F4D-1 Skyray supersonic fighter/interceptor

This is a typical tamiya kit. Pretty much falls together and no fit issues. This kit is a good weekend build. Heavy sprue connections on the wing leading edges makes sanding a little tricky. No option for an open canopy which is a shame since the cockpit detail is very nice. The intakes and the red warning decals around the intakes are a little tricky but you can get it all to fit with a little patience. Careful with the instructions, Step 2 shows putting part A6 in backwards. The decals are some of the best I've ever used out of the box. There is an error in the description section. There is no seated pilot, and the ordinance does not include rocket pods. Kit comes with 2 drop tanks, 2 generic type bombs and 1 nav pac. Great buy for $12.

This is a great little kit for the price. The F4D Skyray was itself a really neat looking plane, and I think Tamiya did it justice. The kit is a little more simple than other Tamiya kits, but it still has plenty of detail. There was very little flash, and the fit was superb. I didn't even have to do any filling, just sanding. The kit comes with two decal options, one for Navy and one for Marines (the Navy one has all the blue and stars, and the Marines one is probably more practical, but not as pretty). The decals are good, but if you're doing the navy version, you'll want to get yourself some decal setting solution, because they're big, and there's lots of them (the blue starry tail and spine is made up of five decals). This is definitely a good kit if you're looking for a more unique jet, and/or if you want a quick build (I did mine in a weekend).

The Douglas F4D-1 Skyray was the primary fleet defense interceptor for the U.S. Navy & Marines until the advent of the McDonnell F4 Phantom in the early 1960's. If there was ever a beauty contest for jet fighters, the Skyray would likely be the winner! But it was more than just a pretty face because it was very fast and would have been lethal as well, had it ever encountered a hostile enemy. I was looking for a fast and easy kit to build and this Tamiya Skyray was definitely it. Tamiya kits, in general, are among the best in all categories, whether aircraft, armor, ships, or autos, and this kit is right in there. All fits, scale fidelity, details, and decals are top notch with absolutely no negatives. I finished my Skyray with Testors gloss Gull Gray, lightened with 20% Flat White to get a scale gloss finish on the top portions of the model. I thoroughly enjoyed this build from start to finish and highly recommend this kit for all modelers.