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F-5A 'Freedom Fighter' * * F I N I S H E D * *

F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'

moon puppy said:
Very nice, I know you're going to move forward to the gear wells, they look stark in comparison.
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Yeah you're not wrong, Bob, as you say, still a work in progress. Got a whole day off today (well until 3pm when Daddies Little Stormtroopers return to the nest), so will be able work on the loadout for this and more mottling on the Ju88.

Ian.
 
F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'

phantom II said:
Not sure on the F-5 since it's not quite a T-38 a but they are more similar then not. Our T-38's stayed quite clean, except for some ( yellow ) oil seepage from the engines .
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Yeah, I take your point, Christian however you cannot beat a pic of the real thing as a reference, eh ?? :eek:ldguy

Ian.
 
F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'

I agree with a picture . On the other hand that bird is being operated by the Vietnamese rather than the US air force.

Might be a difference in the maintenance aspect . :hmmm

That particular one does not even look like there is any paint on the lower boat tail are.

Anyway, I always thought the skoshi tigers were cool looking aircraft (y)

Cheers, Christian B)
 
F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'

phantom II said:
That particular one does not even look like there is any paint on the lower boat tail are.
Click to expand...

Good catch, Christian - some (not all) VnAF F-5's were fitted-out with an applique armour kit which not just reduced the vulnerability of the engines to ground fire, but strengthened the rear fuselage area. Mine is going to be 'pre-update' !!

Ian.
 
F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'

There was no shortage of dirty are craft in Nam. Gary S. I really like your technique. See there is a reason to do armor modeling. :eek:ldguy :good:
 
F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'

You are going to hate me for this. The landing gear and speed brake wells, door interiors, struts, actuators and wheels were painted matte aluminium lacquer.

Cheers,
Rich
 
F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'

OK Rich, that's not a problem. Obviously mine will stay white now, it's a hobby not life & death, right ?? - And, I don't do "hate" life is way too short for that nonsense wouldn't you say (y)



Ian.
 
F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'

Wheels & pylons on...

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Looks to me like we just turned on to 'long finals...'

Ian.
 
F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'

Brilliant work man! I like it! Looks like you're on the home stretch now!

Rich, there's nothing to 'hate'; it's your model, build it how you like!
 
F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'

Matt coated yesterday then later-on removed the masking and 'pinged-off' the big canopy. I glued that to the seat & hinge mechanism and left the whole thing to set overnight.

It'z 0745 here now so not yet checked on it. If all has gone ok then it'll be finished sometime today or this evening. Thanks for the support through the build everyone, always appreciated an never taken for granted.

Ian.
 
Kit - Kinetic 1:48
Paint - All enamels: AK Xtreme Metal, Tamiya & Xtracolour
Decals - Kit
Extras - Eduard Zoom set & LAU-3 pods from Tamiya A-1J.

Northrop F-5A 'Freedom Fighter'
522nd Squadron, 23rd Tactical Wing
Tan Son Nhut AB
Late 1967



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Mostly the kit was an easy and rewarding build - I say mostly as you may recall, the fit of the intakes was laughable, not so much as a gap at the rear, more of a 'yawning chasm' - however, I've wanted a 1:48 F-5 in this exact scheme since I saw a 1:72 model at the UK Nationals when it was held in Stoneleigh in the late 1980's, yes I'm that patient. On the shelf it looks very comfortable alongside my other Vietnam builds and I'm really pleased with the final result.

Would I build another ??, well probably a two-seater with a full load of three drop tanks like we used to see at the Mildenhall shows back in the day. Please feel free to ask any questions, make any comments or criticisms.

AFN, next (hopefully) the Ju88.

Ian.
 
That's a great looking build ! (y) (y) Seeing it reminded me of my only close encounter with one while in the AF. Went out on a write up on one that was a transient. Dead of night, no light stands around, walking around it I turned too soon after passing the exhaust nozzles and ran into the back edge of the stabilizer. I hit it hard enough to leave a dent in my belt buckle and was amazed at how sharp the trailing edge was and was grateful that I caught it in the buckle.
 
That is one gorgeous little jet man! Most impressive! I don't blame you for being thrilled with having this on the shelf. Tremendous job man!
 
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