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This is the start of the T-bird
parade. This is the group shot of all 7 models. 5 of the seven came
with the Minicraft/Hasegawa release from the mid '80s. They were in the
stash until the urge to do them hit last summer. The other two are from
different kits as will be explained later.
First up is the F-84G. This
was the first plane used by the Thunderbirds when they were formed in 1953.
This is the 1/72 scale Academy kit. I never did find any aftermarket
decals for this kit despite trying several manufactures. I finally gave up
and bought the Tamiya kit and used the decals from it. I put the Academy
decals in with the Tamiya kit so it was a fair trade. All the markings are
decals with a base coat of spray silver. The decals were hard to settle
down and much solvaset was used. The ones on the tip tanks were the worst
but they were persuaded.
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Second is the T-33. This is one of
the group kits and was simple to build tough to paint. The only markings
that came with the kit decals were the national markings and the tail decals
with the red scallop and small blue stars. All the rest of the markings
were painted on. Talk about a masking nightmare and a time consuming
process. Most masking was done with parafilm m. this kit was given a
base coat of silver before the red, white and blue trim markings were done.
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Next up is the F-105. This was
the first kit of the group that I started on. Again, as with the T-33, all but
the national markings and tail trim were painted on. This was especially
difficult on the bottom with the stylized bird markings. It took nearly a
week for that alone. Since it was the first on to be built, I had to work
out a system that would speed things up for later kits. I used parafilm m
as a mask and if you look closely you can tell that the image in not totally symmetrical
as it should be. the rest of the kits came out better once I
got familiar with easier ways to paint things.
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Next is the F-100. I my
opinion, this was the best kit in the group. The fit was better than the
rest of the group of kits. This plane has special meaning for me as an Air
Force brat (heavy on the brat). I remember watching the Thunderbirds as a
kid and this is the first of their mounts I remember seeing in action in the
early '60s. Again, all the markings were painted on. Since I
had done some before this one seemed easier and quicker. I entered this
plane in a local contest in Des Moines, IA and took third place in the category earlier this year.
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Next up is the F-4. I remember
this one as a kid as well, seeing them perform at Hill AFB Utah around 1966 or
1967. Again all markings were painted on except the tail trim and national
markings. After getting used to trimming the bird design in white it was a
bit more difficult doing it in red as it was on the F-4.
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The T-38 was the last of the group
kits, and the most difficult to paint. the bottom had a different design
and was tough to mask properly, especially since it tied in with the nose band.
It took several attempts before I felt satisfied. The decal sheet gave an
option of using the tail number or the American Revolution Bicentennial marking.
I chose the later because I saw them perform with this plane when it had those
markings on it. When the Thunderbirds came to the base I was stationed at
in 1977 (Ellsworth AFB, S. Dakota) I was one of the crew "selected" to
do crowd control at the open house that year. I remember it vividly
because my section of the crowd was near the extra planes that did not perform.
As I sunburn easily, and it was a very sunny day, I got a whopper of a sunburn.
I remember making fun of things by walking up to the extra plane and comparing
my arm with the red on the wing tip. It was a close match by the end of
the day!!
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Last but not least, the F-16.
This was the last T-bird of the group I did, and is the plane they still use
today. This was not included in the group of kits because at the
time I bought them, it was not being used. this is monograms early F-16
with Superscale aftermarket decals. This was also the easiest of all seven
kits to do. I just built the thing, sprayed it white and applied the
decals. It was a challenge to get them lined up properly, but still easier
than painting the markings on.
I hope you all enjoyed the pix.
Mike
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