So
you find yourself at a quandary you have a very nice F-4 in 48th
scale, spent some effort and some cash on a nice cockpit and your attention now
turns towards the thrust end of your model. Gee, it would be nice to do
something about those, they’re ok, but I spent the effort and time to do the
cockpit up, it sure looks like SOMETHING could be done about those WITHOUT
blowing another twenty to thirty bucks again!
Well, now there is. Enter 3rd Wire.
With their entry into the
scene a really nice set of exhausts can be had for fewer than ten bucks!
Is this possible? How can this be? ALL resin is expensive isn’t it? If
it’s cheap, it looks cheap, right? Well, the boys at 3rd wire
don’t think so. 3rd Wire is a group of modelers for modelers. I know it sounds
cheesy, but it’s true. Everyone at 3rd Wire is a modeler, and knows
the pitfalls of modeling. They understand what it takes to make a model look
really nice. Their two new sets are just an example if this philosophy.
No
model company yet has really made a nice J-79 exhaust can, or for that matter
the exhaust trunking and aft turbine out of the box. The effort for these just
hasn’t been there. It’s a real shame, because when people look at models,
they always take a gander at the rear of the model. What they have seen in the
past is somewhat crude and not a true representation of what makes the thing go.
In the defense of the model companies, making a mold for this with the injection
process would be very expensive and labor intensive. So in an effort to curb kit
costs, they usually offer a multi-piece affair, which is difficult to make the
assembly seams disappear.
3rd
Wire offers their solution in 3 cast pieces. These pieces are the can (this is
the part that is externally visible), the trunking (this is the part the exhaust
travels through to get out) and the aft turbine facing complete with flame
holder (this is part of the turbine that is visible when looking through the
other to assemblies). Each part is cast in white resin and is neatly cast. Some
traces of RTV from the mold left in some for the finer crevices, but nothing
that couldn’t be removed with a sharp toothpick.
The
can piece is the most complex of the three, for it contains the actuated
“feathers” of the exhaust. These are the parts of the exhaust that actually
expand or contract depending on engine setting. Because of their nature they are
tough to represent. 3rd Wire, in my opinion, “nailed it” in both
sets. Both early (J-79-8) and later (J-79-10) parts have the correct
representation equaling that what you would get from previously using photo-etch
parts to duplicate. The late set also has the double set of feathers internally
(particular to that version of turbine). All lines are straight and no
miscasting is present. The casting block on these must be removed very carefully
as this the most visible part of the whole set.
The
trunking is about an inch long and will represent the true space between
the can and the end of the turbine itself in scale rather nicely. It has
the baffle plates cast well within the inside as necessary. If you have
ever seen a J-79, you will notice that in this section there is what could
be described as corrugations or ripples in the baffles. The 3rd
Wire set
captures
these in their set very well. One end of this assembly has a casting block
the other is free. Care must be taken to remove this from the block to
ensure that it mates up with the corresponding piece without gaps. |
Click
on image below to see larger image |
|
|
The
aft turbine section completes the set. It comes complete with turbine
detail and molded in flame holder. It has a small section of the baffles
on it that will line up with the trunking piece. The inclusion of the
flame holder is a nice touch, as it is aligned with the turbine
alleviating the need to align this manually as in other sets. |
|
Below
you can see with the three major kits on the market (Revell \ Monogram,
Hasegawa, and ESCI \ Italeri) how the set looks when placed in each kit. I
didn’t have a Testor kit available, hence it is not shown.
Revell
\ Monogram fitting.
Note:
You will have to cut out a part of the lower fuse halves to install. The cut
area is pictured below.
Click
on images below to see larger images |
|
|
|
Once
installed: |
You
will notice in the above picture there are some gaps to deal with on the Revell
\ Mono. It can be done but it will take some work to achieve a good look.
Hasegawa
fitting:
The
cut in the fuse halves also has to be done on the Hasegawa kit. The cut is the
same for the Revell \ Monogram pictured above, hence no picture was taken of
this. It may seem that this may be excessive, but the time to make the cut is
about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, if you don’t make this modification, the set
will not align correctly. As you can see the fit
is MUCH better with this kit.
Click
on images below to see larger images |
|
|
Once
fitted here’s what you get |
Another
view from the rear. In this picture you can see
all the detail put into these sets. It is truly a GREAT enhancement to
the kit. |
Finally,
the ESCI fitting.
The
ESCI is rather old, but is still popular today. Incidentally, the newer Italeri
F-4 molds are the same as the ESCI kit, hence their inclusion on this review.
Click
on images below to see larger images |
|
|
This
and the Hasegawa offer the best fit of the sets. |
Another
view from the rear: |
In
all, you have a very attractive set for the J-79 dilemma, that the average
modeler and assemble in about twenty minutes or so. The Revell installation will
take more finesse to make look good, but it is still a great improvement to what
the kit gives you to work with,
The
Hasegawa and ESCI kits take the set with little modifications. The fit one on
these is much better. It’s important to note something at this time; even the
best set of resin does take a little work to get it right. The issues with the
fit of this set can be overcome in the case of the Revell kit.
I would still use this set in that kit, given the choice.
As
far as assembly of the set goes, it is really pretty easy. Most of my time was
spent squaring up the pieces with the blocked ends. Your time may vary depending
on you sanding technique. The sets would be good for a number of aircraft,
basically anything with a J-79 attached. In
the instance of an F-104, you would have a spare (if you mess one up, or for
another kit).
I
personally can vouch for the customer service from 3rd Wire, as in
writing this review, I sanded a little too much on one of the early cans, my
fault totally. One phone call to their staff, and a new set was at my door in 3
days for free. These guys are all about what they sell, and stand behind their
product very well.
To
get you hands on a set; through their distributor North American Hobbies @
WWW.NAHOBBIES@AOL.COM
.
The
guys at 3rd Wire get a much deserved “atta-boy” from this
reviewer, and I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND them to all in search of an
“affordable” option to the “J-79 blues”.
My
thanks to
3rd Wire Models
for the review samples!
Jarrod
|