F9F-2 Panther

Despite being over 30 years old, this kit is a marvel. The fitting was very good, and I needed to use no putty, and very minor sanding. However, like many Hasegawa kits, the decal films are pretty thick, and this made applying the nose decals especially difficult. The decals also tear easily, and the film also extends well beyond the edge of the decal itself, making parts of the clear film not want to conform to various surfaces, thus needing more decal solution. However, to fix this issue, a good coat of gloss spray paint will seal the decals to the surface. I used Testors spray dark sea blue for the color, and the result was beautiful. I didn't use the weight in the nose, because I like a taking-off look to my models. The nose gear must be handled with care, and some extra cement, because it is very weak, and the assembly of the doors on the underside of the model in between the nose and wing landing gear is a bit tricky to assemble as well. With some patience and a little bit of improvising, this kit is an absolute must-have for 1/72 scale collections, especially those of the Korean War.

This hasegawa kit is from 1989. It's really not bad for a kit that old. Kit comes with 2 sprues molded in gray, and 1 clear sprue. Panel lines are very shallow, you will probably need to rescribe them to add a little depth for washes. Cockpit detail is via decals which actually don't look too bad for the scale. Wheel well detail is non-existant. The canopy can be positioned open or closed. Over all fit is pretty good and can probably be completed in a weekend. Plane is a tail sitter without weight in the nose. Decals are a little thick but will sit down with a couple of coats of solva-set.

I really enjoy the older Hasegawa kits, and this is no exception. Very easy to build in a short time, it's only real drawback is the cockpit, which is rather devoid of detail, but for the price, it can't be beat!