Reviews : Tamiya F4D-1 Skyray supersonic Fighter Jet

This is an excellent kit all around. Fit of the parts is nearly perfect, with only a tiny amount of filler required. My only fit issue was that the excellent, multi-part ejection seat is too tall to properly close the canopy. This is a pretty minor gripe, since the cockpit is so detailed that you won't want to build it closed. There are molded switches, dials, and buttons on the sidewalls and front console, along with a nice control column. A decal is also provided for the instrument panel, if you would rather use that than paint the dials. The ejection seat has launch rails, release handles, headrest, blast curtain, and seat cushion molded in multiple pieces. The only thing you need to add to make a competition-worthy cockpit is a seat harness. The kit includes a full load of weapons: two rocket packs, two early-model Sidewinder missiles, two large drop tanks, and a NAVPAC, which is an equipment pod which resembles a small drop tank. The decals are superb-clearly printed, colorful, and very durable, they can stand up to being moved repeatedly, and even folded and unfolded. Three aircraft in the standard Gull Grey over white scheme are represented, including the very colorful markings on the box art. Be warned however-the box art plane takes quite a bit of patience in the decalling stage, but the results are totally worth it.

The Douglas F4D-1 Skyray was the primary fleet defense interceptor for the U.S. Navy & Marines until the advent of the McDonnell F4 Phantom in the early 1960's. If there was ever a beauty contest for jet fighters, the Skyray would likely be the winner! But it was more than just a pretty face because it was very fast and would have been lethal as well, had it ever encountered a hostile enemy. I was looking for a fast and easy kit to build and this Tamiya Skyray was definitely it. Tamiya kits, in general, are among the best in all categories, whether aircraft, armor, ships, or autos, and this kit is right in there. All fits, scale fidelity, details, and decals are top notch with absolutely no negatives. I finished my Skyray with Testors gloss Gull Gray, lightened with 20% Flat White to get a scale gloss finish on the top portions of the model. I thoroughly enjoyed this build from start to finish and highly recommend this kit for all modelers.

This is a lovely kit of a beautiful airplane. I chose to build mine in a wheels-up configuration. The gear doors fit perfectly, as did all of the other parts in this kit. The only screw-ups were my own. I've built dozens of 1/72 kits, and I can't think of a better one than this. I was grateful for the amazing decals to help with all of the blue surfaces. I thought I might work my way up to some kind of con about this kit, but I just can't do it. You know those times when you're building a kit and you think, Oh, here's the part where I'll be filling and sanding for an hour. Not with this one. Astonishingly good fit. And what about the detail? I paused to take pictures of the panel lines before, during, and after painting. This is a great kit to geek out about, especially since few of us have ever seen one of these birds in person. And who can't love the sweeping lines and elegant curves? Highly, highly recommended.

This is a great little kit for the price. The F4D Skyray was itself a really neat looking plane, and I think Tamiya did it justice. The kit is a little more simple than other Tamiya kits, but it still has plenty of detail. There was very little flash, and the fit was superb. I didn't even have to do any filling, just sanding. The kit comes with two decal options, one for Navy and one for Marines (the Navy one has all the blue and stars, and the Marines one is probably more practical, but not as pretty). The decals are good, but if you're doing the navy version, you'll want to get yourself some decal setting solution, because they're big, and there's lots of them (the blue starry tail and spine is made up of five decals). This is definitely a good kit if you're looking for a more unique jet, and/or if you want a quick build (I did mine in a weekend).

This is a typical tamiya kit. Pretty much falls together and no fit issues. This kit is a good weekend build. Heavy sprue connections on the wing leading edges makes sanding a little tricky. No option for an open canopy which is a shame since the cockpit detail is very nice. The intakes and the red warning decals around the intakes are a little tricky but you can get it all to fit with a little patience. Careful with the instructions, Step 2 shows putting part A6 in backwards. The decals are some of the best I've ever used out of the box. There is an error in the description section. There is no seated pilot, and the ordinance does not include rocket pods. Kit comes with 2 drop tanks, 2 generic type bombs and 1 nav pac. Great buy for $12.

Having built over 100 1/72 scale kits, I can honestly say that this one is in the top 5%. Molding is flawless, fit is perfect, and assembly easy as it gets. Landing gear is a bit fiddly, but well represented. Instructions are good, and should be followed carefully. Paint callouts abound. Decals are top notch. I would highly recommended this kit to all 1/72 aficionados.

This was a great build. Very easy and everything fit beautifully. Because everything just seem to be perfect as I got deeper in the build I found that what I had started on Friday after work was a great finished product on Sunday afternoon. The cockpit has a lot of detail and the decals are flawless and line up perfectly.

Absolutely love this model hobbylinc has a awesome range of models. You also earn points to spend on your next purchase. Keeps me coming back again and again.

Another nice kit that’s all time consuming everything fits great...