1. Plastikmodellbauclub Nürnberg e.V.

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	Model and photos by Wilfried Eck

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McDonnell F2H-4 "Banshee", Academy 1/72

VMF-214 "Black Sheep", 1953 - 1957 Ewa, Hawaii

The original:

The F2H Banshee ("specter of death") had been designed in 1945 as a further development of the FH "Phantom", but the result was a completely new aircraft. In view of the low approach speed for carrier landings, it still had unswept wings, but now with four low-lying 20 mm guns to prevent glare and an air-conditioned pressurized cabin with ejection seat. With two more powerful Westinghouse engines, the new F2H-2 multirole fighter achieved a climb rate of 9,000 ft/min (2,700 m/min) on its first flight on Jan. 11, 1947, twice as fast as the F8F Bearcat. External loads could be carried on four optional hangers behind the air intakes (including atomic bombs inboard), and removable external tanks. The F2H-2P reconnaissance version had a particularly elegant appearance due to its extended nose section. The later versions F2H-3 and -4 - also with photo version - differed however both from the external appearance and internally clearly from the earlier F2H-2, still used in the Korean War. Banshees replaced the Grumman F9F-5 "Panther" and were replaced in turn in 1961 by F9F Cougar and FJ-4 Fury. 39 used aircraft went to the Royal Canadian Navy.

The model:

My last model I wanted to build quite simply "just so", without having to pay attention to kit errors, coarsening and refinements. By chance I came across the "Banshee" kit from Academy at the time, before Corona. 1/72 was not planned, but because I had never seen a kit of the F2H-3/-4 (externally identical) at that time, access was announced. I didn't have too high expectations, but what I saw was quite decent, the shape could convince and the extensive decal sheet from cartograf even more. Four US Navy versions, three Royal Canadian Navy aircraft, all correctly printed, the US insignia even in correct blue-black and not light blue as otherwise unfortunately too often seen. Later processing very well.

On closer inspection, however, the reproduction of panel lines - especially on the wings - turned out to be too obvious for my taste. As you can easily see from photos, the real machine was smooth as an eel, at most something was visible on the undersides of the wings. So they were I filled and sanded and, as a concession to the taste of model builders, after applying the paint, I used the Herbert Kruse method to add some fine pencil strokes where necessary (only visible at the bottom of the photos).

Unfortunately, I could not resist taking a closer look:

Landing gear wells undetailed and too shallow (front because cockpit well sits too low). Brackets for landing gear doors are missing (required to profile narrow plastic strip triangularly, cut thin strips from it). Position of landing gear doors B13 and B14 unclear in plan (belong on inner landing gear legs). Large landing gear doors on the undersides of the wings not engraved (see kit plan for shape). Trapezoidal cover flap for the arresting hook has been forgotten in the detailing. Landing gear simplified (barely visible when model is stationary). Fork of nose gear at too shallow an angle (taken from F2H-2; had to be made steeper, otherwise model would stand lowered in front). Cockpit rudimentary and wrong (meant scratch building after having found photos of F2H-3/-4 cockpit). Cockpit frames much too prominent (required homemade canopy). Wing tips not thickened (putty was sufficient). Position of the external tanks wrong (correction indispensable).

Instrument panel according to original photos, here a little bit larger. Made from "forms" of MS WORD, scaled to size, printed on photo paper and fixed on plastic part; Glasses by means of two-component glue.

As a result, even if you could get an ejector seat from Pavla (FJ-4 Fury would also fit), there is still a lot to do yourself,  needed resin parts are missing. Even if you don't need it exactly, the model wins if you detail the cockpit a bit and position the tanks lowered at the wingtips.

Correct tank position and shape of the brass wires Position of tanks, photo from USN training film   According to the Academy plan, the wing tips should be pushed into the central recesses of the external tanks. But not so in the original! - Here they sat, if mounted, lowered on the lower thickened wing tips, held only by clips. This detail is easily overlooked, but it can be seen in photos - especially on Canadian aircraft.   So that the tanks got a better and clean hold and especially the lowering was the same on both sides, I bent two pieces of brass wire each beforehand and anchored them in the tanks. After completion of the airplane these were pushed into corresponding openings in the wings and glued in.

How to get a pilot figure when there is none:

For the intended "flight shots, a pilot was of course required, but I didn't have a suitable 1/72 figure. But like my other self-made figures, this is no problem in principle, if you find a usable head with neck as well as hands and make the rest as it should look. The head with neck in this case was supplied by a soft plastic RAF ground crew figure, the helmet was molded/sanded from polyester putty, visor aluminum foil. The rest was not made by altering other figures, because that will never work, because every movement is communicated to the whole body. My pilot was supposed to look for the next taxiway after landing, so he turned slightly to the left with his shoulder slightly hanging. He was made as usual from plastic sheet of suitable thickness, torso parts, arms and legs cut out, carved and sanded to fit. For hands I didn't have anything usable and in 1/72 this can be a problem if the figure is not supposed to wear boxing gloves but to have five fingers. But even that was doable after some thinking: Mill three grooves in a thin strip of plastic, then soften this strip over a candle flame and draw it thin over a suitable brush handle. Then cut off enough on the left and right to make four fingers. The width of the hand should be equal to the distance chin to nose tip. Which can mean "all over again" because it got too wide or too narrow. The transition from the hand to the forearm was created by a flat wedge-shaped beveled thicker strip glued inside, a little longer so that you have something to hold when it comes to creating a hand with forearm by cutting away and sanding after drying. A hand normally extends from the chin to almost the hairline. The thumb was created by thinly drawn round material, cut off at an angle at the stronger end and set with "plastic paste" (plastic chips softened to mush in liquid glue). What protrudes is used for matching, because the transition to the hand is smooth. It is strongly recommended to take the diameter of the control stick handle into account (my figure does not have the first hand!). Once you've decided how much forearm should stick out of the jacket, it does well to taper the end part, it helps to fix the part in a recess in the forearm. Butt gluing can cause the hand to lower during drying, which gives quite unnatural posture. The same applies to the left hand, of course. Whether to put the hands in the arms right away or only after the arms have been attached is a matter of taste. According to the experiences made, one should first finish the fuselage with harnesses and other equipment and then attach the arms with their hands incl. control stick etc.
 

Of course, the landing gear had to be retracted for the "flight shots". In the model, this means: close the landing gear wells almost flush with foam rubber, fill the rest with polyester car putty and sand. Gently engrave the contour. These landing gear covers could later flake off almost completely by pressing, removal of the remains with a scalpel. Then paint the landing gear wells and insert the landing gear with its own additions.   The sliding part of the cockpit canopy had to be rebuilt for the model on the ground. In the original, it has two short arms with rollers at the bottom and is therefore clearly slanted when pushed back. The landing flaps could remain as they are because they are usually retracted as soon as possible after touchdown.

As a result, thanks to the Academy, domestic obligations, Corona and reduced desire to build, everything took much longer than planned. C'est la vie!   Summa summarum:   If you want an attractive model and don't care about details, this kit is a good choice.   If you want it to be closer to the original, you'll have to spend a lot of time researching on the Internet and building from scratch.   But that's what model building is all about for me. In the past, a model was considered perfect when it was indistinguishable from the original in a photo. Nowadays, people want to see a 3D painting, and that's no longer my world. And you don't get any younger.   Cheers, good bye!

Various notes on the construction of a F2H-3/4 model: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2009/12/f2h-banshee-modeling-notes.html.

Nose landing gear in detail: http://tailhooktopics.blogspot.com/2019/07/mcdonnell-f2h-banshee-nose-landing-gear.html

F2H-3, -4 tank details: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2017/03/f2h-34-tip-tanks.html