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What is the state of the F-5E’s armament?
Only the Ford M39 cannons survived with
respect to the F-5E. It is said that they came to
Czechoslovakia including ammunition. The AIM-9
Sidewinder missiles were also said to have been
delivered, but where they ended up is unclear.
The renovated aircraft has its cannon installed?
Yes, both of them.
That’s fantastic! And missiles?
Currently, the F-5E sports Soviet R3s mounted
on the missile rails. It is interesting to note
that they mounted onto the rails without any
problems. But they should prove to be only
temporary. We anticipate that the aircraft will
be displayed with Sidewinder mock-ups in the
future.
From your responses, it sounds like the
renovation was actually pretty routine.
Were there any out of the ordinary snags
encountered?
It wasn't routine. Every reconstruction presents
its own problems. The stencil data on the
airplane were probably the biggest. At first,
when the restoration was being planned, we
were convinced that there would be only a few.
We couldn't have been more wrong. In the end,
there were over three hundred such items.
What was your reference source for the
stenciling on the aircraft?
The bulk was obtained from an examination of
the surface of the aircraft. Some labels had
been preserved, at least to some extent. Some
were only discernible under lighting at different
angles. And those that were discernible only
partially or not at all were found in publications
or using the internet.
I'm a little confused that you didn't contact
the manufacturer or other aviation museums.
We have very good experience with museums.
There is always someone to advise us on
various problematic matters, especially if they
have the aircraft in their collections.
If we got into trouble, we would, of course,
contact other institutions. But I think we
managed it. But the option to contact both
Northrop Grumman and other museums was
available to us.
So I understand. Helping yourself is of course
the right solution. Now it is fair to admit to the
readers that I already know what I am about to
ask you now.
The original stencil data on the F-5E had their
own specifics, they were not sprayed over
a template, as modellers would probably expect.
How did you go about restoring them?
After deciphering the text of each stencil, they
were photographed and then processed into
a drawing by a graphic artist. It took about four
months of work in total. We had no problem with
large numbers and inscriptions. The problem
arose with inscriptions and tables, where the
font size was around one and a half millimeters.
The original decals on the F-5E were screen
printed at the Northrop factory. This would have
been a solution for our project, but in the volume
of many individual prints that we needed, it was
financially nonviable. Therefore, we had to look
for another solution.
I already know you made them as decals.
Why did you choose them?
We decided on the decal option mainly because
it presented the possibility of small fonts and
thin frames. This would not be possible with any
other available technology.
Why did you decide on Eduard decals?
We decided on Eduard decals because, among
other things, their decals have a relatively thin
layer of varnish that does not spoil the final look.
As is well known, the varnish can be peeled
off. On the surface of the F-5E, you can see
that you peeled the clear varnish off some of
the labels and left it on on others. How did the
varnish peeling go for you?
Yes, that clear layer removes quite easily.
But unfortunately, in some places, we left it in
place until the next day, and then the peeling
became a bit problematic. It was due to our
inexperience with this technology. Later, we
learned our lesson and applied the decals in
smaller quantities, allowing us time to peel off
the carrier film.
Ford M39 20mm cannon installation in Kbely’s F-5E. Photo: Petr Jezek.
AIM-9 Sidewinder mock-ups, built on the basis of the Soviet R-3 copy. Photo: Vladimir Sulc
HISTORY
INFO Eduard
15
March 2024