KIT COMMENT
FIGHTERS FROM FROG & AIRFIX
HUNTER AND THUNDERSTREAK KITS RELEASED
GOOD LOOKING HUNTER
As with the Thunderstreak one is almost bound to compare the new Frog Hunter with its Mk. l predecessor from the same stable of with the more readily available Airfix version. Right from the start of taking the parts from the box we knew this was a good one and the more we worked on the kit the more we were impressed by it.
From the start it was obvious that the Frog model was easier to build than the Airfix one. Agreed there are not so many parts but most of the Airfix ones were superfluous anyway. The link collector bulges under the fore-ward fuselage for example simply stick in place and do not have to be made up with the Aden gun pack as well.
The greatest advantage of the new model is that the wings do not have the anhedral inherent in the Airfix rendering. One of the biggest problems with this kit was to rectify this fault as it lay in the contours of the upper wing half and could not easily be overcome.
Frog have also paid attention to the see-through problem that has so often dogged others in their range such as the Buccaneer. Blanking plates have been provided in the jet orifice and the intakes are also sealed off satisfactorily.
We also liked the way in which the undercarriage had been dealt with. There's now sufficient detail in the wheel hubs to make the model look like a Hunter though the old problem remains of getting sufficient lead in the nose to make it stand correctly. We found that by packing the nose section with small pieces of lead and plasticine that the object was achieved.
That's the good news.....now for some minor criticisms. The detailing of the cockpit was one of the things we picked on as having been skimped a little. The ejector seat looks a little odd and could have had more attention, so could the cockpit interior as a whole. The canopy was rather on the thick side too. It is often desirable nowadays to cut the windscreen away from the rest of the main canopy and place the latter in the open position. This is the sort of minor mod that can win local IPMS competitions and is a small but important consideration to the advanced enthusiast. One can argue that if the modeller is experienced he will vacuform a new canopy in any case but even so we are lazy and often prefer the easy way out.
Frog have produced the FGA. Mk. 9 version of the Hunter which again is to their good as the Airfix one is a Mk. 6 without the bulged section over the jet orifice to the rear of the tail unit. This part was always a slight problem when modifying the Airfix kit into a ground attlack aircraft or the T.7 trainer.
The Frog decals for the Hunter are as usual a delight. An aircraft Of No. 54 Sqdn XJ642 has been chosen as the RAF subject and a Swiss version, a Mk. 58 of No. 1 Sqdn. J-4078 is the alternative. The decals themselves are semi-matt which is a great consideration as they blend much better with the style of polyurethane paint work applied to the Hunter and which can be matched by present day model colours. Both machines are equally attractive and we look forward to seeing plenty of the finished product on display in the not too distant future. The price of the kit is 23p.
Aviation News Vol 3 Num 2 28 June-8 July 1974
MODEL ENTHUSIAST
Predatory Hawker from Frog
Easily frontrunner among British jet fighters on the score of longevity, if one ignores the Venoms still fulfilling a first-line role with Switzerland's Flugwaffe, the Hawker Hunter has been accorded reasonable but by no means munificent treatment by the kit manufacturers, so a new kit of Hawker's graceful predator in its FGA Mk 9 ground attack configuration from Frog is by no means unwelcome. To 1/72nd scale, the kit falls short of the super-detail category, but it is accurate in outline, assembles easily and possesses some very good features.
Surface detailing consists mainly of fine raised lines and is effective enough, but the cockpit interior is woefully bare, featuring merely a floor, a seat and a somewhat rudimentary pilot figure. The undercarriage is simple but neat. The doors are quite thin but the wells could certainly benefit from some added detail. The only transparency is the cockpit canopy which is clear and fits well, although our sample suffered some easily-removable flash. External stores accompanying the kit comprise a pair of fuel tanks and two rocket pods. Weight, incidentally, is called for in the extreme nose in order to balance the tail.
The assembly instructions are adequate and the colour guide on the bottom of the box offers full marking and camouflage detail for the two versions of the Hunter that may be produced from this kit. The decal sheet is excellent in all respects, giving full markings for an FGA Mk 9 of No 54 Sqdn, RAF, at West Raynham in 1968, and also for an F Mk 58 of Fliegerstaffel 1 of the Uberwachungs-geschwader (Surveillance Wing) of the Swiss Flugwaffe, 1964. Both aircraft are camouflaged in dark green and dark sea grey, with Light Aircraft Grey and natural metal under-surfaces respectively. This kit must certainly prove popular, and deservedly so at the UK price of 50p.
F J HENDERSON
Air Enthusiast 1974-11 vol.07 no.11
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