TheRealMrEd

Thanks Cookie! Wulfman, this one was a resin kit, but so basic that probably the a vacuform kit may have been easier! Ed

For those who might be interested, the build thread for this model is HERE Without further ado, the pics: A fairly simply conversion. I hope you'll try one yourselves! Thanks for looking in, Ed

Well, after more garden preparation fun, and other stuff, I'm back again. I've only had the chance to work on the model, a little at a time -- one of the reasons for choosing such a relatively simple conversion at this time of the year. Anyway, after a coat of primer, and more sanding and filling, it now looks like this (note added wing bumps): After even more sanding and filling, a coat of black primer, a coat of Alclad II Polished Aluminum, a coat of Alclad II Aqua Gloss to protect the paint from decal -setting solvents, and some decals added, s

Thanks for all the input, Robin. It not only helps me with this model build, but any future modelers who are thinking about building one can have as much information as possible, all in one place! Ed

Well good, that explains THAT! Wonder if they both deployed at the same time? Ed

Another brief update. The wings have been glued to the fuselage, a bit at a time, to get the rear wing fairings lined up as well as possible. Also, the "B" type nose, incorrectly removed by me, was re-attached to the Heller "B" fuselage front: All this resulted in various gaps needing to be filled, in this case with plastic card. Above right, the two "X" s show where, inexplicably, the two speed brakes on the "B" were, for some reason, added to the Emhar "C" kit. One of the big features of the "C" was relocating the air brakes. Go figure. More filler

Actually Mike, not a bad guess. I just compared the landing gear legs to the location of the bumps, and they appear to be right atop where the gear leg mounts to the wing, so perhaps they were some sort of re-enforcement to the leg mount? Maybe we'll find out one day... Ed

Thanks Robin, You da man! Ed

A brief update. While the glue was drying on the fuselage, I tackled the remaining "tough" aspect of the F-97, the special wing tip tanks used only on this aircraft. After checking my voluminous model stash and pretty darned large spares box, I came up dry for these wing tip tanks. The tip tanks on Anigrand's Lockheed XF-90 were close, but too fat. So, like any self respecting plastic mutilator, I decided to make my own. I started with the Emhar F-94C tanks. First off, I cut the fins off the tanks, then I measured the distance from the rear tip of the tank to the m

Hi Robin-42, I do see some little blobs in the photo above about where you say. Got any ideas on their specific shape? As a rule, photos can be used for a learning experience, or brief, non-commercial reference such as this, usually best if they can be accredited to the owner or publication from whence they came. However, it is also acceptable to crop a small portion of a larger photo, wherein the object shown is "disassociated" from the main subject matter of the photo, ie. clearly not a copy of the photo. Ed

Hi Ronin-42, Non of the half dozen or so of the prototype F-97 pictures that I have, showing undersides and topside, seem to show any untoward bulges not present on either the "B" or "C" variants. Posting up some photos would be a big help... Ed

Oops! Forgot to post the photo! Ed

This is one of those "odd-ball" fighter designations, that were used to designate a modification of an earlier aircraft variant, that later had it's name changed back to the earlier mark, as the thought was that Congress would find it easier to allocate funds to an existing project, vs paying for a brand new one. Also, it's one of those "holes" in the old U.S. "prototypes" collection that usually don't get filled. This is the ornery critter: Cursory examination of the photo makes it look easy, just whack of the "B" nose of the Heller kit, and graft that onto the

Thanks for all the comments, folks! After many years in the dark, I am also glad she's finally seeing the light of day, in her spiffy dark blue paint job! Ed

Thanks Andwil, Sorry for the late reply, but the Spring and gardening preparations lured me away for a while! The Phantom is close t the same size as the Demon, but the Phantom fuse is wider and the plane sets lower. The Demon sits way high, and the fuselage is really fat! Ed