A while back, my friend fins (Bill) sent me a care package of model kits and parts. Included was a classic bagged 1/48 scale Hawk F8F Bearcat kit. Everything was there, including the vintage instructions.
It's a little hard to make out, but this kit's as old as I am.
However, this one came with all the bells and whistles.
Including the special set of decals
and a very nice full-color photo on card of some Bearcats.
With a reference like that, there's no way you can go wrong!
Well, um, actually there is. Especially if you have the shock cone and ring from a 1/72 MiG-21 laying around and notice it fits pretty nice.
That took care of the front of my Jet Cat, but I also needed to fix up the back and add a jet nozzle. Some minor surgery was called for.
Originally, I'd made a nozzle by cutting up one of the kit's bombs.
However, after seeing my progress via email, Bill said that nozzle looked too small for the huge jet intake. Doggone it, the man was right! I thought about it for a few days and then cut as much as I could from the tail and added a new scratch built nozzle.
Jeff Fontaine suggested adding wingtip tanks, which I thought was too good to pass up, so I found some large ones in 1/72 scale that seemed to work. Decals were all scrounged from spares and the model was brush-painted by hand with acrylics. This project took me about ten days, give or take a couple needed for consultation and problem solving.
I hope you enjoyed the Jet Cat and the forgotten history of VF-51. A tip o' the pin to Bill & Jeff for all their wonderful ideas! Thanks a million, gents!
Brian da Basher