Mattlaker

Cheers for the replies! Have spent the day applying more decals- the underside and the nose are done, but there is soooooooo much stencil data to be applied!!! oh and walrus- i do intend on building a nice senior service FG.1 at some point- just gotta buy one!!! Will make that one spotless if i do!!! Will post an update later on, if i can make more progress!!!

thanks! yeh, phantoms tend to get absolutely filthy in RAF service- i could only find one reference photo of this one online in this scheme, but it was pretty filthy! Thought it would look better than a pristine one- more realistic!!!

Hi guys! The latest update for today- where am i at now?! Well, dirtied her up a bit, and have started applying the decals The decal set is the Smokers II set from aeromaster; only had one problem, but easily sorted with a steady hand! Stencil data will be taken from the kit sheet. Pleased with how it is looking so far Now- the interior... Decided i was gonna do something a bit different. Wanted to add the personal touch to this one, so decided i'd give it the almost 'lived in' look. The backseater has wandered off, leaving his copy of the Sun (a headline from 1987 on there, although that can't be seen!) and the pilot has left his operator manual lying on the side. A couple of maps are still to be sorted out and laid around by the backseater- mucky pup!!! So, it's been one of those days- after 2 hours sleep, have been drinking shedloads of this and smoking a lot of this So i've decided to call it a day, and feed this And am gonna head back to this C+C most appreciated as always! Matt

Cheers John! They are in the process of being repainted at the moment... problems with the opacity of the paint i have got! didn't realise that they were the same colour as the underside as couldn't find many reference photos of these! It was also pointed out on AN Other forum, so must be correct!!! Thanks for the comments guys! I appreciate it muchly!!!

That looks like a great start! Will watch this with interest! that seat looks really good, as does the whole 'pit assembly!

Latest update- Blue areas painted, bare metal painted, seats in, wiring added behind pilot's position, other bits and pieces painted... Weathering applied mainly to the underside- want this one to be a completely filthy bird when it's finished!!! Any comments and criticism will be really appreciated!

Nah i still have the kit parts but these are seriously basic! Thanks for the offer tho!!!

I didn't use the resin pipes- they really didn't it well at all- tried to cut the inner bits out to use them with the original kit part, which went perfectly... until they snapped. So it was back to plan B. I would have loved to have used the Aires JP's but fate transpired against me!

Alright mate!!! you've got her looking sweet mate!!! those exhausts look really superb! She's gonna be a beauty!!!

hi guys! have been merrily working away on this one for about 3 months, on and off... More off than on, i hasten to add! have invested in a slightly better airbrush, and still getting used to it, but feel it has made a huge difference so far! Now using a standard class revell job, instead of the beginner class... Here is where i am at at the mo! Using the Eduard Cockpit set... used plasticard to tidy up the join of the upper pit- a bit sketchy! All went together relatively easily decided on an airframe to build- an Air Superiority scheme for XV498 'U', from 92sqn, RAFG Wildenrath, West Germany, Sept. 1987, in 70th Anniversary markings. The seats... What can i say? Kit seats were absolutely barebones basic. Invested in some Aires replacements, which are absolutely beautiful. Made up a kit one just to compare! bored out a pilot's head, to get just a helmet, and have left that on the CO's seat... Will be adding other bits and pieces later in the build to give it some more depth, hopefully! Where am i at now? Well, i have got to the painting stage- Underside And upper surfaces- Went for a sunbleached look on the MSG sections. Next for me- finishing the Pit area, with wiring to be attached to the back of the nav position, final painting around the edges, and then masking and spraying the roundel blue on the tail and canopy area. Then it's a case of tarting up the UC bays, scratching some details inside these with fuse wire and plasticard, and putting red paint on the red bits! oh, and the bare metal areas. As for the Aires burners... found the fit on them was terrible- can anyone help me with a picture of the covers for these? going to scratchbuild some FOD covers for the intakes to cover up the lack of depth, and want to do the same for the burner cans- is it a plasticard or loo roll/PVA job? I'm sure all the phantom phanatics will have noticed several mistakes!!! I am certain i have made a few!!! Having a real blast with her tho and really looking forward to getting her finished with the flightpath ladder set on her!!! C+C most welcome!!!

nah that's grand! thanks guys!

Hi all, This may seem a silly question, but am currently building an FGR.2 in Air Superiority Grey. I would like to know what the correct colour for the upper surfaces is- i thought MSG, but think this may be a little too dark- what is the best colour for this? Matt

hoorah!!! I'll add one to the wish list!!!

That's the one i was planning on!!! Let me know how the decals work out for you!!! I'll definitely be watching this one with interest mate!!!

Hey guys! Watching this one with interest! I got a toom on the bench that won't qualify, but should i finish it in the forseeable future, may i add my irons to the fire? I got a nice little HMA. Mk 8 just begging to be put together...

XJ580?! I shall be watching this one with a LOT of interest as she is a local one for me, being just up the road from Tangmere! Crack on fella!!! I'd build her myself if only there was a Sea Vixen in 1:48. With a decent and accurate tooling. Mainstream manufaturers take note!!!

the dog's mate!!! you need a wraparound Jag to go with it now!!! Bet there's one in the stash somewhere!!!

Thanks for your comments!!! As for the question of the backseater... he's only doing what any of us would do should we get the opportunity to go for a ride in this bird... I mean.. all the red blooded males here would agree... He's in the process of reaching over to see what various buttons do, and trying to find the one that arms the ADEN cannon!!! Why? what did you think he was doing?!!!

nah, they settled down nicely (eventually) with several applications of microsol!

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.p...524&hl=hawk Posted that one just after moving in!

Wow!!! that is absolutely awesome! are those the kit decals? superb weathering on that one! you must be seriously proud mate!!!

Finally- i have got round to posting this one! took me a little while as i couldn't get motivated to finish it. Now, however, it's done! Decided to build this one out of the box, and drop the flaps to break up the lines. I used the crew figures to disguise the horrible pit detail! C+C welcome as always! and here the two are together

How about a soviet navy scheme- the USSR purchases a load of export GR.3s sold to an undisclosed african nation, an rushes into production a cheap copy in place of the Yak 38...

you son of a... !!! I'm just about to embark on an FGR.2, and was all set to do it in firebirds scheme. Now i am sorely tempted to do it in the style of a what if! Question is, which one i would tackle!!!! I love the soviet aggressor scheme... that is interesting! I'd be pretty tempted to do one in the Red Arrows scheme, like the blue angels when they used the toom tho... I am not normally one for the what ifs- but you have started to convince me to tap into the imaginitive side!!! How about an RAF one in snow scheme, or as an operation granby bird, complete with nose art?!

i have assumed that they must match the visible colour- Black Hawks have the bits on the inside (not the edges of the flaps) in black, and the Red arrows are red. therefore, on XX184, the colour must be a continuation of the Dark Green/ Dark Earth scheme? Thanks for the close up of the flaps- they'll be really helpful with the edging! Didnt know they were yellow before!!!