Centurywings 1/72 F-8E Crusader

NWarty · Post by **NWarty** » Mon May 04, 2009 1:52 am

Hey guys,
I just picked up a Centurywings F-8E Crusader from BadCat this morning. I'm normally a 1/18 & 32 guy, but I couldn't pass this one up for the price and the free shipping for overseas soldiers. This is my first CW model but have purchased a couple of Dragon Wings models in the past. From what I can tell, the pictures of the model look great.

Can somebody tell me a little bit about this model in terms of detail, quality, finish, etc?

I've always loved the lines of the Crusader and its history. Here's to hoping for a 1/18 or 1/32 Crusader from Bbi or Admiral one day

P.S. Sheesh, for as much griping as I do about BCA, they sure have gotten their money's worth outta me the last month or so.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Mon May 04, 2009 7:45 am

NWARTY:

I've got the Century Wings F-8E Crusader "Checkmates", two A-6 Intruders, three F-14 Tomcats and the SR-71. My favorite is the SR-71.
I think the detail, quality, finish on the F-8 is equal to that of other CW models which is very good---but I wish CW would apply a matte finish on its white planes like it does on the low-visibilty grey planes. My Crusader has its Sidewinders mounted at crooked angles---it's noticeable only from the front view of the model--the left pylons are at a different angle than the right pylons. CW has offered good deals on some of its Crusaders because it hasn't sold as well as the F-14s, SR-71, etc.
Also, if you haven't received your Crusader yet, the pilot is very difficult to insert into the cockpit. On another message board, some have cut off the ejection seat handles or the pilots' legs below the knees to insert the pilot, but I managed to insert my pilot without cutting anything off---but it took a lot of squeezing.

NWarty · Post by **NWarty** » Mon May 04, 2009 11:34 am

Dragon,
Thanks sir for the reply. No, I haven't received it just yet as I ordered it this morning. Good to hear that the quality is nice. Heck, I'm just excited to get an F-8 in any scale.

Once my boys are older, maybe I'll get back into scale modeling. That Trumpeter F-8 kit sure looks mighty fine.

AMERICAN_GRENADIER · Post by **AMERICAN_GRENADIER** » Mon May 04, 2009 7:07 pm

i have most of the century wigs line and feel they are done very well! although the prices seem to go up and up

NWarty · Post by **NWarty** » Mon May 04, 2009 10:33 pm

AG,
Yeah, I really wanted the "Checkmates" F-8, but was a little sticker-shocked by the price for a 1/72 scale diecast at all the various etailers. I got mine through BCA's Gato sale. They had the "Shamrocks" Marines version for $37.99. Still looks pretty sweet.