This is the Revell F-105D, the scale-down of the Monogram single-seater from the '80s. Yes, it has raised panel lines, but I think it has better-looking detail than the Trumpeter kit. Out of the box, the D has all the combat mods that were added to the Thud, so there was a lot of shaving and filling of such details as RHAW antennas, combat camera, gun gas vents, cooling scoops, reinforcement patches, and such. This particular bird didn't even have the barrier hook installed. I also had to carefully sand away the dorsal fairing that connected the cockpit spine with the fin.
I had two sets of the old Microscale decal sheet that included this 335th TWS 4th TFW bird with the green band on the nose and tail. This unit had B models first, then Ds and the amount of markings varied among individual airframes. They were in these markings before Project Lookalike when most of the Thuds received an overall aluminum paint. Not sure 719 had all of these markings at any one time, but some of the unit's Thuds did. Well, one of my sheets (the newer one) started to shatter, so I put on a coat of Liquid Decal Film, and that made them shatter even before I could dip them in water! So I went to the older sheet which was much better. Of course, being Microscale, the green bands didn't exactly fit where they were supposed to. I ended up removing the leading edge of the tail band as it was set at the wrong angle to the kit fin. The nose band was provided in halves and they didn't line up right, so I moved the split over the gun panel so the mismatch is harder to notice. The instructions show O.D. antidazzle panels on the wing tanks, but photos of this unit's Thuds show them without. Finish is Alclad aluminum over Mr. Surfacer 1000, acented with darkened aluminum and a few panels of Bare-Metal Foil. I used thin stripes of "dulex" yellow decal for the canopy edging. Enjoy!
