Sword 1/48 scale T-38 Talon

Kit: No. SW48004
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Sword, imported by Minicraft Models, 921 N. State St., Elgin, IL 60123-2146, www.minicraftmodels.com
Price: $45.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 62 parts (25 resin), decals
Pros: Excellent resin cockpit, wheel wells, and exhaust, well-printed decals
Cons: Lack of alignment devices makes installing cockpit in fuselage difficult, panel lines indistinct in places, windscreen doesn't fit

Though there have been plastic kits labeled "T-38" before, they have been wolves in sheeps' clothing - F-5B fighters masquerading as trainers. At first glance, the Talon looks like the F-5 Freedom Fighter, but subtle differences appear on close inspection. The trainer's smaller intakes, slimmer belly for the smaller main wheels, drag-chute housing under the rudder, and lack of leading-edge flaps and fillets have all escaped detection by plastic kit manufacturers - until now.

Looking inside Sword's attractive box, I was surprised to find relatively few parts for a model this size. That's partially explained by the excellent resin parts that make up the entire cockpit, main wheel wells, and engine exhaust. Plastic is left for the larger parts: fuselage halves, wings, tailplanes, landing gear, and the canopy.

The eight-page instructions contain a brief history, a parts map, exploded-view assembly drawings, and paint and marking diagrams with only generic color recommendations.

The resin cockpit parts are impressive, with throttles molded into the left consoles. The seats are beautiful with finely molded oxygen hoses, but there are no harnesses. The engine exhausts have separate nozzles and outer shroud, and the main wheel well displays lots of realistic plumbing.

The plastic parts are not as well-molded as the resin ones. Panel lines are soft, and in places, indistinct. Sprue attachment points are thick and leave small bumps on the parts that must be cleaned up.

The resin cockpits go together well, but I had to remove excess resin from the backs of the instrument panels to make them fit into the fuselage. Joining the fuselage halves proved to be a challenge. There are no locating pins or ledges to help align the halves, and assembly is complicated by positioning the two cockpit tubs - again without locating devices. I had to repeatedly test fit the cockpit tubs, then scrape and grind plastic and resin to get it all together.

Once that battle was won, the rest of construction proceeded rapidly. General sanding of seams reduced the already faint panel lines in places, so I rescribed them.

I painted the model with gloss white, then added a dark gray "sludge wash" to pick out the recessed details. Decal options for two gloss-white trainers are provided. Printed by Techmod, the decals went on without problems and responded to setting solution.

Final assembly uncovered a few minor problems. The horizontal stabilizers have mounting pins, but there are no corresponding holes in the fuselage. I drilled holes, taking note of the stabilizers' four-degree anhedral.

The main wheels appear too wide compared to reference photos. You could sand down the inside faces of each wheel half and make them look better. Posing the canopies in the open position is tedious due to the intricate supports. My sample's windscreen did not fit into the recess in the fuselage, and I had to fair in the leading edge with white glue. If I were to build another Talon, I'd sand the insides of the vertical stabilizer to thin it down, and sharpen the tip of the nose a bit.

But even straight from the box, Sword's Talon is much better than any previous attempts at providing a plastic kit of this important, graceful trainer. I spent 25 hours building my Sword kit. You should have experience working with resin parts before taking on this Talon.

- Randal Dieck