| F-8 P Crusader French Special Scheme |
F-8P Crusader - French Navy Special
Academy kit 12407 - 1/72 Scale
Background
Progress in aviation is usually measured in terms of small steps of improvement. Occasionally
however, a design comes along that offers such a major improvement over its predecessors as
to be considered a milestone. The Chance-Vought F-8 Crusader is one such milestone. It was
the US Navy's first supersonic, carrier based jet fighter. In fact, the engineers at Chance-
Vought were so confidant of the performance of the Crusader that it went supersonic on it's first
test flight. Over 1200 Crusaders were produced with almost 500 of them subsequently being
rebuilt to extend service. It started service with the US Navy in 1959 and was finally retired in
March 1979. The design was a pure fighter plane with both guns and missiles and featured a
unique two-position wing to provide acceptable landing and take-off performance from such a
hot airplane.
In addition to the US Navy, the Crusader was used by the Philippine Air Force and the French
Navy. In the latter case, the Aeronavale usage of the Crusader started in 1964 and continued
to the end of the millennium - 35 years. To operate from the smaller French aircraft carriers,
Chance-Vought modified the Crusader wing to provide lower take-off and landing speeds. In
addition, modifications were made to utilize French designs for electrical equipment and
armament. The Crusader was assigned to Squadrons 12F and 14F and operated with an
exceptional safety record flying combat patrols in many of the world's hot spots. Many of the
US Navy pilots have a fond spot to the French for keeping this "Last of the Gunfighters" in fleet
operation for another twenty years.
For some of it's final flights with the Aeronavale, one Crusader of Squadron 12F was painted in
a special scheme which featured the "Donald Duck with a musket" emblem of the squadron
painted on the upper surface of the wing. This silver painted airplane also featured red arrow
blazes on the fuselage side, a reference to the original XF8U prototype. This airplane is
featured on the kit box top.
The Kit
This limited edition kit from Academy is based on their US Navy F-8E Crusader kit with suitable
additions and modifications to represent the French version. These modifications include
unique antennas and wing leading edges that represent the “double droop� French
version. The decal sheet, produced by Cartograf, features the special scheme markings of the
Squadron 12F last flight, along with a standard airplane from 1981, a special D-day 50th
anniversary commemorative scheme and a last cruise scheme with a shark-mouth and large
squadron emblems on the vertical stabilizer. This sheet provides not only the major markings
but also a myriad of small stencils that cover the airplane. Unique additions to the sheet are
decals that represent the colored sealing strips around the canopy. I was torn between several
of the schemes. The silver painted plane was kind of blah but the wing marking was
spectacular. On the other hand, I love shark-mouth markings and that scheme along with the D-
day scheme were painted overall intermediate blue which could be suitably faded around the
panel lines etc. In the end, I couldn't resist the silver airplane. The squadron insignia goes
back to 1939 and was created by pilot officer Dupont, patrol chief of Squadron AC2 that
evolved into 12F. The squadron marking has a great history.
Construction starts with the cockpit. Reasonable details is provided and the modeler can
choose to paint raised details on the side consoles and instrument panel or else use decals for
these areas. I used the decals but added an oil wash to tone down the color. The ejection
seat consisted of four parts and makes up into a good replica of the Martin-Baker Mk.7 seat. I
added photo etched seat belts. (See photo 1) After looking at the seat for a while, I removed
the thick plastic loops at the top of the seat and replaced them with photo etched parts.
Six different sub-assemblies need to be built and installed in one side of the fuselage before the
fuselage can be closed. These include the cockpit, an intake/nose wheel well, the air brake
well, the main landing gear well, the tail hook receptacle and the area on top of the fuselage
under the wing. (See photo 2) I was concerned that everything would align correctly but was
pleased to find that this was not a major problem.
I was very impressed with the detail level inside the wheel wells and the air brake well.
Modelers can apply washes, dry brush and paint details to their heart's content. It is a shame
that most of this area is normally hidden. A couple of small parts initially confused me. They
had two small, fragile curved extensions. Later on, I found out that these two parts positively
located the landing gear doors. This is a well-engineered kit. The modeler does have to
remove a molded-in rudder antenna so that the more elaborate French antenna can fit but this
is not a problem. Also, if the modeler chooses to build the standard marking aircraft with Matra
Magic 550 missiles, the mounting holes need to be drilled in the fuselage before assembly.
Finally, lightly raised wing ordnance pylon mounting locations need to be removed.
Painting of the model was simple. The wing and elevators can be painted separate from the
fuselage. This allowed for a smoother paint job. I painted the model with Testors Model
Master Aluminum Non-buffing Metalizer. Then I applied the decals, used a light wash to bring
out the panel lines and then applied a semi-flat coat to represent the silver paint job of the
original. The decals applied easily, were opaque and readily conformed to the surface details.
The canopy was molded in two pieces and looked like it could be displayed open although this
was not given as an option in the directions. I tried to mount the canopy open but it seemed to
be a little too thick to fit right. I finally gave up and glued the canopy closed.
The Wing
The kit wing is a simple design, a top and bottom with separate leading edges. Also, a
separate fuselage fairing is attached to the top of the wing. The wing can be displayed either
in the up position or down. Since one of the most visible features of the Crusader was the two-
position wing, I planned to make the model with the wing in the up position. This would also
show off the well-detailed area at the top of the fuselage under the wing. After reading several
references, I found out that when the wing was moved to the up position, the leading edges and
the flaps automatically drooped. Academy molded the leading edges separately so they could
possibly be modified to droop but the flaps were molded integral with the wing. I was in a
quandary because I wanted to model the wing up but my AMS (Ancient Modelers Syndrome)
would not let me make it "wrong". I thought that I had solved the problem at the vendor's area
at the Region 4 Convention. I discovered a conversion set from Obscureco Aircraft which
featured a resin wing for the F-8E Crusader with drooped leading edges and flaps. Not exactly
the French double droop design but close enough for government work. I painted the wing to
match the fuselage and then painted the edges of the flaps and droops a lighter silver in the
joint areas. I was ready to apply the decal to the top of the wing. After cutting out the decal
and holding it in place, I realized that I would have to cut this decal into seven or eight exact
pieces to fit the model correctly. I decided that this provided too much chance to screw up this
great decal and opted for the wing down position. Note - I had to do a little bit of carving of the
fuselage sides and the area under the wing in order for the wing to fit tight.
Conclusions
Except for my comments about the wing, I feel that this is an excellent, accurate and well-
engineered kit and Academy have done a great job of including the added parts to make an
accurate model of the French Version. The markings that they have chosen are spectacular.
Well recommended. Since I love models in different than normal markings, I expect that I will be
building another one of these kits, probably using the shark-mouth markings. In fact, I have a
wing that I can use to model it in the up position.
Clare
Academy kit 12407 - 1/72 Scale
Background
Progress in aviation is usually measured in terms of small steps of improvement. Occasionally
however, a design comes along that offers such a major improvement over its predecessors as
to be considered a milestone. The Chance-Vought F-8 Crusader is one such milestone. It was
the US Navy's first supersonic, carrier based jet fighter. In fact, the engineers at Chance-
Vought were so confidant of the performance of the Crusader that it went supersonic on it's first
test flight. Over 1200 Crusaders were produced with almost 500 of them subsequently being
rebuilt to extend service. It started service with the US Navy in 1959 and was finally retired in
March 1979. The design was a pure fighter plane with both guns and missiles and featured a
unique two-position wing to provide acceptable landing and take-off performance from such a
hot airplane.
In addition to the US Navy, the Crusader was used by the Philippine Air Force and the French
Navy. In the latter case, the Aeronavale usage of the Crusader started in 1964 and continued
to the end of the millennium - 35 years. To operate from the smaller French aircraft carriers,
Chance-Vought modified the Crusader wing to provide lower take-off and landing speeds. In
addition, modifications were made to utilize French designs for electrical equipment and
armament. The Crusader was assigned to Squadrons 12F and 14F and operated with an
exceptional safety record flying combat patrols in many of the world's hot spots. Many of the
US Navy pilots have a fond spot to the French for keeping this "Last of the Gunfighters" in fleet
operation for another twenty years.
For some of it's final flights with the Aeronavale, one Crusader of Squadron 12F was painted in
a special scheme which featured the "Donald Duck with a musket" emblem of the squadron
painted on the upper surface of the wing. This silver painted airplane also featured red arrow
blazes on the fuselage side, a reference to the original XF8U prototype. This airplane is
featured on the kit box top.
The Kit
This limited edition kit from Academy is based on their US Navy F-8E Crusader kit with suitable
additions and modifications to represent the French version. These modifications include
unique antennas and wing leading edges that represent the “double droop� French
version. The decal sheet, produced by Cartograf, features the special scheme markings of the
Squadron 12F last flight, along with a standard airplane from 1981, a special D-day 50th
anniversary commemorative scheme and a last cruise scheme with a shark-mouth and large
squadron emblems on the vertical stabilizer. This sheet provides not only the major markings
but also a myriad of small stencils that cover the airplane. Unique additions to the sheet are
decals that represent the colored sealing strips around the canopy. I was torn between several
of the schemes. The silver painted plane was kind of blah but the wing marking was
spectacular. On the other hand, I love shark-mouth markings and that scheme along with the D-
day scheme were painted overall intermediate blue which could be suitably faded around the
panel lines etc. In the end, I couldn't resist the silver airplane. The squadron insignia goes
back to 1939 and was created by pilot officer Dupont, patrol chief of Squadron AC2 that
evolved into 12F. The squadron marking has a great history.
Construction starts with the cockpit. Reasonable details is provided and the modeler can
choose to paint raised details on the side consoles and instrument panel or else use decals for
these areas. I used the decals but added an oil wash to tone down the color. The ejection
seat consisted of four parts and makes up into a good replica of the Martin-Baker Mk.7 seat. I
added photo etched seat belts. (See photo 1) After looking at the seat for a while, I removed
the thick plastic loops at the top of the seat and replaced them with photo etched parts.
Six different sub-assemblies need to be built and installed in one side of the fuselage before the
fuselage can be closed. These include the cockpit, an intake/nose wheel well, the air brake
well, the main landing gear well, the tail hook receptacle and the area on top of the fuselage
under the wing. (See photo 2) I was concerned that everything would align correctly but was
pleased to find that this was not a major problem.
I was very impressed with the detail level inside the wheel wells and the air brake well.
Modelers can apply washes, dry brush and paint details to their heart's content. It is a shame
that most of this area is normally hidden. A couple of small parts initially confused me. They
had two small, fragile curved extensions. Later on, I found out that these two parts positively
located the landing gear doors. This is a well-engineered kit. The modeler does have to
remove a molded-in rudder antenna so that the more elaborate French antenna can fit but this
is not a problem. Also, if the modeler chooses to build the standard marking aircraft with Matra
Magic 550 missiles, the mounting holes need to be drilled in the fuselage before assembly.
Finally, lightly raised wing ordnance pylon mounting locations need to be removed.
Painting of the model was simple. The wing and elevators can be painted separate from the
fuselage. This allowed for a smoother paint job. I painted the model with Testors Model
Master Aluminum Non-buffing Metalizer. Then I applied the decals, used a light wash to bring
out the panel lines and then applied a semi-flat coat to represent the silver paint job of the
original. The decals applied easily, were opaque and readily conformed to the surface details.
The canopy was molded in two pieces and looked like it could be displayed open although this
was not given as an option in the directions. I tried to mount the canopy open but it seemed to
be a little too thick to fit right. I finally gave up and glued the canopy closed.
The Wing
The kit wing is a simple design, a top and bottom with separate leading edges. Also, a
separate fuselage fairing is attached to the top of the wing. The wing can be displayed either
in the up position or down. Since one of the most visible features of the Crusader was the two-
position wing, I planned to make the model with the wing in the up position. This would also
show off the well-detailed area at the top of the fuselage under the wing. After reading several
references, I found out that when the wing was moved to the up position, the leading edges and
the flaps automatically drooped. Academy molded the leading edges separately so they could
possibly be modified to droop but the flaps were molded integral with the wing. I was in a
quandary because I wanted to model the wing up but my AMS (Ancient Modelers Syndrome)
would not let me make it "wrong". I thought that I had solved the problem at the vendor's area
at the Region 4 Convention. I discovered a conversion set from Obscureco Aircraft which
featured a resin wing for the F-8E Crusader with drooped leading edges and flaps. Not exactly
the French double droop design but close enough for government work. I painted the wing to
match the fuselage and then painted the edges of the flaps and droops a lighter silver in the
joint areas. I was ready to apply the decal to the top of the wing. After cutting out the decal
and holding it in place, I realized that I would have to cut this decal into seven or eight exact
pieces to fit the model correctly. I decided that this provided too much chance to screw up this
great decal and opted for the wing down position. Note - I had to do a little bit of carving of the
fuselage sides and the area under the wing in order for the wing to fit tight.
Conclusions
Except for my comments about the wing, I feel that this is an excellent, accurate and well-
engineered kit and Academy have done a great job of including the added parts to make an
accurate model of the French Version. The markings that they have chosen are spectacular.
Well recommended. Since I love models in different than normal markings, I expect that I will be
building another one of these kits, probably using the shark-mouth markings. In fact, I have a
wing that I can use to model it in the up position.
Clare
March 23, 2007
| Photo 1 |
| Photo 2 |
