F-8E/J Crusader
Exterior Detail Set

Wolfpack Design, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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Wolfpack Design is a new name to me and this is the first of their detail sets that I have seen. 

A trip to their website at www.wolfpack-d.com reveals that they are based in the Republic of Korea and they manufacture resin details and conversion sets in the three popular scales as well as decals.   To date, they have released 18 conversion/detail sets in 1/48 scale and the same two decal sets in three different scales.   They also have an ambitious list of products to come! 

The subject of this review though is WP48009 F-8E/J Crusader Exterior set for the Hasegawa kit. 

The set comprises just seven parts in total: 

• Four pylons for AIM-9/Zuni rocket pods

• A wheel bay cover that incorporates antenna for the ECM measures fitted to late E/J and latter versions of the F-8.

• A pair of afterburner cooling scoops.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The set is cast in a light grey and reasonably flexible resin.  The exterior surfaces of the parts have a slight silky texture when compared to the kit parts that they are to replace.  The casting is first rate too with no pinholes or miscasts evident. 

As you would expect, there is far more detail on the set parts than that of the kit’s parts.  The pylons have the same rebated centre that the kit ones do but the set’s ones also exhibit the internal stiffening evident on the one-to-one-scale ones.   

The wheel bay cover is a straight replacement for the kit part too.  I was not aware that these antennas were fitted to the F-8 at all as they are very difficult to make out in pictures of the Crusader as they are hidden by the wheel bay doors when the aircraft is on the ground.   If a picture is worth a thousand words, follow this link and you can see them http://data3.primeportal.net/hangar/howard_mason/f-8j_150297_painted_as_f-8e/images/f-8j_150297_painted_as_f-8e_51_of_52.jpg 

The final two parts in the set are the afterburner cooling scoops.  The kit parts are moulded solid whist the Wolfpack resin ones have been cast hollowed out and with the correct oval opening.  The resin scoops have also been cast with the same alignment pins as are on the kit parts.   Having the dexterity of a left handed chimpanzee, I have managed to mangle a few of the kit ones in an attempt to hollow them out so these two items are worth the price of entry for the whole set as far as I am concerned!

All parts have been cast on a plinth and have definite parting lines cast in place to ease removal and clean-up. 

Support information/assembly instructions comprise a small folded page that has colour photos of the parts cleaned up and in-place on the Hasegawa kit as well as two photos of a completed kit with folded wings a deployed ventral air brake and an open gun cover on the forward fuselage.  As none of these are provided in the Hasegawa kit I am hoping that Wolfpack will be releasing them in the future!  The sheet also provides a list of references as well as a list of other resin updates and decal sheets available for the F-8 in 1/48 scale. 

The parts are packed into a clear plastic zip-loc bag which is then placed into an acetate blister pack along with the instructions/support information sheet. 

This is a great little update set and as far as I am concerned is well worth the $12.00 asking price!

Recommended. 

Postscript

If you are looking for some excellent reference photographs to assist you with detailing the Hasegawa F-8 head on over to the Airstrip page of Prime Portal, the Military Enthusiast and Modeler’s Web Site and click on the F-8 Crusader page.  It is an excellent reference site and where the above picture of the landing bay cover is located.

Thanks to Lucky Model for the review sample

Kinetic Models are available online from Lucky Model