Collin

Nice job Colin...tough kit and you finished her very well. Cheers Collin

This is an OOB build trying to be built into a ICAP II aircraft based out of Patuxent River in the 1990's. First, this kit is a lesson on learning to test fit, and a great subject to learn to use super glue and better your scribing skills. Trust me....if you build this kit, you will get practice at both. Used Miliput to create some seatbelts on the other-wise bland seats. Cockpit painted up and installed. Overall this is the state she is in now. This kit has fit issues. The wings went on pretty well after searching the net and getting the "gouge" on how to grind down areas to get a better fit. The rest of the kit fits OK, but I pulled out the super glue and scribing tools and went to work. Upper surface wasn't that bad. The belly was a pain. Lots of glue/sand/glue....then rescribe. The intakes are a pain, so this is how they ended up: Built the canopy up (I plan on building it closed). Added a small strip of plastic strip to the underside to provide some rigid structure...it's very frail without it: Also trying my hand at darkening up the canopies. Prowlers have to hard to recreate tint, but I am trying to some brown Future wash (just experimenting at this time): And finally tried my hand at creating wingtip lights (and rescribing the lost details): Cheers Collin

Nice job on a tough kit!! Cheers Collin

I used SprueGoo (Google it and you will see videos on it)....basically leftover spures melted into a half empty bottle of Tamiya liquid cement. That's it. I forgot the name of the speciallized German-brand yellow putty you see as well....but that stuff is just fantastic. SprueGoo is basically melted plastic that I had to plop on there and just put the model away for at least two weeks while it all set up. If you dont' wait long enought it won't be solid to allpw sanding. It's the "nuclear option" for me when a gap, or ledge in this case, just can't be overcome by putty alone. https://www.google.com/search?q=spruegoo&newwindow=1&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjpjM7M1bbhAhWkTt8KHUFHAbMQ_AUIDygC&biw=1920&bih=883 Cheers Collin

Built completely out of the box with Xtradecal decals to give me a colorful test aircraft from China Lake. Simple build, kit fits very well, so I if you can live with the funny looking intake...give it a try. It will be going into my display at work, so didn't really want to weather it much. Will be putting on some drop tanks donated from a member of the boards...thanks (the kit drop tanks are just terrible). Cheers Collin

Michel: Nicely finished Hornet. How was the fit and build of the Kinetic kit? Cheers Collin

After my last challenging build....I needed something simple and quick to get my mojo flowing again. HB kit, straight OOB. Will be using XtraDecal 72086 for a particular Naval Air Warfare Center aircraft from China Lake. A colorful little scheme. Cheers Collin

Some ideas: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/290574-wip-vietnam-us-navy-a-4f-in-flight-148/ https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/67769-tally-ho-on-the-target5122017-everything-done-but-the-prop/ Cheers Collin

Hopefully my final chat on this subject. Reading through the most excellent book ‘Ghosts of Atonement’ it’s stated that: 119 Squadron flew the first GBU-8 mission against a communication node along the Egyptian Coast. In this 2-ship formation both aircraft were armed with ONE GBU-8 apiece. Both weapons hit near the target but failed to explode due to fuzing issue. Seccond mission of the day was a 4-ship from 119 Squadron attacking the Dominique Bridge in Syria. First pair were armed with TWO GBU-8 a piece, while the second pair in the flight were armed with M117 bombs as backup. This time the GBU-8 functioned properly. Cheers Collin

I did some more digging. I believe the pic of the GBU and MK-82 load is post YKW and here is why. 1. I found the same photo in another IAF F-4 book and the aircraft is a slated soft wing (and in a late 1970 section of the book). Clear to see the slated wing. During the YKW there were very very few slated F-4’s. After the war they accelerated the slat wing conversion across the fleet. I would say 99% of the photos I have in the 5-6 IAF Phantom books I have show hard wings during the YKW. The famous sharkmouth Phantom was slated, but from what I was told, she was damaged in the first few days of the war and didn’t fly for the rest of the conflict. 2. An F-4 with just a centerline and the drag count of MK-82’s and the GBU’s would make any flight a very short range one, nothing like attacking the bridges in mid-Syria or comms center near/West of the Suez Canal. My guess is the F-4’s went out with centerline and wing tanks with 2 x GBU-8’s which matches the color profile you posted earlier. If others out out there can add to this, I’m all ears. Cheers Collin

In the ‘Ghosts’ book, I read the 16 October diary and it said two 119 F-4’s introduced GBU-8 to the war with their bridge attack using 1 x GBU-8 apiece (looks like your attached color profile). Both hit. What I don’t know is what they used as a counterbalance on the opposite pylon (if they needed it at all). I’ve got 119 Squadron decals for that same scheme (Isradecal) as well, and a ton of aftermarket CBU’s (Wingman resin). Cheers Collin

She’s a beautiful flying machine!! Nicely done. Cheers Collin

I stand corrected. Page 115 shows 119 Squadron headed out for an attack on 16 October with GBU-8. Loadout consists of 2x GBU-8 on the inboard pylons. Single centerline drop tank, and both outboard pylons are loaded with 3x MK-82 low drag bombs on a TER. Hope that helps. Cheers Collin

https://wingmanmodels.com/wm/Pulsar/en_US.Store.display.155./iafb001-the-iaf-in-the-yom-kippur-war This is the book for you, it's fantastic. I will look later tonight when I get home but believe there are a few pics in the back of the book with a GBU-8 loadout. They were mounted on the inboard wing pylons with drop tanks and I believe a MER with MK-82's on the centerline. I will check the photos to confirm. Your typical F-4E loads were 10-12 x M-117's or 8-10 CBU-58's. The book is littered with photos of those loadouts. Normally Sparrows in the aft wells and maybe a Sidewinder on a slant loaded TER. Some of these are shown in the pics below. Someday when I get to it...I'm building a F-4E hard wing from the older 1/48 Pro Modeler kit which is good for a first generation F-4E (non wing slat) aircraft that includes the early gun fairing. This book is also outstanding if you really want a blow by blow of F-4 operations during the YKW: https://www.schifferbooks.com/ghosts-of-atonement-israeli-f-4-phantom-operations-during-the-yom-kippur-war-5569.html Cheers Collin