Kinetic 1/48 F-84F Thunderstreak

Kinetic came with their new tool 1/48 F-84F in 2007, reboxing it twice ever since (2020 and 2022). The kit was also reboxed twice by Italeri in 2009 and 2011, with all above kits differing only in the markings provided. The subject kit is the 2020 edition and was a gift from my good friend George Blair. It comes in a relatively thin but otherwise medium sized, side-opening, good quality box, featuring a nice box art of a German example.

Upon opening the box, I was greeted with 82 light gray styrene parts, arranged in two big and two smaller sprues, with the latter being identical. All sprues were nicely packed separately. Molding is good with no noticeable flash, however the surface is slightly pebbly, meaning you have to find some means of smoothing it if you opt for a flawless Natural Metal Finish (NMF). Parts in general look accurate, with the exception of the nose which looks more “oval” than ‘rectangular” shaped. Panel lines are recessed and tad on the deep side.

As Tom noted in his preview of the 2007 edition, the kit is a close fit to the classic Monogram mold, which featured raised panel lines, with the dive brakes more accurately placed on the Kinetic. Cockpit is sufficiently represented with raised instrumentation on the front panel and side consoles and an acceptable ejection seat. The front top fuselage cover is separate and can be posed “open” to reveal the gun mechanism.

Landing gear is well done, with the main legs having brake lines nicely molded on and the bays featuring good inner detailing. The wheel rims are separate (which is good, as it facilitates painting), but they are supposed to be trapped between the tire halves, a process which some of us might not find too handy. The tail pipe is well done. Since the model is a primary candidate for tail sitting, two 14mm steel balls (not included) are to be placed in two accordingly molded areas, one above the wheel well and one under the cockpit.

Only the two distinctive inner wing tanks, as well as two outer wing tanks are provided, meaning you will have to source other stores (such as the classic M117 bombs) from another kit, should you wish to load your Thunderstreak. The classic quadruple RATOs are provided as well.

Transparencies are well molded and clear. Instructions are nicely done in the form of a 12-page A4 b/w booklet, containing a short history of the type, a sprues map, a color cross reference chart, with the construction spread in 13 clear and concise steps. Color callouts are given throughout the build, where applicable.

Two basic schemes are provided, German (one example) and Dutch (three examples). Both are similarly looking and practically slightly differ in shades (olive green/ NATO green and medium gray over light gray/silver gray) and pattern. Decals are nicely printed by Cartograf, but I would definitely like more stencilling to be included, a prominent feature of operational F-84s.

CONCLUSIONS

Essentially a modernized Monogram repop, this is a good kit of the iconic F-84, with its pros and cons: leaving aside the slightly pebbly surface, for which you have to deal if you go for NMF, molding is good, panel lines are recessed but tad on the deep side, shapes of parts are generally accurate (with the exception of the more rounded nose), the overall level of detail is sufficient, clear parts are well done and the same can be said for the instructions and decals, where I would definitely prefer more maintenance stencilling to be provided.

As with the Monogram kit from which it originated, it is not over engineered and looks buildable. If you find one at a good price, it is a kit worth tackling

Happy Modeling!

Spiros Pendedekas

October 2025

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