Robert Stuart Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 This build will be of a CF-5D* in the Botswana Defence Air Wing. The aircraft was licence built for the Royal Canadian Air Force before being sold to Botswana. The kit is a Kinetic boxing: Coincidentally, the box art shows a Canadian Freedom Fighter in the same scheme that I will use for the Botswana example. (Possibly the same airframe in earlier days?) AM So far, I have some decals from Aztec And, this is the scheme I'll be aiming for The same aircraft can be seen on the Botswana Defence Force Air Wing Wiki Page - though dusty and seen with a low sun. The decals offer roundels (triangles) for four positions: two for the fuselage, and two as options for the wings. If anybody knows whether Botswana uses wing roundels on this type, I'd be interested to learn - Aztec themselves are uncertain. There is a monograph about the Botswana Defence Force Air Arm (here) that shows a Strikemaster with roundels in typical USAF locations. *Locally designated BF-5, the official Canadian designation of the type was the CF-116D. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 A cool subject choice and an uncommon one at that Robert. It would be great if that was the same machine in an earlier life on the box art. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 Great choice Robert, both of aircraft and markings. It really is a very nice scheme. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 Botswana wow, and what a great scheme too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 15, 2021 Author Share Posted February 15, 2021 Thanks guys, I like that scheme too. (Just hope nobody expecting a red/yellow number under the 'pit) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 A great choice Robert. Is it just me, or do we not see many F-5's turning up on BritModeller? Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 18 minutes ago, CliffB said: A great choice Robert. Is it just me, or do we not see many F-5's turning up on BritModeller? Cheers Thanks, Cliff, They are unusual here - and, perhaps generally in the community? There is an F-5 STGB proposal (I know you've signed up for that ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busnproplinerfan Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 I was wondering what happened to them. They were refurbed to near zero time condition in the early '90s then shortly after were all sold off. Only two stayed here flying but only saw them on the odd day and no one was allowed to photograph them. Think the company that did the rebuilds (Bristol Aerospace here in Winnipeg, now Magellan) used them as their toys. My cousin worked there clean for a short time and was told she'd be fired if she took a picture, that was in 2002. I wonder if Botswana still has them or would sell a couple back here. This will be a nice model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 Sorry @busnproplinerfan , this is a dry answer, but ... Public sources show different answers, but, so far as I can tell, Botswana currently has 3 CF-5 conversion trainers and 10 fighters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botswana_Defence_Force_Air_Wing#Current_inventory) There is a history of Botswana's CF-5s on the F-5 Enthusiasts site: https://www.the-northrop-f-5-enthusiast-page.info/AirForces/BotswanaAF.html The same site gives a summary of individual Canadian CF-5 movements here: https://www.the-northrop-f-5-enthusiast-page.info/Serials/CanadaCF-5A.html And, that site has an index page https://www.the-northrop-f-5-enthusiast-page.info/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busnproplinerfan Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 26 minutes ago, Robert Stuart said: Sorry @busnproplinerfan , this is a dry answer, but ... Public sources show different answers, but, so far as I can tell, Botswana currently has 3 CF-5 conversion trainers and 10 fighters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botswana_Defence_Force_Air_Wing#Current_inventory) There is a history of Botswana's CF-5s on the F-5 Enthusiasts site: https://www.the-northrop-f-5-enthusiast-page.info/AirForces/BotswanaAF.html The same site gives a summary of individual Canadian CF-5 movements here: https://www.the-northrop-f-5-enthusiast-page.info/Serials/CanadaCF-5A.html And, that site has an index page https://www.the-northrop-f-5-enthusiast-page.info/index.html Interesting info, a few abbreviations I don't know but I get the idea of most of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoftScience Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Absolutely cool choice! I'm very much looking forward to this 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 The obligatory sprue shot: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 Made a start. As usual with aircraft, we start with the cockpit. Umm, er, replay ... I made some last minute purchases, and am now awaiting stuff for the 'pit, so am not starting there. We started by joining the fuselage front halves to their tail ends. There is a single seat F-5A version of this kit, and Kinetic took the sensible step of allowing the two options to share most components, but to make specialised front ends. As is common with this type of design, build reviews comment on the difficulty of making the join work well if modellers follow the instruction sequence. A start has also been made on the wings, external fuel tanks and lower rear fuselage. Already, there are detail differences between this build and Kinetic's instructions: Kinetic would have us use plain panels typical of US built machines. I've used the blow in doors usually found on Canadian built examples. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 22, 2021 Author Share Posted February 22, 2021 Soon after I wrote that last post, some seats arrived: These are made by WolfPack, and are a lot more detailed than the kit items. Finding these was 'interesting': there is a UK supplier (out of stock); there are stocks in Germany, but they tend to ship is by DHL only (not cheap); I finally found an online shop in Spain who had stock and sensible prices. Other progress, the wings are together. I managed to get glue on both upper surfaces - polishing back with 1000 grit wet-n-dry followed by kitchen towel has helped. The right wing may want further attention. Painting, or at least, priming has started, mostly grey on grey, together with some black. And a ... I was going to 'dry fit', maybe call it a ... 'loose fit'. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyOD Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Interesting choice of subject that! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 This should be good, and I'll be interested to see how you get on with the Kinetic kit. Nice choice of scheme too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 22, 2021 Author Share Posted February 22, 2021 10 hours ago, TonyOD said: Interesting choice of subject that! 9 hours ago, zebra said: This should be good, and I'll be interested to see how you get on with the Kinetic kit. Nice choice of scheme too. Thanks guys Well, there are known issues with this kit - the fuselage join I've mentioned, but another is the wing tip tanks. The two weapons sprues contain parts for the tip tanks, trouble is, they are both for the left wing. Kinetic caught that and included a right tip on sprue E (if I recall correctly). Thing is, this correction is too slender. This is discussed in various places, including Skids solution build in Britmodeller's 2015 F-5 STGB: He suggested packing the whole join with plasticard (see that link) My solution has been to use the Kinetic' right outer half (which seems fine), and the front and rear of a left inner tip tank, together with the wing join from the right tank ... Sounds complicated - see the rh tank below in my before and after piccie: The right tank has been padded with platicard to bring the wing joint in line - and, obviously, I have some filling and scribing ahead of me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Nice progress and a smart solution to the wing tank issue Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share Posted February 28, 2021 Took advantage of the sunshine to spray the 'pit grey. Of course, grey paint on grey primer on grey plastic doesn't look that different, but it is relieved by some black surrounds to the instrument panels - and the canopy interiors have been painted. The jet intakes have been glued after painting the interiors white - more white is needed on the splitter plates (?) before I can close the intakes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 Nice, absolutely uncommon subject! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 We'll take your word for the grey bits Robert Nice progress on this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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