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Trumpeter 1/72 Chinese FC-1 Fierce Dragon (Pakistani JF-17 Thunder)

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

With Pakistan's ageing fleet of Mirage fighters needing a replacement, the country initially looked to the United States. Initial deliveries of F-16 fighters gave the nation a solid replacement, but changes in the political environment in Pakistan has resulted in uncertainty surrounding US military exports. Pakistan, as a result, turned to China for a potential replacement and the result is the FC-1 Fierce Dragon (known as the JF-17 in Pakistan).

The FC-1/JF-17 is similar to the F-16 in size and mission, although it is not quite up to par in terms of overall performance. It does have a couple very important factors in its favor, though. The biggest is that it is being produced in Pakistan, so there are no worries about delivery interruptions or delays like there is with the F-16. Secondly, the JF-17 is cheaper than the F-16, so Pakistan can get more for their money. These two issues combined will result in a force composition in the Pakistan Air Force consisting of less than 100 F-16s and 250-300 JF-17s.

The aircraft is a single-engine, single-place fighter featuring modern avionics and some innovative design features. One of the latter is the diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI), which is similar to that found on the F-35. This simplifies the construction of the aircraft, as there is no need for a complex intake ramp system to maintain proper airflow to the engine face. The overall simple construction and capable weapons platform makes the FC-1/JF-17 a very viable and inexpensive alternative to the F-16, and further exports are expected. Azerbaijan has already placed an order for several dozen, and Egypt, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Iran, and Nigeria are all interested in the type.

The Kit

Trumpeter released a kit of the FC-1/JF-17 in 1/48 scale not too long ago (here's the build article), and this appears to be a scaling down of that larger kit. Molded in the typical Trumpeter light gray plastic, this kit also includes a fret of photoetch as well as a nice decal sheet that provides markings for three aircraft.

The kit is broken down in a somewhat interesting manner, most likely due to the subtle yet complex shape. The forward fuselage is separate and split into right and left halves, while the rear fuselage, incorporating the wings, is split into upper and lower pieces. Surprisingly, this breakdown results in very few visible seams, which will make finishing much easier than most kits.

Working on the nose, this has a very nicely done cockpit interior, with a seat that will look outstanding out of the box. There are five parts to the seat, plus separate photoetch details including seat belts. The cockpit tub has separate rudder pedals, control column, and throttle handle. The completed tub fits between the two fuselage halves, resting on top of the separate nose gear well. Once the nose is together, the separate instrument panel and heads up display (the latter a nice combination of photoetch and clear plastic) fits in place. A separate nose cone and two piece intake assemblies finish the solid parts, while the two-piece canopy adds the last details. The latter is nicely done, although there is a seam down the center that will need to be polished out. Note that the seam should not be removed from the main canopy, just the windscreen. Photoetch mirrors are also provided.

Moving to the rear fuselage assembly, this is very simple. The main gear wells are made up from three pieces and feature very nice raised detailing. With those in place, the upper and lower halves can be assembled, and the nose put in place. The landing gear is highly detailed all around, with separate oleo scissors and retraction struts. Shifting to the back of the fuselage, the engine exhaust comes in two forms: a simple injection-molded piece and a much more complex (but much more realistic) photoetch assembly. The time spent putting the photoetch one together will be well worth the effort, as this is a fairly complex exhaust that the plastic part just doesn't capture. The one-piece stabilizers and two-piece vertical fin completes the airframe.

For stores, this kit comes with two types of fuel tanks and three types of missiles. The missiles include the PL-5 and PL-9 short-range AAMs and the PL-12 medium-range AAM. The PL-5 and PL-9 resemble the AIM-9 Sidewinder, while the PL-12 resembles the AIM-120 AMRAAM. All three have one-piece missile bodies with half of their fins molded in place. The remaining fins are separate. Overall, the missiles look quite nice, and will offer some interesting load-out options. The fuel tanks, however, do not resemble any of the tanks seen in photos of the FC-1/JF-17, but rather they look like the ones seen on drawings and sketches. The actual tanks appear to be larger in diameter, with a pointed nose and rounded rear, and two diagonal fins on the rear underside.

The decal sheets are split into two: one for all the stores and pylons/railings and one for the actual aircraft. The aircraft options are split between Pakistani and Chinese options. The sole Chinese option is for aircraft #04, which carries the FC-1 name on the left side of the vertical fin and JF-17 on the right side. The nose also carries the Fierce Dragon name in Chinese on the left side, and Thunder on the right. Aside from those markings, the aircraft is very plain, with just the two-color camouflage and no national markings.

The remaining two options are both from Pakistan.  The first one is an operational JF-17, with low-viz Pakistani markings and a complete set of serial numbers, allowing the modeler to build any one of the current operational JF-17s. A glance at some of the photos of the JF-17 online shows that they are now carrying a squadron emblem on the vertical fin in the form of a spider, along with the title 'Black Spiders' on the fin cap. These markings are not on this decal sheet, but some careful painting and sourcing from spares decals could add this detail without too much effort.

The second Pakistan option is the very colorful aircraft 101. This plane is finished in overall green, with the forward top fuselage in red. A large white chevron separates the two colors on the upper surface. On both the upper and lower surfaces are large crescent moons and white stars, matching the national flag of Pakistan. Yellow stars on the red portion, along with a large white lightning bolt on the nose, make this a very colorful option. The decals are nicely printed and have great color and registration.

Conclusion

This is a nice little model of a lesser-known aircraft, and it will make for a fun project. As its popularity grows with more nations purchasing the type, the potential for interesting colors and markings will increase. My thanks to Stevens International for the review sample.