A Tale of Two Crusaders

[Spino]

Current progress on the F-8H:

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[PR19_Kit]

It's the VTOL version. 

[Spino]

Actually this one's a J75 Crusader III, so it's T/W is more like 0.97 at combat weight, very good by the standards of the late '60s but not good enough for VTOL.  The F-8S version that I did recently would do better with that, with the big F401 in it 

Still thinking of a way to spin the ESCI F-8E as a what-if while keeping it a USN Crusader  Short of configuring it with something the Crusader never had, I'm at a loss for ideas currently.  Was originally thinking to print up some AIM-95 Agiles to replace the downright awful Sidewinders included with the kit, but that's not really a what-if since there are photos of a Crusader carrying those...

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Having it field test Agile in Vietnam doesn't seem very realistic since the USN probably wouldn't have been too keen on showing the Soviets exactly what their new dogfight missile could do before it was even fully operational (not that it ever got that far).  Then again, there was the F-111 field test over Vietnam, so who knows?  Does seem very unlikely though, and not a what-if direction that I find particularly appealing.

[Spino]

Painted the pilot and the seat for the F-8H, and printed a new seat for the F-8E.  I also painted the gun panels on the Crusader III and started lowering the cockpit floor (an issue I encountered with the F-8S build but forgot to rectify before printing this one 
The Crusader III isn't actually that much bigger than its little brother, at least in terms of length and wingspan.  The Crusader III does have a bigger nose (obviously), but the main difference is really in fuselage girth - the Crusader III is quite a bit chunkier than the F-8E, and for good reason (big J75 engine being the main one).

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The ESCI kit has a bit more detail in some areas than my 3D-printed XF8U-3 model does, but some of that detail gets added later on as I scab on things like the tailhook and comms/ECM antennas.  All things considered, these builds are likely going to be very similar in terms of level of detail at the end of the day.  The ESCI kit will be getting the new seat (shown dry-fitted in the photo) and most likely the same pilot figure that the F-8H is getting, and when I get finished with the F-8H's cockpit its detail level will probably be broadly similar to that of the F-8E kit, up from essentially non-existent right now...

[Spino]

Well, I did it again.  The F-8H has decals before it has its canopy, but it worked the last time so I figured, why not?  Was going to have to get the insignia on before completing the Sidewinder armament anyway. I'll have to come back and clean up the paintjob on top that connects the stripes, but at least it's on now.

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I also put on my best Bob Ross impression to do the flames under the intake 

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[George the Cat]

Very good. 

[Spino]

So it turns out that the ESCI F-8E kit is suffering from wings that seem to be warped upward.  Last time I encountered anything like this I wasn't really sure what to do, and so I just left it as it was (granted it wasn't nearly as bad).  Any suggestions?

[Captain Canada]

Dip it in warm water, then bend them to desired angle, tape over the top and back to hold that position until she cures. Love the look of the F-8H !

[Spino]

Dip it in warm water, then bend them to desired angle, tape over the top and back to hold that position until she cures. Love the look of the F-8H !

Good idea, thanks!  I'll be posting the 3D files for the Crusader III at some point, and I might even be willing to print up and ship out a kit if anyone wants one (minus canopy) for a reasonable fee.  Something about the look of this plane gives me the feeling that one or two more of these are in my future, perhaps even one in Royal Navy markings...