1/72 McDD F-4 C Phantom II, Hasegawa/Monogram kitbash - COMPLETED!

[rob85]

That streaking is subtle.... Beautifully so! You have such finesse when it comes to the details giemme, really makes your models stand out.... And me envious

Rob

[Winenut]

Looking amazing my friend

What an incredible build

Keep up the good work

Molto Bene

Cheers

bruce

[Mrs PlaStix]

Hi giemme, I'm just catching up on looking at the work of those people kind enough to look at and comment on my fledgling efforts... I've never built a plane, it's one of those things that requires too much effort to do properly - having seen this I definitely think I'll stick to simple things for the present! Your use of wash and weathering is superb, and the attention to detail is stunning. Stix has always spoken admiringly about your work and looking at this build I can see why. Great stuff!!!

[Old Viper Tester]

Been NORDO for a while and just catching up as well. This Phantom is looking phantastic!

Taking lots of notes and hoping I can do half as well when I start taking on my rhino collection (retirement in 6 days and counting).

Sven

Old Viper Tester

[giemme]

Impressive work on the weathering Giorgio!

Cheers

Jaime

Thanks Jaime, glad you like it!

That streaking is subtle.... Beautifully so! You have such finesse when it comes to the details giemme, really makes your models stand out.... And me envious

Rob

Thanks Rob No need to be envious, detailing is something you build up, kit after kit.

Looking amazing my friend

What an incredible build

Keep up the good work

Molto Bene

Cheers

bruce

Cheers Bruce, glad to hear from you! Thanks for the comment, mate!

Hi giemme, I'm just catching up on looking at the work of those people kind enough to look at and comment on my fledgling efforts... I've never built a plane, it's one of those things that requires too much effort to do properly - having seen this I definitely think I'll stick to simple things for the present! Your use of wash and weathering is superb, and the attention to detail is stunning. Stix has always spoken admiringly about your work and looking at this build I can see why. Great stuff!!!

Mrs. Plastix, glad to have you on board, too! Thanks for your comment, you are very kind; I hope you are limiting to the current WIPs for the catching-up activity, otherwise you'll end up reading threads on BM more than modelling yourself :D

Been NORDO for a while and just catching up as well. This Phantom is looking phantastic!

Taking lots of notes and hoping I can do half as well when I start taking on my rhino collection (retirement in 6 days and counting).

Sven

Old Viper Tester

Had to google for NORDO :D. Thanks for your comment, Sven, much appreciated All my best for your retirement, sounds like in the near future we will have some interesting progress report from you too!

Everybody: later for WE progress report

Ciao

[giemme]

Here we go with WE progress report; not much time for modelling, actually, because I had to take care of my yard, plus had dinner with friends on Saturday

Anyway: exhausts glued in place

I started working on a base for the kit; Cam Ranh AFB ground was mainly covered with aluminium planking, of which I wasn't able to gather any detail as far as sizes are concerned. So I went by the pics Gene supplied and used eyeballing, to cut out some cardboard stripes and glue them on a wooden base:

I then sprayed some Tamiya Gloss Aluminium from a rattle can on it

then went along the panel lines with very thinned Tamiya Flat black, airbrushed, adding also some random stains

The main "feature" of Cam Ranh Bay was ... sand - sand all over the place, so I airbrushed some Lifecolor Sand Yellow

I've then sprayed a coat of flat clear (from a rattle can I had laying around, not exactly modelling stuff)

and finally went over the black spots with a sand yellow drybrush

Contrast with the dark areas looks stark under certain lighting conditions, I'll probably have to tone them down a bit more; and I think I should also add some detail painting, because this to me seems just like painted cardboard ... What do you guys think?

A bit more done on Little Gene and Little Jerry too:

Base color is a mix of Lifecolor Light Blue and Light Grey; highlights done using a lighter mix, shadows using a darker one. Then dark washes and a light grey drybrush.

Question for Gene: did you use to wear gloves when flying? What color were they? Thanks in advance

That's it for the day, comments welcome

Ciao

Edited May 23, 2016 by giemme

[Aviano]

Wonderfull work here! Exhaust looks great!

Oliver

[PlaStix]

Such impressive work as always Giemme. I was just looking in more detail at the tail section photos above and you have achieved such an amazing range of tone to the colours and finish.

[giemme]

Wonderfull work here! Exhaust looks great!

Oliver

Cheers Oliver, thanks!

Such impressive work as always Giemme. I was just looking in more detail at the tail section photos above and you have achieved such an amazing range of tone to the colours and finish.

Thanks Stix, I'm glad you like my effort on the metallics Pictures taken with direct lamp light are actually killing a bit the variations, especially the darker tones; they should hopefully show up better when I take RFI photos

Ciao

[Gene K]

... did you use to wear gloves when flying? What color were they? Thanks in advance

I always wore gloves, and I always rolled my sleeves down - reason being that in the event of a fire, they'd provide just a little more protection!

As for the color, I'm scratching my head - could have been gray leather like this:

but more likely would have been OD Nomex with gray leather on the inside (palm side), like this:

We didn't have Nomex flight suits at that time, so that color was a washed out blue-gray. Boots were solid black.

Gene K

[giemme]

Great Gene, thanks! I'll go for the second option, OD Nomex with grey leather.

Ciao

[Spookytooth]

Great work Giemme.

The cans are really nicely done, and the base looks suitably adorned with the "sands".

Simon.

[Cookenbacher]

Little Gene and Little Jerry are looking great, you are a figure painter extraordinaire Giemme.

[giemme]

Great work Giemme.

The cans are really nicely done, and the base looks suitably adorned with the "sands".

Simon.

Cheers Simon, thanks!

Little Gene and Little Jerry are looking great, you are a figure painter extraordinaire Giemme.

Thanks Cookie! That sounds like a Mel Brook's movie punch line, some way - can't remember which though ...

Ciao

[giemme]

Hi everybody, little mid-week update:

more figure painting done, first with a base coat of Lifecolor Dark Green mixed with a bit of Lifecolor Matt Black:

I was going to do an actual SBS on how I painted the flying suits, but I got caught up in painting and didn't take many pics, sorry

So here is Little Gene after some highlights and dark washes:

Highlights done adding Lifecolor Light Grey to the base mix, washes with a dark acrylic wash and a dark brown tempera wash; I've been trying to use the same techniques I use on larger figures, but it turned out it was quite hard to control them on such small figures, so most of the job has been done with washes.

Here are the two, with more details painted:

I still need to add a dark wash on the helmet area for both and do some touch, but all in all they're pretty much done.

Next I started scratch building the two missing GIB's rear view mirrors; I cut two suitable PE pieces:

then I thought it was a good idea to stick them together with some double sided tape, so that I could refine them with my Dremel and having two almost identical pieces:

Good theory, probably, but they slipped a bit when sanding, I had to rework one to shorten it to the size of the other ... Here they are:

[

I've then glued them on top of a flattened steel wire:

painted black and gloss coated with Future:

They are now going to cure for a couple of days before I cut the supports to size and glue them in place.

Well, I think it doesn't look a proper progress report without showing the actual aircraft, so here is a test fit of the back seat, on which I actually glued the top part:

That's it for now, comments welcome

Ciao

[Mrs PlaStix]

Great stuff, I can see what you mean about pulling the details out... Mr P explained about the background to this build as I didn't have chance to read everything - It's a great idea and very well executed too

[keefr22]

Excellent painting on the figures Giorgio! Nice little mirrors too - I always try & cut the supports down too soon when making them, I shall have to learn some of your patience!

Keith

[rob85]

That's great figure painting giemme, can't believe your still doing so much detail in 1/72. The pit and seat look absolutely excellent.

Rob

[giemme]

Great stuff, I can see what you mean about pulling the details out... Mr P explained about the background to this build as I didn't have chance to read everything - It's a great idea and very well executed too

Thanks Mrs. P Good thing Stix talked to you about the background story, we're about to hit 50 pages and 1.000 posts, reading through all of this risks to be very time consuming ...

Excellent painting on the figures Giorgio! Nice little mirrors too - I always try & cut the supports down too soon when making them, I shall have to learn some of your patience!

Keith

Cheers Keith, thanks! Should I cut back their support too soon, I'd loose them immediately ... more than patience, it's self consciousness

That's great figure painting giemme, can't believe your still doing so much detail in 1/72. The pit and seat look absolutely excellent.

Rob

Thanks Rob, glad you like it

Ciao

[Leonl]

Wow.... Really nice work. The office looks great...

[Spookytooth]

Lovely work Giemme, the figures are great, and the office is sweet mate.

Simon.

[giemme]

Wow.... Really nice work. The office looks great...

Thanks Leonl!

Lovely work Giemme, the figures are great, and the office is sweet mate.

Simon.

Cheers mate, I'm glad you like'em

Ciao

[Fritag]

That's it for now, comments welcome...

Figures looking fab' - Cockpits' looking fab'. Italian flair in great abundance. End of comments

Edited May 27, 2016 by Fritag

[giemme]

Figures looking fab' - Cockpits' looking fab'. Italian flair in great abundance. End of comments

:D

Steve, you're providing a lot of new words for my English education - had to google for "flair". Thanks for the appreciation

Ciao

[giemme]

Hi everybody; here's my usual WE progress report. Been working on details; doesn't seem much work, but took a lot of time

First thing was to re-position port side vari-ramp; before (see red dotted circle)

and after

Luckily I hadn't used much CA glue for this, so snapping it off was relatively easy; I trimmed down a bit the mounting tab and fit it back to place, gluing again with CA.

Then I installed and painted the two GIB's rear view mirrors:

Speaking of which: here's little Jerry completed:

and little Gene too (added some details and a wash to the helmets, plus a gloss coat)

I the glued in the pilot's seat top part:

and started working on the speed brakes actuator arms: cut a brass pipe to size

inserted a steel rod, glued with CA

a bit of Tamiya tape:

They were then primed with Vallejo Grey Primer, painted Lifecolor Matt Red thinned with Future, washed with a dark acrylic mix and dull coated with Lifecolor Matt Clear, all by brush:

Now I only need to cut the steel rod to size.

Bombs: main body sprayed with Tamiya Olive Drab:

then a Light Grey drybrush on the fins and a dark wash (plus I repaired the broken fuse)

Canopy arms:

More details on the fixed bomb fuse, and a couple of other tiny bits primed and ready for paint:

and painted

It was then time to start gluing all the bottom side missing parts; here's where I am so far, with gun pod, aux air doors and inboard pylons fitted and glued with CA:

Comments welcome

Ciao

Edited May 30, 2016 by giemme