Duncan B Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I thought I'd better get started as I will be attempting to complete 2 models in the course of this GB and only tectonic plates move more slowly than my production line. I will be making another one of my beloved RAF Leuchars aircraft in the form of the Fujimi FG1 'Treble 1' edition with the actual markings still to be decided and I will also be trying something new to me in the form of the Revell F-4F (which will also be my contribution to a GB that the Aberdeen Modellers Society are currently running). The F-4F kit has some fancy markings for an aircraft wearing 40 year anniversary markings and is in a fetching red and black scheme. Unfortunately Photobucket is playing hard to get for me at the moment so the box top, sprue shots and construction photos will have to wait but trust me I am actually starting from scratch. I started painting the interiors last night and was surprised to see the difference in size of the cockpit consoles from each kit. The usual injection pin holes were filled with superglue on the Fujimi kit but this particular kit does not seem to have suffered as badly from sink marks as the last Fujimi Phantom that I built (I did have a look through my Fujimi stash during the build of my last one and noticed that the sink marks were quite randomly distributed through the various kits, date of issue didn't seem to come into it). The Revell kit has some sink marks on the stabilators and outer wing panels but the rest of the kit seems ok, talking of the outer wings and stabs is it my imagination or are the Revell parts smaller than the Fujimi ones, I'll have to compare them against each other? I'm looking forward to seeing how the Revell kit goes together, at least it'll take my mind off the Fujimi build which I find tedious for some reason! I think it's the intake joints and forward undercarriage bay fit that I find a chore to deal with on that kit (and also having to extend the missing panel lines on the heat shields too). Hopefully Photobucket will play nicely and I can start posting photos soon. Duncan B 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Ok so Photobucket is playing nicely again. The obligatory Box top shot .....and sprue shot As you might be able to see I've made a start to painting the cockpits. I (tried to) brush painted Humbrol acrylics, what horrid stuff to brush paint with as it's either too thin or too thick and the pigments settle out very quickly so you get anything from a very light grey to a dark grey depending on where the pigment has gone, never again! Duncan B 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mozzy19 Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I (tried to) brush painted Humbrol acrylics, what horrid stuff to brush paint with as it's either too thin or too thick and the pigments settle out very quickly so you get anything from a very light grey to a dark grey depending on where the pigment has gone, never again! Duncan B I find that Revell acrylics are very nice to brush paint, closely followed by Humbrol and Revell enamels although I have had problems with Humbrol drying in weird ways but I assume that they weren't mixed for long enough...Sean 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 Some progress has been made on the Revell Phantom (I have some photos but will have to wait to get them downloaded) but no progress with the Fujimi kit yet. I have assembled the forward fuselage including the cockpit and also the rear fuselage to which I have assembled the wings. I only had a slight gap on one of the wing root joints which required filling, the other was perfect. One thing I have noticed is that the inboard leading edge slat actuators appear to be wrongly labelled on the instructions so that if you follow the instructions you will fit them on the wrong wings and will therefore end up with them not being square to the underside. Unfortunately for me I didn't realise this until it was too late (using superglue has it's advantages but also it's disadvantages too). The fit of the forward lower fuselage (which includes the nose wheel bay) isn't the best of fits and leaves a horrid step along the bottom of what would be door 6 in real life. Quite a bit of filling and sanding was required to get a decent profile. Tonight I might get as far as joining the fuselage sections together. Photos to follow. Duncan B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 Some photos of the progress described above. Some dodgy cockpit painting The nasty joint between the lower to front fuselage parts with slathered in super glue to act as a filler The rear fuselage assembly and the nasty step between the rear fuselage and lower wing parts after getting the super glue treatment The two sections of fuselage are now joined so more photos to follow. Duncan B 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Nice progress mate! Much prefer that grey plastic than the soft blue on my kit. I just fitted the actuators now, you were totally right about revell getting them the wrong way around, cheers! David. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nimrod54 Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 The 111 FG.1 looks very nice Duncan. I remember making a 1/48 Hasegawa version many years ago, it was the kit that got me back into modelling. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyB Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Nice progress Duncan, well done with the steps in the fuselage join, that's one bit I'm not looking forward to with my build! Be interested to see what you think of the difference between the two kits. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 Nice progress Duncan, well done with the steps in the fuselage join, that's one bit I'm not looking forward to with my build! Be interested to see what you think of the difference between the two kits. Danny, I have to say that I quite like the Revell Phantom and have found it a straightforward build even though there are a few challenging joints to sort out. I think the shape of the Phantom has dictated how the various companies go about tooling the kits as a lot of areas have been tooled in similar ways, the intakes and the forward fuselage to lower wing joints for instance. The Revell surface detail is very nice but I am no expert on J79 powered Phantoms so some of it might be spurious? The Fujimi kit is of course the only modern Spey powered Phantom kit in the scale but some of my examples in my stash suffer from quite noticeable sink marks on the wings and fuselage. The cockpit detail of both kits is similar but I think the Fujimi kit just wins it as their detail is a bit crisper even if it might not be 100% accurate for the FG1 at least. The surface detail of the Fujimi kit is good but I prefer the way Revell have gone about replicating the heat shields at the back end. Anyway, I will be making a start to the FG1 very soon as I've got about as far as I can go with the build of the F-4F with the stuff I have offshore. Pictures to foillow. Duncan B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 So on to some more photos.... ....here we have the joint between the forward fuselage section and the underside, I didn't need any filler at all even though it is quite a complex shape. ...and the corresponding joint on the top side. I had to use my special super glue for this side as it didn't want to close up without a gap, still not bad though. In this photo I've added the intakes but you might notice I've removed the splitter plates to make the painting easier. The intakes are a nice fit and I think I'll get away with just a touch of Mr Surfacer on the joint but might need to fill the strange panel line that runs up the intake side ahead of the joint. And this is about as far as I'm going to go with this one for just now, when I get home I'll sort out the rescribing of the panel lines lost during the build before getting down to the painting. One question I do have is if the F-4F retained the USAF style refuelling receptacle on the spine as it is poorly moulded and I'd prefer to fill and sand it off than leave it in place? So tonight I'll make a proper start to the Fujimi FG1. I'll looking forward to reacquainting myself with this kit and seeing how it actually builds up compared to the Revell Toom. Duncan B 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Nice progress mate! I filled that intake panel line with superglue and rescribed as it looks a little silly compared to pictures of the real jet IMHO. As far as I know they used the USAF receptacle, http://media.nara.gov/stillpix/330-cfd/2004/DF-SC-04-02591.jpeg cheers, David. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 Nice progress mate! I filled that intake panel line with superglue and rescribed as it looks a little silly compared to pictures of the real jet IMHO. As far as I know they used the USAF receptacle, http://media.nara.gov/stillpix/330-cfd/2004/DF-SC-04-02591.jpeg cheers, David. Nice photo David, I'd have to agree with you about the receptacle . (I have this nagging memory that they didn't originally have the IFR capacity though but could be wrong) I'm not keen on the soft moulding of the spine tank panels either so might fill them all and rescribe them. Duncan B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Nice photo David, I'd have to agree with you about the receptacle . (I have this nagging memory that they didn't originally have the A to A capacity though but could be wrong) I'm not keen on the soft moulding of the spine tank panels either so might fill them all and rescribe them. Duncan B Yes I think they only got it re-fitted after the Peace Rhine update. Good little article on the F-4F, http://www.milavia.net/specials/german-phantoms-early-years/ I was thinking the same thing regarding the spine panels, they look a little 'melted' in my kit so may go your way there. Cheers, David. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 9, 2015 Author Share Posted May 9, 2015 I'm not going to split the builds into separate threads (if that is allowed?) so moving swiftly (for me at any rate) onto the Fujimi FG1 build.... .... I had already thrown some paint onto the cockpit parts which is always my least favourite part of any build as I feel that the time it takes to do is way more than the end result achieved deserves. After a swift clean up of the relatively large and poorly positioned sprue gates (when compared to the Revell kit) I was ready to insert the cockpit and close the fuselage halves together. I also drilled out the pylon holes on the underside of the wings and attached the panels for the catapult hooks (these parts are always a bit tricky and quite poorly fitting so I prefer to fit them before access to the back side is restricted). So after a quite short period of activity last night I had the wing assembly together and the fuselage closed up, really rapid progress for me but I have decided that I need to up the pace I work at if I am ever to make a decent dent in my ever expanding stash. Some photos: Another untidy I/P Looks acceptable in situ (will look even better once it's completely hidden!). You can see where I've started to fill one of the worst sink marks on the kit just behind the cockpit. A pair of wings, less panel detail on the underside than the Revell kit but still quite acceptable in 1/72. I couldn't help but place the parts together to see how the wing root gap is going to be, a spacer might be needed inside the fuselage to open it out a millimetre or so to avoid a gap. I think I'll do some work on the intakes and fitting the front lower fuselage parts tonight if the weather isn't too bad (I'm on a ship and it is currently 4-5m seas outside so adds another dimension when trying not to superglue myself to the table, kit etc!). Failing that I'll do some tidying up of the seams on the bits already assembled. Duncan B 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Duncan, I had roughly the same gap on my fujimi build. I used some tamiya tape on the wing & more on the intake trunking/fuse sides then using a scapel managed to fill the gap with Deluxe perfect plastic putty. I then removed the tape & when dry ran a cotton bud dipped in water to tidy it up. Worked well for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 Duncan, I had roughly the same gap on my fujimi build. I used some tamiya tape on the wing & more on the intake trunking/fuse sides then using a scapel managed to fill the gap with Deluxe perfect plastic putty. I then removed the tape & when dry ran a cotton bud dipped in water to tidy it up. Worked well for me. I dry fitted the wings and the lower fuselage/nose wheel bay and found that with a little pressure I could close the gap completely so I held everything in place and ran some Extra Thin Tamiya glue into the joints. I even managed to get the best fit I've ever had on the nose wheel bay to fuselage joint on any of my Fujimi Phantom builds so I'm a happy camper. The intakes will be next and this is the part of the Fujimi experience that I least enjoy as the joints are in quite prominent places and quite awkward to fill/sand without destroying a lot of surface detail. Duncan B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Interesting comparison work Duncan. Having no experience of either kit I'm keen to see your progress on both. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Duncan, I'm not sure how far you want to go correcting things on the revell kit but I have just noticed a few little issues from another online build. The kit originated as an RF-4E, then latter tooled as the F-4F effectively producing an RF-4E fuselage with an F-4F nose. So I have filled the panel lines that are not present on the F-4F consisting of, the flash ejector housings and the leading edge slats have some panels straight through the middle which are not there on the real jet. Also the kits provides the triangle stiffener plates on the tails that need to be sanded off for an F-4F. I don't mean to be 'that guy pointing out inaccuracies' but just thought I'd say just incase . Cheers, David. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Duncan, I'm not sure how far you want to go correcting things on the revell kit but I have just noticed a few little issues from another online build. The kit originated as an RF-4E, then latter tooled as the F-4F effectively producing an RF-4E fuselage with an F-4F nose. So I have filled the panel lines that are not present on the F-4F consisting of, the flash ejector housings and the leading edge slats have some panels straight through the middle which are not there on the real jet. Also the kits provides the triangle stiffener plates on the tails that need to be sanded off for an F-4F. I don't mean to be 'that guy pointing out inaccuracies' but just thought I'd say just incase . Cheers, David. David, thanks for the info. I did notice the flash ejector panels and wondered if they were supposed to be there on the F (but couldn't think why they would be). I'll get the super glue out and fill those lines in when I get off shift, I'm at that stage with the Fujimi intakes anyway. The stiffener plates will get sanded off too. I've been wondering about the colours for the fancy red and black aircraft, was there any specific shade of red used that you know of? Thanks again for the information, I know a fair bit about the FG1's but nothing at all really about F-4F's (other than they always looked really scruffy and well used whenever I saw them in real life). Duncan B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 As I mentioned above I'm at the stage of having fitted the intakes to the Fujimi kit and this is the bit that always gives me trouble (and spoils the otherwise carefree build process). I decided to cut the forward splitter plate off to make painting easier and then fitted the rest of the splitter plate to the fuselage parts. I then filled the joints top and bottom and sanded them before fitting the actual outer intake parts. The fit of these parts along the top is fine and for once the vertical joint down the fuselage side isn't too bad and might just need some extra Mr Surfacer during priming but as usual the fit on the underside of both is terrible. One side sits too proud and the other too low, lashings of super glue have been applied and will blended in to the correct shape tonight. I'll post some photos of all this lot tomorrow as I'm sure none of this will make much sense when read back. As an aside I have my doubts about if Fujimi have got the actual shape and position of the lower lip of the intakes correct or not as I've noticed on previous builds when masking up that the LAG seems to be too high up the side of the intake when taking the correct line off the leading edge of the wing. Has anyone else noticed this? Duncan B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 David, thanks for the info. I did notice the flash ejector panels and wondered if they were supposed to be there on the F (but couldn't think why they would be). I'll get the super glue out and fill those lines in when I get off shift, I'm at that stage with the Fujimi intakes anyway. The stiffener plates will get sanded off too.I've been wondering about the colours for the fancy red and black aircraft, was there any specific shade of red used that you know of? Thanks again for the information, I know a fair bit about the FG1's but nothing at all really about F-4F's (other than they always looked really scruffy and well used whenever I saw them in real life). Duncan B No problem! I'm not sure tbh what exact shade of red was used for that particular scheme, scanned through some Airdoc books and no mention of it. However when the F-4F's participated in manoeuvring exercises some had their rudder/tails painted RAL3000 Flame red, maybe something along those lines. David. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 Here are some photos of the progress made on the Fujimi kit's air intakes as mentioned earlier. As I mentioned earlier I always seem to have trouble getting a good fit with the Fujimi Phantom's intakes. The lower fuselage joint in particular usually ends up with a step that needs lots of filler and sanding. The top sides need some work too, here the outer part of the intake has already been attached to the splitter plate which was previously filled and sanded. You can see I've used Zap a Gap to fill the joint and can just make out the remains of the previous coat of the (black) rubberised Super Glue on the top of the splitter plate joint used to fill that joint, it is actually quite smooth but the black makes it look like there are holes there in this photo. This is the view of the underside after the black super glue has been sanded back and a thin coat of Zap a Gap applied on top to fill and blend that in. And this is the intake after the Zap a Gap has been smoothed back, there will be lots of rescribing to do but the seams won't reappear as can happen (and did on my last Fujimi Phantom) during painting if normal filler and poly cement is used. In this photo the top of the intake looks uneven but that is a trick of the light caused by the Zap A Gap drying quite clear so it can look like the gaps are still present, that takes a bit of getting used to as the temptation is to keep sanding when in fact it is already smooth. There is a slight step on the vertical join but I think some Mr Surfacer will sort that out during the priming stage. (I must tidy up that cockpit) The F-4F has had some spurious panel lines (thanks David) filled using Zap a Gap and that is the stage my builds are at right now. I might start rescribing the lost details back onto both kits tonight. I used to be terrified of rescribing but now find it quite relaxing. Duncan B p.s. my apologies for the poor quality photos, it's the best my phone could manage in the light available 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nimrod54 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Good job Duncan, the black superglue looks an interesting product to use, not something I have come across. Is it a relatively new product or is it new idea for using it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 Good job Duncan, the black superglue looks an interesting product to use, not something I have come across. Is it a relatively new product or is it new idea for using it? It is stuff I got from HLJ but apparently it is available in the UK too. I got the idea of using it from another modelling website, I can't remember off hand which one other than it was a Spanish guy showing various tips and techniques which included using this super glue as a filler. When I get a chance I'll stick a photo of the glue bottle on here. Only minor work to update today. I've attached the cabin and equipment air conditioning scoops on either side of the nose ahead of door 6 on the Fujimi kit, these are tricky little blighters to fill and blend in too. I've also added the ILS aerial on the fin too. I've not much left that I can do here but will probably make up the bang seats and fit the canopy onto the FG1 and leave it at that until I can get home. I will probably add the periscope too although I still haven't decided on the actual markings yet. Duncan B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 How's it going on this Duncan? Will you be bringing it along on Tuesday? Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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