general melchett Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 As well as the Soviet heavy metal I've always been interested in Chinese jet aircraft designs, (though of course most of it is based on the formers technology), and in particular the newer indiginous designs. Having finished the J-10S earlier I wanted to add a decent 1/48th JH-7 to go with it. Problem is as far as I can find out there are only a couple of manufacturers who box it, Trumpeter with their wholly innacurate 1/72nd first gen JH-7 and this one the 1/48th AA model. I managed to pick one of these up for £2 at a show recently and set about seeing just how much work would be needed to bring it up to display standard. Amazingly I discovered that the kits basic dimensions are pretty good when compared to scale plans and although so basic as to be described more as a toy than a mode,l it looked like it could well form the basis of a pretty decent build! First of several problems with the kit though is the fact that it seems to be made of something akin to the plastic equivalent of granite and has a really rough, pebbly finish which will prove fun to sand down. The thing is also festooned with rivets and inaccurate panel trenches as well as vague detail such as vents and gun pack, it also has the central cockpit glazing panels missing too but no sweat as these can all be scratchbuilt or replaced as things move on. Flying surfaces are all seperate and over thick as well and the undercarriage, bays and engine nozzles a joke, and the cockpit non existent!!....one plus though is the inclusion of a vast array of weapons which will add more interest. Main challenge though is that I really want to make the second gen aircraft, the JH-7A which has quite a few changes in design including replacing the big single under fuselage rear stabiliser fin with two relocated smaller ones, a one piece wrap around windscreen, removal of wing fences and addition of two extra hard points under the wings. Here's the real thing, rather a nice looking machine, seemingly a mix of Jaguar, Tornado, SU-24 and scaled up Soko J-22 Orao, though a lot bigger than all, bar the Fencer which is the closest in size. Although it's a 'grey' aircraft it does carry a formidable array of weaponary. So this is the box art , not very encouraging!!..........notice the 'Chain Air Force'..!! The extent of the problem becomes clear once the box is opened!!, First thing I did was remove the single underside fin....oooh those rivets 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Looking forward to see this, it's not a subject commonly seen in model form. And looks like it's gonna be a challenge.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flankerman Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Melchie, I did a bit of a walkround when I visited the airshow at Zhuhai....... Let me know if you need piccies....... Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 Thanks chaps, think this one will put a up a good fight!, but mustn't complain at least someones done one!, saves a complete scratchbuild... Ken, I have quite a good collection of photo's and walkarounds but the more the merrier, thanks, would be appreciated..............what I really need are good piccies of the cockpit interior, hard to come by. The seats used by the FH-7A are the HTY-4 zero-zero type................... ..these are the kits offerings! ! straight out of DFS, buy now, pay later........oh dear, oh dear!!. The real things look more like the MB mk 10, though with arm rest and longer head boxes, so it's off to the spares bin....... Melchett... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Seats like that remind me of the early '70s ! And these are 1/48.. would be good on a 1/43 kit of some old car... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 Very true Georgio, I think I had something very similar in my first car, a 1972 Rover P6!!!..... Next job is to cut out and back the engine air relief doors , these are marked so after checking references duly done, The intakes themselves are a problem too, whilst they are the correct shape the walls are way too thick and have large 'lugs' fitted so needed work, Another thing is that the kit would have them fitted flush to the fuselage side which is wrong as there is a definite step between them with a 'V' shaped splitter on the actual aircraft, much like the Jaguar and Tornado, (and to an extent the F4 too), and braces are fitted as shown here, The list gets ever longer..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Gonna be watching this one Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 Thanks Mish, it's a real pig but I'll do my best to bend it into shape, Next up , the engine exhausts. Interestingly the JH-7 uses the WS-9 which is basically a licence built Rolls Royce RB168, (202 military Spey), as used by the F4K and M. The kits parts are ludicrous, just blobs , the wrong shape and way too thick with no detail whatsoever but luckily I have a couple of spare Aries Spey sets which, with a bit of modifying fit a treat, improving the rear end no end, I don't have any pics of the original part sadly but here's the Aries parts temporarily in place, Whilst at it I cut out the central glazing panels which for some weird reason were solid, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Those Aries Jet-pipes look the biz Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Whilst at it I cut out the central glazing panels which for some weird reason were solid, Did they also use a Phantom canopy....??!! The pics look like it's got an F-4E jobbie with one piece windshield plonked on top of the fuselage!! K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Flippin' heck Andy you like a challenge! Reckon you'd be quicker starting with an F-4 Phantom II kit and a heat gun. Know you'll nail it though and give us an entertaining thread in the process. As an aside - how many models have you got in-progress at the moment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 Thanks chaps, yep, reckon they looked at it and thought well we bought the engines from the Phantom why not see if we can get a discount on any other bits of it too! Actually I think the canopies look pretty slick when closed, Col, Umm well at the last count I must have at least 18 on the go at the moment, all in various stages of 'development'. They'll all be finished but in what order and when is one of lifes imponderables I'm afraid. Most are laid out in the workshop cabinets or on the work benches and I just pick up which ever one grabs me that day and crack on with it. Seriously though, I have commission builds and magazine articles and reviews to do which by nature jump to the top of the queue, so there's no real order to the them. I get bored and distracted easily, though you'd never guess it!! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michou Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I have taken a preliminary look at the AA Shenyang F-IIM which I have. I started to stick some of the smaller components together and they refuse to respond to the usual polystyrene glues which I normally use. Is this thing moulded out of ABS plastic? Did you have any problems with the FH7? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 Ah Mike, yes, sorry should have mentioned that the 'plastic', and I use the term lightly, doesn't respond to most styrene glues, making it an interesting build to say the least!!, I've used Zap-A-Gap thin CA which works pretty well, especially when zapped with Zip Kicker accelerator. Not the usual way to knock a model together but effective!. I recall having the old AA Finback years ago and like you giving up on it for the same reason. Still I like a challenge...just wait 'til you try to sand it down!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenDragon Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I built one of the Flying Leopard prototype boxing (and their F-8IIM) for a SAMI review years ago General, used super glue and Plastic Weld as normal glue wouldn't touch it. Your solution to the crappy exhausts is beaut! I had to do it OOB but I seem to remember a problem with the fuselage being about half an inch short around the rear cockpit/air Intake area. I was just guessing though as there was very little info available at the time but the cockpit looked like it needed shunting forward going by pictures. Main gear bays and doors seemed quite fictional! The decals in both were awful most breaking up on contact with water! Had to paint most markings myself but managed to use some national markings. Paul Harrison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 I think you're right Paul, does seem to be short in the area you mention, so it's off with its head!!. The canopy seems too Tornado shaped as well so this'll need a bit of fettling Too.... Next bit done is the tail fin. The rudder hinge location points are missing and have been replaced with card and the sections sanded down to a more acceptable thickness, also filled the rudder rivets..if they are anything to go by, I'm going to have fun with the rest of em!! Notches have been added to the fin top as well ready for extra aerials. Also the intake throats have been blanked off, as the plastic is so thick here that the chance of opening the area up and doing detailed intakes is out of the question, especially as so little can be seen, also started on the gear bay.. Notice also the oblong blob..meant to be the gun pack!!!... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 18 you say Andy? Should make for an interesting 2012 yearbook as I always enjoy your choice of subjects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 General you continue to surprise and delight. 'Left field' doesn't even begin to cover it! Am I right in thinking that it's any colour you want as long as it's grey, except one which was painted green for a Chinese tv series (I tried Googling but failed). Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrvr6 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 iv neve even heard of this plane before this thread. its a cool looking plane imo looks a bit like a mirage f1 on steroids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenDragon Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 (edited) Here's a link to Sentinel Chicken's (JP Santiago) profiles of the JH-7 that were published International Air Power Review including an unbuilt single seater, the electronic warfare version and the green TV show one. http://airlinebuzz.com/forums/blog.php?b=116 I did the review kit as Aircraft 081 at the top of the profile page but only had the boxart to work from which got the underside, rear panels around the engines and fin flash colours wrong so mine looks weird! Paul Harrison Edited December 28, 2011 by GreenDragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share Posted December 29, 2011 (edited) Thanks again chaps, Col ah yes, I might have 18 on the go but as for finishing them for 2012!! ...Hopefully be some stuff in there that interest some folks, I try not to be boring and choose the routine stuff to do, as you might have guessed I like a challenge.... Max, there are a few schemes out there, not that many for the JH-7A version but basically yes it's a 'grey' jet and usually kept in immaculate condition by our inscrutable friends, yet to see one with much if any weathering!. Merv, Yes it looks like a mix of quite a few things including the Mirage F1 but it's a lot bigger being more in the F-111/SU-24 class. Even though it has Phantom engines it's still regarded as being underpowered and an up grade package was considered a while back but not continued with. There's even a planned upgrade of the whole aircraft, JH-7B with more stealth technology but that's another project completely! Paul, thanks for info, those schemes look interesting!!, and that ficticious single seater looks cool, reminds me a bit of the Jap Mitsubishi F1. The only hard pic of the 'A' version that I have in another scheme, is this one, I've measured the kit out against drawings and photos and there seems to be a shortfall of almost exactly 1 cm behind the rear cockpit, so it's out with the scalpel, Plasticard, Milliput and sanding sticks, and in with the breath.... The lines show where the shortfall lies, (not the intakes...they're OK). Not a problem at all, except that now the nose gear location is wrong so it's a new gear bay...one thing always leads to another in the wonderful world of scratchbuilding!! Other than this, here's some idea of the problem with the wheels. The kits 'blobs' and, though not perfect, the Maestro Hunters wheels are a lot more accurate in hub detail, size and width, so four were acquired at the Newark show and will be modified and readied for action...the gears themselves will have to be scratchbuilt from plastic and brass rod as the kits parts are pretty much unusable. Also the beginnings of a cockpit, as the kit parts are really no more than over thick walls roughly in the right place, so they've been hacked out and the area repaired.... A long way to go yet, but at least we are on the road, Cheers all, 再見 Melchett-Hong Edited December 29, 2011 by general melchett 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin @ Freightdog Models Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Lovely bit of toy tinkering Andy, keep it up! Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim T Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Typical, I blink and there is a new Melchie build to drool over. This one looks a real challenge Andy. You seem to be knocking it into shape though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share Posted December 29, 2011 (edited) Ta ever so, Col, toy is being kind to it...It's like a Tonka...rugged and pretty well indestructable! The hard part is trying to keep all the seams together!, Good luck to anyone trying to build it using styrene glue!!, you have my deepest sympathies.. Tim, knocking into shape is about right!...this one has plenty of fight in it.. Started scratchbuilding the basic cockpit instrument panels and side consoles from the very few photos available and will need to build some CRT boxes to sit on the rear cockpit shelf ahead of the console...plus all the wiring and plumbing in this area, these are made of 2mm Plasticard and using Mike Grants excellent generic modern jet decals. knobs and buttons to follow.. The tubs fitted into place to check alignment...you may be able to see how much of the kits part was 'hacked' out!........................I say hacked coz that's the only way to describe the carnage that went on here........................three scalpel blades, two sanding blocks and one sore bottom later... The throttle quadrant is yet to be fitted to the front console, hence the gap, and more panels need to be fitted to the side walls, Hopefully have the cockpit done tomorrow, but as I'm on nights at the moment, I'll see how I feel .. Cheers all... Edited December 29, 2011 by general melchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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