airfix 1/72 RA-5C

[DaFROG]

As I am staying at my parents for christmas i was going though some draws and found this

it appears to be this kit:
http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/viet/previews/airfix/4012.htm

Are these things rare or collectible?

No that that will stop me i have an evil plan

[pyro-manic]

I'll take it off your hands if you don't want it! It's supposed to be a nice kit.

[B777LR]

I've got my dads made up RA-5C in a box in the garage. Rather nice kit, despite the 30 - 40 years og age...

[elmayerle]

I believe it's a bit better kit than the even older Hasegaw/Frog/AMT kit of the RA-5C; the AMT kit being "special" in that it's the only one with marking for one of the camo trials RA-5Cs.  I know there's the Trumpeteer kit out there as a 1/72 scale-down from their 1/48 kit as well as kits by Revell, Ace, and Kangnam (sp) but I don't know the providence of those last three.

*grump* I just wish that someone would do a good 1/72 conversion for the A3J-1/A-5A; splicing the old Monogram 1/76 A3J-1 forward and upper fuselage into any of the existing RA-5C kits looks to be a bit of an "adventure".  Meanwhile, I'm very strongly thinking of doing a KA-5C "fast gas" aircraft as well as a EA-5D dedicated EW aircraft.

[NARSES2]

It's a nice kit, despite it's age 

[B777LR]

I can't believe there aren't more kits on the market of the TSR-2 of the US. It is one of the best looking planes ever to take flight.

[elmayerle]

I can't believe there aren't more kits on the market of the TSR-2 of the US. It is one of the best looking planes ever to take flight.

On the other hand, it saw comparatively low production numbers and never got the coverage that a number of the more agressive types did, so I suspect we can be glad of three or four distinct moldings, all reasonably decent.

[B777LR]

I can't believe there aren't more kits on the market of the TSR-2 of the US. It is one of the best looking planes ever to take flight.

On the other hand, it saw comparatively low productin numbers and never got the coverage that a number of the more agressive types did, so I suspect we can be glad of three or four distinct moldings, all reasonably decent.

But they are all impossible to find at a reasonable price in Denmark

[chrisonord]

I think I have one of these in the stash also, I got it from Narses a while back. I have built the hasegawa one also and that is a very nice kit to build also, it is on here in the current builds thread somewhere.
Cheers,
Chris.

[Daryl J.]

How long since it's been released in the USA?

[DaFROG]

I can confirm that it is certainly a decent kit for the period (i'm not terribly familiar with teh RA-5C nor as it will be whiffed do i particularly care about accuracy). Teh landing gear legs particularly are nicely moulded. There are some pretty hefty sink marks in the tail section around the burner cans (due to the thickness of the piece). Also the wings are mostly solid which results in some wavieness of the upper surfaces. Attempts to remove the raised panel lines would most likely smooth out the wings as well. There's a full but not terribly well detailed cockpit.

there's also an ancient complaints form in the box. I am tempted to send it in and see what happens

the forward fuselage looks remarkable like a TSR2 (IMHO) which leads us to my evil plan

I think it will be a soviet TSR2 with Su27 wings (i have some with seperate leading edge slats and flaps, also the RA-5C has far to much wing area to be a TSR2  ). the aft fuselage and engine area looks very russian though i may be tempted to make it slightly less square and more area ruled

[kitnut617]

I can't believe there aren't more kits on the market of the TSR-2 of the US. It is one of the best looking planes ever to take flight.

Thomas, where does the TSR-2 come into this, am I missing something ?

[kitnut617]

I can't believe there aren't more kits on the market of the TSR-2 of the US. It is one of the best looking planes ever to take flight.

Thomas, where does the TSR-2 come into this, am I missing something ?

I think he means that the RA-5C is the American equivalent of the TSR-2.



Duncan

Cheers Duncan, too many rum & cokes already LOL.

[PR19_Kit]

Robert,

Thomas, where does the TSR-2 come into this, am I missing something ?

Looking at the two kits side by side you can see that the two design teams came up with almost the same answer for two different questions. The Vigi's air intakes were one step on from the TSR2's, but you could imagine that an Eagle GR4 would have intakes like that anyway.

I managed to join the two together to make my Barracuda and it was almost easy, the Vigi's wings fit a TSR2 fuse almost exactly (well, a Merlin TSR2's fuse anyway....) the fins are almost identical and the fuselage is only wider on the Vigi at the rear 'cos the of bomb bay down between the engines.

[anthonyp]

I HATE the Thunderchicken (TSR.2), but I gotta admit it does look better with Vigilante wings.