HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 U. S. NAVY FIGHTERS KIT TABLE

 

Latest update: 11 November 2005

 

Hi, I’m Tony Hodun, and this is table of 1/48 Hobbycraft U.S. Navy Fighter aircraft kit listings I’ve developed to aid you as a modeler or collector in finding the kit to build the version you want, or to fill the gaps in your collection. Hobbycraft’s F8F Bearcat is a much better kit than the old Hawk/Testors kit.  Their F4U kits, while a bit trickier to build, offer a lower cost alternative to the Tamiya kits and some unique parts.  All of these kits come with the newer excellent Hobbycraft decals except for the early F7U-3 Cutlasses.  I’ve also included the Academy boxings made with the same tooling. And I’ve listed the upcoming F9F Panther/Cougars (keep your fingers crossed!), and the cancelled F2G Corsairs for completeness. Note:  the asterisk (*) or lower case letter (for example, Abc) are my way of distinguishing between trees with the same letter but a different combination of parts, they are not found on the trees.

 

HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 F4U CORSAIRS

 

Hobbycraft’s F4U Corsair family covers all versions from the F4U through the F4U-1D (except the F4U-1C), and all kits have the newer high quality decals.  Uncharacteristically, two parts tree letters were used twice; Academy has relettered several trees in their boxings to eliminate any confusion this might cause.  The Corsair parts trees are as follows:

Aa

3 parts, fuselage halves, early aft cockpit fuselage insert

Aac

5 parts, fuselage halves, early aft cockpit fuselage insert, inner wing pylons

Abc

5 parts, fuselage halves, later aft cockpit fuselage insert, inner wing pylons

Abcd

8 parts, fuselage halves, later aft cockpit fuselage insert, inner wing pylons, tail wheel door bulges, coaming part

Abce

7 parts, fuselage halves, later aft cockpit fuselage insert, inner wing pylons, FAA clipped wingtips

Abcf

8 parts, fuselage halves, later aft cockpit fuselage insert, inner wing pylons, blade and DF football antennae

B

3 parts, wings

C

33 parts, raised flaps, cowl flaps, landing gear, horiz. stabs, diamond main wheels, short/long tailwheels, details

D

38 parts, dropped flaps, cockpit, engine, cowling, main gear struts, other details

E

28 parts, four 154 gallon drop tanks, two sets napalm fins, two P-38 style drop tanks, two 500 lb bombs

F

9 parts, Brewster centerline rack, 1000 lb bomb, 170 gallon drop tank

G

3 parts, smooth tread main wheels, short tail wheel

H

1 part, earlier narrower chord 13’ 4” propeller

H*

1 clear part, fuselage belly window

I

7 parts, AIA wing radome, night fighter exhausts, early outer wing bomb racks, right wing gun insert

J

16 parts, eight 5 inch HVAR rockets on stub pylons

K

1 part, later broader chord 13’ 1” propeller

L*

4 clear parts, F4U-1/2 birdcage canopy

L

2 clear parts, F4U-1A/C/D bulged canopy

M

4 clear parts, F4U-1/2 birdcage canopy (Academy version of tree L*)

N

1 clear part, fuselage belly window (Academy version of tree H*)

Note: the A tree always includes 2 parts, fuselage halves, plus one or more of the following optional sets of parts; a – 1 part, early aft fuselage insert, b – 1 part, late aft fuselage insert, c – 2 parts, inner wing pylons, d – 3 parts, bulged tail wheel parts, instrument panel coaming piece, e – 2 parts, clipped wingtips, f – 3 parts, blade & DF football antennae.

 

HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 VOUGHT F4U CORSAIR KITS

1520

F4U-2

‘Night Fighter’ Corsair

Aa, B, C, D, G, H, H*, L*, I

2 USMC 1943

1525

F4U-1

‘Birdcage’ Corsair

Aa, B, C, D, G, H, H*, L*

2 USMC 1944

1526

F4U-1A

‘Brewster’ Corsair

Abc, B, C, D, F, G, H, H*, L

2 USMC 1944

1527

F4U-1D

‘Ground Attack’

Abcd, B, C, D, E, G, K, L

2 USN 1945

1528

Corsair

British Commonwealth

Abce, B, C, D, G, H, L

2 FAA BPF

1529

FG-1D

‘Post War’ /’COIN’

Abcf, B, C, D, G, J, K, L

2 El Salvador, 1 USMC Reserves

A 2147

F4U-1D

Corsair

Abcd, B, C, D, E, H, J, K, L

1 USMC, 1 USN

A 2204

F4U-1

Corsair ‘Bird Cage’

Aac, B, C, D, F, G, H, M, N

2 USMC 1943

1526 builds the early F4U-1.  Similar 1520 includes the added parts needed to build the F4U-2 night fighter.  F4U-1A 1526 has the later canopy, Brewster bomb rack, bomb & drop tank, and (unused) wing pylons.  Academy 2204 is similar to 1526, but has the early canopy instead of the newer one, so it builds an F4U-1; the wing pylons and Brewster rack and stores are not used.  1528 FAA Corsair has the later canopy and clipped wing tips.  F4U-1D 527 comes with the later canopy, later broader chord prop, and drop tanks, napalm fins, and bombs, FG-1D 1529 has the later canopy and prop, and also eight 5” rockets.  Academy 2147 F4U-1D has the most parts, includes later canopy, early & late props, bombs, drop tanks, napalm tanks, and 5 inch rockets.

NEED INFO: None

 

HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 F8F BEARCATS

 

The Hobbycraft F8F-1/1B/2 Bearcat kit family is a major improvement over the old Hawk/Testors/Italeri F8F-2 kit.  While some have concerns about accuracy of the cowling and other areas, it looks like a Bearcat when built out of the box. F8F-1, F8F-1B, and F8F-2 versionse covered, stores vary by boxing, all have newer decals.  The F8F parts trees are:

A

23 parts, fuselage, engine, horizontal stabilizers, cockpit, main wheel well, tailwheel, other details

B

3 parts, wings

C

20 parts, propeller, main gear, 150 gallon centerline drop tank, other details

D

4 parts, F8F-1 cowl, tailfin/rudder, exhaust parts

E

13 parts, F8F-2 cowl, tailfin/rudder, exhaust parts, four 5 inch HVAR rockets

F

9 clear parts, canopy and various lights

G

8 parts, F8F-1B cannon barrels and wing bulges

H

12 parts, two napalm tanks, two 500 lb bombs

I

2 parts, 100 gallon centerline drop tank

 

HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 F8F BEARCAT KITS

 1440

F8F

Blue Angels Bearcat

A,B,C,D,F,I

Blue Angels 2 1949, Beetle Bomb 1949

1441

F8F-1

French Indochina

A,B,C,D,F,G,H

5 Armee de l’Air GC I/22 “Saintonge”

1442

F8F-1

Vietnam Bearcat

A,B,C,D,F,G,H,I

4 VNAF (NMF, 3 Blue), Royal Thai AF (Blue)

1443

F8F-2

U. S. Navy Bearcat

A,B,C,E,F,G

2 USN, VF-29, VF-151

A 2185

F8F-1

Bearcat

A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I

VNAF NMF, USN Sea Blue VF-3

A 12201

F8F-1/2

Bearcat French Air Force

A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I

GC I/22, VF-61, VF-83, Blue Angels

1440 builds a basic F8F-1 with the small or large drop tank only.  1441 and 1442 also include the wing cannon of the F8F-1B as well as larger drop tank, bombs, and napalm tanks.  1443 builds an F8F-2 with larger drop tank only.  Both Academy boxings include all the parts trees and will build an F8F-1, F8F-1B or F8F-2.

NEED INFO: None.

 

HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 F7U CUTLASSES

 

The Hobbycraft F7U Cutlass kits in 1/48 scale are older kits, and take some work.   The high tech version has cast metal landing gear, wheels, other small parts, and a fret of photoetch.

 

HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 F7U CUTLASS KITS

1600

Vought F7U-3/3M

Cutlass

 

Old decals

1913

Vought F7U-3/3M

Cutlass

2005 reissue

New decals

9600

F7U Cutlass

High Tech

 

Old decals

 

NEED INFO: 1600, 1613, 9600.

 

HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 F9F PANTHER & COUGARS

 

The eagerly awaited Hobbycraft Grumman F9F Panther and Cougar kits in 1/48 scale have not yet been produced.  Latest word from the company (in 2004) is that these were delayed to 2005.

 

HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 F9F PANTHER & COUGAR KITS

1421

F9F-2

Korean War Panther

TBD

TBD

1422

F9F-6

Early Cougar

TBD

TBD

1423

F9F-8

Late Cougar

TBD

TBD

 

NEED INFO: 1421, 1422, 1423.

 

HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 F2G CORSAIRS

 

The proposed Hobbycraft 1/48 F2G Super Corsair kits were never produced; they might have used some common F4U parts trees.  They are listed these for completeness.

 

HOBBYCRAFT 1/48 F2G CORSAIR KITS

1431

F2G Super Corsair

U. S. Navy

Never Produced

N/A

1432

F2G Super Corsair

Racer

Never Produced

N/A

 

The End