Depending on the source, I have read widely varying descriptions concerning the Weasel modifiations. Some state the changes were significant to the aircraft's mission and enabled it to do things a the plain F-105F could not do. Other sources claim that the changes were merely the incorporation of an ECM pod into the airframe so that it would not take up one of the weapons pylons. This provided for the F-105G to carry one more weapons pylon's worth of ordnance, but left the capabilities not much changed from an F-105F carriying the ECM pod on one of its pylons.

Whatever the real story is on the modifiaction of the F-105F to the F-105G, none dispute that the F-105G Weasels played a vital role in the Vietnam conflict. There were a lot of aircraft that made it to their targets and home again because the Weasels were there to run interference against all the missile batteries that were intent on shooting them down.

Realistically, this is the oldest model in my completed models collection. I have a few older built models, but they are only around to remind me of how far I have come in my modeling and are never placed onto my display shelves.

When Monogram released this kit, it was the state of the art in modeling. Detail&Scale published their F-105 Thunderchief in Detail&Scale book around the same time this kit was being released and branded it as the best kit Monogram had ever produced. That is pretty high praise. And, while the kit is not as good as the current crop of "build themselves" models from Hasegawa or Tamiya, this is still a very good kit.

Detailing in the kit is well executed. The cockpit is raised detailing. The ejection seats are simplistic, but workable. The kit scribing is raised. Monogram did their homework on the F-105G and correctly captured all the Weasel specific antennae. In the later releases of the F-105D and F-105F by Monogram, these antennae become a problem as they were not present on those airframes, but on the F-105G they are correct.

When I built the model, I could find little that needed upgrading or changing. Hence, I kept it simple and mostly out-of-the-box. The only things I did extra were as follows.

• I added thottles in the cockpits.
• I added a second pilot figure with a repositioned head.
• I used thin sheet styrene to put harneses on the pilots, connecting them to their ejection seats.
• I replaced the lower engine exhaust pedal with one stolen from a second kit that was not "drooped".

The weapons load consists of the kit provided AGM-78 Standard ARM missile on the left inboard pylon, balanced with an external fuel tank on the right. The outboard pylons each carry the kit provided AGM-45 Shrike missiles. I also used the kit provided centerline fuel tank.

The camouflage is the standard S.E.Asian scheme of Tan (F.S.30219), Dark Green (F.S.34079), and Medium Green (F.S.34102) on the sides and upper surfaces with Camouflage Gray (F.S.36622) on the lower surfaces. I used all Testors Model Master enamel paints. The camouflage and markings are representative of the practices used in the middle 1970's for units attached to the US Air Force Tactical Air Command (TAC).

Sometimes I like to go off the wall and just build an aircraft of my liking without care for being accurate to a specific set of markings. This is one such model. As such, the unit markings are total fiction with my name stenciled on the canopy rails. Also, I like to name my models, so I picked an appropriate sounding name for a Weasel aircraft, Berserk, and decaled it onto the nose. I used N-scale railroad lettering decals for both my name and the aircraft's name.

A note about the tail code -- I did not know at the time I built this model that the tail code HA was already in use by the Iowa ANG (174^th TFS / 185^th TFG). Had I known, I would have chosen a different tail code for this model. The Iowa ANG never flew the F-105.

One point of accuracy about the model, though, is the aircraft serial number. It is the correct serial number (63-0288) to claim the two MiG kills applied below the windscreen on the left side of the nose.