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Writer's picture@PlaneThought41

Jet Train: 1/48th Wolfpack T-38A Talon

Updated: Jun 28

This is Wolfpack's T-38A Talon in 1/48th scale, which is a pretty straight-forward build with some nice detail. The kit provides for a simple build or a good starting point to add some scratch build or third-party detail features.


1/48th Wolfpack T-38A Talon

Notable Kit Features:

  • Decently detailed cockpit with raised instruments (with decal overlays)

  • Low parts count with good fit (for the most part)

  • Nicely scribed surface details

  • Open or Closed canopy option

  • Separate speed brakes

  • Travel pod included

1/48th Wolfpack T-38A Talon

Build Inspiration:


Although most of the boxings of this T-38A Talon kit were of single colour paint jobs, I always preferred the Aggressor looks, therefore I assembled the necessary markings from the spares box to get my camouflaged "Aggressor" T-38 looking the way I wanted it.


T-38A Talon

Heads-Up Report:

  • No seat harnesses provided in my kit (some boxings do have PE parts)

  • Glass panel between seats is not provided

  • Careful fitting of lower fuselage panel is required for a smooth fit

  • Some sanding of the intakes necessary to get good flow lines

  • Flying controls molded in neutral position

  • Canopy fit in closed position was mediocre

  • I had a problem fitting the front windscreen over the front anti-glare shield and had to do some surgery to get it to fit properly

1/48th Wolfpack T-38A Talon

Kit Additions / Modifications:

  • This kit was built Out-of-the-Box (with the exception of custom decals)


If I built this kit again, I would spend more time and enhance some details such as:

  • Add seatbelt restraints

  • Drill out tail & wing lights and substitute clear lens

  • Put in glass between seats

  • Add minor gear detail such as brake lines

  • Build canopy open

  • Drop the flaps and control surfaces a bit

1/48th Wolfpack T-38A Talon

Finishing:


I managed to find a colour photo of this Navy Aggressor example and cobbled together the decals from the spares box to represent it as best I could. The paint colours were approximated although I now think the dark blue should be lighter in shade. The kit didn't turn out as well as I would have liked however that is my fault for rushing this one along.

Note to self: What's the Rush? It's not like I NEED another kit on the display shelf! (Countering that are the ones haunting me in the stash... BUILD me I have been here for years!)


1/48th Wolfpack T-38A Talon

The After-Build Report:

This 1\48th scale T-38A Talon is a good basic kit to work with. The surface detail is nice and it builds up relatively well with only a couple of minor issues. The master model maker could take this kit to the next level, with some scratch build and/or aftermarket components. The Talon aircraft has certainly been underrepresented by model manufacturers over the years. Way back I had a Fujimi T-38 however it was more a toy kit than a serious model. Sword released the first real 1/48th T-38 in 2003 which was a decent multi-media kit, however it was a limited run and hard to find. Now we have the 1/48th Wolfpack (2013) and Trumpeter (2014) kits of the T-38A which seem similar in detail and content. I have the Trumpeter kit in the stash as well, so I will have to do a comparison build at some point.


1/48th Wolfpack T-38A Talon

Completed build #249 - December 2021 using the 1/48th scale Wolfpack #10001 kit.


Feel free to comment or ask any questions - Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers


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