H.A.F. F-5A 1/48

[Raw_Shooter]

 Hello my friends 
today I decide to start a new model kit but this time an airplane in 1/48. It's a Testors' Northrop F-5A "Freedom Fighter" a classic airplane for Hellenic Air Forces (H.A.F).
Few words about H.A.F.'s F-5A...In the late 1960s the H.A.F. acquired new types jet aircraft; One of those was Northrop F-5A; A small but very fast and agile jet plane able to hit any enemies' airplane. It could touch 1.6 mach and 8g    Just think that during Greece - Turkey crisis in mid 70s a pair of F-5 fight against a pair of Turkish F-102 and shoot down one of them and after few years from that crisis another Hellenic F-5s pair were hunting a pair of U.S Navy's F-4J south of island Kreta. Almost all F-5s A were at "113 all weather combat wing" here at Thessaloniki. Now days all F-5s A/B are retired and some of them become "Anniversary airplanes"  with special marks. H.A.F.'s F-5s had many different camos from Aegean Blue to Jordan's dessert camo  Just one (retired) has been painted in F-16's light visible camo.
Now Testors's kit.....it's a nightmare    It's very very simplified with just a seat and dashboard for interior    That's why I'll use spare parts from others F-5 which I have 

to be continued......

[Hawkeye]

Nice choice for your next work,I have the F-5E in 1/72 scale and planing to make it in VNAF markings,so your photos could be helpful.

[Sandman]

F-5 is one of my favourite jets so I'll have an close eye on this topic

I plan to build both F-5A (RF-5A actually) and F-5E....

If you need anything that could help you in this build (references for example) please feel free to ask - we will try to help you as much as we can

good luck and please post us photos in progress

regards,
Srdjan

[Boki]

F-5 is very beautiful aircraft. I believe this will be a very good model.
Can you post some photos of the parts? I never saw a Testors' model before.

I heard that in it's designing participated one of our own ExYu men, Veljko Gasic. He later also participated in designing the B-2. How much there is truth in this, I don't know.

[milten]

Finlay some Greek aircraft from you...

[Miljan]

Nice,nice.I can't wait to see it finished
I like Hellenic military aircraft.I was planed to built  H.A.F F-16 but there is no decals for it

[milten]

Nice,nice.I can't wait to see it finished
I like Hellenic military aircraft.I was planed to built  H.A.F F-16 but there is no decals for it

There are but you didn't ask...

[Miljan]

What you try to tell me?

[Raw_Shooter]

here we are 
"Hawkeye" my friend anything u need and I can help you just tell me 
"Sandman" my friend the best RF-5 & F-5B in 1/48 are Classic Airframes'  Now it's difficult to find them but they are the most accurate    In 1/72 for RF-5A there is one way Italeri's kit but for F-5B there are PM's Model kit and Italeri's kit. Both they were in H.A.F. service and there were special schemes also....A RF-5A Anniversary "Kronos" (with flames e.t.c.) and many F-5B ex Jordan's Air Forces...we kept same camo and added only new roundels....they were better known like "Soraya" among pilots 
"Boki" my friend as you'll see Testors's kit is a nightmare, practically there isn't interior just a seat. Also the plastic width is enormous and maybe out of scale (but it's smooth and easily sanding). Honestly I don't know that fact about the Yugoslavian designer 
"milten"  I am not aircraft modeler  u know I love armor "animals" 
"Miljan" my friend when u decide to make a H.A.F. F-16 just tell me to send u a lot of images    But attention the H.A.F.'s F-16C/Ds have difficult colors and u must make mixtures....Next week I'll start 2 H.A.F. F-16s a "-C Block 50" and a "-D Block 52+"    Milten maybe means that there are many decals for H.A.F.'s aircraft    There are 2 greek companies who produces greek decals....The first I think is named 'Afterburner" and produces 2 different foils and the second was (I think it's closed now) Ikarus Decals. The 2nd company produced a lot of decals foils among them many for Anniversary planes    Thanks God I am lucky to have all those foils (they'll be a treasure for Greek modelers after few years due it's closed now and they'll become rares)......

[Raw_Shooter]

So.......
as there isn't any interior (as I told you) I decide to make a resin copy from Classic Airframe's F-5A interior (cockpit + seat).
This is Terstors's interior
and this is Classic Aiframe's resin copy
Yesterday I finished almost whole the plane (except some parts which I'll fix them after painting  )

as you can see I sprayed Hycote's primer and next step will be preshadding   

[Sandman]

uhm... you're really quick with this build!

maybe it looks a bit odd, but in airplane modeling it's easier to paint cockpit before assembling it with fuselage halves...

and landing gear is also usually glued at the real end of build (after painting of camouflage)...

but OK, it's not so impossible to do it this way either

looking forward to paintjob!

[Raw_Shooter]

"Sandman" my friend you have right 
after the preshadding

today I use my infinity to paint the "Aegean Blue" color (Lifecolor's No UA44)...

I don't "cover" the preshadding lines because F-5s were dirty airplanes due the liquids' flew (specially those in "Aegean Blue" camo) 
t.b.c.

[dragan_mig31]

the preshading turned out really nice

[Raw_Shooter]

Thank you Dragan my friend 
Last night I make a little progress on this project.....

and the down side,

to be continued......

[oddball]

Excellent preshading, maybe too much weathering on downside. But as I see it's not finished yet and the way your work progresses it will be a very good one!