Small Scale Military Headquarters

I have the BBI Phantoms and would like to get some other Navy jets in 1/32. Has anyone built the Trumpeter 1/32 A-7 Corsair, F-8 Crusader, or A-6 Intruder? They seem like the only jets available. Any chance Merit would issue them as prebuilts like the 1/18 Dauntless?

Not navy, or even US, but a cheap 1/32 to go with your phantoms!
http://m.ebay.ca/itm?itemId=231254327857

There are plenty of 1/32 jet model kits. Revell has made many kits: F86, F104, F4, F5, F14, F15, F16, F22, F117, A4, Harrier, etc. They are out there. I have picked many of them up at toy shows, model kit shows, flea markets anywhere from $10-$25.

AFAIK Trumpeter has never licensed out any of their 1/32 IM kits for prebuilt, and actually very few 1/18, so I would not hold my breath. As ketelone says, there are plenty of jet kits available and not just from Trumpy or Revell, either.

I have built their MiG-3 and I have the TBF Avenger. I thought the MiG went together fairly easy and don't mind it, although the Real Modelers® seem to find it meh. They like the Avenger, though. I also have a Hellcat but consensus is the fuselage is too fat although it builds better than the Hasegawa version. So, what I mean to say is that Trumpeter seems to get mixed reviews for their aircraft kits, so you should google reviews for each. Other than Revell there is Hasegawa and Tamiya. People love Tamiya's F-series American jets - they do lots of builds of those at Large Scale Planes .com.

You should look into the 4D Vision F-14. I think they make an F-14A and a F-14D. They aren't too common on eBay anymore, but you see them occasionally. I think I grabbed my F-14A for $80+shipping on eBay a few years back. It goes great with the BBI Phantom, especially since the A model is a Jolly Rogers bird, just like the 1st BBI Phantom.

-Kevin

Did some searching on eBay, here is the best deal I could find on one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4D-MASTER-4D-VI ... 5afbf873a8

And just an fyi, they aren't permanently "uncovered", they come with all the pieces to properly conceal their innards in case you want to display it properly covered.

-Kevin

Overall, pre-builts are limited in 1/32 jets. Have you ever considered the mahogany planes that are available from the Phillipines? There are jets available and admittedly they are not quite 1/32 but they are nice. I have the F18, F16 and I have seen the F5 and other navy and marine craft. Not bad and close to 1/32 and I have been able to acquire them for reasonable prices: $20-$30. Another idea is to purchase jets that have been built by others. I have also been successful purchasing those at reasonable prices: $20-$35.

Thanks for the additional comments. After I posted this I did some more research and found the trumpeter F-8 was rated much more favorably than the A-7 Corsair. I talked my wife into getting me one as a gift. I have not started it yet as I am a little intimidated by the kit. I forgot about the 4D 1/32 Tomcat. I also have one of those I picked up several years ago at Hobby Lobby with one of their 40% off coupons

When I first opened the MiG-3 kit after having built a bunch of old Revells from the 70's, I was pretty intimidated.

Don't worry, though.

It only gets worse.