Best Hunter Kit?

[darthspud]

I've got an RAF Hunter to build as part of my on-going whif/TSR/Stealth project.
What i'd like to know from all on here
Which kit is (in your opinion) best in 1/72 scale.
For preference I'd like to get a couple of alternatives
i.e. F6/Airfix and FGA9/Revell

I do want to build at least one twin seater and maybe a couple of single seaters.

Thanks

[pyro-manic]

Revell, hands down, in F.6 or FGA.9 flavours. Lovely kit, though getting harder to find now as it's been out of production for a couple of years. Freightdog have done a couple of nice Whiffy conversion sets for it too - radar nose, swept wings, missiles etc.

Twin-seater is a bit more tricky - AFAIK the Matchbox kit is the only injection plastic option, though there are resin conversion sets around I think...

[JayBee]

As far is an know the only two seater injection kit is from Xtrakitkit (ie Hannants) and as far as I have heard the wing to fuselage join is pretty poor.
The Airfix kit is not TOO bad in outline accuracy but does need a bit of work to make it presentable.
The Revel kits, yes that is the way to go without a doubt.

Happy Huntering 

Jim

[darthspud]

Thanks Guys,

I did wonder about the Xtrakit/Hannants kit.
It'd probably do the job as my trainer/twin holer, and a couple of FGA9 Revells, all seem relatively easy to find and reasonably cheap

[Gondor]

Odds and Ordinance do a T7 conversion set as well as the Sea Harrier nosed two seater. I believe they also do an intake trunking set as well. Freightdog I believe do a conversion set for the exhaust for a reason I cant remember   

Gondor

[rickshaw]

Without a doubt, the Revell is the nicest one available as has been noted, increasingly difficult to find, which is a real shame as it is a lovely little kit.

There are the Airfix and Frog/Novo/Plastyk ones still readily available and all of them make up basically into something that looks sufficiently like a Hunter to please the eye without requiring excessive amounts of work IMHO.

There are some Resin models available such as PJ Resins and Olimp but they tend to be a bit expensive.  They do offer the earlier versions though.

There are also some Resin conversions around which will allow you to backdate the plastic kits to earlier versions by Freightdog and Wolkpack.

The Matchbox/Xtrakit side-by-side seater is still around quite a bit.

Then you have Olimp and Odds&Ordnance with resin ones, plus one or two others as well.

MartinH may have some tandem seat noses available.

[Captain Canada]

Oh yeah, Revell for sure. Wonder why they haven't released it again when it 'flew' off the shelves ? And why they didn't follow on with the twin seater ? Always wanted 1 or 2 more....

[Weaver]

Apparently they were saying that they were "disappointed" by overall sales of the Hunter FGA.9 kit. Hard to believe for UK sales (everyone seemed to be gobbling them up), but maybe they didn't shift so well elsewhere?

[Dizzyfugu]

As far is an know the only two seater injection kit is from Xtrakitkit (ie Hannants) and as far as I have heard the wing to fuselage join is pretty poor.

The Airfix kit is not TOO bad in outline accuracy but does need a bit of work to make it presentable.

Matchbox also offered a two-seater - actually, there were/are two fuselage fronts included which you can bolt on. The overall kit is rather simple, though, but fit is good.

This thing has also been re-released by Revell, AFAIK, so watch out which Revell kit you use/take. The "real"/good Revell Hunter is just a single seater, the FGA.9 in RAF markings, and if IIRC there had been two decal versions of this kit around (one with red, one with yellow hi viz trim on the box art - or was that the 1:32 kit?).

[PR19_Kit]

Revell did two single seat Hunters, one an F6 and the other an FGA9. I've got a couple of both of them, but there's very little difference of course. I think just the parabrake housing on the 9.

[pyro-manic]

Weapons options are slightly different too - the FGA.9 has Mavericks to do a Swiss version, etc.

[Gondor]

As far is an know the only two seater injection kit is from Xtrakitkit (ie Hannants) and as far as I have heard the wing to fuselage join is pretty poor.

The Airfix kit is not TOO bad in outline accuracy but does need a bit of work to make it presentable.

Matchbox also offered a two-seater - actually, there were/are two fuselage fronts included which you can bolt on. The overall kit is rather simple, though, but fit is good.

This thing has also been re-released by Revell, AFAIK, so watch out which Revell kit you use/take. The "real"/good Revell Hunter is just a single seater, the FGA.9 in RAF markings, and if IIRC there had been two decal versions of this kit around (one with red, one with yellow hi viz trim on the box art - or was that the 1:32 kit?).

The Revell Mk6 has the yellow fin while the Mk9/Mk58 has a ref fin on there respective box art.

Gondor

[Gondor]

As far is an know the only two seater injection kit is from Xtrakitkit (ie Hannants) and as far as I have heard the wing to fuselage join is pretty poor.

The Airfix kit is not TOO bad in outline accuracy but does need a bit of work to make it presentable.

Matchbox also offered a two-seater - actually, there were/are two fuselage fronts included which you can bolt on. The overall kit is rather simple, though, but fit is good.

This thing has also been re-released by Revell, AFAIK, so watch out which Revell kit you use/take. The "real"/good Revell Hunter is just a single seater, the FGA.9 in RAF markings, and if IIRC there had been two decal versions of this kit around (one with red, one with yellow hi viz trim on the box art - or was that the 1:32 kit?).

The Revell Mk6 has the yellow fin while the Mk9/Mk58 has a red fin on there respective box art.

Gondor

[TallEng]

Apparently they were saying that they were "disappointed" by overall sales of the Hunter FGA.9 kit. Hard to believe for UK sales (everyone seemed to be gobbling them up), but maybe they didn't shift so well elsewhere?

Well I did my best out here in NRW Germany and the bordering towns in Holland, I've got 8 FGA.9's and 4 F.6's (I was a bit slow when it came to the F.6) although to be honest the FGA.9 is the better kit, you get all the options for the Swiss variant,  the larger 230 Gallon drop tanks, Maverick missiles, and extra pylons and I think Sidewinders, and you can still build an F.6 as the Brake Shute is a separate molding.

Regards
Keith

[ChernayaAkula]

Apparently they were saying that they were "disappointed" by overall sales of the Hunter FGA.9 kit. <...>

Yep, that's precisely the answer a friend and I got straight from a Revell representative at a model expo a couple of years ago when we asked about a possible 1/72 Mirage III family. We were both rather surprised. We both thought the Hunter had been a good seller.
Like TallEng, I did my part. I had twelve FGA.9s (plus five more in 1/144) and three F.6s in the stash at some point. Sold off a few since then, though.