Miniwing 1/144 Republic F-84F "Thunderstreak"
By Matt Bittner
The Kit
Miniwing's 1/144 Republic F-84F "Thunderstreak" consists of 21 pieces of tan resin and two canopies, one being a spare. Decals are the usual ALPS-generated and are for two aircraft:
- U.S. F-84F of 78th TFS "Bushmasters", 81st TFW at RAF base Bentwaters/Woodbridge
- French F-84F of E.C. 1/4 "Dauphine", Luxeuil, 1964
Both aircraft are overall Natural Metal Finish. The USAF machine has a black anti-glare panel while the French machine's is grey. Included on the decal sheet are decals for the instrument panel and seat cushion/belts.
The F-84F comes with a complete seat in which it is placed into the hollow cockpit. You may want to add a control stick and maybe a Head's Up Display (HUD) but there is little room for other items, unless you want to hollow the cockpit a little bit more. However, what is included is plenty for displaying the model with the canopy closed.After the "cockpit" is finished, then add the wings, the separate tail pieces and the separate intake/nose. While I would add external gas tank pylons, I would leave off the separate gas tanks until after painting and decaling. Trying to work around them could pose a problem.
Once painting and decaling is finished, the complete the model with the gas tanks, landing gear and landing gear doors - but after separating the nose doors in two for each side. As with the J-29B Tunnan, you'll want to clean up, as much as possible, the nose gear before removing it from its pour block. That way the nose gear won't break as easily.
Conclusion
Another winner from Miniwing. Their 1/144 F-84F will build up into an excellent model.
Many thanks to Miniwing for the review sample.