posted 02-26-2011 02:16 PM               

So, I've decided to fill this hole in my collection by buying a kit and building it up. Commissioning a build by a professional isn't a budgetary option right now, so I'd like input from the cS community:

What kits are out there that can be had for a reasonable price? A cursory check of eBay shows nothing in a scale bigger than 1:72, and given that I haven't attempted to build a model in over 20 years I'm not really comfortable working in that small a scale. Is there anything in 1:48 or larger?

And, is there an actual NASA T-38 kit? If not, where do I go for decals? I'm not partial with respect to tail markings (Yellow stripe, worm, or vector), but I'd like whatever I can get to be historically consistent.

With respect to painting, can anyone offer any advice (brands, colors, technique, etc.) on how to get good, even coverage in gloss white, as well as finishing/sealing? I'd rather not buy an airbrush, as this is basically a one-off project and I'm not taking up the hobby again.

posted 02-26-2011 03:21 PM               

It is rumored that one of the livery schemes for the T-38 will be a NASA paint scheme out in 2011.

posted 02-26-2011 05:11 PM               

Here's one that sold on eBay recently for $61 USD.

posted 02-26-2011 06:24 PM               

The Sword T-38 kits (available in 1:48 and 1:72) get many T-38-specific details right, but the landing gear (both struts and wheels/tires) is still F-5B equipment, and thus isn't accurate for a T-38. Add to this the fact that if you want a current NASA T-38, you have to figure out a way to scratchbuild the newer radome and intakes. (I also think the NASA T-38s have switched to a different ejection seat, too.)

posted 08-20-2011 01:41 PM               

My out of the box impressions:

Calling this kit "basic" is somewhat like saying collectSPACE modelers do details: Both statements are correct, but barely adequate. First of all, the box art is misleading. It shows a photo of the actual aircraft with canopies open and airbrakes down, neither of which is an option with the kit save major mods and scratch-building that I'm not nearly up to.

Second, there is literally NO cockpit detail. None. The kit doesn't even include a cursory instrument panel. I wasn't planning on modeling the crew figures (who at least appear to scale), but I now realize that if I don't, I can either black-out the cockpit entirely or build something that looks like the Disney World NASA Jet Experience. So my biggest challenge won't be the plane but the pilots. Awesome.

Anyway, these kits cost me about US $20.00 each, so with paints, glue, and brushes this has turned into a cheap weekend re-visitation of my youth. I bought two of these things reasoning that with shipping from Japan it was cost-effective, and if I made a botch of the first I could still pay someone who knows what they're doing to turn the second into something presentable. Now I'm not sure that an actual skilled modeler wouldn't be insulted by the proposition.

As it is, the finished model(s) will likely just be placeholders in my collection until better options hopefully come along.

posted 08-20-2011 03:41 PM               

Sword's kits of the T-38 are not bad at all and indeed the best for that model out there. But they are a combination of styrene, resin and photo etch and not the easiest to build. They have been OOP for a couple years, but still are easy enough to find at some shops and indeed on eBay. Collectaire models did an all resin T-38 in 1/32 scale, but they were EXPENSIVE when issued and are probably more so today if you find somebody willing to part with one.

Now concerning NASA's T-38 fleet, how accurate the T-38 kits are will depend on which T-38 you are building as NASA has made a few changes to the fleet over the years. In the 1970s and much of the 80s, the NASA T-38s except for the paintjob were the same as the Air Force ones except for maybe some radio equipment loadouts.

The first change made was to the ejection seat as the original Northrop seats were replaced with Martin Baker US16LN seats starting in the mid-1990s I believe. Reason this was done is NASA has astronauts and crew members who are of different builds than typical USAF pilots (such as women astronauts of lighter build and weight). Prior to the new seats, light weight crew members had to wear ballast bags when they strapped in, otherwise the force of the ejection might cause back injuries. The extra ballast was needed to counteract the shock of the ejection.

Many of the planes were retrofitted with color weather radar at the same time they got the new seats, but there was a mix of T-38s in the NASA fleet with radar and without. Except for the black nose, the biggest change this brought about by the radar installation was the instrument panel as I believe both the front and rear panels have a radar display in the center. The new sub-sonic intakes didn't start getting added to the fleet until about 2004-05 and although it is intended to be a fleet wide upgrade, I don't believe all the jets have that yet since NASA's small budget means they only do the upgrade when the planes are due for major checks.

The conclusion of course is if you plan to do a T-38 from the 1960s thru the late 1980s, assuming you start with an accurate T-38 kit you should be fine. If you want to build a more recent one, then things get a bit tricky.

posted 08-20-2011 05:34 PM               

The description includes:

posted 09-03-2011 04:20 PM              

Maybe there is a decal sheet available?

Thanks in advance!