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The Ongoing Construction of a 1/48th Scale Airforce
Below you will find a list by type of all the 1/48th scale model aircraft I have built over the years, with links to the separate aircraft weblog pages. Individual Weblogs feature my brief inspiration and review of the model kit.
Hopefully you will find the content informative, inspiring & entertaining. Let me know if you have any questions or comments here or through one of my social media connections.


Double Thud: 1/48th Monogram F-105F Thunderchief
Monogram's Thunderchief kit was state of the art in the early 80s. Praised as the best F-105 kit of that time it still holds a place today.

@PlaneThought41
Jul 31, 20212 min read
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Thud the Hard Way: 1/48th Monogram F-105D Thunderchief (Conversion)
When Monogram released this kit F-105 kit in 82, it was impressive. Raised cockpit dials & switches, good ejection seats, recessed vents...

@PlaneThought41
May 8, 20213 min read
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Dart Speed: 1/48th Monogram F-106A Delta Dart
Released back in 1983, Monogram offered model builders another great aircraft in their "Century Series" releases.

@PlaneThought41
May 2, 20212 min read
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Shark Toothed Snake - 1/48th Monogram AH-1F/S Cobra
If you want to build a 1/48th AH-1F/S, this is the only game in town (that I know of). First issued by Monogram 1986 this is an older kit

@PlaneThought41
Apr 23, 20212 min read
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Lucky Shamrocks: 1/48th ESCI F-4J Phantom II
This ESCI F-4 kit is hard to recommend due to its deficiencies but you can make a good replica using this base

@PlaneThought41
Apr 22, 20213 min read
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Phabulous Weasel Phantoms: 1/48th Hasegawa F-4G Phantom II
The 1/48th Hasegawa F-4G Phantom II was arguably the best offer of this type, for a couple of decades. It is a nicely detailed model that fits together pretty well.

@PlaneThought41
Apr 21, 20213 min read
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Phabulous Red Devil Phantom - 1/48th Monogram F-4J Phantom II
This time around my Monogram Phantom II was constructed in the markings of the USMC VMFA-232 "Red Devils"

@PlaneThought41
Apr 20, 20213 min read
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Phabulous Wrap-Around Phantoms - 1/48th Italeri F-4E Phantom II
I will keep this one also brief as this 1/48th Italeri F-4E/G Phantom II kit is 1981 vintage and not very good at that...

@PlaneThought41
Apr 19, 20212 min read
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Phabulous Warlord Phantoms: 1/48th ESCI F-4J Phantom II
The old ESCI/ERTL Phantoms do have some nice qualities about them, however the cockpit is a comparative disaster

@PlaneThought41
Apr 18, 20213 min read
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Phabulous Lizard Phantoms - 1/48th Italeri F-4G Phantom II
Back in the early 1980's if you wanted to build a 1/48th scale F-4G, this was it. Lucky for you, there are now other much improved options.

@PlaneThought41
Apr 17, 20212 min read
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Phabulous Phantoms - 1/48th Monogram F-4J Phantom II
Here is another Phantom kit of Monogram's produced back in the 80s. Still a respectable kit, despite the raised panel lines.

@PlaneThought41
Apr 16, 202115 min read
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Things That Go Thud: 1/48th Monogram F-105G Thunderchief
When Monogram released this Century Series 1/48th Monogram F-105G Thunderchief kit in the early 80s, it was state of the art. Today it is dated but still respectable.

@PlaneThought41
Apr 8, 20214 min read
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Flight of the Intruder - 1/48th Fujimi A-6A Intruder
This kit was built from the decades old Fujimi kit and it (along with its identical twin - the Testors kit) used to be the only game in town

@PlaneThought41
Apr 6, 20213 min read
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Phabulous Phantoms SitRep - 1/48th Monogram F-4C/D Phantom II
My 1/48th Monogram F-4D Phantom II was constructed in the markings of the USAFs top scoring airframe.

@PlaneThought41
Apr 5, 20212 min read
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Skunkworks II - 1/48th Italeri SR-71A Blackbird
This SR-71 model kit was introduced by Italeri back in the early 1980s, and then re-offered by Testors a few years later.

@PlaneThought41
Apr 4, 20213 min read
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Screaming Eagle - 1/48th Hasegawa F-4B Phantom II (Original mold)
The Hasegawa 1/48 F-4 Phantom II series had remained the best F-4 kits for many decades. VF-51 crews downed 4 MiGs during the war.

@PlaneThought41
Apr 3, 20214 min read
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Hip Gunship - 1/48th Monogram Mi-24 Hind D
The Mil Mi-24 Hind is a large helicopter gunship and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers.

@PlaneThought41
Mar 23, 20212 min read
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Western Cold-War Minimalism: Kinetic 1/48th CF-5A
Although the Kinetic 1/48th F-5A is not a quick build, with careful fitting and patience in places, an excellent model can be produced.

@PlaneThought41
Sep 17, 20204 min read
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AWACS USN Style: 1/48th Kinetic E-2C 2000 Hawkeye
Kinetic's release of their 1/48 E-2C Hawkeye kit is still the best Hawkeye model in any scale.

@PlaneThought41
Dec 31, 20193 min read
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