Model Forum / General / Models / February 2010

Kit Review: AFV Club 1/48 scale Kit No. AR48102; Northrop F-5E Tiger
II; 182 parts (168 in light grey styrene, 7 clear styrene, 4 vinyl
keepers, 3 etched metal); price not known

Advantages: modern, state of the art kit of this aircraft; uses the
new “plug and play” underwing pylons; options for several different
aircraft configurations

Disadvantages: uses small depressions for riveting which is not
popular with some modelers

Rating: See text

Recommendation: for all F-5 and Aggressor squadron fans

F I R S T    L O O K

    While the lightweight Northrop F-5E Tiger II never served
operationally with any US squadron, it did serve well as the opposing
force fighter for both the USAF and the US Navy until “The Real Thing”
became available in the form of MiG-29s and other similar ex-Soviet
aircraft. Most people are more familiar with the Navy ones that were
painted black and given red stars to perform as “MiG-28s” in the movie
“Top Gun”.

    AFV Club has now swung over to make 1/48 scale aircraft, and as full
disclosure I must state up front I have only sufficient references for
Korean War aircraft and thus cannot comment on the overall accuracy of
this kit. That being said, here is a description of what you get.

    The kit is pretty much state of the art from what I have seen. It
comes with the new feature of having vinyl keepers mounted inside
external ordnance for two good reasons - to allow it to be finished
off the model and then quickly and neatly attached, and second, to
permit swapouts from after-market sets to later be sold by AFV Club or
others.

    The fuselage is nicely done with recessed panel lines and rivets; the
latter are not popular with some modelers but it seems to me to be the
only way to get them on the surface without having the model look like
it caught chickenpox. But it has the most convoluted assembly I have
seen in years.

    The fuselage proper consists of two side nose sections with a belly
section, a center upper section with spine; a lower wing section; and
an engine cone at the rear with a top and bottom section. Even though
AFV Club is noted among armor modelers for very good joints with few
gaping seams, I am not sure if this will yield a smooth finish or not,
and with the construction being the way it is smoothing it out could
prove difficult.

    Given that as a start, the kit abounds with options. The ejector seat
comes in four parts and also provides the peripherals that go behind
it in the cockpit tub. Oddly enough the kit comes with gun bay doors
on the left side of the fuselage for option posing, but no interior.
Watch out as some holes need to be drilled in the model and AFV Club’s
warning looks like a string being pulled through a hankie.

    The wings provide for optional positions for the flaps, slots and
ailerons. There are also optional blow-in doors for the rear part of
the fuselage which have to be selected in Step 5. The two jet exhausts
also are noted in Step 8 as canting inward; while I am not sure if
that is correct the English part here calls them “nuzzles” so note the
real meaning!

    The landing gear includes the compression links and all doors have
interior detail. Door actuating struts are also included. Air brakes
may be shown open or closed and two sets of inner landing gear doors
(open or closed) are included.

    Ordnance consists of a pair of Sidewinder missiles and three drop
tanks – these may be either cemented in place using fixed mounts or
left loose to use the vinyl keeper attachments. Two empty outboard
pylons are also provided.

    The etched metal covers two inserts on the intake fences and the
front frame of the cockpit windscreen with attached rear view
mirrors.

    Four finishing options are provided: 12 Squadron, Royal Malaysian Air
Force; No 144 Squadron, Singapore Air Force; VFC-13, US Navy (with red
stars); and 64th FWS, 57th FWW (Red Flag) , USAF. A full color poster
of the latter is included inside the box.

    Overall, while I do not have sufficient references to validate the
kit, it seems to be a pretty good effort and very detailed. I am not
sure the “origami” construction of the fuselage will be popular
though.

    Thanks to Miin Herng Tsueng for the review sample.

Cookie Sewell