Overview
The McDonnell Douglas F-101 Voodoo was the second in the Century Series of US fighters, and was the only one with a T tail and two engines. Originally designed as a SAC escort fighter, the Voodoo saw its longest service with ADC as an interceptor. The F-101's combat experience came from neither of these, though. It was the reconnaissance version that flew in the skies over Vietnam, returning valuable information both pre- and post-strike.
Like many of the Century Series, the F-101 was used for setting many records. One of these was Operation Sun Run, in which six RF-101s took part in setting transcontinental records. For a more detailed history on Operation Sun Run, check out Norm Filer's excellent article on those aircraft.
The Kit
Hasegawa's 1/72 RF-101C kit dates back several decades, and it remains the only option for a reconnaissance Voodoo out of the box. While it is quite accurate in outline, it does suffer from weak detailing. Molded in light gray plastic, this newest release doubles your fun with two full kits in the box. This Limited Edition is all about Operation Sun Run, and the decal sheet provides markings for four of the six aircraft that took part.
Starting with the kits, this is a fairly straightforward model to build. The cockpit is pretty basic, with a one-piece tub/nose gear well piece, ejection seat, and instrument panel. The sidewall consoles and instrument panel are detailed via decals, and a pilot figure is included. What is not included is any form of control column, so if you build this without the pilot, you will need to scratch something up for that. The canopy is one piece, though, so not much else would be needed unless you decide to open the cockpit.
The completed cockpit is sandwiched between the two fuselage halves, and here is another opportunity for some extra detailing. The camera ports are molded solid, so a bit of cutting and some scratchbuilt cameras could really make a difference here. Also, note that this kit has been modified from its original release. The first version of this kit had a separate nose piece, without the small antennae on either side. This kit was revised at some point, getting rid of the separate nose and adding the small antennae (I believe the seat was also improved a bit). For the Operation Sun Run aircraft, these small antennae need to be removed, as they were a later fit from Vietnam. Likewise, the panorama camera fairing should not be added for Sun Run Voodoos.
Moving on to the wings, this assembly is simple, with a one-piece lower wing and separate right and left upper wing pieces. The intakes will require some extra work, as the splitters inside are separated into each half. One could either replace these with plastic card or do some careful filling. While on the underside, the landing gear is decent, although the nose gear suffers from a misalignment in the axle. This will need to be replaced to keep the nose wheels in alignment. Also included are a pair of drop tanks to hang under the fuselage.
The decals are what really makes this kit, though, as they are absolutely stunning. Not only do you get all the markings for four Sun Run Voodoos, but you also get a good collection of stenciling. The two main options are for aircraft #3 and aircraft #4. Sun Run 3 was flown by Lt Klatt and set an outbound speed record, while Sun Run 4 was flown by Capt Schrecengost and carried the name Cin Min on the nose. While the decals provide most of the markings, they do not include the colored stripes. This is understandable, as trying to fit decal stripes over the complex curves of the Voodoo would be quite challenging. With a couple bits of aftermarket decals, one could easily build #5 and #6 as well. The decals are very nicely printed with excellent color and registration.
Conclusion
This is a great re-release of Hasegawa's classic RF-101C Voodoo kit, made all the nicer with two kits in the box. Toss in the great Sun Run decal sheet, and this one is a definite winner. My thanks to Hasegawa USA for the review sample.