Academy 1/72 F-8P Crusader French Navy Model Kit - 12407

The Academy 1/72 F-8P Crusader French Navy is a plastic aircraft model kit that shows the first practical supersonic fighter for the navy, The F-8P Crusader. The kit is molded in light gray styrene and features finely scribed details throughout. Provided on four trees, plus a single tree carrying the windscreen and canopy, the kit is beautifully detailed. The cockpit alone is made up of a four-piece ejection seat, cockpit tub, rear bulkhead, instrument panel, control stick and gunsight. The details in the main wheel wells are more of what I'd expect in a nice 1/48 scale kit and it is refreshing to see this sort of detailing in 1/72 scale as well.
The fuselage not only houses the cockpit and main wheel well assemblies, it also features a nice deep intake trunk, separate tailhook well, and the very important engine duct top that sits under the main wing. This was one detail overlooked in the Monogram 1/48 F-8, which made posing the wing in the up position a problem, revealing the empty fuselage interior of the kit. Kudos to Academy for including this detail!
While the leading edge flaps are provided as separate parts, the trailing edge flaps are molded to the wing in the up position. The overwing hump is molded as a separate piece, indication other versions of the F-8 are in the future. The ventral speed brakes are positionable, but the lower main gear doors are molded to the ventral fuselage fairing and are intended to be assembled gear down only. The horizontal stabs are positionable.
A nice array of external stores are provided, including Mk.82 Snakeyes on multiple ejector racks (MER) for the wing pylons, and your choice of four early AIM-9 Sidewinders or four twin-shot Zuni rocket pods for the fuselage weapons stations. A pair of Magic missiles are also included.

Manufacturer: Academy
Model: 12407 1/72 F-8P Crusader French Navy