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An Italeri RF-4C


dswoofie

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OK folks,

New project, an old Italeri RF-4C in 1/72. It's a kit that I started at the end of my first modelling stint back in about 1992. I hadn't done much to it other than plaster some white paint on the undercarriage parts, which is now a horrible yellowy colour... oh, and the nose was put together with the glazing in it. First kit I've done in a while that's got raised lines.

The cockpit is pretty basic but I think I'll just make a couple of seatbelts and slap some decals in there to make it look a bit better. It'll probably be a closed canopy anyway.

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Progress soon...

Karl.

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A "classic" old kit......made a shed load once upon a time converting them with various noses....the only game in town in those dark days.

If my memory is true ,it looked better with all the surface detail sanding. The cheek intakes benefit from a bit of "blending in"

It must be something in the water,but Ive just started an old (very old) Fujimi F-4-F.

Edited by ancient mariner
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OK, been playing with the seats this morning. Nothing special, but I added some belts and did a bit of drybrushing to make them look a bit better. Not accurate in any way, just something to break the monotony of the seat when looking through the canopy...

Here's the kit seat, comes in 2 halves, with a separate top with EJ handles (not in this shot)

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Here's one seat finished with, placed next to the unworked kit seat

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And finally the 2 seats finished

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As I say, these aren't accurate or anything, but just makes the cockpit look a bit busier.

Now, on to the tub and see what it looks like all together...

Karl.

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Pit done, just spashed some brown wash around it and only wiped off a small amount... it's well used this pit is! Did have a slight head start on this as I'd painted the grey and decalled it last night... Decals were from a Fujimi RN phantom and cut to size. Looks a little better with them in there.

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And here it is with the seats in. Not too bad for a basic kit pit.

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Next to the construction!!!

Karl.

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Karl, you aint hanging around with this, you tryin to take on Daz as a speed merchant? Looking very good for a basic OOB jobby. You gonna do her in the same colours as the box? :goodjob:

Bex

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Thanks Bex. Nope, wanting to see if I can speed up a bit with building... I spend too much time messing around so I'm pushing this one on...

It'll be in the box scheme yes, a 30th TRS/363rd TRW one as per the kit decals. The other choice was a early German RF-4E, but I've never done an SEA camo Phantom before, so this won. I did have a set of decals for an Alconbury one in European one scheme, called Starize I think, but I'll save that for a better kit...

Karl.

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Thanks Bex. Nope, wanting to see if I can speed up a bit with building... I spend too much time messing around so I'm pushing this one on...

It'll be in the box scheme yes, a 30th TRS/363rd TRW one as per the kit decals. The other choice was a early German RF-4E, but I've never done an SEA camo Phantom before, so this won. I did have a set of decals for an Alconbury one in European one scheme, called Starize I think, but I'll save that for a better kit...

Karl.

Kewl, well im looking phorward to seeing this one phinished :evil_laugh: Ive got a B57G that will be SEA camo, so I'll be watching carefully.

Bex

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Construction at least 75% done now...

a6defd75.jpg

Quite a few areas that need a bit of filling attention, so it's out with the Milliput later on tonight. The nose needs some filling, and also as ancient mariner said, the intakes on the nose will need to be faired in to make them look better.

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The little camera windows were already put in from my previous attempt some years ago... there is a little whitening around a couple of them, but there's nothing that I can do about it now I think.

More filling and sanding to do later as soon as the intakes are on there.

Karl.

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No problems here, this kit has got bugger all in the nose... apart from some old bluetac and some pellets for weight... :lol:

Karl.

LoL fair enuff, I built the Revell RF4E Luftwhatsit and thought you might have had the same fun & games as I had with mine. Lucky sod!!!

Bex

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you get full marks on this one!! Check if you have added the good ailerons. Slotted or unslotted. If you have the wrong ones, tell me and I send some unslotted to you. :speak_cool:

The clear parts you can remove those and make newones from clear plastic.

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Nice work tarting up that cockpit - what did you use for the belts and buckles?

Regarding marking options, be careful with a German RF-4E, the profile of the RF nose is different to all the other RF users. IIRC the Revell RF-4E was the first to correctly feature a Luftwaffe RF-4E (its that step under the chin, one is rounded the other is angular)

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Nice work tarting up that cockpit - what did you use for the belts and buckles?

Regarding marking options, be careful with a German RF-4E, the profile of the RF nose is different to all the other RF users. IIRC the Revell RF-4E was the first to correctly feature a Luftwaffe RF-4E (its that step under the chin, one is rounded the other is angular)

Cheers, makes it look a little better anyway. Probably won't see too much through the canopies anyway!

I just used a piece of Tamiya tape. I stuck it to the workmat and painted 3/4 of it in a light browny colour (Light stone I think?) and the other 1/4 in silver. Cut some thin strips of the brown bit for the belts, and then some rectangles and triangles from the silver bit. The triangles were used as the buckles, and the rectangles as the strap tighteners... not accurate but more interesting than nothing...

Yeah, I'm going for the USAF one anyway, I nearly went for the German one as I've never built a modern Luftwaffe aircraft :o , but the SEA camo got to me!

Anyway, not a lot happening at the moment as I'm waiting for the Milliput to dry. Filled all the necessary bits and will be able to sand and shape where needed later on.

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This is the first time I've used Milliput and smoothed it with water... the wing roots won't need sanding now, just a very light rub possibly... brilliant!

Karl.

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you get full marks on this one!! Check if you have added the good ailerons. Slotted or unslotted. If you have the wrong ones, tell me and I send some unslotted to you. :speak_cool:

The clear parts you can remove those and make newones from clear plastic.

No probs, it only gave me the unslatted ones! Thanks for the offer anyway :speak_cool: I've left the clear parts as I can't be bothered to open it up again and get them out. They aren't too bad so I'll live with them... this is by no way a masterpiece anyway!

Right, got some more time today to have a bash at this Phantom... at the end of last week I'd got all the filling done and mostly sanded off where necessary, and fitted the canopies ready for spraying. Here we go...

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Now today I've put on the FS36622 (Xtracrylix X1140) on the bottom and as soon as this is dry I'll start masking up for the upper camo. My aim is to try and get a soft edge to it using blutack sausages... we'll see!

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Karl.

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OK, bottom masked and the rough outline of the Tan FS30219 (Xtracrylix X1102) added to the top. Just waiting to mask up the first green now...

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Karl.

It looks loverly. Call me a blasphemer, but I have never been a fan of the F4. Always reminded me of the old maxim:

"You can make a bathtub fly... if you put big enough engines on it." I've built one or two, but they have gone now in a blaze of firecracker glory.

That said, you're doing a bang up job on yours. Can you recall how such kits were once the norm and we managed to make the best of them? Now if isnt Tamigawacademy, with surface trenching and enough fiddlies to tangle anyone's fingers, it isnt worth a flip!

To be honest, I have mucho respect for those who do well with the older kits. The newer "shake 'n bakes" still require you to have an artists touch to get the finish looking good, yet the oldies require that PLUS a skilled builders hand with often a lot of techniques for problem solving.

I have more than a few high tech kits in my stash, but I often cannot bear to put them under the knife! I would rather build some lower tech piece, in order to reserve the better ones. Maybe it is something in the water....

Edited by dahut
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I'll give any kit a go, don't mind whether it's a modern recessed panel lines, or raised lines. I just like to build them no matter what, as long as it looks like what it's supposed to! I think we all prefer the kits that fall together as it makes the job easier though.

Anyhoo, masked up the Tan and sprayed the first green FS34102 (Xtracrylix XA1116) onto it...

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That's about all for today at the moment, off to cook tea now :eat: Not too bad progress today, but would have liked to get a bit further. I'll be back later on so we'll see what happens then!

Karl.

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