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My Comfort build, Academy F-4C Phantom, ANG California 1985?


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24 minutes ago, Christer A said:

@JeffreyK you big tease, you!

What's wrong with the kit?

I haven't done that much research into it...

Sorry, I kind of regret having said this as I don't like tooting my own horn, as they say...But I just couldn't resist, especially as you said you are throwing a lot of aftermarket at the kit.

There are issues with the stabs (to me the most obvious error - I can immediately spot an Academy F-4 with uncorrected stabs somewhere in the background on a blurry photo), the A/C intakes on the nose, the bulkhead of the radome, the main air intakes, the tail section, to name a few.

Some problems are minor, some problems bother some builders but not others... And for some I provide correction parts.

 

Cheers

Jeffrey

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19 hours ago, corsaircorp said:

Hello ,

I know that the mechanics are crazy since I'm one myself:huh:

No, definitely No, they are not that crazy, they are repainted only partially... Look at any Phantom...

There are lots of stencils but not so much...

Sincerely.

CC

did they go through major rebuilds through their lifetime? or just what was needed? would navy ones be any different for maintenance or refurbs(overhauls, call it what you want)

19 hours ago, corsaircorp said:

Hello ,

Edited by busnproplinerfan
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@JeffreyK, after looking over your site for a while I can safely say that there will be an order "soon"!

Just need to recieve my monthly allowance from SWMBO first...

 

In the meantime, I've recieved these XMM intakes, all the way from S:t Petersburg, Russia. (I can't help but feel a bit giddy about ordering stuff from Russia!)

38553966910_492e47ea06_o.jpg

Very nicely detailed they are too, especially the fan fronts. They're also of the correct depth, so one need to remove the normal support for the intakes that Academy provides.
Also includes hollowed out splitter plates, intake pitot-tubes and also those small nose intakes. However, the last ones don't look that nice, but atleast ther're hollowed out.
 

I have done a few things more, besides buying more and more stuff...

I can finaly close the fuselage around both resin nose gear well and cockpit! :phew:
38553966270_6633f0b5b3_o.jpg
All it took was to sand the floot of the pit and the roof of the well to near paperthin thickness.

I'll probabley need to secure the attachment point for the nosegear somehow, but that is atleast forward of the cockpit, so there is space available.
 

So far, this does not incluide the cockpit side walls. They're made in one piece for some reason, but it's nigh on impossible to dry fit them or even get them in at all!

I took the bold decision to split them in two, and make sure that I can fit them from above instead. This works perfectly on the rear cockpit, but the front is a different matter.

38553966540_b4134ae6a6_o.jpg

It's VERY tight over there! I had to remove quite a bit of the sidewall details to get them down far enough, but I'm getting closer. (more has been removed after this shot)

I wonder how the cover fits?
38553966400_610daa1c45_o.jpg
That does not look to way off!
But...
38553966040_b343cbfe6b_o.jpg
Quite a limited view forward.

Let's sand some more then!

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Let's leave to cockpit woes for a while and concentrate on something fun, like painting internals.

Even though Sweden has been hit with a massive Siberian cold front with temperatures well below 0º for the entire country and the east coast hit hard with snow cannons, here on the west coast the sun has finally showed up. 

That means that the glazed balcony is heating up, ans hence its possible to use the airbrush again. Yay!

I located a loooong thread on ARC with detailed F-4 information

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/224033-132-tamiya-f-4e-post-vietnam-kicked-up-a-notch/

Sure, it's an E model, with all those differences but I found some good info about those open doors at the bottom, and the bay above it.

It seems it was painted interior green on all structure parts, and the engine itself is a dark and dirty metallic shade. Make it so!
25610082927_f1b41676c0_o.jpg
Some detail painting and a little wash and we're done there.

 

From these doors, I turn my attention a little rearwards and start to work on those Eduard exhausts.
25610084037_fb00dda91d_o.jpg
25610083787_d6fd04245e_o.jpg
My my, that's some difference! So far an even coat of Vallejo metallic Burnt Iron has been sprayed. Next step should be to weather them somehow.

the afterburner combustion chaber should probe intereresting though!
25610083487_b067f0e89c_o.jpg
Just painted with Vallejo steel right now.

But looking at this:

800px-General_Electric_J79_-_detail_2.jp

It looks like green base coat on the ceramics at least.

Thius should be fun/interesting to mimic!

 

XMM parts are a bit of hit and miss I'd say.

Front engine parts is quite good, with real undercut blades for the first compressor step.
38670593660_ff5c4759ba_o.jpg

The depth is also correct (or so I've heard), something that Academy isn't. They're more into Sir Peter Jackson forced perspective style, to create an illusion.  That works ok, but detail wise they're far off.
 

What is not as impressive is the Boundary layer splitter plats/intake ramps/vari-ramps
25610083227_308dc08166_o.jpg
Some imprecise castings on the under side and a bit of defects, but not too bad,
25610083477_c655557616_o.jpg
Top side is worse. The inner boundary air vent is short shot, and there's ridges all over. 

Looks like a tricky thing to rectify.
26610113618_c4a1f1f8b3_o.jpg
Fortunately, the Academy plastic fits like a charm!
25610083087_a47ace84c5_o.jpg
Nice!

Time to start carving my own bleed air channels then. Let's go!
26610113448_a4f8f52eb0_o.jpg

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Really nice work Christer!
I will follow with interest.   Looking forward to built my C. But another one.
I'm actually in the washing phase of a B, as a N and I can confirm all the "defects" already stated by Jeffrey.
Silly interiors, nose shape (my personal opinion), nose a/c intakes, tailplanes, nose wheels, interior of intakes (to whom may care of), and REALLY bad intakes fitting. 
But the positive side is that it's a kit that improve your skill and your patience !!
 

Do not make the same mistake I did. Part O2 goes on O1, as for instructions.  Not to the fuselage back, as I did and that sounded istinctive to me (what a fool!).  
Otherwise you will end up with the same big issue I'm having now. 
Academy Phantom is a nice kit.  Panel lines and surface detail in general are awesome.  But for me one is more than enough. 

Still thinking that a good and cheap F-4C/D could come from a second-hand Hasegawa J, plus USAF parts coming from the spare-box, friends or aftermarket.

I will stay tuned, sincere compliments!

Edited by rotaliscia
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42 minutes ago, rotaliscia said:

Still thinking that a good and cheap F-4C/D could come from a second-hand Hasegawa J, ... .

 

Not "cheap", but have you considered the beautiful Zoukei Mura Phantom? You wouldn't need much after market!

(the supposed "flaw" in the rear fuselage is not at all a distraction to me).

 

Gene K

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@rotaliscia thanks for the cheers!

When I bought the kit everyone was raving how good it was, but now that enthusiasm has died down.

I still think it's a nice kit, warts and all. Yes, it has faults but to me, as a non Phantom-phreak I'm not that bothered. 

Still, it is FUN to add all the extra stuff andre wrestle them in place.

There will be a J model in the future, but I'm not decided if that will be another Academy or a Z-M.

The latter are a little hard to source...

 

This part O1 and O2 sounds interested. You medan that the instructions are correct, and you glue those togheter first, and then mate them to the fuselage?

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2 hours ago, Gene K said:

 

Not "cheap", but have you considered the beautiful Zoukei Mura Phantom? You wouldn't need much after market!

(the supposed "flaw" in the rear fuselage is not at all a distraction to me).

 

Gene K

Yes. I have the ZM's J and C. Astonishing. But they cost more than 80€ each. That's why I would define cheap a secondhand J Hasegawa for around 25€.

Thanks for the comprehension. But I think that the mistake in the tail was only by me. 

The instructions are correct. I took the (wrong) decision to glue the O2 part to the fuselage first. And I payed the toll.

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Right, here are test #1 with the Academy afterburner chamber.

I started with some green for the ceramic coating
39681213685_064266c69f_o.jpg
And then a drybrysh and loads of pigments this was the result.
25705428237_9e38a1af62_o.jpg

Just testing with an unpainted nozzle as well
40575859001_3c2d10b78a_o.jpg

Feedback please?
 

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On 2/28/2018 at 1:30 PM, rotaliscia said:

But I think that the mistake in the tail was only by me. 

 

Sorry -- I wasn't referring to your build, but to the much criticized "flaw" in the ZM Phantom's rear fuselage. Some folks (particularly here on BM) are possessed and obsessed with that area of the kit, and have poo pooed it incessantly. Personally, I don't have such a keen and/or critical eye and can't appreciate all the gnashing of teeth. :worry:

 

Christer, I love your build, and the engine interior looks excellent!!! As to your next project being a ZM J model -- although out of production, it's not hard to find. Of course you could treat yourself to the forthcoming (May 2018) new ZM J model described here. A beauty!!

 

img_099b003-j01.jpg

 

Gene K

Edited by Gene K
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Thanks Gene and Amblypygid!

I have som plans for test #2 already and will test them as soon as I can.

Over here (or rather in Germany) a ZM F-4J is quite pricey, but they can be found atleast. But it is a little daunting to pay 2,5 times the price of the Academy kit, warts and all...

Still, I need some nicely printed VF-31 stickers above all else :)

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Right!

The sun decided to go into hiding again, which means that painting is postponed.

Bummer.

Oh well, my Hypersonic ordered arrived in a nicely wrapped box
25765162427_4626ff2b1f_o.jpg
I wonder if that's the last things?

Probably not...

 

The instructions on all Hypersonic parts is really something extra. Very detailed, and the illustrations are clear and precise. Just the opposite of Aires really...

Remember those inlet ramps (or vari-ramps)

40635893971_1920397568_o.jpg

Not XMM:s best effort I hope!
After some filing and fidgeting I arrived at this for my first attempt.
25765163487_fae6052432_o.jpg
39739980165_15b765e891_o.jpg

With a black wash it could look all right I think.

The bottom ones needs to be redone in order to be fully parallell, as they should be.

Back to the bench then!

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Thanks Matteo!

As soon as spring arrives and temperatures are a bit more comfortable above 0º I will start spraying the Eduard exhausts with more or less the same technique. That should prove interesting since the details on the resin parts are a lot better.

 

In the meanwhile I'm reading up on all possible weapon configurations, but an Air-To-Air load with 2 370gal tanks, 4 AIM-9-L/M Sidewinders, 4 AIM-7M Sparrows and a SUU-23/A gunpod is the current favorite.

I guess the Sparrows that are not for the Vietnam-era are the correct ones, but it's not that easy to tell the difference between AIM-7E and AIM-7M (or is it F on the sprues?) 

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Time for another small update.

The SUU-23/A pod needs some attention.
39849578505_a504ebfe50_o.jpg
I carved out the forward intake, added the shute for the links, and a few pins for the sway braces. I hope that'll do.
40034394534_5513c55963_o.jpg
39849579145_cd8b2a7025_o.jpg
It didn't get any wore atleast, so ona can be happy for that atleast.

The rest of the missiles and tanks were stuck together
39849579015_077076daf4_o.jpg
The 370 Gal tanks (late version) has a small ridge och their left side.

40034394354_b335398c80_o.jpg
Academy has done this as a raised line, but it looks a little thin?

Maybe a plastic strip could enhance that look.

I also notice that the inne wing pylons recieves some chaff/flare dispensers
39849579475_b6866f0980_o.jpg
Were these painted together with the fuselage or were they painted seperately?

Time to research, or maybe ask @Gene K nicely...

Edited by Christer A
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  • 2 weeks later...

The rather magnificient thread over in Cold war is a treasure trove of information for this build!

There I learned that the countermeasure launchers were most certainly in natural metal, which is how I will paint mine.
27103006668_f22e246cc4_o.jpg
So far only one shade of metal has been applied. More pictures to follow.

 

Last weekend I also took the plunge and invested in a much needed tool
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Now all pesky Aires cockpits will meet their doom! Or maybe a succesful installation in the intended fuselage, once I get the hang of it.

One should go lightly on the plastic, since it melts rather easily, or so I've heard ;-)
 

While browsing some F-4 threads here on britmodeller (primarily @giemme excellent F-4C in 1/72!!) I saw that there was a small window on the rear fuselage that needs attention.

Academy has provided what looks like the correct design, but no clear plastic or even a hole.
40264319764_e6fbc47e46_o.jpg
Well, the hole is the easy part.
27103006408_a845530331_o.jpg
Tme to figure out how to make the glass and the gauge or whatever it is that's located there, but I'll let that simmer for a while.

 

Last weekend had clear skies and sunny, which made my spray booth on the balcony accesible again, in a comfy 27º.

Nice!

Time to shoot some paint at bits of plastic then!

I'm far from a airbrushing expert, and the very idea to paint camouflage freehand scares me. I always mask!

Some people have started to use masking putty to great effect and I bought a can during the autumn but haven't had the chance to try it out until now.

It looks a lot like shoepolish, and is a very very thick liquid almost. It behaves a bit like blu-tac or their equivalents but with even less tackiness.
27103006588_7a3c7a082e_o.jpg

A bit hard to pound into sausages but with some suitable cooking utensils i manged anyway.
This should probably work fins for a winiterized Harrier that is laying about somewhere
40264319694_8912a1618c_o.jpg
For my Euro-1 colors I will use Gunze. And what a lovely paint they are!


XMM also provides a small pitot-tube which was duly attached.
27103006488_109078b2a3_o.jpg
With the compressor stage attached to the inlet i was rather pleased how it turned out.
40264319574_da16367031_o.jpg

After much pondering and dryfits I decided that the best way to get this into the fuselage is to do it now, when everything is nice and flimsy, and also to ignore XMM:s instructions.

With caution thrown into the wind, I decided to fix the vari-ramps to the fuselage first.
40264319134_d24ba2162a_o.jpg
With a sufficient amount of brute force the outer intake slots in place.
27103006208_85253ac93b_o.jpg
Maybe not the best of fit, but not bad either.

I'm quite sure that the other way around (vari-ramps to intake first, and then slide everything into place) will result in larger gaps.
40264318904_d1740a01cb_o.jpg

The good thing is that it's also possible to glue it in stages, which also will improve the fit.

 

But lets end with a small teaser of what I will do this weekend:

40264318714_da1a21defe_o.jpg
 

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Thanks Rick!

I wouldn't call me skilled since I seem to lack an artistic flair (beeing and CAD-engineer and all that) , but I'll do my best anyway.

 

Yeah, the ZM Phantom is defenitely a tasty kit. Maybe I'll get one of those when it's time to tackle a J...

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14 hours ago, Christer A said:

Tme to figure out how to make the glass and the gauge or whatever it is that's located there, but I'll let that simmer for a while.

I did mine using clear plastic to fit the hole, trimmed flush with the fuselage both outside and inside, polished to get clarity back; then I used a leftover decal representing the pressure gauge, which I didn't remove from its backing paper - I taped it in, IIRC

 

Nice job so far, BTW :clap:

 

Ciao

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Thanks Giemme! Your builds are truly inspiring!

 

The intakes have been completely installed now.

Unfortunately, there's some nasty steps all around the join.

40324029144_fc575a7368_o.jpg

Starbord side is a little better though

40139249125_4cab09c3a6_o.jpg

 

This should be fun to sort out...

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