I was recently given the new 1/48 Kitty Hawk F-94C Starfire to review. I think this is a very nice kit, especially considering that it is the first release by this company. When looking at the parts I was impressed by the detail of the landing gear.

No sooner had this kit hit the market, when Scale Aircraft Conversions released a metal landing gear that not only adds weight to the nose of the aircraft but also corrects a minor error in the kit landing gear.

The kit landing gear, while very nice, represents the legs at full compression. This is not correct. SAC has chosen to represent them as the real aircraft sits, which will alter the stance of the kit. The oleos are not fully compressed and look just right.

I have consulted some photos I have of the F-94C as seen at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson and the one at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio, and they both have the oleos extended slightly but not fully. The SAC L/G legs are spot on.

On another note, the decals for the F-94C in the Kitty Hawk kit are for the two aircraft seen in the museums mentioned. Small world, isn’t it?

I would highly recommend this set to make your Starfire look just right.

I wish to thank both Steve Collins and Dick Montgomery with IPMS/USA and Scale Aircraft Conversions for allowing me to review this set of landing gear.