Revell 1/48 F-105D Thunderchief

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War. Originally designed as a single-seat, nuclear-attack aircraft; a two-seat Wild Weasel version was later developed for the specialized suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) role against surface-to-air missile sites. Commonly known as the "Thud" by its crews, it is the only American aircraft to have been removed from combat due to high loss rates.

Monogram came in 1982 with their new tool 1/48 F-105G, followed by the “F” and “D” versions in 1983 and 1985 respectively. All versions have been periodically being reboxed by Revell-Monogram and also by Haegawa three times.

The specific copy is the 1999 Revell edition, bought around 2005 from one of my then beloved/now sadly closed Athens hobby shops. It comes in a medium sized and relatively flimsy top opening box, carrying an attractive box art of one of the two kit options, Capt. Peter K. Foley’s “Foley's Folly, Ohio Express” machine.

Upon opening the box, I was greeted with around 90 styrene parts molded in dark drab (a shade that a number of us are not too fond of - grayish shaded styrene is easier to work with). The fuselage halves are provided separately. Of the three sprues provided, the two big sprues are common to all Thud versions, while the third, smaller one contains weapons specific to the subject version. Quite clever molds design. Molding is crisp, with some easy to clean  flash in a few places. Panel lines are raised (not a problem for a number of us) and nicely done.

Typically for Monogram, the detail offered in the key areas (like the cockpit and landing gear) was very good for the 80s era, meaning it's sufficient for today’s standards. A good looking pilot is also provided. The tail pipe is nicely done with adequate depth, with the distinctive quadruple exhaust nozzle flaps separately provided, so they can be positioned. 

A very handy central wing spar is to be trapped between the fuselage halves and provide positive support for the wings. Stores include six 750 bombs to be hung on a centrally mounted bomb rack and one 500 bomb at each wing. Two 450 gallon wing tanks are provided as well.  

Transparencies are well molded and crystal clear. Instructions are well done, coming in the form of a 8 page b/w printed booklet, containing a short history of the type, with the construction logically spread in 18 simple and concise steps.

One basic “Vietnam” style scheme is provided (dark green/light green/tan over light gray) with two very nice  and quite famous marking options: 59-1743/JJ “Arkansas Traveller”, assigned to Col. Paul P. Douglas Jr. and 59-1771/JV “Foley's Folly”, “Ohio Express”, assigned to Capt. Peter K. Foley, as they stood in Korat RTAFB, 1968. Decals are very nicely printed and, despite being 25 years old, apart from some slight yellowing of the carrier film, look to be usable.

Instructions want you to first assemble the cockpit and, together with the nose bay, cannon muzzle, wing main spar and tail pipe, trap them between the fuselage halves. The vertical stabilizers are then attached, followed by the 2-piece wings, the landing gear, the external stores and finally the canopy, ending a straightforward build.

Despite the fact that Hobby Boss has come in 2008 with a more advanced (and more complex) 1/48 F-105, the venerable Revell/Monogram offering is still a good kit that offers a decent representation of the iconic F-105. Definitely a kit worth tackling, especially if found at a good price.

Happy modeling!

Spiros Pendedekas

October 2025

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