Grand Phoenix Model Products 1/48 scale F3H-2N Demon

Kit: No. 006
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Grand Phoenix Model Products, available from Squadron Mail Order, 972-242-8663, www.squadron.com
Price: $69.98
Comments: Mutimedia, 169 parts (58 injection-molded, 73 resin, 25 photoetched metal, 13 painting masks), decals
Pross: Needed subject, good fit, great decals
Cons: Complex assemblies, inadequate assembly drawings, some tiny parts, no ordnance

McDonnell's precursor of the famous F-4 Phantom II was the single-engine F3H Demon. Along with F8U Crusaders and F4D Skyrays, Demons handled fleet-protection duties during the late 1950s through the early 1960s. When the Phantoms reported for duty, the Demons were quickly withdrawn. The F3H-2N was the all-weather interceptor version of the Demon.

With a combination of large injection-molded plastic parts, fine Aires resin and photoetched details, and excellent, eye-popping Eagle Strike/Cartograf decals, Grand Phoenix has produced an attractive kit of the Demon. Beginners beware: It is not an easy kit to build, although it fits well overall. If you know nothing of the subject, you might have trouble figuring out some of the assemblies.

The nine-step instructions include parts maps, basic assembly steps, and a separate sheet of color illustrations showing the paint and marking schemes. Before you can close the fuselage, you'll need to add weight to the nose to keep the model on all three wheels. This isn't mentioned in the instructions. I found that after cleanup, some of the resin interior parts needed further work to fit into the restricted area. A nifty item is the seat, which is inserted by sliding it down its rails, just like the real thing.

Resin detail parts 99 and 100 are shown in step 5 mounted to the rear surface of the aft cockpit bulkhead. They must clear the fuselage deck behind the cockpit including all the canopy retraction gear on resin part 93, but space is limited. The problem is the assembly drawings don't show the final positions of these and several other assemblies, so it's difficult to determine when you've got things right.

Although most color notes in the instructions are specific, the cockpit interior flag says only "gray." The correct color is dark gull gray (FS 36231), and the instrument bezels should be black. The canopy masks worked OK.

The instructions show an outline for the location of the refueling probe housing in step 8, but that outline isn't on the right fuselage half. Also, the pitot tube should be mounted further forward on the right wingtip than shown, and its tip should be bent as molded, not straight as shown.

Assembling the landing gear struts was the most difficult aspect of the project. The main struts are well molded, but adding the 10 control and actuator rods to the nose strut would have benefited from multiple-view drawings or photos. References such as Steve Ginter's McDonnell F3H Demon, and Squadron/Signal's F3H Demon in Action are necessary to get these details correct.

The sockets in the lower main-gear doors that fit onto axle pins on the struts are set too high, causing the doors to touch the ground. I filled and redrilled the sockets to raise the doors to the proper height.

After applying the light gull gray and white paint scheme, I applied a gloss coat of Testor Metalizer sealer. The decals are thin, glossy, printed in register, and are tough enough to be fiddled with while locating them. They responded nicely to the MicroScale decal solutions.

If I were to build another Grand Phoenix Demon, I would do two things differently. First, I would close the speed brakes and apply the "Navy" decals over them, slice around the brakes when the decals were dry, then open the brakes. Second. I would paint or foil the leading edges of the wings before adding the photoetched fences and barrier catchers. Both of these problems had me shouting "Doh!"

I spent well over 50 hours building the Demon. The next should go together more quickly. So, if you have experience with multimedia kits, you'll enjoy the challenges presented by this one. The results are a handsome model that fills a big gap in 1/48 scale Navy jet collections. I guess I'll have to close the gap a little tighter with a Crusader and a Skyray!