RoR SnapShot Review 20130724* Â
F9F-4/5 Panther 1:48 Scale Revell Model Kit #85-6865 Review
Review and Photos by John Orenski
The F9F Panther series was first rolled out by Grumman Aircraft in 1947. It was the Navy’s first all-jet powered aircraft and was first deployed to the Korean conflict. There it flew over 78,000 sorties and served as a fighter and attack aircraft. It also claimed the first air-to-air victories for the Navy in the war. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney J48-P-2 it was subsonic and flew at relatively low speeds compared to it’s Air Force counterparts. To extend it’s fuel load the Panther was outfitted with two permanent wing tip tanks. This feature actually improved roll rates and helped balance the aircraft a bit better in the air. Mounting four 20mm cannon in the nose and eight underwing hard points, the Panther could carry quite a load into battle. Especially effective in the ground attack role, the F9F was typically fitted with air to ground rockets and iron bombs: a carryover from the aircraft of the previous war.
For the Modeler: This is an Revell skill level 2 F9F-4/5 Panther 1:48 Scale Model Kit #85-6865. Monogram first released the F9F in 1/48 scale in 1990. When issued it was molded in dark blue which made some aspects of the kit a challenge. Revell re-released this kit and a recon version again in 2004. This time the sprues were molded in the traditional medium gray making things much easier as the details are easier to see. And there are plenty. The kit features a very well detailed cockpit with seat and separate rudder pedals, fully detailed landing gear and bays and airbrake detail underneath. Also included is a full suite of bombs and rockets for the stub pylons under the wings. Â The kit is made up of approximately 50 parts as well as a full decal sheet with stencils. Markings include an F9F-4 from VMF-343 and Lt. Brubaker’s Panther from the Bridges of Toko Ri. The external detail is raised which is common for older Revell/Monogram kits, but is very petite and well done. The surface itself is smooth and despite the low parts count the engineering of the kit seems very robust.
Construction Highlights:  I started construction with the cockpit. I sprayed the tub, seat, and pedals interior green and picked out details in gloss black. I painted the instrument panel black and decided to use the cockpit decals supplied with the markings. These decals settled down well with a little Mr. Mark Softener and was a good indicator of how the rest of the decals would behave. I only added grab handles and straps to the seat itself which pops with a little dry brushing. After securing the nose gear well to the fuselage and adding the tail pipe (a simple cylinder with a fan, as supplied in the kit) I buttoned up the fuselage. There were minor gaps near the aft turtle deck and on the belly by the air brake bay. This was easily filled with some putty and a sanding stick. After that point the wings are added. The gap between the wing and fuselage presented a bit of a problem as it was very noticeable. I fixed this, and added some dihedral, by pressing the join together and flooding it with extra thin cyanoacrylate and some zip-kicker. After that it was an easy build. One thing to remember however is you MUST add weight to the nose as this is a serious tail sitter and there is a lot of plastic in back. The tail planes are molded in one piece, right and left, and can be added even after painting and decaling. To finish the model I chose a Panther from VMF-343 with a rather nice flame motif on the nose and drop tanks. I painted the entire airframe in Model Master Dark Sea Blue with my Iwata NEO. Masked off and painted the natural metal portions in Model Master Aluminum and picked out details in the gear bays and air brakes with silver and a light wash. The decals performed very well over a gloss coat only required a light coaxing with Micro Sol. I outfitted it with a pair of 1,000 pound bombs and left the rest of the pylons empty.
Overall: I spent about a week off and on with this kit and I thought it was a very relaxing build. Everything goes together reasonably well and with said low parts count assembly proceeds quickly. There is a lot of room for improvement and with a little work an excellent replica can be made. As far as outline and accuracy, it stacks up even to today’s kits. If you are looking for a quick build, or some stress relief from a serious project, give this one a try. You won’t be disappointed.
About the Builder: originally from Houston, John is an avid modeler now based in Georgia. He has been building for around 20 years and His forte is mainly aircraft but he takes a break to build some contest quality ships and sci fi/real space kits occasionally.
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