Why?
This is usually the first question I'm asked by modellers; why go to all the trouble of kitbashing this model when
two different 1/48 kits of the T-bird, from Hobbycraft Canada and Testors/Hawk, are readily available?
Well, both these kits look undeniably like T-birds when built up, but both have pretty major accuracy problems
that are glaringly obvious to anyone who's familiar with this aircraft. Of the two, the older Testors/Hawk kit is,
surprisingly, more accurate in shape than the much later Hobbycraft offering. I considered basing my model on this
kit, correcting faults where necessary and adding extra detail, but in the end I decided it would actually be
easier to make my Silver Star the way Lockheed did - start with a P-80C Shooting Star, and turn it into a
two-seater!
I came to this decision after picking up a second-hand Monogram P-80C Shooting Star at a club swap
meet for the princely sum of $3. This old kit captures the shape of the P-80 very well, and does not have any
serious accuracy problems. By combining Monogram's kit with the best bits from the T-bird kits by Hobbycraft and
Testors/Hawk, I realized that a very nice model could result.
Check out the other views for the rest of the story on the build.
Model and photos by Dave Askett.
Go to 1/48 main gallery
