1/48 Kittyhawk McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo

Gallery Article by Eric Hargett on Nov 25 2020 

 

      

This kit represents RF-101C-40-MC 56-166 "Luv Bug" with the 45 TRS "Polka Dots" based at Tan Son Nhut, South Vietnam in 1970.

This was a typical Kittyhawk kit with poor parts fit, sinkholes, a basic cockpit, and molding inaccuracies. Despite these deficiencies, the kit can be built into a fine representation of a Vietnam War recce Voodoo with effort. The specific corrections and enhancements I added to this kit are described below. 

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  • Modified the incorrect "angled" F-101B intake to the correct "vertical" RF-101C intake 

  • Applied strip styrene and putty to multiple areas to correct poor parts fit. 

  • Filled and sanded noticeable sink marks along the rear fuselage.

  • Scratchbuilt correct spitter plates for the intakes

  • Added piping to the rear wheel wells

  • Scratchbuilt the starboard, port, and both ventral cameras. An application of UV clear fly finish solution followed by 60 seconds under a UV lamp was used to make each camera lens. 

  • Applied UV clear fly finish for the landing lights

  • Added Eduard RF-101C seatbelts (FE 940)

  • Added Eduard RF-101C interior (49 939)

  • Applied PrintScale RF-101C 45 TRS Polka Dot decals (48-050)

  • Applied aluminum foil to represent the weathered bare metal surfaces near the afterburner cans. The different shades and colors of foil can be made by varying the timing of boiling the foil with eggshells.

Camouflage was the standard three-toned SEA scheme of medium green, dark green, and dark tan over US tactical light grey. Weathering was kept to a moderate level and applied using various tints/shades of the base colors, color modulation, oil filters, pin washes, and pastels. Everything was sealed with a 60/40 mix of acrylic flat clear and thinner.

Enjoy!

Eric Hargett

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Photos and text © by Eric Hargett