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Thud goes the Weasel

history

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was a Mach 2 supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. The F-105D conducted the majority of the bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War. However, it was the only U.S. aircraft to have been removed from combat due to high loss rates.

In 1965, the USAF began operating two-seat North American F-100F Super Sabres specially equipped for Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) missions in Vietnam. Nicknamed the Wild Weasel, these aircraft achieved a number of victories against North Vietnamese Fan Song surface-to-air missile radars. However, their performance was inadequate and a two seat F-105F replaced them in 1966.

By 1973, eighty six F-105F Wild Weasel aircraft were produced. Sixty one of these were converted into F-105Gs, with the sole purpose of destroying or suppressing North Vietnamese Fan Song surface-to-air missile radars. Weaseling was, and still is, a very dangerous mission. By 1973, the F-105G proved itself as the best aircraft for the job of playing ‘here, kitty kitty’ with Vietnamese SAM operators.

The F-105G incorporated a considerable amount of new SEAD-specific avionics, including an upgraded Radar Homing and Warning (RHAW) system, this required a redesign of the wingtips. To free outboard hardpoints for additional weapons, the Westinghouse AN/ALQ-105 electronic countermeasures were permanently installed in two long blisters on the underside of the fuselage.

Thirty aircraft were fitted with pylons to carry the AGM-78 Standard anti-radiation missile. On a typical mission, the F-105G carried two AGM-45 Shrike missiles on outboard pylons, a single AGM-78 Standard on an inboard pylon balanced by a 450USgal (1,700L) fuel tank on the other side, and a 650USgal (2,500L) centreline fuel tank.

The AGM-45 Shrike was an anti-radiation missile designed to home in on hostile anti-aircraft radar. It was developed by the US Naval Weapons Center at China Lake in 1963 by mating a seeker head to the rocket body of an AIM-7 Sparrow. The Shrike was first employed during the Vietnam War by the Navy in 1965 using A-4 aircraft.

The Air Force adopted the weapon the following year using F-105F and G Thunderchief Wild Weasel SEAD aircraft, and later the F-4 Phantom II in the same role. The range was nominally shorter than the SA-2 Guideline missiles that the system was used against, although it was a great improvement over the early method of attacking SAM sites with rockets and bombs from F-100F Super Sabres.

Originally developed for the US Navy during the late 1960s, the AGM-78 was created in large part because of the limitations of the AGM-45 Shrike, which suffered from a small warhead, limited range and a poor guidance system. The first operational missiles were issued in early 1968. In 1969 an improved model called the AGM-78B was produced. This featured a broadband seeker which allowed the missile to be used against a much wider variety of targets without having to select the seeker before the mission. A simple memory circuit was also included, allowing the missile to attack a target once it locked on, even if the radar was shut down. Previous ARMs would veer off course and miss when they lost a target, and as a result flipping the radar on and off had become a standard tactic for missile batteries.

Including all versions, over 3,000 AGM-78 missiles were built. Production stopped in the late 1970s, but the missile continued in service for almost a decade before the last examples were replaced by the AGM-88 HARM in the late 1980s.

Construction

Building the HobbyBoss F-105G was a lengthy project for a couple reasons. First the F-105G is a large model with lots of parts, especially to build up the wings, all flying surfaces are separate pieces. Secondly, the overall fit was less than precise. Every mating surface required filling and sanding to fit, except for the cockpit area. The cockpit went together nicely with no fit problems. The ejection seats have molded seat belts which is a nice touch. The kit provides decals for the instrument panels. However, all the panels have raised detail and I chose to hand paint the panels.

HobbyBoss, like Trumpeter, provides an engine. I just partially build the engine so the exhaust nozzle and aft engine compartment fit the fuselage correctly. The kit gives you the option of having the gun port open or closed. It also gives you the option of having the nose cone open so you can see the radar antenna. I chose to have both the gun port and nose cone closed. You need to be cautious when building these to areas because there are a lot of fiddly little parts. The illustrations in the instruction guide are quite good so you don't have spend a lot of time figuring out where the parts go.

Painting

All paints used for this model were Model Master and Floquil enamel paints. The camouflage paint scheme is the SEA scheme, typical of USAF Vietnam era aircraft. The underside of the model was airbrushed with Light Ghost Gray. Upper surfaces were airbrushed with: Dark Tan (FS30219), Medium Green (FS34102), and Dark Green (FS34079). Missiles were painted with Floquil Reefer White. Wheel wells and the insides of landing gear doors were painted with Model Masters Interior Green. The landing gears were hand painted with Floquil Bright Silver to simulate bare metal.

Decals

The decals HobbyBoss provides are good; they are well printed and lay down over detail nicely. However they have a tendency for silvering. A touch of Solvaset on each decal pretty much eliminates the silvering.

Conclusion

Even with all the fit problems this kit has, the finished model is well detailed and sleek looking as all F-105 aircraft are. I was pleased with the finished model. This was not a shake and bake build and recommend it for only experienced modellers.