The 2024 Wish List

The holidays have been somewhat low-key this year. Just the way I like them. Oh sure, I like a big turkey dinner as much as the next guy. But I really enjoy life on the slow-speed setting for a few days. Of course, this gives me time to think. And this time of year I always think of what sort of kits I’d like to buy and build.

I had a reasonable wish list last year. And you know something? A lot of them came true! There was a new tool F4U Corsair that Magic Factory brought us this past fall. I asked for Japanese twins and ICM delivered! I also asked for a late variant U-2 which Hobby Boss has assured everyone that it is on the way “soon”. Three out of five isn’t bad; not bad at all.

But this would be an awfully boring blog post if I said “Good Enough!” And we can’t have that. Besides, it is obvious that someone reads these lists and agrees with me! Considering how many wins I’ve had since 2019, it would be a disservice to the hobby for me to stop now. Always remember that dear readers: I’m doing this for you!

So, here is my 5 most wanted kits (in no particular order):

1. The F-86 Sabre in 1/48

I made an impassioned pitch for the Sabre last year despite the fact I really shouldn’t have to. The Sabre has a rabid international fan base. Why? Well, the Sabre served with dozens of airforces across the globe. It has been to war. It served for decades. It was upgraded in several ways by several manufacturers.

At this moment, the best models we have are the Hasegawa and Academy kits. I really can’t give the nod to one over the other as both have their advantages. 

But they are long in the tooth and could use some modern tooling. What’s more, is that neither of these 30-year-old kits was dislodged by the very recent F-86 from Airfix. Having seen some side-by-side comparisons, the Airfix kit actually looked to be the older kit with softer features and less detail. 

2. A Banshee- 3/4 1/48

I’ll go out on a limb here and say the scale model following for Banshees is but a small fraction of what it is for Sabres. It was a transition airplane if there ever was one. It was only around for some ten years. It only had three operators.

But it did see some limited combat in Korea. And you can’t say that about many early jets. 

For some reason, the Royal Canadian Navy was interested in Banshees and bought a handful of low mileage pre-enjoyed F2H-3s from the US Navy. These Banshees were given sidewinder missiles and put on a green-decked carrier. However, it soon occurred to some there were very few things for these handsome Banshees to intercept in the North Atlantic. Less than seven years after they arrived, the Canadian Banshees were retired.

It would seem that I am arguing against myself. But just look at it! It is a handsome plane with that simple and classy RCN scheme. It sure made up for having to operate off a green deck. It might not have had a lot to do while flying for Canada. But at least it did it with panache!    

Now, when it comes to kits of the Banshee, we have a few options for early variants in both major scales. However, there is a gap for the later variants. A quick scan over at Scalemates shows only one short-run resin kit of the -3/-4 variant. So, good luck: (i) finding it; (ii) paying a reasonable price for it; and (iii) building a nice model from 2 pounds of warpy-pitted resin. A few years ago there was an announcement that Kitty Hawk, of all things, was going to be making -3 and -4 Banshees. Well, that never happened. And given Kitty Hawk’s reputation, maybe that is for the best. 

3. A good new F-111A in 72nd

What I don’t know about the air war over Vietnam can fill a library. I came to this conclusion while walking through one of the cavernous hangars at the USAF Museum in Dayton, OH. There were all sorts of Vietnam-era planes in there.  Including this all-weather bad boy F-111A. I’ll admit, I was surprised to see it because I thought the F-111 came after the Vietnam War.

So, I read the placard in front of the airplane. And that led to reading a bit more when I got home. The USAF used the F-111 in Vietnam to test the concept of single-airplane low-level penetration in all weather conditions. Most of the missions were flown at night and in bad weather. Turns out, the bombing accuracy was just as good as the daylight accuracy of other Air Force fighter-bombers.

But the point was to strike with complete surprise to minimize shootdowns. The F-111 didn’t need multiple ships to hit a target. Nor did it need all the tankers and jamming aircraft that regular bombers did. It could navigate itself, at night, in bad weather, flying just over the trees. In a way, this was the first stealth bomber. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Of course, the plane is a monster and would be a massive thing in 1/48. Besides, it would seem that the Hobby Boss Aardvark is good enough. I’m thinking of a more reasonable-sized kit in 1/72.  Now, when it comes to nice kits of the F-111a in 1/72 scale, we have some options. But none of them are great. Probably the best of the bunch is the venerable old Hasegawa kit from the Reagan administration. Given its age, it fits ok. It has recessed panel lines at least. But it is very much on the ‘simplified details’ end of the model kit spectrum. I’m thinking about some of the recent 1/72 releases by GWH or Finemolds. There are now some very nice F-15s and F-14s in the gentleman’s scale. Maybe we can also get a fine F-111 to round out those cold warriors. 

4. A Space Shuttle in 1/144 (Hear me out!)

Is this an airplane? Sure is. It’s got wings, an engine and it flies. Ok… it glides. Close enough. It was also an incredibly complex and impressive machine. Now, we probably look at this as insanity today but this thing was sold to the public as an everyday regular method to bring space transportation to the masses. Kinda like a ’78 Impala daily driver to the stars. Shoot it up on a rocket, glide it down to an airport, rinse, repeat.

Problems? Oh, there were a couple. But before the final accident, there were many successful flights, and because of that the space shuttle, despite being anything but simple, was almost thought of as ‘routine’ or ‘ho-hum’. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A long, long time ago, my sister bought me the 72nd-scale Revell space shuttle. That was a big kit. I mean, it was big. I immediately tore into the box and started building it but back then my skills weren’t up to the task. I remember having a lot of putty on that thing. I should have taken more care with joining the wings and putting the fuselage halves together. It ended up being a hot mess of a putty monster and I remember sanding and sanding. I also seem to remember having difficulty getting the cargo bay into the fuselage as well. Ultimately I gave up on the model as a kid and it didn’t survive one of my parents’ basement purges. Probably for the best.

Funny thing though, there has never been an accurate model of the Space Shuttle in any scale. They are approximations at best. I think it is time for us to see an accurate Shuttle in any scale but I’d like to see something smaller than 1/72. As I said above, the 72nd kit is a monster. There are several old-school models of the Space Shuttle in 1/144. So, it isn’t like this is a new idea.    

5. 1/48 F4U-4 Corsair

We just got a new tool Corsair! Am I being greedy? No, not exactly. It seems to me that we are absolutely showered with early variants of the Corsair. And for the late ones, the Hasegawa kits (if you can find them) are decent, if not a little long in the tooth. 

But what about that sweet gushy centre??

The -4 was the last true fighter Corsair. 

All the following Corsairs were bomb trucks that could hold their own in a fight. Starting with the -5, they changed the engine, added armor, and lots of hard points. Those Corsairs were designed to fly low, hit ground targets, and fight their way home. 

But the F4U-4 was the last of the thoroughbreds. Designed to be a fighter. The best fighter of the bunch. And for all intents and purposes, it was! Hell, it flew in two wars! It even shot down a Mig-15.

So, given this background, surely we must have an excellent model of the best Corsair to build! 

Right?

Nope.

We have the decades-old Monogram kit with all of its ‘working features’. We have the slightly fewer decades-old Hasegawa kit with its raised panel lines and simplified detail. There is also the late 1980s Academy/Minicraft which is best described as an approximation of the -4. Most recently, Hobby Boss threw their hat in the ring to give us a -4. But every one of these alternatives is lacking. 

It is time for a new -4 Corsair.

Wanna Video? The Little Intern thinks you do!

Let’s Hear from you: What do you want?

No matter what, I am wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and fun 2024. I am looking forward to so many things this year and I hope the model gods smile upon me and answer a few or all of these requests.

I’d like to know what you think. Did any of your wants get answered in 2023? Do you like any of my top 5? What would you add? Any glaring omissions? Let me know what you think in the comments.