1/48 Kinetic Northrop F-5C Freedom Fighter

Gallery Article by Eric Hargett on Mar 18 2016

 

      

This is Kinetic's 1/48 F-5A Freedom Fighter. My kit represents an F-5C (SN# 64-13315) assigned to the Skoshi Tiger Program of the 4503rd TFS at Bien Hoa air base, South Vietnam in 1965. The F-5C's of the Skoshi Tiger program served in the Vietnam War from October 1965 to March 1967.

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The Kinetic kit is a good representation of the F-5 with good fit of all parts and minimal filler needed. My only reservation is the deep and relatively wide cut of several panel lines. I added the following enhancements to my kit:

  • Wolfpack F-5A Freedom Figher Cockpit set (WP48168)

  • Eduard F-5A Interior photoetch (FE619)

  • Caracal Models 1/48 F-5A Decals (CD48015)

  • External differences between the F-5A and F-5C were relatively minor. The most notable difference is the absence of the refueling probe on many F-5Cs. Otherwise, only a few features on kit parts needed to removed or enhanced with sheet styrene (armor plates). An excellent reference is Tambini's F-5 Tigers over Vietnam (2001).

  • My F-5C is armed with two 'daisy cutter' Mk 82 bombs and two CBU-52 cluster bombs from the Hasegawa Aircraft Weapons kit A

Camouflage was the standard SEA scheme of the Vietnam War. Considering the short service life, weathering was generally kept minimal with a combination of pre-shading, color modulation, various tints and shades of the base colors, oil pin washes and filters, pastels and graphite pencil which were all scaled down with a thin coat of flat clear.

Enjoy!

Eric Hargett

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Photos and text © by Eric Hargett