Kinetic (Gold) F-104G

[Edbert]

This is my first ever kit from Kinetic, I'm trying to catch up on the newer makers by trying them. Since it is only one kit I am withholding a final opinion on the brand, and this kit says "Gold" right there on the box, so maybe it is a cut above?

That said, this kit is really nice, I will not say it eclipses Tamiya, but it is really good so far.



I've only begun, and like 95+% of aircraft kits, one starts with the cockpit.

I hate to start with a negative, because I am impressed, but there are no decals for the IP, none. The detail of the molds are quite good, but my ability to paint 1/48 gauges is near zero. I attempted an artificial horizon, but the radar-scope has a clear orange that is invisible. I considered buying a 3D cockpit, but really want to build this one out of the box, as it came.

 

[BarleyBop]

Looks fantastic from here!
Sheesh!

Let me get my 'honey I shrank the kids' gun so I can inspect more closely!

 

[BOATMAN]

HI Edbert yes the work you have done on the I/P looks good an i am followin your build as back in the early 7o's we had some german marine starfighters come for a few days at RAF COLTISHALL in norfolk an me an a mate stood watchin them land an one came down the runway with smoke comin out of its brakes as the drouge parachute has failed to deploy an we se the crash barrier raeise up an the plane stopped just before it an we watched the pilot open the canopy an he climbed down an boy was he angry as he stormed round to the rear end of the plane an he gave the panel a hefty kick an the panel opened an the shute just fell on the runway BOY was he angry an these starfighters had a green an grey camo an on the big wing tanks they were painted in dayglow orange an when i got a big kit of this i did it in the same colours an to me it looked great
chrisb

 

[mark2]

Not all kinetic kits are particularly great but I've built this one and it's a beauty

 

[Edbert]

It would look cool with day-glo orange tanks!

I saw some of these Luftwaffe Starfighters in Germany back in the 70s too, but no cool stories like that

 

[Edbert]

Not all kinetic kits are particularly great but I've built this one and it's a beauty

I'm slowly getting up to speed with these new brands, new to me since I did not buy a kit from about 1997 to 2024. Used to just be Revell, Monogram, and Tamiya. At least that was all I'd built.

The Trumpeter USS Texas is pretty crappy. Seeing all kinds of fitment issues, some tied to the molds I think. Flash is not too bad but the instructions are trash and there's ZERO information about the ship.

Similar story with the Hobby Boss F-105. The intakes are just hollow holes, the two main ones at the wing roots, but also the one on the tail. Just big holes that show the insides of the fuselage. The cockpit tub fit into the fuselage well enough, but there's a huge gap between the side consoles and the side panels, like 3/16 or 1/4 inch! Surface detail was good. But even basic stuff like the ordinance mounting system was not accurate with the subject matter.

This is my first ever Kinetic kit, and it is really nice. I assumed that was because of the "gold" label and that it was retooled in 2019.

I acknowledge that I make a mistake to assume all kits from these brands are the same. But these three are the only examples I have to know from experience where they fall in the quality scale.

 

[Edbert]

Very minor issues with the main seam, not gonna use putty, I think filling primer will suffice.




The upper side was nearly perfect, these are the only spots with filler.


Small gaps where the intake nacelles meet the sides. Need a few more coats of primer there, had the same gap on the bottom, but to close those meant creating some on the sides, which I think are more obvious.

 

[BOATMAN]

WELL done Edbert at least youve made a start an like you say only tiny bit to fill near the airintakes so model on i'll be followin an i hope you do it with dayglow orange wing tanks ?
chrisb

 

[Edbert]

Parts number B31, B32, B33 are an example of excess.


Lucky to not tweezer-launch one of these!