F had slats, I had the EditionsMinimonde76 book to hand and a quick canter through there shows only one photo with an aircraft with the slats deployed and that's the XF-84H Thunderscreech. Frank @bentwaters81tfw are the slats simple aerodynamic slats on runners or powered by actuators? The good thing from my point of view is the majority of photos of F-84Fs on the ground give no hint of a deployed slat so I'm leaving mine as is.

The E had a longer tail pipe which extended beyond the rudder, the tail pipe on the G finishes level with the rudder. The Academy kit caters for this. Most G's had auxiliary intakes on either side of the lower fuselage under the cockpit, some very early G's didn't have these as originally built. Again, Academy cater for this. The E's had the slotted airbrake which was replaced by the perforated one later on G's, it is possible to see G's with the slotted airbrake. Yet again, this is something that Academy provides. The G's had the AAR Door on the port wing, E's didn't (yes, Academy also provide this as a separate part). E's originally came with the clear canopy which was later replaced by the reinforced one seen on G's, Academy provide this too. The standard of moulding on the Academy kit is on the whole very good although it does suffer from the odd sink mark. It was this along with all of the options that made me snap a load up when Modelzone were having their fire sales.

Absolutely not, we've only just started, come along and join us.

After the weekend we have a mere 43 build threads, that's after the first weekend, that's stupendous! Thanks all who've supported this GB, we thought it would be a good subject and you're proving us correct. Looking forward to those yet to start too, it's always a delight seeing new threads appear.

Has it got you thinking you want to join this GB too?