bar side Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 I have always been a fan of the F-8 Crusader and A-7 Corsair. Something about that nose & intake. Always looked purposeful. I am sure A-7s used to sometimes appear at Mildenhall air shows on static display in low viz grey schemes. One day I will have a go at one of those. Until then I have a cheap eBay buy of an old Lindberg F-8J that looks to be an imposing beast, if not the most detailed kit going. You don’t get the amount of parts in a kit like this that you do in a newer kit. And I am sure some filler may be neede at some point. Its got some gimmicks i wuld have loved as a teenager but feel wary of now. Like push in retractable undercarriage and open / closing wheel well doors. And moving flaps and tail elevators and rudder. Now spending on resin & etch isn’t in budget (unless you know of very cheap options) but I don’t rule out some scratch bits. The kit comes with one decal option Nothing against this scheme, although I do have a hankering for low viz, French navy, NASA or something else. Cheap option would be kit decals & try out some toned down weathering & salt effect Whatever she is a sizeable beast - 2 part body to fit in the box for a start. Here next to a Jag for comparison So any advice / hints / tips gratefully received. Only thing for sure is she will get built not binned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 The F-8 is one of the few iconic jets of the US Navy, and who doesn't love it? Thereafter we differ: anything that is not USN, bright and colorful, is not for me! But I will still watch your build, as I am curious about the quality of this kit! Have a lot of fun! JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 Hi @jean not anti USN colours - may be the logical choice for this kit. But having opened the box it’s going to be a while before I get to that stage. I thought it would be basic, but that doesn’t really tell the whole tale here..... This is is the whole cockpit and ejector seat detail. I guess the seat should have been hidden under a pilot. But still, it’s bad. Need to scratch some top end to the seat plus pull handles. The cockpit needs a floor and a back, plus the odd toylike hook up the back. It’s designed to hold the canopy as a hinge. But that isn’t where the canopy hinges, it’s on the sides. And the intake under the nose has a huge locating pin strip across it an is blanked off less than an inch in. So curved tube intake, floor and back for cockpit, seat & cockpit detail add, canopy hinge rework..... oh, and I had a crazy idea to cut the wing section to lift the wing up in slow speed landing mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 Well at least she looks like a Crusader Only cut out & held held together with masking tape to test fit. Will be a while, even with the limited number of parts, to get this fuselage sealed up 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 Tried out the undercarriage to check its centre of gravity. It might just sit but with the whole tail assembled it may well be a tail sitter I have been building up a cockpit tub out of plasticard - it’s a start but there is a lot more needed. The orange bt is pat of an old pen lid to extend the nose curve back into the intake. The tail is together - just a plastcard backing behind the arrest or hook. Can now add more on to that section Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 10, 2018 Author Share Posted February 10, 2018 Various bits of the F-8 are coming together. The tail is a sub assembly and is glued up, the seat is, well, the seat, and some of the wheel wells are getting sorted Spent some time cleaning up the intake as there was a nasty fixing point that made it look bad. Bit of filler around the inserted orange plug makes it all look a little better. Poor photo though The cockpit now has a back section behind the seat & ahead of the pit wall, plus some side panels. The seat has a new plasticard top section & pull handles plus card cushions Seat now has some colour and the massively deep front wheel well has been cut down in size. the toy style opening wheel well doors & closing undercarriage are, well, interesting to ft! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Great stuff. Keep the proper modelling coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 10, 2018 Author Share Posted February 10, 2018 Cheers @mike romeo a lot of people would bin a kit like this, but nothing to loose by trying to make something of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 1 hour ago, bar side said: Cheers @mike romeo a lot of people would bin a kit like this, but nothing to loose by trying to make something of it Couldn't agree more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 11, 2018 Author Share Posted February 11, 2018 The cockpit is coming along. Won’t win any awards but it looks better now than it did. The main fuselage halves are together, as is the main tail assembly and the wings Been keeping busy today - work on the Crusader, paint on the Phantom and a matt spray coat on the Warthog 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdriaN (MLT) Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 its not THAT OLD...1993 kit. but the molding is 1969 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 11, 2018 Author Share Posted February 11, 2018 17 minutes ago, AdriaN (MLT) said: its not THAT OLD...1993 kit. but the molding is 1969 Well the molding is older than me & I'm no spring chicken. Cost me lass than a tenner, so I guess you get what you pay for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 14, 2018 Author Share Posted February 14, 2018 Body is together and fillered (well one lot of body filler & one lot of liquid green stuff anyway) and now wings and ventral fins are on. need some new & in the right place hinges for that canopy next. Undercarriage is in place but wheels are just blutaced on. A little nose weight sorted out the centre of gravity so she won’t tail sit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Great progress. The pit is a vast improvement. Regards Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 14, 2018 Author Share Posted February 14, 2018 Cheers @mike romeo - there is now something there that doesnt look too abismal. Nice resin pit would have been good but out off my price league. Bit of filler around the wing roots & will be getting on for paint the. Thinking of giving salt weathering another go on the grey areas & maybe light grey dust with salt over the white. Don’t want it looking too crisp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 (edited) The Crusader is basically together, so now has a primer coat of grey on. The wing flaps are white & masked off, as is the rudder in black, ready for its black decal to go on. Time now for some pre-shading of main panel lines etc then maybe some salt on before the next coat for some variation. Same with the white underside. Really just painting now … But the Crusader has been on the back burner while the F-4 has moved on a bit Edited February 18, 2018 by bar side 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 Some dirtying up & panel line marking on the F-8 before she gets a top coat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 Top coat paint on & masking off. Needs lots of touching up, plus a black nose & tail top. cockpit glass is just balanced on, but the new hinges on the canopy look better onced tidied up the decals need to go on, then maybe dirty it down a bit 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 Tonight’s edition - black nose done, quick touch up & varnish coat on. So let’s get some decals on. Going kit decals, so they are a bit old & breaking up, so will do it over a couple of nights. The tail decals will need to dry & get hit with softener to stick down & wrap nicely, so I am leaving the rest of the tail for tonight. Letting her her dry off now so no more tonight or I will ruin something! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 All of the decals are now on the F-8 - now need to sort some sidewinders & rails, plus any other load out. Plus FOD cover for the intake & any rbfs Posing withe her USAF cosins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massimo Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 I think you got the best out of this old kit!!! I'm discovering a real love for these vintage models and I'll be waiting for the next one! Nothing in mind yet? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 10 hours ago, massimo said: Nothing in mind yet? Always something in mind, but not a lot in the stash at the moment. I do fancy an esci viggen if one turns up at the right price. Also an airfix bucc. Only one in the build pile is an esci kfir. But I do fancy a new Revell tornado f3. Or maybe another scratch build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 Couple of updates - got outside in the sunshine this morning for a quick shot Then had a go this afternoon at some sidewinder, walkway marking by the tail and FOD cover n the nose 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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