Build Report: Trumpeter’s 1/48 F9F-2 Panther

Trumpeter’s 1/48 F9F-2 Panther is finished, and I can say with no reservations this is a great kit. Assembly is trouble free, detail is very good, and the simple enjoyment of building the kit is enough to make it worth a go for any modeler at any skill level.

An Eduard pre-painted photoetch set was used for seat belts and the instrument panel, but other than that, it’s out of the box. The clear parts are exceptionally nice. If I build another, the only thing I might do differently is to look for some aftermarket decals. The kit decals performed exceptionally well, but the white color was not quite as opaque as I’d like to see. Yet even that is a very minor point.i

The model was painted with Vallejo Model Air for the sea blue color, and a mix of Tamiya Aluminum and Sky Gray were used for the leading edges of the wings and tailplanes.

Give this kit a shot. It will certainly feed the need for Korean War era jets! (And ScaleHobbyist.com has it for under $30!)

A full build report for this kit is available at JonBius.com.