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Description

Backround: Designed as the successor to the Vought F7U cutlass, the Crusader was a very important plane. The cutlass had proofed a failure, it was difficult to handle and land. Because of that, the crusader was called Vought´s last chance.The crusader was built as a navy aircraft, that was set to operate from carriers. For that it needed a hook and good start and landing characteristics. A powerful engine made the crusader the navy´s first supersonic jet. Originally designed as an air superiority fighter, the crusader was quickly adopted for multi role purposes. It was also referred to as the last gunfighter, because in the minds of the planners, missiles replaced the gun. Still, the designers of vought gave the crusader 4 deadly 20 mm cannons on the "cheek" of the airplane. AIM 9 sidewinders could also be carried ,giving the crusaders a hard hitting armament. Despite the aircraft´s designation as last gunfighter, most of the kills it scored where achieved from missile shots. The Crusader could be refueled from the air. Its big air intake sat under the nose, giving the aircraft a distinctive appearence . One of its most notable features was a special wing. It didn´t have flaps, the whole wing could be lifted by 7 degrees increasing landing performance. The stabilizers were also configured as a flying tail. Its firs combat missions over Vietnam showed the effectiveness of the "last gunfighter". It was agile, fast and very deadly. It scored a staggering kill to loss ratio of 6:1! 19 planes fell victim o the crusader. Additionally, they were also used as bomber escorts, and for ground attack duties. The crusader was also the base for the successful A7 E corsair II ground attack aircraft. A reconnaissance version of the crusader also existed . While the crusaders fighter variant were slowly withdrawn from service in the late 70s, the reconnaissance versions were used till the late 80s. France also used the crusader. Nevertheless, the crusader had its drawbacks. It was an unforgiving aircraft and especially landing was very difficult as the landing gear was very short. In fact the aircrafts tail sat nearly on the ground when standing and made landing therefore very difficult. Because of its short landing gear, pilots and ground crews referred to the crusader as the gator. The guns were also not the best, the Colt Mk 12 had a tendency to jam during hard g maneuvers. Nevertheless, the crusader remains as an icon of aviation.

The Model: So, my earlier crusader sadly got destroyed during a move around 2 years ago. I really loved my crusader, it was one of my best kits so I had to get a new one. I managed to get my hands on the Hasegawa kit and funnily enough,it also had the same decals as my old one.

Detail:

The kit is better detailed than the old revell/monogram kit. The cockpit looks good but comes without seat belts. The landing gear and engine nozzle look great and unlike the old revell kit, there is some detail for the area under the wing should you decided to built the kit in its raised wing position.

A negative point is the lack of any AA missiles

*** and a half

Fitting: Very good fitting as expected from Hasegawa kits

*****

Quality: This is a high quality kit. Nicely molded without flash . The canopy is clear and thin as it should be

*****

Decals: Very nice decals, but they tended to break up in the water which was really annoying. I dont know if this was because of their age (the kit is from 2003) or is a general problem with this kit

***

Instructions: everything was understandable and without flaw. Only color codes for one company are included

****

Result: Probably the best kit out there of the crusader , its decently priced, I´d really recommend this kit.

****

Description

Backround: Designed as the successor to the Vought F7U cutlass, the Crusader was a very important plane. The cutlass had proofed a failure, it was difficult to handle and land. Because of that, the crusader was called Vought´s last chance.The crusader was built as a navy aircraft, that was set to operate from carriers. For that it needed a hook and good start and landing characteristics. A powerful engine made the crusader the navy´s first supersonic jet. Originally designed as an air superiority fighter, the crusader was quickly adopted for multi role purposes. It was also referred to as the last gunfighter, because in the minds of the planners, missiles replaced the gun. Still, the designers of vought gave the crusader 4 deadly 20 mm cannons on the "cheek" of the airplane. AIM 9 sidewinders could also be carried ,giving the crusaders a hard hitting armament. Despite the aircraft´s designation as last gunfighter, most of the kills it scored where achieved from missile shots. The Crusader could be refueled from the air. Its big air intake sat under the nose, giving the aircraft a distinctive appearence . One of its most notable features was a special wing. It didn´t have flaps, the whole wing could be lifted by 7 degrees increasing landing performance. The stabilizers were also configured as a flying tail. Its firs combat missions over Vietnam showed the effectiveness of the "last gunfighter". It was agile, fast and very deadly. It scored a staggering kill to loss ratio of 6:1! 19 planes fell victim o the crusader. Additionally, they were also used as bomber escorts, and for ground attack duties. The crusader was also the base for the successful A7 E corsair II ground attack aircraft. A reconnaissance version of the crusader also existed . While the crusaders fighter variant were slowly withdrawn from service in the late 70s, the reconnaissance versions were used till the late 80s. France also used the crusader. Nevertheless, the crusader had its drawbacks. It was an unforgiving aircraft and especially landing was very difficult as the landing gear was very short. In fact the aircrafts tail sat nearly on the ground when standing and made landing therefore very difficult. Because of its short landing gear, pilots and ground crews referred to the crusader as the gator. The guns were also not the best, the Colt Mk 12 had a tendency to jam during hard g maneuvers. Nevertheless, the crusader remains as an icon of aviation.

The Model: So, my earlier crusader sadly got destroyed during a move around 2 years ago. I really loved my crusader, it was one of my best kits so I had to get a new one. I managed to get my hands on the Hasegawa kit and funnily enough,it also had the same decals as my old one.

Detail:

The kit is better detailed than the old revell/monogram kit. The cockpit looks good but comes without seat belts. The landing gear and engine nozzle look great and unlike the old revell kit, there is some detail for the area under the wing should you decided to built the kit in its raised wing position.

A negative point is the lack of any AA missiles

*** and a half

Fitting: Very good fitting as expected from Hasegawa kits

*****

Quality: This is a high quality kit. Nicely molded without flash . The canopy is clear and thin as it should be

*****

Decals: Very nice decals, but they tended to break up in the water which was really annoying. I dont know if this was because of their age (the kit is from 2003) or is a general problem with this kit

***

Instructions: everything was understandable and without flaw. Only color codes for one company are included

****

Result: Probably the best kit out there of the crusader , its decently priced, I´d really recommend this kit.

****