TOPIC: New Semi-Profile F-105 Thunderchief for 2026

After the success of the F-84 Thunderstreak I rather fancied an F-105 Thunderchief.



Following my usual techniques, it went together rather pleasingly:





At 35g ready to go it will probably need a 250 mN TSP L-2HP.

Please ask if you would like templates.

My colleague rather fancied a simpler, 'Veron Quicky-type' version, which I was happy to provide:



This too went together nicely:



And, being lighter than the 'truescale' version will probably be easier to trim and a better flyer!

In response I decided to buld another F-105, this time in 'Thunderbird' USAF display livery. The template needed quite a lot of hard work, which, I hope you agree, was worth it!



Above: left, draft template with profiles filched from the internet. Right, finished template for a Thunderbird Thunderchief.

As with any complex model, it's a good idea to put a quick test model together to make sure every aligns:



Above: made of Depron, this small prototype might go well with a TSP L-1.

I now need to build a 'proper' one. Watch this space!

I printed templates onto A3 'detai' paper of 60gsm weight. Though this took the ink well and is quite opaque, but it is tricky to apply to balsa (with diluted 'Eeze Snd n' Seal) and I wasn't too happy with the results.



Above: the fuselage ended up quite heavy at 12g or so and needs more than a little 'touching up' to make presentable.

I will probably ditch this first attempt and have another go with lighter (say 20-30gsm) paper/tissue. Trouble is, heavyweight Modelspan, my preferred medium, appears impossible to find at the moment, and all the alternatives I've tried so far have been too transparent (the grain shows through) or lacking in 'wet strength'.
This needs thinking about.

A kind colleague sent me the tissue from one of his Ben Buckle vintage kits. This was very similar to heavy Modelspan if a little more hairy. But it printed nicely with little ink bleed and stuck to white painted balsa well with Eze dope.



Above: the F-105 Thunderchief in Thunderbird colours. Not yet flight tested, it weighs (gratifyingly) under 30g with a used TSP L-2.