The long wait for an RF-8G Crusader

I'm often bewildered by the product choices that the manufacturers make. A discussion on Britmodeller recently got me thinking about the sometimes-odd selection of kits that we enjoy.

Why is it that we have a model of the Gloster Meteor F.8 Prone yet we've never had a kit of the RF-8G Crusader, which served longer in the US Navy than its fighter counterpart? This despite five major manufacturers having produced different variants of the F-8 in the three major scales. Surely it would've been relatively straightforward to tweak the mold and give us the reconnaissance variant. (Insert woeful sigh here.)

But, as I often say, all good things to those who wait! Hidden in this thread on Britmodeller, Jennings (a reliable and respected hobby insider) tells us that a new conversion may be on the horizon:

"There's a possibility of new conversions in 1/72 and 1/48. I'll post more if/when it happens."

Although I think we'd all prefer to see a complete kit from the likes of Trumpeter or Hobby Boss, this is good news given the rarity of the Falcon and Airmodel conversions.

Also in the near-term pipeline are decals for a VFP-63 RF-8G from Wolfpack Decals, which are due this month.