Classic Airframes
1/48 Northrop F-5A
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The Kit
 Classic
Airframes has come a long way with the new kit of the F5A. There are 58
dark grey parts with engraved panel lines. There are also 13 resin parts
and one clear injected molded canopy. For a limited run kit, there is
surprisingly little flash. There are three options included on the decal
sheet.
 The
interior consists of the resin cockpit tub, seat and instrument panel.
They are beautifully done and the biggest plus of the kit. With a little
dry brushing and painting, you should have an excellent interior. The
engines are resin burner cans.
 There
is a left/right fuselage  and
single molded top/bottom wing. Be sure to add nose weight to the kit so
it will sit on its nose. The main wheel bay and dive brake bay are resin
with very fine detail. They have added locator tabs on the fus elage
to help align when gluing the fuselage together. This is another big plus.
The only problem I can see is the canopy fit to the fuselage. This will
take a little dry fitting, but should work. The canopy is a little thick
for scale and mine was a little scratched. It should fix with a little
buffing. There are a number of ordinance options included. There are GP
bomb, napalm tanks, and center line drop tanks.  Also
included are correct wing tanks for the first time.
The decal options include the 315th Squadron of the Royal Netherlands
Air Force, the Greek Air Force , and the 332nd Squadron of the Royal Norwegian
air Force. They have a common stencil sheet for all F5's. The decals have
very bright colors with good registration and right on color.
Conclusion
 My
first experience with Classic Airframes (He51) was a lot of work. This
kit appears to be a great improvement and I look forward to getting started
on it. Just for the fun of it, I compared this kit to an old Aurora kit
and was surprised to see how close they were. Thanks again to Rick of
Just Plane
Hobbies. Be sure to check out his website for great deals.
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