Sword 72006
For years the Monogram kit was the only offerering until this kit came along. This tooling is mixed media, featuring mid grey injection moulded polystyrene and resin. This tooling is a substantial improvement over the Monogram kit in that there is a far greater level of internal detail. The kit features optional parts to make either an F8F-1, F8F-1B, or F8F-2. This is in the form of 2 different fuselages featuring vertical fins with different heights. The canopy is injection moulded, but is not as clear as it should be, and is best replaced with an aftermarket vacform one. The resin parts are well cast and consist of the following: main wheel well, main wheels, rockets, cockpit, and engine face. The kit captures the shape of the real thing reasonably well except for the following areas: the F8F-1 fuselage does not have a ventral strake at the rear of the fuselage; the curve of the fin tip is a little too circular and needs to be more streamlined; the fuselage cross section where it meets the fin fillet is poorly rendered; the trim tab on the tail fin should have a wider chord and not be in line with trailing edge of the fin.

Sword 72022
This is not a completely new tooling, but rather a revision of 72006. It appears to be more of an attempt to reduce production costs than to improve on the previous product. The plastic parts are more polished on the outer surface, and there has been some minor modifications: the brackets on upper part of the drop tank have been revised; the control sufaces now have stretched fabric relief; and the machine gun blisters on the wing have been removed and are now separate parts, as is the front bevel of the engine cowling. Access panels for the ammunition now have fastener detail, the internal cockpit wall now has ribbing, and the navigation lights on the wings are better resolved. Detail on the oleos is slightly more crude, but the tailwheel has been completely revised and is an improvement on the original. The main undercarriage doors have also been revised. The only resin part now is the engine, which has been completely transformed with two banks of cylinders and far finer detail. All other parts that were previously resin are now plastic, and they suffer as a result. They are cruder with thicker walls. The main wheel well has less detail and is more crudely rendered than the previous tooling, and part of the original resin component is now moulded integrally with the wing, with a corresponding loss of finesse. The decals are not as well printed as the original offering. The instructions have been revised and are now more comprehensive.

The best compromise would be the original tooling (72006) combined with the resin engine of the new tooling (72022).