TF34 Engine Corrections for the 1/48 S-3 Viking First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

You've probably seen the reviews we've run on corrected intakes and engine faces for the TF34 as used by the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the S-3 Viking. For whatever reason, kit manufacturers just haven't replicated the correct depth that the compressor face is located from the leading edge of the intake. The kit parts are too shallow. For the average modeler, this minor glitch might be acceptable, but for the AMS modeler that is going to the trouble of working out the other bugs in their models, this is one that still stands out.

As I've mentioned, a few companies have produced replacement intakes, but these have evidently been mass-produced copies of a garage shop design that retail at even higher prices than the originals. Thanks to some friends, I have been able to trace these parts back to the designer, who now sells these parts reasonably priced on eBay.

If you search for seller 'phantphan90' on eBay, you'll see that he periodically offers these corrections inexpensively and will VERY low postage costs.

This producer has two different patterns for the 1/48 S-3 Viking. If you look at the bolt patterns on the compressor fairing at the center of the fan disk, you'll see the differences. This detail hasn't be caught by the 'copycat' producers (yet), but you can get a set with one or the other pattern, or one of each (as I did). If you look at photos of the TF34s on the S-3, both types were seen, sometimes on the same aircraft.

This manufacturer also produces a set of replacement engine faces/forward nacelles for the Revell/Monogram and Italeri 1/48 A-10 Thunderbolt II kits.