1/72 Trumpeter F-105D Thunderchief

by Burt Gustafson

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This is my second submission to ARC, Trumpeter's 1/72 scale F-105D Thunderchief.  The sleek go-fast Thunderchief, affectionately referred to as the THUD, came out in the late 50s.  It was developed as a supersonic fighter bomber that could carry nuclear weapons  in an internal bomb bay. It served well in the deterrent role, but achieved its greatest fame as a bomb-truck during the air war over North Vietnam.  Many THUDs were lost to SAMs and AAA, but it still achieved an impressive combat record.  The THUD was no dog fighter, but it could defend itself.  It couldn't turn with the MIGs, but it sure could out run them with speed in excess of 1400 miles per hour.  Anything that got in front of the THUD was shredded by fire from its 20 mm nose mounted M-61 cannon.

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I looked forward to building this kit because 1/72 scale F-105s are very hard to find.  This was a fairly easy kit to build, but I blew it from the start.  Notice the model is missing the nose gear landing light.  As I clipped it off the sprue, it went flying, never to be seen again.  I'm sure some of you are saying "been there, done that".  Overall, the fit is pretty good.  I air-brushed the model using masks I made and Testors Model Master enamels.  Trumpeter failed to provide an adequate color and and marking guide to show the camouflage pattern.  However, some 10 years ago I built a 1/48 scale F-105D Monogram kit and saved the instructions which has a good color and marking guide.  To enhance the model a bit, I applied a pin wash to the panel lines.  Trumpeter's 1/72 scale THUD is a good kit but a beginner might struggle with some of its really small parts.

The model depicts an F-105D of the 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron, the "Vampires", of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing.  It was flown by Major Donald Kutyna from Takhli Royal Thai air base in 1970.

Burt 

Photos and text © by Burt Gustafson