John Masters

Here's another Fourgonnete from me. I tossed a coin to see if it would go into the Heller GB or this one. I will be painting mine red with black fenders and running boards. I will also try to give it a little more wear and tear--well-loved, as they say. I like the little info card included in the kit...Citroen built a lot of these apparently...121,000! The sprue...rubber wheels! I would like to make this a vehicle with an open topped cargo area. I'm not sure if that variation was available. I'll have to do some research. --John

Yes, I agree. The only instructions I see are that the AMRAAM go on the wingtips and the fuel tanks on the inside.

I'm ignoring the injector marks on the underside of the wing, btw. Once it is all finished and right-side up, I won't see them. I completed all the underwing hard points and assembled (when necessary) the underwing bits and bobs. The AN/AAQ-13 navigation and the AAQ-28 targeting pods are attached. I have assembled the two Paveway missiles. I have two IRIS and two AMRAAMs...I have attached the two conformal file tanks, assembled the underwing 600-gallon tanks... Now, the question is...where to put it all? There is no handy diagram telling me where, so I have made this little photo. Please correct me if I am wrong. The AMRAAM goes on the wingtip; the IRIS is next; then the Paveway and the fuel tank on the inside. Right? Once again...pay no attention to the injector marks. Ugh... --John

Thank you...It's a good kit. The panel lines are a bit deep but after primer, paint, etc...they won't be as dramatic.

Thank you!

Almost forgot...I will also be attaching the conformal fuel tanks. The photos I have seen all show these.

I attached the spine. It needed a little coaxing to lie flat. While that was setting up I decided to pre-paint the exhaust nozzle. Test fit assured me that I could attach it after the full paint job so that is what I will do. I primed it in grey. Then I painted it with Vallejo Burnt Iron. When that was dry I gave it a light dry-brush of Brass. I think it needs another coat of something. Maybe a black wash? Not sure... Then it was an hour or so of attaching all the little scoops, tiny little bulges, and so forth all over the aircraft. I attached the stabilisers and the fin. And I finished the cockpit by inserting the seats and all that. Before I move on to the primer, I will attach the underwing pylons. It's looking pretty good. The LHS called me and they are sending me some new decals. I am very grateful for this. Nice folks over there at Fasma Models. 😁 --John

Thanks mate. 😁

The cockpit area is ready to be inserted into the top half of the fuselage and I have painted the seats. No harness declare supplied so I will fix something up. The two halves went together easily and without fuss. The remainder of the build seems to be landing gear, the adding on of the rear control surfaces and all the weaponry. Not a complex kit so far. --John

Thank you Cliff.

A little airbrush work will take care of that. Thanks for the photo. That seems much more realistic--a bit faded and mottled, but not grimy.

So far, aside from the decal SNAFU, I am liking this kit. It is not short on detail and, even though the parts need a little cleaning up, I am pretty sure I can make this a fine looking build. Btw...I found some good images of the Ghost Squadron here on the Peloponnese. Apparently back in 2008 these aircraft were pretty grungy. I haven't seen a recent image up close yet. Here's some examples. The are sourced from the inter web and they are not mine. I made the images big because they are fun to look at. 😁 I think the weathering on this build will be pin washes with oils. Definitely. So I jumped in. It's not a difficult kit but there a few things to watch out for. A couple of pieces were already mis-numbered on the sprue. For example, part B16 (joysticks) is actually B15. And this sprue B should not be confused with 'The Other Sprue B' on the weapons sprue. The air intake was not a problem, but it was interesting. This is what I ended up with. I'll paint the cockpit before inserting it into the top of the fuselage. It's nicely detailed and I need to pay attention to that. While those parts were setting up, I jumped ahead a few pages and assembled the seats. Oh yes...the ejection handle is mis-numbered too. It's right next to the correct number on the sprue, but...anyway...It's also incredibly small. I inserted the landing gear section into the lower half. It clicks right into place and you cannot out it in backwards. Attaching the air scoop is another matter. I can see why people were a bit frustrated. It was a tight fit but it worked. I tacked it into place with some CA and hit the seams with thin glue. I gave the cockpit some medium grey spray. I'll go in with a fine hairy brush tomorrow. and take care of the controls. A test fit of the upper and lower fuselage halves showed no issues at this point. Ok...It's not the Tamiya kit. However, it's nicely engineered and once it is painted and grunged up a bit, I think it will look smashing. I read somewhere that the ground crews here clean them off more regularly these days. Having lived in Greece for over 15 years, I somehow doubt that much has changed. They look meaner that way anyway. I would welcome a current image of a Ghost Squadron aircraft, btw, if anyone has any. --John

Sorry…not the thing I’m thinking about.

How about paper and balsa?

Ha! This was going to be Handrick's mount but the decals (once again) did not work out. Seems like I have decal gremlins in the workshop. If anyone has been hanging about they'll confirm this. Anyway...Nice little kit, easy to build and looks the part. I have changed the topic title. Thanks folks. I hope to get another Heller kit in there before the end of the GB. --John

Here's my rescue chopper...Many thanks to those who pushed me to finish this instead of binning it. It's always a better alternative if one can manage it. It's nice model with terrible decals. Here's the WiP. Forgive the typical backdrop! It's not exactly the Tatra mountains, I know... Many thanks to the Mods. I think I can squeeze in another build for this GB! --John

I wrapped this one up late last night...check the gallery! --John

It is. It's closeup with my phone. Lo-rez...

I will, and am...almost done. I think this one will look best from 75cm... --John

All cleaned off and the final little pieces have been attached. I'm calling this one 'done'. I'll have better images tomorrow. --John

Yes...I looked several times thinking maybe I had missed that as well. No joy. These have just been dispatched. Crossed fingers for a speedy postman! Easter is coming up and that complicates everything around here. https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/D72125

Besides the roundels, what doesn't add up? They seem alright to me aside from that.

Yes...I've just had to order them from the Big Yellow Store. Probably three weeks until they arrive... No rush. --John

Almost done with this one. I gave it some satin varnish last night and after a full night of drying, I painted on some light-toned Flory Wash. This afternoon I will clean off about 98%, leaving only some in the panel lines. The underside has been 'washed' too, but a little darker. One thing about Flory Wash is that it is a clay-based substance and a very fine grit. As I wipe it off it renders the surfaces with a very nice scale patina...not matte or flat and not too shiny. I've used this technique many times and it really looks the part when finished. And from what I've seen, I need to re-attach the aerial and rig some radio lines. --John

I do. I have a couple of lines in the water.