Tamiya's 1:72 Republic F-84G Thunderjet

By Chris Bucholtz

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The Aircraft

Republic's first foray into jet power, the F-84 was originally conceived as a P-47 airframe with a jet engine installed in it. Luckily, before the plane entered production in 1947, it had gone through a series of aerodynamic improvements that resulted in a thin, wasp-waisted fuselage and a straight, nearly untapered wing. It was a simple, workmanlike design - perhaps not terribly attractive, but certainly functional. One of the prototypes set a U.S. speed record of 611 mph in 1946.

This era saw rapid advances in aerodynamics, and soon Republic the U.S. Air Force realized that the F-84 would need refinements if it was to survive. By this stage the F-84 had reached the 'E' model, and the successor, the F-84F, would be a swept-wing, swept tail design, but engine and airframe troubles so plagued it that the F-84G was ordered. This aircraft reverted back to the straight-wing design of earlier models, with the addition of such features as in-flight refueling capability, an autopilot, a low-level bombing system and provisions for 4000 pounds of external stores. It was the Air Force's first single-engine aircraft capable of nuclear bombing. Clearly, the F-84's emphasis had changed roles from fighter to fighter-bomber.

That change came just in time. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the Air Force had a limited number of aircraft available to them for tactical missions: the F-51 Mustang, F-80 Shooting Star, F-82 Twin Mustang and the F-84. Before the end of the war, the other three aircraft would be retired, while the 'plank-wing' F-84s formed the backbone of the USAF efforts over the battlefield in daylight. Although outclassed by the MiG-15, it rarely had to spar with that jet thanks to the arrival of the F-86, and instead carried out its role in the air-to-ground mission with efficiency.

The F-84 was supplied to several NATO nations and served with the Thunderbirds, but once the F-84F and the Century Series arrived, it was quickly discarded as were many of its pioneer jet peers.

The Kit

Tamiya's 1:72 kit of the F-84G follows the example of the Seiran/Nanzan and F4D Skyray releases in this scale. It takes the very nice 1:48 kit and shrinks it down, keeping most of the detail but simplifying construction somewhat. The tip tanks are molded with the wings, as are the flaps. Otherwise, all of the assets of the larger kit are present here.

Reviewers of models like this come across as either sycophantic cheerleaders or grouchy nitpickers, simply because the model is so good that the flaws we are obligated to point out are minute and seemingly without importance. Bear with me, please!

Construction starts with the comprehensive cockpit, including a four-piece ejection seat (with decal seat belts), a detailed tub, control column, instrument panel and rudder pedals. The two-part gunsight is added later in construction, as is a detailed canopy shelf and headrest armor that go into the sliding canopy. The detail in the cockpit is exceedingly well executed, and certainly raises the bar for out-of-the-box cockpits. The only drawbacks are two ejector pin marks on either side of the fuselage right below the canopy sill.

The splitter is molded in two sections, with a compartment thoughtfully provided to hold nose weight. The nose gear well is included on the bottom of this piece, which will result in a seam that will be almost impossible to dress up down its middle. A single piece depicting the four .50-caliber machine guns and associated ammunition bins goes on top of this. The model can be built with the gun compartment open, so this detail will be visible. The exhaust pipe is molded in two halves, with an exhaust disk at its far end. Sanding the top and bottom seams of the tail pipe might prove hard, and a length of styrene tubing might make a quick shortcut.

The splitter, cockpit and tailpipe are then trapped inside the fuselage, which is superbly detailed with finely recessed panel lines, rivets and fasteners. My example had some blemishes around the center of both halves that will need to be sanded out if I want to apply a natural metal paint scheme. The wings are molded as top and bottom halves, with detailed and boxed wheel wells molded into the tops and transparent tips for the tanks. The pylons are molded into the lower wing halves.

The wings and one-piece horizontal stabilizers mount snugly to the fuselage through the use of interlocking mounting tabs. The landing gear is impeccably detailed, although the gear doors each have a pair of ejector pin marks. The best way to eradicate these small flaws nestled amid plenty of detail would be a Dremel tool with a small grinding bit, like a dental bit or a similarly small bit.

External details include the option of external tanks or 500-pound bombs for the pylons and, for short airfields, a pair of rocket-assisted take off (RATO) bottles. The canopy is molded in two pieces and is very clear.

The decals are the same as those provided in the 1:48 kit, depicting 'Four Queens' from the 58th Fighter Bomber Squadron at Taegu, Korea in 1952 and a 508th Strategic Fighter Wing aircraft from Turned AFB in 1952. The decals are printed quite sharply, although they seem very thick and some of the stencils are just plain bizarre, although they are so small only your severely myopic friends will catch them!

Conclusion

Once again, Tamiya has supplied us 1:72 builders with a kit that is both easy to build and spectacular in its detail. Despite a few clean-up areas, most builders should be able to build a beautiful model within a week, especially if they use aftermarket decals. If this isn't the best 1:72 jet fighter kit ever made, it's darned near close.

Thanks to HobbyLink Japan for our review example.