My dear friend Massimo "Max" Busolini from Italy returns to our company with a splendid F-8E Crusader!!! I particularly love the weathering!!!

(Comments by Thanos Mentzelopoulos)

1/48 Hasegawa F-8E Crusader

by "Massimo Busolini"

The F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) was a single-engine aircraft carrier-based air superiority fighter aircraft built by Vought. It replaced the Vought F-7 Cutlass. The first F-8 prototype was ready for flight in February 1955, and was the last American fighter with guns as the primary weapon, principally serving in the Vietnam War. The RF-8 Crusader was a photo-reconnaissance development and operated longer in U.S. service than any of the fighter versions. RF-8s played a crucial role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, providing essential low-level photographs impossible to acquire by other means. US Naval Reserve units continued to operate the RF-8 until 1987. In September 1952, United States Navy announced a requirement for a new fighter. It was to have a top speed of Mach 1.2 at 30,000 ft (9,150 m) with a climb rate of 25,000 ft/min (127 m/s), and a landing speed of no more than 100 mph (160 km/h). Korean War experience had demonstrated that .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns were no longer sufficient and as the result the new fighter was to carry a 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon. In response, the Vought team led by John Russell Clark created the V-383. Unusually for a fighter, the aircraft had a high-mounted wing which allowed for short and light landing gear. The most innovative aspect of the design was the variable-incidence wing which pivoted by 7° out of the fuselage on takeoff and landing. This afforded increased lift due to a greater angle of attack without compromising forward visibility because the fuselage stayed level. Simultaneously, the lift was augmented by leading-edge slats drooping by 25° and inboard flaps extending to 30°. The rest of the aircraft took advantage of contemporary aerodynamic innovations with area ruled fuselage, all-moving stabilators, dog-tooth notching at the wing folds for improved yaw stability, and liberal use of titanium in the airframe. Power came from the Pratt & Whitney J57 afterburning turbojet and the armament, as specified by the Navy, consisted of four 20 mm (.79 in) cannon, a retractable tray with 32 unguided Mighty Mouse FFARs, and cheek pylons for two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. Vought also presented a tactical reconnaissance version of the aircraft called the V-382. The F-8 Crusader would be the last U.S. fighter designed with guns as its primary weapon.

Major competition came from Grumman with the F-11 Tiger, McDonnell with upgraded twin-engine F3H Demon (which would eventually become the F-4 Phantom II), and North American with their F-100 Super Sabre adopted for carrier use and dubbed the Super Fury. In May 1953, the Vought design was declared a winner and in June, Vought received an order for three XF8U-1 prototypes (after adoption of the unified designation system in September 1962, the F8U became the F-8). The first prototype flew on 25 March 1955 with John Konrad at the controls. The aircraft exceeded the speed of sound during its maiden flight. The development was so trouble-free that the second prototype, along with the first production F8U-1, flew on the same day, 30 September 1955. On 4 April 1956, the F8U-1 performed its first catapult launch from USS Forrestal.

Source: Wikipedia

The F8U-2NE was the final production versions of the Crusader for the US NAVY.  It differed from previous Crusaders in having a substantial AIR-TO-GROUND capability  and its first flight was on June 30, 1961. On September 18, 1962 the F8U-2NE was redesignated F-8E.  The first carrier trials of the F-8E took place aboard the USS FORRESTAL in 1963.  It was the “E” model of the Crusader that was responsible for the greatest number of Crusader MiG kills in Vietnam. Markings are provided for four very colourful aircraft.  They are look very clean, colourful and are in register.  Extensive stencilling is also provided, even for the gear bays!!!  I always use colours MODEL MASTER, and the colouring is the classic one of the US NAVY, and the modifies very much for a good ageing and wear and tear of the model itself.  Certainly a model I would recommend to everybody, quite easy in the execution!!! The model I present is a splendid HASEGAWA kit.  You print they are very clean, in negative very realistic purpose, and the fit of the parts it is so precise…that the filler is almost superfluous.

I hope you like my Crusader!!! 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Text & Photos by Massimo Busolini