1/48 Revel Germany F-105G Wild Weasel III

Gallery Article by Burt Gustafson on July 9 2010

 

For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos of my 1/48 scale F-105G Thunderchief “Wild Weasel III”. 

History:
By 1973, eighty six F-105F Wild Weasel aircraft were produced. Sixty one of these were converted into F-105Gs, with the sole purpose of destroying or suppressing North Vietnamese SA-2 SAM sites. Weaseling was, and still is, a very dangerous mission. By 1973, the F-105G proved itself as the best aircraft for the job of playing ‘here, kitty kitty’ with Vietnamese SAM operators. If a SAM site showed the slightest vulnerability, the Weasels pounced and laid waste to the site.
 
Armament of the F-105G was typically 2 under wing short range AGM-45 Shrike ARMs (Anti-Radiation Missile), and a single long range AGM-78 Standard ARM. They would also carry two auxiliary fuel tanks, a 450 gallon under wing fuel tank and a centerline fuel tank.

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About the Kit:
The Revel Germany F-105G comes in a large box with a 14 page instruction booklet, and a huge decal sheet. The parts feature plenty of detail even with raised panel lines. Cockpit detail is excellent which includes two seated pilots. Clear parts include three canopy pieces and landing lights. Under wing things include two AGM-45 Shrike missiles, a single AGM-78 Standard missile, along with an under wing and a centerline fuel tank.


Construction:
This was an out of the box build and it goes together relatively easily. The parts fit was pretty good, meaning it required some filling and sanding. Be aware of warped parts. With my kit, the vertical tail was warped which required several hot water and bending applications. Note also that the main landing gears are not very sturdy. As a result, the finished model wobbles if you touch it or try and move it.

Comments:
Building this kit was a challenge with all the decaling, warped parts, and the camouflage paint scheme. But, in the end, you get a large impressive model.

Burt Gustafson

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Photos and text © by Burt Gustafson