1/32 Trumpeter  F-100 D "Super Sabre"

by Peter Doll

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As already mentioned in my previous articles on ARC, I am a big fan of colourful USAF-Jets of the Cold War in their shiny natural metal finish and I couldn't wait to build Trumpeters Hun in the big scale, after having already filled my display cases with Monograms F-100's in 1:48.

I can say that Trumpeter's F-100 is one of their best kits ever released, apart from the fact that this kit has it's shortcomings too, but they are fixable.

The kit allows to build different versions of USAF's workhorse and I choose an early F-100 D (serial number 56-3307) flown by the commander of the 417 TFS/50 TFW while stationed at Ramstein A.B. Germany in the late fifties.  The squadron markings consisted of a red band around the nose and two horizontal parallel bands across the fin with white stars superimposed on the bands.  The squadron badge was placed in the center of the fin between the two bands.  56-3307, the boss bird, had a smaller third band in which the squadron badge was superimposed.  But the eyecatching difference were the drop tanks painted in solid red and had a big silver oak painted on them to signify the rank of Lt. Col.  The fins on 275-gallon drop tanks had white stars too.

All markings on my Hun are selfmade using computer techniques, except the national insigna.  The finish is simple kitchen foil I had already talked about in my previous submissions to ARC.  Very important is that only the backside of the foil is used; when using the shiny side, the model looks unrealistic.

Early natural metal Huns had no arresting hooks and parts L 6 and L 17 shouldn't be used in this case.  Early Huns (prior to about 1960 or so) had straight refueling probes and the small cutout in the dive brake.

Only a few aftermarket products for Trumpeter's big Hun are available at the moment, so I used only the Avionix cockpit set, which has one point of criticism, the parachute pack is molded integral with the seat. In USAF service the parachute was stored and maintained in the life support shop and never left in the aircraft. I've tolerated this on my model, hoping that the aftermarket will eventually offer a seat without the parachute pack.

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As you can see in the pictures, I've built my model with all panels closed up.  My main interest was to show this bird in its colourful markings and the clean lines than one in apparent overhaul.

The 200-gallon fuel tanks on both inner pylons are taken from Hasegawa's F-86F, because 70% of the photos I've seen before starting my project, shows the Hun in such a configuration.

 

While taking the pictures of the model, I couldn't resist to set it in front of a modern NATO shelter, although no shelters were in use at the time this bird showed up in the european sky. I was impressed by the realism the photos showed. I highly recommend to take photos of finished models in the open air and under sunny skies.

I'm sure that in the future the aftermarket will bring us a lot of correction and conversion sets for that great model and as far as I know Cutting Edge is preparing decals for more colourful early Huns.  Above all, the intake needs a correction and that's what I'm waiting for before I start building another Hun.

Let's keep our fingers crossed, that the twoseater F-100F, announced for this year, comes out in the same quality.

Peter

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Photos and text © by Peter Doll