Northrop F-5F Tiger II (US Air Force)

[Mike]

Northrop F-5F Tiger II (US Air Force)

1:48 AFV Club

In association with

The F-5F is the two-seat trainer version of the F-5E that was reviewed here on its release in mid-2010.

The Two seater F differed from the E by having a longer nose and only one cannon in the nose, with reduced ammunition capacity, due to the additional space taken up by the second cockpit and duplicate controls.

The kit arrives in AFV Club's standard top opening box, with a fetching painting of an F in s nose up stance with its wheels down. Inside are seven sprues of light grey styrene, the main fuselage part, two exhaust parts, a small fret of Photo-Etched (PE) metal on the first release only, and a small sprue of vinyl sleeves that were missing from my box. The package is completed by the instruction booklet and a medium sized sheet of decals.

As per the previous release, the majority of sprues are the same, with a new larger sprue carrying all of the parts for the different nose. The two seat cockpit is supplied as a blank shell into which you place the instrument panel and flying control details. The twin seats and separating coaming complete the assembly until the two canopies are installed, which have their own opening jacks that attach behind each seat. The PE sheet includes two parts that enhance the realism of the cockpit front edges and incorporate a pair of rear-view mirrors for each pilot. These parts are incredibly thin, so care will definitely be needed here.

The long nose is made up from three main parts, in order to incorporate the characteristic droop that the longer nose has to accommodate the extra equipment. An insert completes the port side of the nose, with panel details specific to this mark. A few small alterations are needed to small oval panels near the front coaming, including filing a small hole and drilling out a spot for part P23.

The main fuselage has the same inserts as the E for open or closed auxiliary air louvres, and separate trunking parts to which the intake lips attach. Here another two PE parts insert into the splitter plates to realistically depict the mesh found there. The underside of the fuselage is provided as part of the wing underside, so correct positioning of the wings will not be an issue. All of the flying surfaces are mobilised for the modeller to pose to add a little visual interest.

The landing gear is crisply moulded with plenty of detail in the struts and wheel hubs, and separate torque-links. There are no flats moulded into the tyres, but if that bothers you, a few swipes of a sanding stick will remedy this. The gear doors are also nicely detailed, with no ejector pin marks to contend with.

The stores provided are as follows:

1 x 275 US Gal Drop Tank

2 x 150 US Gal Drop Tank

2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder A-to-A missiles

A final nice touch is a pair of crew access ladders, which build up from 4 parts each, and hook over the side of the cockpit.

The decal sheet is a treat for the eyes, although two of the Iranian flags have slight blemishes on the red parts of their flags. Everything else is in good register, with crisp demarcation and tiny carrier film. From the box you can build one of the following airframes:

• USAF, Williams Air Force Base, 1979 (All over 3-tone grey camo)
  
• Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (Tan, Brown & Green camo over an un-named lighter underside)
  
• Royal Jordanian Air Force (All over Silver/Natural Metal)
  
• Singapore Air Force, No.144 Squadron (All over 3-tone grey camo)
  

Conclusion

A welcome release of this 2-seat derivative of a popular release from 2010. It won't be long before we have a full complement of F-5 variants if AFV Club keep up the good work. Detail is good, and as long as you test fit the various parts together before assembly, you won't go far wrong.

Recommended

Review sample courtesy of