1/48 Hasegawa Mitsubishi F-1

Gallery Article by Burt Gustafson on Aug 1 2012

 

 

For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos of my 1/48 scale Hasegawa Mitsubishi F-1. Manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Mitsubishi F-1 was a support fighter of the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JASDF). Additionally, the F-1 was the first all Japanese designed and produced fighter since the closing days of WWII.

Based on the T-2 Trainer (also a Mitsubishi product) the F-1 served a vital role for the JASDF for a number of years. The primary mission of the F-1 was as a ground attack and maritime attack support fighter. It was capable of carrying bombs and anti-ship missiles on under wing weapons pylons, as well as air-to-air missiles. Mitsubishi produced 77 F-1s from 1977 to 1987. The last six F-1s were retired in 2006.

 

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Construction
This is a first rate kit with excellent detail and a good parts fit. Though not overly complicated, construction is involved—lots of parts to put together. The cockpit module goes together well and fits nicely into the right fuselage half. A single decal makes for a nice front instrument panel. The side instrument panels have raised detail and require careful painting to make them look realistic.

I chose to build the model with a seated pilot and a closed canopy. The 2-piece canopy/windscreen assembly is crystal clear and fits perfectly. The instructions don’t call for a nose weight, but I added one to make sure the model is not a tail sitter.

The main wing assembly goes together easily and fits nicely into the fuselage, except for the under wing roots. There were serious gaps that required filling and sanding. Additionally, I chose to go with the speed brakes closed. They did not fit well and required some filling and sanding.

The horizontal stabilizers were designed to be movable. When I installed them for a dry fit and then removed them, both attachment tabs broke off. I wound up gluing the stabs to the fuselage. The rest of the model went together without any major problems.

Painting
Paints used for my Mitsubishi F-1were airbrushed with Model Masters and Floquil enamel paints. The following paints were used:

  • Floquil Grimy Black                  Floquil Weathered Black 

  • MM Dark Green                        MM Burnt Iron 

  • MM Pale Green                        MM Burnt Metal 

  • MM Flat Interior Tan                 Floquil bright Silver 

  • Floquil Reefer White               Tamiya Clear Blue (X-23) 

  • MM Chrome Silver                   MM Steel 

  • Tamiya Clear Red 

  • MM Flat Gull Gray

Decals
The decals for this kit were excellent, easily placed on the model and snuggled down nicely. The kit offers decals for several F-1 Aircraft. I chose to use the decals for aircraft 259 of the 3rd SQ 3rd AW J.A.S.D.F. 1989.

Comments
This was a nice kit to build, the parts fit was good and the detail is also quite good. The decals were excellent. The overall quality of this kit is excellent, typical for a Hasegawa kit. I was pleased with the finished model—a colorful model.

Burt Gustafson

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Photos and text © by Burt Gustafson