Kitty Hawk F2H-2/2P Banshee
By Mike Rieth
Here’s a list of differences I found when comparing the Kitty Hawk F2H-2/2P Banshee 1/48 scale kit to the actual 1:1 aircraft.
1. “Hump Back”- KH kit curved and not straight.
2. Upper wing curve too high.
3. Intake shape too tall and too rounded in outer curve. Upper lip is not forward of lower lip.
4. Jet engine fairing upper wing does not go far enough forward due to wing thickness. Fairing should end near panel line.
5. Jet engine fairing lower wing does not go far enough forward should end near oval access panels and should have straight sides and a more rounded front and be bulged.
6. Main Landing Gear doors and wells are the wrong shape and dimensions. The LG doors cannot be glued in an in-flight position.
7. There is no access panel line scribing at (Buttock Line) BL 28 and BL 51 on the underside of wing.
8. Inner pylons in the wrong position and should not be staggered.
9. No representation of the Radar Altimeter Panel under each wing.
10. The flaps at the engine are too wide fore and aft and wrong shape.
11. The outer flaps on the center wing are the wrong shape and have the lightening holes of the-3/4.
12. The nose gears doors are the wrong shape on the front and should angle up more when glued on.
13. Nose gear fork length and position is wrong.
14. Nose Gear mechanism in wheel well is for the -3/4 nose gear.
15. Fairing of horizontal to vertical stabilizer shape is wrong.
16. The horizontal stabilizers are in the wrong position, too high.
17. There is no representation of the counter weights on the elevators.
18. Bottom of rudder to fuselage has crease, but should be rounded and blend in more. Crease extends to the front of the Stabilizer.
- Ejection seat bucket not deep enough for parachute.
- Vertical Stabilizer leading edge and height are wrong.
- Canopy rail too high at front where it joins windscreen and should be a straight line in the cockpit to allow canopy rail bracket to travel straight back in open position. No rail. No support for front of canopy.
- There is no canopy arch support, cable retraction reel or rail support for the rear of the canopy.
- No gun sight for the -2.
- There should be no boxes on the bulkhead in gun bay.
- M3 20mm cannons should be more to the rear, the distance of “mystery boxes” on bulkhead.
- There should be an opening in the bulkhead at FS 57 to allow the cannons to go further aft.
- Ammo boxes should hang from a wedge shaped structure above and be larger. They should also be more to the rear, the distance of “mystery boxes” on bulkhead.
- There should be a shelf with electronic boxes above gun barrels.
- There is no Loop antenna if you want to leave nose cone off or internal framing.
F2H-2P Differences
If you want to open the camera access doors, be advised that the interior equipment is wrong.
The cameras were mounted in racks or baskets made of pipe. I have found no photograph or drawing that shows perforated panels between the cameras.
The -2P had 2 different nose cones, one had a camera mounted facing forward.