Hasegawa
F-8J Crusader
"Red Lightnings"
1/48th Scale
Kit Number: 09868
Reviewed by Dave Koukol
MSRP: $56.99
Website: www.dragonmodelsusa.com
Background:
The F-8 Crusader was the U.S. Navy’s first
operational fighter capable of sustained supersonic speeds in level
flight. First seeing fleet service in 1957, the Crusader served with
distinction through the Vietnam War and into the 1980’s, and was a
favorite of carrier-based fighter pilots for air-to-air combat. Most
prolific of F-8 variants was the F-8E. Despite the type’s acceptance by
aircrews, improvements were necessary to improve its low-speed (carrier
landing) characteristics. Those improvements were embodied in the F-8J, a
wholesale upgrade of existing F-8E’s beginning in 1967. Increased surface
area of leading edge flaps and vertical stabilizer, and increased trailing
edge flap and aileron travel did the trick. Electronics systems were also
upgraded.
First Impression:
 High
expectations for this kit were immediately validated upon opening the box.
19 sprues of crisply molded light gray, black, and clear parts
and a large full color decal sheet whetted my
anticipation of the build. Surface detail is fine and recessed. Clear
parts are sharply molded and crystal clear. Leading- and trailing-edge
flaps are molded separately. The variable incidence wing can be positioned
as extended or retracted. As typical in Hasegawa kits, the instructions
are well sequenced, clear, and kind to middle-aged eyes. Painting and
marking diagrams are also very clear and complete. Weapons, though,
are sparse – just 4 rocket pods to mount on the fuselage pylons.
Construction:
Construction is straightforward, overall fit and
engineering is solid, with minimal filling required, with only a handful
of ejector pin marks requiring filling on visible areas, most notably on
the Zuni rocket warheads. I invested about 30 hours on this build, much of
it on pre-shading, decaling, and panel lines.
 Cockpit
detail is crisp and accurate compared to photos of the variant available
on the internet. The tooling and assembly design of the instrument panel
and head-up display are brilliantly executed and give the modeler a
fighting chance of having a decent looking HUD not susceptible to breaking
during assembly, masking and handling. Sidewalls and consoles have light,
but adequate detail. Instrument faces and switch detail can be either
painted or applied by decal. Disappointing, though, is the ejection seat.
The parachute pack is scaled back from the actual prototype – by about 1/3
-- with large ejector pin marks on the rear face. Seat belt detail is very
light. One would think with all of Hasegawa’s attention to exquisite
detail, it would also extend to the ejection seat. I will most likely
purchase an aftermarket seat if my Crusader is to end up on a contest
table outside of an “out of box” category. Also, the canopy fit is so
tight and precise in closed position, that it does not lend itself to be
easily posed in the open position.
 Intakes,
exhausts, and landing gear are all well formed and appear accurate against
photo references. The intake seam requires very little sanding and
filling. Wheel well detail is robust and convincing, with most visible on
the finished model. All three landing gear points are multi-part and very
nicely engineered. All 3 struts anchor into the fuselage by pressing
fitting into holes lined with bearings made of softer plastic. Kudos to
Hasegawa on this feature – as they eliminate the need for gluing these
parts, and also make them removable for transport – no more super gluing
sheared struts to the fuselage!
Overall fit and alignment of the airframe
subassemblies is virtually flawless. Minimal filling and rescribing
required. Like the landing gear, the variable incidence wing and
stabilators attach using the “soft bearing” feature. It should be noted,
however that to prevent the stabilators bearings from popping out,
bearings should either be cemented in place, or the afterburner can should
be installed out of sequence – prior to installing the stabs. From a
selfish perspective, I hope Hasegawa hasn’t tied this feature up with a
patent, as it should become the industry standard for all future kits.
 Final
assembly of wing subassembly to the fuselage was a bit nerve-racking. Fit
of the wing to the fuselage is very tight, but some quick adzing and
sanding remedied the problem. Even with that prep work, the trailing edge
flaps didn’t clear the fuselage portion of the wing root, so they needed to
be removed and wedged in after the wing is installed. With all requisite
force for jockeying of the wing and flaps, a couple of the main landing
gear doors were dislodged, and required re-attachment.
Finishing:
 Panel
lines were pre-shaded in flat black, and Alclad was airbrushed on the
natural metal areas immediately forward of the nozzles prior to
application of the primary color. Tamiya Gloss White and Medium Gray were
perfect matches for the Light Gull Gray over White scheme.
Pledge With Future Shine was used to provide a gloss
surface for the decal application.
The kit decals are sharp with excellent
registration. Colors appear accurate to reference photos. Multiple
applications of Micro Sol were needed to get some of the larger markings
to sufficiently settle into the panel lines and around compound curves.
About 4 hours were spent on markings.
A couple passes with an acrylic sludge wash for the
panel lines, followed by a couple misting coats of Model Master Acryl Flat
sealed the deal.
Summary/Recommendation:
One again, Hasegawa sets the standard for another
aircraft type in 1/48th scale. Despite it’s handful of challenges, I
highly recommend the kit for any experienced modeler looking for a great
looking jet with an average level of effort invested.
Thanks Dragon USA for providing the review kit!
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