I once saw a "resin kit conversion" for an RF-8 variant from a Fine Scale Modeler ad, but I can't remember who the garage kit maker was.  Anyway, what is to stop Century Wings from doing an RF-8 variant anyway???
It's NO rocket-science even with or without an available kit to base it on!  |
Because no diecast military manufacturer makes/designs their own stuff. Here's how it goes: They (Century, Hobby Master, etc) decide to make a model. They buy whatever plastic kit they want to copy, and send it off to the factory in China. They tell the guy "build this, then make a mold to copy it in diecast". The guy copying doesn't know that plane AT all. Doesn't know if it's from the 50's, or 90's. Bomber, or fighter. US, or French. Doesn't know if there's any major errors----He just follows the directions (poorly, if it's for a DW or Witty Tomcat), glues it together, then copies it. They also send along some decal sheets, and say "make some tampo pads to copy these markings".
If you tell him "now make it a recon version"-----he will be beyond lost. He doesn't know what needs to be changed. Nor, frankly, does HM/Corgi/DW/Century. (Though Yoshi does seem to know the F-14 pretty well, which helps a lot) And slipping the guy in China a 3-view from Janes won't help much.
Also, the RF-8 is one heck of a conversion. Everything between the wings, and everything forward of the main gear bay, is new. It's not "add a bump here, and an antenna there".