Hobby Craft 1/48th F7U-3/3M Cutlass Reviewed by Gerry Nilles

History

Developed from captured German aeronautical research data, that was reaching the United States at the close of WWII, the Chance Vought F7U Cutlass was probably one of the most unconventional designed carrier based fighters to be put into service by the US Navy.

The Vought F7U Cutlass was based on tailless aircraft design work done by the Arado Company during WWII. In late 1945 Chance Vought took this design data and refined it. The result was a wing with a sweepback of 38 degrees, a very low (3:1) aspect ratio and an almost parallel cord. Stability control was accomplished using a combination of elevons on the outer wing panels and fins and rudders located on the center core wing panels. Of great appeal to the Navy was that when the outer wings were folded the aircraft present a relatively small size which is so critical for carrier storage. Three prototypes, (using the Westinghouse J34-WE-32 engines with afterburners), were ordered in 1946. The first test flights occurred in the fall of 1948. At that time the Navy issued a production contract for 14 F7U-1s. The first production F7U-1 flew in March of 1950. Subsequently it and the rest of that initial production batch were assigned to Advanced Training Command at Corpus Christi NAS for evaluation and training. A significant redesign of the Cutlass was initiated as a result of this ATC evaluation. Among the most obvious changes that would appear on the production F7U-3 were the new nose and fin shapes.

A total of 290 F7U-3 and its variants were eventually built. Four Navy fighter squadrons were equipped with the aircraft including VF-81, VF-83, VF-122 and VF-124. As noted there were several other variants of this aircraft produced. The F7U-3M, of which 100 were built, was specifically designed to carry four Sperry Sparrow I beam riding missiles. Twelve F7U-3Ps, that were camera equipped for photo reconnaissance missions, were also built. Production of the Cutlass ended in December of 1955.

The Kit

First off this is not a new kit but rather a re-issue of the Hobby Craft F7U-3/3M Cutlass that has been out of production for quite some time (1990 I am told). But, considering some of the prices that are being paid for the previously issued kit, (that is if you can find one at all), this re-issue is very welcome indeed especially by those who have recently come into, or back to the hobby. That said I know that over the years this model has already been scrutinized extensively, and that it suffers from some inaccuracies. However, this reviewer has not been able to find anyone that is able too specifically identify what the inaccuracies are. So I will just have to give it a shot myself.

The kit comes molded in light gray plastic and contains about 50 parts for the basic aircraft. There are a few more for -3M missile version. The model has engraved panel lines that are not bad and certainly consistent with any number of kit that have been released in the last few years. As for overall shape, it looks to be okay with the possible exception of two areas that could possibly use a little work. The first is the upper part of the radome just aft of the tip, and the tip itself. This only my opinion, but from my references the tip seems to be a little to pointed and the upper part of the dome just aft of that needs to be a little thicker and a bit more rounded. This re-contouring is very subtle so not a lot of filling or sanding would be required. The second area that seems to need a little rework is the shape of the jet intakes around the top and side part of leading edges. Once again the change in this area is subtle.

Another area that needs some work are the four after-burned air intakes that are located at the rear of the fuselage just forward of the jet exhausts. There are two of these intakes on the top and two on the bottom, and they should be shaped like an air intake that has an opening in front and then gently tapers into the fuselage at the rear. As long as we are on the subject of fuselage details there is one prominent scoop that seems to be missing. Every photo I have seen of the production F7U-3 shows that there is a rather obvious rear facing scoop that is located on the left side of the forward fuselage just a hair below the canopy rim at a point that is slightly ahead of the jet intake. This scoop looks to be about 18”to 20” long 10” to 12” wide and 3” deep at the wide end.

There are a few other minor details that I noticed are missing but considering the age of the kit, I guess one cannot expect too much. I should note here that a correction kit is available from a very expensive resin kit manufacturer at a price that is somewhere around twice that of the Hobby Craft kit itself. As for other details such as the cockpit interior, there is some but not a lot. This is also true for nose gear and the nose gear well. Some additional detailing would definitely be advised.

Decals

The decals provided with this kit are extensive to say the least in that there are seven different aircraft to choose from. Five are natural metal aircraft while the other two are the Light Gull Gray and white schemes. The first scheme is for a 1955 natural metal F7U-3M from VA-83. The second is for a 1952 natural metal F7U-3 that was used for carrier qualification trials. The third is for a 1955 natural metal F7U-3 from VC-3. The fourth is for a 1956 gray and white F7U-3 from VA-126, The fifth is for a 1957 gray and white F7U-3M from VA-116. The last two are natural metal F7U-3s from VA-12 also from the 1957 time period. The decals themselves seem to be a little thick but I won’t be able to confirm that until I use them. On the plus side the registration looks very good. I should note that none of the schemes provided in the kit match the list of squadrons, listed in the history section, that initially received the Cutlass.

Conclusion

This is an older kit that has been out of circulation for over a dozen years. It has some faults but nothing major that I could see. I have recently seen a build-up of one of the first issues and as far as I was concerned it looked pretty good. The bottom line is that if you want a 1/48th scale F7U-3/3M at a reasonable price your are in luck. If you want one that is the quality of a state of the art kit, it is going to take a little effort and or a lot more cost.