HOBBY BOSS [ MORE REVIEWS ] [ WEBSITE ] [ NEW STORIES ]

In-Box Review
172
LTV TA-7C Corsair II
  • HB_TA-7C_Boxtop

by: Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]

Along with their 1/72 scale A-7A Corsair II, Hobby Boss have released a TA-7C 2-seater. As with its sister kit, this Corsair II packs in a surprising amount of detail for its scale. It arrives in a solid, conventional box and comprises:

184 x grey styrene parts
6 x clear styrene parts
Decals for 2 x colour schemes

The kit is obviously based closely on the single seater which Andy Brazier reviewed HERE, so I'll try not to cover too much of the same ground. The new version includes different fuselage and clear sprues for the 2-seater. As before, surface detail consists of finely engraved panel lines, some crisply raised details and embossed rivets. I'm sure the latter are overscale if you're honest, but the heavy-weathering brigade should love them, as they'll really pop out with a subtle wash. What is impressive is how Hobby Boss have extended the panel details right around the fuselage, with no sign of softening or ugly slide-mould marks.

A test fit of the new fuselage halves is encouraging. They are free from any warping and fit together very precisely, with the panel detail all lining up. The wings are a close fit to the contours of the upper fuselage, but there's a small gap at the leading edge root that will need a dab of filler.

The new cockpit consists of a simple tub into which fit bulkheads, seats and flying controls. The seats are a bit of a disappointment, being very basic, but I'm sure accurate aftermarket versions are available. The instrument panels and side consoles are blank - the details are represented by decals. This isn't everyone's favourite solution but, on the plus side, they are very well printed.

To go with the new fuselage halves, there's a new extended canopy. This is bagged separately to protect it and is thin and clear with well defined frames. There's a noticeable seam running down the centre which will need polishing off - this is an inevitable consequence of a 2-part mould needed to depict the bulged sides of the canopy correctly.

As with the single-seater, highlights of the kit include remarkably well detailed open avionics bays, an excellent main wheel well and undercarriage, plus a very comprehensive set of underwing stores, with 2 x sprues containing MK-82s, AIM-9Bs, FLIRs and drop tanks.

In his review, Andy voiced some concern about the shape of the nose. Well, the 2-seater is the same in this respect and, although I must stress that I don't have the necessary references to make an informed call on accuracy, it does seem a bit slim and pointed when compared to photos and a set of 3-view drawings that I found on-line. While it won't solve things completely, sanding the radome to make it blunter will help appearances somewhat.

The kit's instructions are excellent, with very well drawn illustrations of each stage. Gunze Sangyo paint numbers are keyed to most details and there's a very useful loading diagram to make sense of the plethora of underwing stores.

A separate sheet is provided with a full-colour painting guide for the following pair of schemes:

1. TA-7C No. 156767, VA-174
2. TA-7C No. 156757, also of VA-174

The schemes are basically identical with just the aircraft numbers changing. The decals are gloss finished and are very neatly printed in perfect register. The carrier film looks crystal clear and is kept pretty tight to the designs - and a nice touch is the inclusion of yellow edging for the canopy panels.

Conclusion
Hobby Boss's TA-7C will look fine sat alongside the single-seater and, as far as I know, is the only mainstream kit of this version available. Apart from the question over the nose contours, it looks a fine 1/72 scale kit and fans of Navy jets should be well pleased by it.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.
SUMMARY
Highs: Some excellent detail in places - particularly the avionics bays and undercarriage. Good selection of stores.
Lows: The nose looks rather slim and pointed.
Verdict: Well moulded and detailed, Hobby Boss's TA-7C is an attractive kit of an unusual variant of the popular Corsair II.
Percentage Rating
75%
  Scale: 1:72
  Mfg. ID: 87209
  Suggested Retail: £11.99
  PUBLISHED: Dec 03, 2007
  NATIONALITY: United States
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 88.37%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 83.94%

Our Thanks to Creative Models!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

View Vendor Homepage  |  More Reviews  

About Rowan Baylis (Merlin)
FROM: NO REGIONAL SELECTED, UNITED KINGDOM

I've been modelling for about 40 years, on and off. While I'm happy to build anything, my interests lie primarily in 1/48 scale aircraft. I mostly concentrate on WW2 subjects, although I'm also interested in WW1, Golden Age aviation and the early Jet Age - and have even been known to build the occas...

Copyright ©2021 text by Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



Comments

Nice looking bird. Featuring a couple different squadrons would have given this a bit more appeal, however.
DEC 03, 2007 - 08:38 AM
Hi Al Yes - two basically identical schemes seems a bit of a missed opportunity... All the best Rowan
DEC 03, 2007 - 09:11 AM
There are 2 (two) small problems with the TA-7C 1/ It dose not have the propper brake shot fairing Fix / I got over this by using part of a drop tank 2/ no sidewinder rail holes Fix / I made a template out of some plastic card using the A-7A and plased it on the inside in the area between the landing gear well and the avionics bay and drilled the holes from the outside Thanks
DEC 05, 2007 - 10:19 AM
I think Merlin hit the nail squarely on the head with this comment. Even with their flaws, displayed as a pair, the Hobby Boss A-7 and TA-7 should be and attractive display.
DEC 05, 2007 - 10:27 AM
Despite its faults, it beat the hell out of using the Falcon or Maintrack conversion.
DEC 05, 2007 - 01:35 PM
Looks like a great little kit. My only question too throw out there is. If the surface is covered in fine detail. And the avionics bay looks fantastic. Why is the cockpit ( the focal point of any aircraft model ) so featureless? It's like it came from a different kit. I don't get it. Other than that it does look really good.
DEC 05, 2007 - 05:28 PM
2 other thing that are missing. 1. Air conditioning exhaust near the frount landing gear 2. Fuel dump under the rear One other thing after cheaking reference most if not all TA-7C, L and A-7K had the dopper radar fitted part "E35"
DEC 05, 2007 - 11:13 PM
   
ADVERTISEMENT


Photos
Click image to enlarge
  • HB_TA-7C_Parts_1
  • HB_TA-7C_Parts_2
  • HB_TA-7C_Parts_3
  • HB_TA-7C_Parts_4
  • HB_TA-7C_Clear
  • HB_TA-7C_Colour
  • HB_TA-7C_Decals
  • HB_TA-7C_Nose
  • HB_TA-7C_Avionics
  • HB_TA-7C_Cockpit
  • HB_TA-7C_Seat
  • HB_TA-7C_Canopy
ADVERTISEMENT