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  1. I’ve been a plastic modeller on and off for more than 50 years, but believe it or not this is the first Hasegawa kit I’ve ever made. I wanted to have a go at another iconic jet from my childhood and bought the “Showtime 500” version of the 1980s tooled ¼8 Hasegawa F-4J off ebay earlier this year. I had intended building it as Showtime 500, but when it arrived I was somewhat disappointed that some of the kit decals had been used and the remaining decals had very yellow carrier film. Especially disappointed as the kit had been described as new in the Ebay listing. I think it had also been in a chain smoker’s stash for some time because it also smelt like it had been in the smokehouse. I aired it a bit to get rid of the VOCs. However, the seller had included bagged-up, good quality and complete decal sheets for two USMC aircraft in 1976 Bi-Centennial US Independence markings and I did get a fairly good price. I decided there were probably too many Showtime 500 models out there anyway and did like the more colourful Bi-Centennial markings. It’s an old kit and I believe the first Hasegawa ¼8 Phantom to be tooled using engraved panel lining, which is very subtle. However, although the main aircraft parts have engraved detail, the drop tanks and pylons retain the raised detail of previous kits. I wanted to make this my main winter project and so ordered up some aftermarket additions to improve on the details missing in the kit. As I lack the patience and dexterity to paint realistic instrument panels I bought the Eduard colour PE set for the front and rear cockpits. Having decided that I would crew the jet I thought that Hasegawa’s aircrew figures looked OK and that the kit ejection seats would also be OK with a little bit of additional work to the tops of the seats. I also bought a set of weight on resin wheels and better detailed engine exhaust nozzles, some Reskit resin AIM 7Es and some Eduard Brassin resin AIM-9Js I agonised a bit over the kit’s lack of full length intake ducts and hunted the interweb for a suitable set of full length ducts. I eventually ordered a set of Alley Cat 1/48 full length resin intakes for the Hasegawa kit after first mistakenly buying a set of 1/72 3-D printed intakes from Reskit. The latter are very nice by the way if anyone would like a set. It then struck me that I had already spent more than I would have done if I’d bought the Tamiya F-4B kit, but who wants to do a shake and bake when you can do a classic cobble it all together from all directions type build?😁 For some random reason I started with the engine burner cans. The kit parts are smooth bore and somewhat lacking in detail, plus the burner rings aren’t that accurately depicted based on images seen on line of the real thing. So I tried to add a bit more interest, if not strictly accurate detail, by adding some internal fluting to the can liners and attempting to vary the colour of their interior and the burner rings to approximate those seen in the photos. I couldn’t replicate the many holes in the greenish can liners, but I figure once the nozzles are on you won’t see much of this anyway. This photo look awful by the way. I swear they look better by eye.😉 Then on to the cockpit tub. The Eduard Colour PE set looks OK, but you lose the 3D nature of the dials and switches. For the 1st time I used Ammo's aqueous acrylic Ultra Glue to attach the PE parts. It gives you much more time than CA glue does to adjust the positioning. I should probably have looked to see if Quinta do a 3D decal set for the F-4J, but I’ll definitely try 3-D decals in a future build of something. Most work on my part in both offices involved detailing the seat head box areas by adding the various straps missing from the kit parts. I used a mix of thin paper and masking tape strips to replicate these. The kit aircrew figures lean too far forward in the seats for my liking so I had to pare away plastic from their backs and also bend their legs a bit to get a more upright fit and make sure they didn’t foul the control panels. The seat harness attachments to the figures I created aren’t 100% accurate, but I managed to fudge approximations out of pre painted masking tape strips and I was quite pleased with the end result. They do at least look as if they are strapped into their seats. I also used 3 shades of green on the figures flight suits and this created some shading effects that added a bit more realism. There’s a far more detailed set of Phantom pilots in seats available from Aerobonus but I felt I’d already spent enough on this build. I was especially pleased to be able to get the pilot's hand holding the stick. It's the little things in life that satisfy me.🤣I know a modern outfit would include green tactical gloves, but I went for cloth white flying gloves to have a bit more colour variation. Not sure what they would have worn back in the mid 1970s? Moving on to painting the intake interiors and closing up the fuselage next.
  2. Hello Next one from my shelf of doom with this 1/72 Hasegawa General Dynamics F-16B in service within the Venezuelan Air Force. I did not join the South America GB because it was more than 25% completed. As for the previous F-16N this kit is not well detailed but easy to assemble. The decals came from an Aztec sheet and the colours from the Xtracolor range. (X102/X110/X37/X140) I did not have in hand the AA Python IV missiles. Patrick
  3. This started as a MkIV with Rockets but my spares box wouldn't allow it. This is the Hasegawa MkIV kit. Thanks to the fine folks here and especially Troy Smith for their patience and kindness. I know its not easy to weather my indecisive picky ways. Thanks for providing me the information I needed to find a subject I wanted to build. I settled on this MKIID. Hopefully Arma Hobby has a sense of humor with copyrights. Believe me if they made this plane in 48th I'd be building it. Unfortunately I'm stuck wrestling this almost 30 year old Hasegawa kit. I built this one back in 2015. I don't remember it being as fidly as the one I'm working on. In fact, I remember liking the kit. Either my skills have rusted or my standards have been raised. I did a basic cockpit because you can see in the picture above how much is visible when done. The fuselage quarters were kind of fussy to get a good fit. I didn't think I'd be able to get the cockpit in if I glued the front and rears together first. I placed the cockpit in loose and glued the top of the rear halves together. Then wrestled trying to add the front sections. I wound up removing the cockpit and then adding the front halves. This allowed me to glue the pieces together from behind with thin CA. I stretched the fuselage halves open and then dropped in the cockpit. If I were ever dumb enough to build another one, I'd follow my normal inclination to glue the front and rears together and then assemble in conventional fashion. The wings were actually started first. I filled in the IIC upper wing access panels and added the IID access panel. There's plugs for the IIC and IID guns. I used one of each to get the best fit. I just cut off the IIC wing cannons. The plugs fit ok but I made the mistake of gluing them in with liquid cement and now I have to scribe a panel line at a compromised join line. I messed up scribing these twice already. I took a break from that and moved to the fuselage. Test fitting the wing showed some fit issues that required shimming the upper wing curve at the wheel wells to meet the fuselage filet. After that things fit well on the topside. I wish I could say the same for the uderside. Why Oh why Hasegawa did you put a joint through a ribbed fabric area? They could have just as easily moved it a quarter inch forward to the fabrics natural termination point. Ooy! Luckily there's a lot of plastic on the lower wing and its sits high. At least this gives me the material to resculpt the area. This isn't gonna be fun, wish me luck. With all the sculpting and panel rescribing left to do, I'm not ordering paints for this thing yet. I give it a 40% chance of completion. Stay tuned. Ps; if you know what color the wheel wells are on this bird, I'd appreciate that. Silver? Medium Sea Grey? Bye for now Ron
  4. Hello This year I am finishing some kits started some years ago and which were waiting in my own shelf of doom. First here is this 1/72 Hasegawa General Dynamics F-16N in the colours of the Navy Fighter Weapons School around 1990. Actually the F-16N was a modified F-16C Block 30 with a reinforced wing, no cannon, a F110-GE-100 engine and an APG-66 radar. Due to airframe fatigue the F-16N were retired in 1994. Sadly in the box the ACMI pod was missing as Hasegawa did not catch the opportunity to have an operational Top Gun Viper. On the other hand this kit was cheap and we can find some on the second-hand market. The paint came from Gunze aqueous range and according to the pictures found on the Internet. Patrick
  5. Hello all, I hope you're doing well! It's been slow going on the modelling front recently, not exactly lost my mojo, but real life has been getting in the way and I've not been finding the time to make much progress. Still, I've been checking in on BM and seeing lots of great builds coming together and decided it was time to get a WIP underway, even if it'll be a slow burn! Enough waffle, what have I been up to? Well, I've got this kit on the bench: The Osprey has had its issues over the years but its still such a cool machine and I've been looking forward to working on something modern after finishing a couple of ww2 fighters earlier in the year. The cockpit and pilots are pretty much there: I added texture to the back wall with some plasticard, otherwise it's ootb except for the displays which have clear plastic with blue and green LEDs behind - more on this later!
  6. Hi, While I had planned to take a break from building, I couldn't resist starting on something new. Time to build the oldest kit from my stash, bought in 2003. It will be this old P-47, while it was still active and not so derelict. P-47D-40-RA 600 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr The first session went rather fast. The major parts fit really well. I was able to start painting and built the wings with main landing gear wells. IMG_4833 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr The second session was much slower due to all the cockpit details. I am not being fussy here, and will use what the kit provides. IMG_4834 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr That's where things are at now. Next I'll add Future to the instrument panel dials, rub off the bronze green from the cockpit floor and rudder pedals to show the duraluminum underneath. Then start putting things together. It's great to be back on a styrene model, rather than a polyurethane resin one. Cheers, Wlad
  7. One of the 3 Covid builds I have on the go is a 1/48 (Hasegawa) JU-87R-2 Stuka - yes, the famous (or infamous) Desert Snake flown by Hubert Poltz. Being a Hasegawa kit, just a little dressing up of the cockpit was needed. A little scratchbuilding, and a pair of Ultracast seats, and exhaust stacks. I also had to make out of scrap brass the 2 small armor plates for the rear gunner canopy ... The build continued using the spare long range tanks included in the Airfix JU-87B-1 (not used on the B-1) The fit was exceptional - as is usually the case with Hasegawa - note almost NO FILLER! Now the painting begins! I have to start with a full standard scheme, before adding the soft edged 'Desert yellow' (Please note the stippled spinner) I forgot to mention replacing the simplified hinge wedges with brass wire ... Now I'm waiting for the paint to harden before I start the 'Desert yellow' Hope you like so far, Colin
  8. Ive just noticed that this build took exactly a year, which by my standards is actually good going. The main challenge on this build was to see if I could fit a Honda engine into a classic mini as per the real world conversations. Thankfully I did and hence here we are 😁. I've thoroughly enjoyed building this (which is the main point, isn't it? ) and learned a few new skills along the way and very much appreciated all you comments and input along the way - Andy Just incase you didn't notice my WIP thread, here it is and more importantly where have you been? 🤣😂. Just be warned there are lots of micro updates. So with out future ado, the beauty shots 😍 A couple of double exposures (created in photoshop) Some construction photos These just seemed appropriate 😁 Thanks for looking, oh and "Hang on a minute, lads. I've got a great idea." - Andy
  9. After 2024 (link) newsletters, the Hasegawa news for January 2025. Source: http://www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/month/202501/ V.P.
  10. Apologies for the typo on the subject title, I missed the Y on the end and can't find a way to delete the post or redo the title... Sweet! Just found out by doing an edit I can redo the typo-ed title! Life is good! Built this kit when I was 9 almost 10 back in 1973. My uncle came up from Houston on business and visited my dad and I in Dallas. He brought me this wonderful kit while he was up there. Way ahead of its time the Hasegawa kit featured real rubber tires, rubber hoses and a metal part for the cockpit canopy as well as very excellent fit, very little flash and lots of decent detailing. Extraordinary for time period. The kit featured a decently detailed cockpit, even better detailed General Electric J47-GE-7 with rubber hoses that can be taken in and out of the model (made it tail heavy), moderately decent gun bays with removable panels and leading edge slats that could be slid opened and closed. And if you did them right you could make the horizontal stabilizers movable, Bonus! Wheels could turn I think, I'll find out, and a sliding canopy that opened and closed. Yet another great kit for kids to actually play with. Novel idea eh? Yeah, I guess ya'll are right, I am trying to relive my childhood. At least parts of it. Now I get to try some new painting techniques with Alclad II metal paints https://alclad2.com/ the paint is made to airbrush only, lots to learn on this one to be certain. I am learning a lot from folks here and am looking forward to any hints and tips you guys have on painting realistic bare metal aircraft. I confess I miss my Testors Metal Masters they were fantastic and buff-able metallic paints. Too bad they got bought out then discontinued.
  11. Hello I wish to present my 1/72nd scale Mitsubishi F-2A Hasegawa to you. I started this model from a box bought a while ago. It was a F-2 prototype boxing, hence the white plastic. That said, the parts provided by Hasegawa are the same for all their 1/72nd scale Mitsubishi F-2s be it prototype or operational versions. * The decals are from a (excellent) DXM decal sheet. * The engine nozzle is a Reskit nozzle which has the advantage of being more detailed and offering an open nozzle, which is often the case with parked F-2As. * The wheels are also from Reskit. Note that the ones in the kit are actually quite good. * The ejection seat is a Wolpack Design in resin that advantageously replaces the part supplied with the kit * Some of the cockpit detailing elements are photoetched and come from an Eduard PE sheet. The model is a very good Hasegawa, sharp and quite complete, quite close in its design to the F-16 kits of the brand. However, no part of the F-2 is common to those of the F-16 and it is easy to see that this model is much more recent in design than the F-16s. As usual with Hasegawa, the cockpit is simplified and will have to be detailed (photo-etched + resin seat), as well as the gear wells (scratch). All the F-2 boxes at the 1/72nd Hasegawa that I know of allow you to build either a single-seat F-2A or a two-seat F-2B. This means that it is necessary to join the front (specific A or and the rear (common part) of the upper part of the fuselage. Nothing complicated, a very small amount of dry fitting is recommended to perfect the adjustment. Even if this model is very good we can't deny the plus and advantages brought by the newer Fine Milds F-2s. The assembly is very traditional and starts with the cockpit and the construction of certain details that will quickly find their place when the fuselage is closed. In this respect, the integration of the Reskit nozzle requires preparatory work that it is better to prepare. Not liking this white plastic, I quickly applied a layer of gray paint as a primer... Before continuing with a general paint in the lightest blue of the camouflage obtained by mixing (Gunze 50% H56 + 50% H25 about - I deliberately modulate to have variations in shade) After several freehand attempts, I decided to use cardboard masks for the application of the darkest blue (Tamiya 3/4 XF17 +1/4 XF8 approximately) The radome and antennas are much clearer than the recommended H317 (Dark gull gray). I went for an H325 (Light gull gray) slightly lightened. The rest of the assembly is quite traditional and consists of setting up and painting the different details and antennas, detailing the landing gear and pipes in flexible metal wire then gluing, careful installation of the decals and simple weathering avoiding excesses. Best to you all Eric B.
  12. Back in June this year I was annoyed by the lack of good Ju 88 A-4 kits on the market. The Revell kit has become unobtainable, Italeri isn't worth its price, Zvezda is morally impossible to buy and Hasegawa is scarce too. Don't even start on the ancient kits! So I wrote a polite message to Hobby 2000 producers and I got an equally polite answer to my enquiry: It's a matter of when, rather than if, they told me. That's great news! Now, let's just wait for that to happen V-P
  13. I was interested when the aggressor paint scheme was revealed in real life, and when Hasegawa announced a special edition I ordered it directly from Japan. Until I got the kit I had not realised how big the F-35 is, very similar length, width, wing area and fuselage bulk to a rhino, as second photo shows, much bigger than a Viper. So that along with the gray and stealth markings will discourage a large collection. The Hasegawa kit has a fairly detailed inlet structure so as the aggressor's seem unarmed there's some interest there. No AM available as far as I am aware, so apart from the inlet the interest will be the paint (and the large decals). Asia GB starts next week so I am unsure when I will start this. Chris
  14. Background Another project starts. This is a build that I’ve been intending to start for some time, but I was holding out to see if I could secure some of the previously available aftermarket parts to help with some additional details; they’re all (long?) out of production and availability is tending towards zero but after several years of periodic searching, a few months ago I stumbled on an auction of the kit “with lots of extras”, including Eduard phot-etch (although I already had a set), two sets of decals and, the much sought-for, Wolfpack-designs resin folded wings. I won the auction and the parts have sat waiting my attention since. The other parts I sought, I have all but given up looking for, these being the XMM resin intakes; but more of that later. I’ve got the Aires cockpit (early ICAP II) set, in fact I’ve two of them (probably a case of ordering parts when I’d forgotten I already had a set) and some ResKit wheels. The rest will need tinkering with the kit itself. I also bought a Kinetic kit, and some aftermarket parts, purely for research, but I’m sure that I’ll build that too one day (when I’ve more storage space perhaps). I remember that I built this model back in the 80s; I though it was quite early in the 80s due to where we lived when I made it, but I’m not going to trust my memory on this as Scalemates has the later boxings (which I think it was) only emerging in the late 80s. I think that I built it, an early Hasegawa F14A (aftermarket decals – low vis VF111) and an A-4E (or M?) at about the same time. I’d used low vis aftermarket decals rather than the hi-vis ones in the kit… so I’m quite sure it was this actual boxing. I remember struggling with the split forward canopy (why do they do it like that?) and remembering that the decals were quite pale against the colour I’d finished it in using Humbrol enamels… but that’s about it. So, here we are almost 4 decades later, with the same kit on the bench, but with a hope of producing a better end result; I’ll certainly be spending a little longer on this build… so I hope you’ll be patient with me as I go along this journey. Hasegawa Prowler project commences by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Wings The first thing I wanted to check is whether the wings were ok. I’d read that some of them were cast short, or small (?) so I kept my fingers crossed and removed them from their casting pieces and did a few test fits on the fuselage halves. I think I’d seen from other’s use that they come up a little short at the exhaust, but a slither of plasticard will sort that when they’re installed, but the test fit seemed positive. Some filler and fettling will be required to get a seamless join, but that’s just modelling. Kit parts and resin wings test fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr In looking at the wings more closely, I realized that both of the outer pieces were warped a little (after years of being in their bag on the casting pieces). The photo shows the extent of the warp. Slightly warped outer wings by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr I forgot to take a post-process photo, but after advice from a good mate I put some ‘nearly’ boiling water in a bowl and immersed each one (at a time) into the bowl for a few seconds then removed it and applied gentle pressure by hand to bend it the other way and straighten it. After two or three attempts on each wing, they were straight. I accomplished this during a quiet moment in the kitchen one Saturday evening whilst the good wife was watching Eurovision in the front room; I think my time was better spent. I’d been thinking about how I’ll present the model once finished; it’s a long-term plan, but one that needs considering through the build rather than at the end. I’ve a spare Trumpeter display case (316mm x 276mm x 136mm) the other two of which I made ‘concrete apron’ display boards upon which to display my wings-forward Tomcats, with ACMI pod fits) I used one of these boards to place the model on, along with an A-6, just to see if both could be accommodated with wings folded. I used my Italieri A-6E Tram for this purpose… although the Trumpeter one may arrive before I get started on that. The Italieri kit looks ‘ok’ but is a little simpler that what I’d like to model, but we’ll see how things go. And yes, I know there’s a Trumpeter EA-6B due too… no doubt it’ll be available once I’m part way through this build. We’ll see. But, a plan for the two alongside each other on a board presented as a carrier deck (I have the Brengun etched tie-downs set somewhere) will be considered. A number of Reedoak figures will be painted up, and maybe some of the Fujimi figures I have too for the background. I’ve some Verlinden tractors that could compliment the scene too... so this will not be a short build. But those resin wings will mean that such a display is possible. Planning a display by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr The model So, lets get started with the model. One thing, before we do. I’m not sure when the model I had was made, but the mouldings weren’t as crisp as I remembered. A year or two ago, I picked up a pair of kits with very tatty boxes for a very good price – which were in Hasegawa/Hales boxes: a Tracker and a Prowler. Boxes and decals had suffered damp issues and were shot but the kits are fine. The prowler in this instance is a nice and crisp moulding, so I’ll use this one for the majority of the build, although some re-engraving will be undertaken to deepen some of the around-panel lines and add a few fasteners. The fuselage is a little warped, but pulls together neatly with a little tape around the extremities. The other fuselage will serve as a practice piece for trials of modifications to come… and with a pair of Aires cockpits, I’m sure I’ll build that one too at some point. One other advantage of the older boxing is that it came with darkened glazing. I need to look at these and compare them with what I want the model to eventually look like. The forward windscreen will have the ‘armoured glass’ blue tint but the canopies will need their unique gold tint (gold plate to protect the crew from the high-energy radio frequency emissions of the aircraft jamming antennas) and how I apply that will be something to experiment with… so I might not use the dark-tinted pieces after all. I’ll be building this in an order that suits my approach; I’ll not be following the instructions except where I need to; let’s face it, this isn’t the most complicated of kits… but what I’m doing means there will be a certain amount of sub assembly done and jumping around to get to where I’ll need to get it too in the end. Cockpit So, having said the above, the first part of the build starts with the cockpit anyway. The kit parts in this regard are quite shameful. Yes, Eduard initially went to great trouble to add parts to improve this area, but the resin replacement part that came along (with its photo etch parts too) is certainly the standard to beat. The Aires cockpit in firstly removed from its moulding parts and the main components (not all of them) assembled using tape and blue tack (why are there so many spellings of this?) to look at it’s fit into the fuselage. I was prepared for some serious surgery here, knowing that few Aires cockpit tubs fit without some cleaning out of the kit sides, and this was no exception… except, where the instructions said to remove material (insides of cockpit side steps and the bits to cut away) wasn’t far off all that was needed; which was good. Aires cockpit pieces removed from 'sprue' by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr The cockpit for this kit is certainly exquisite; whilst many of the parts Aires produce are stunning, in this instance, with such a large open tub, the detail is not only amazing, but there’s a lot of it and it will all be visible once the kit is finished, so it’s worth spending time on to get right. Fuselage surgery started with removing the front coaming and the rear cockpit rear panel; I used a 0.9mm drill in a pin vice to add holes on the cut side of the parts, trimmed away with some sprue cutters and then removed the remaining pieces with an abrasive bit in a mini-drill which made short work of the Hasegawa plastic. Fortunately, the plastic in the kit is typical Hasegawa, being quite firm (rather than the soft plastic of certain Margate based companies – although that now has improved considerably) so cutting away was measured but with some success. The inner faces of the cockpit area identified by Aires were also removed using the min-drill, along with some thinning of the central arch prior to a first test fit. First cut... drill and cutaway for Aires cockpit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr A test fit was undertaken using lots of tape and blue tack to hold it all together. Several times, this would be undertaken until I was satisfied that enough material had been removed to allow a more stress-free fit of the tub. The only real positive locating guide is that of the lip on the rear of the rear cockpit, so I let that be my guide. This suggested that the front coaming was a little short of where it needed to be and after several attempts at verifying this I decided that some research may be needed to see of more revising was required. First test fit before (lots of) fettling by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Looking at how another modeler had used the Aires part, I noticed in one photo that he’d cut and shimmed the cockpit tub to lengthen it. I decided that I would try the same… but noted that it didn’t need much. The cut, down the middle of the section between cockpits was made using a fine saw, the cut width being 0.5mm (I measured this for reference later, seeing how much material the cut would remove and thus shorten the tub… I then added a shim of plasticard (about 1mm) thus giving a net lengthening of 0.5mm. The photo shows a crude reassembly prior to test fit with a much thicker piece inserted… which I decided was too thick after a quick first fit and replaced with the thinner piece I mentioned. Decided cockpit needed lengthening by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr But a further test fit now put the front cockpit coaming closer to the front of the cut out, which I viewed as much better. Another reference point (looking at photos) is the position of the throttles (just visible in photos) and how far aft they are of the rear of the windscreen frame. Later photos will see the windscreen piece sat on the fuselage halves, that I used to make this check… and I was happy that the slight lengthening put these is about the right location. Lengthened cockpit... better fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Another view, this time looking forward into that delightful resin cockpit tub. Forward looking view of cockpit test fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr I superglued the insert in the tub and then took this forward with further test fits as I started to apply the cockpit frame pieces around the exterior. Spliced cockpit with 1mm insert by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr The side pieces needed some fettling to get to settle and some trimming to sit where I wanted them to sit. The instructions suggested glueing the side sill onto the vertical inside pieces, but I found it better to trim the inside pieces to sit inside the cockpit walls and then fir the sills… for a more repeatable fit. At this point, I was still using blue tack to hold the tub in place so ‘fit’ was a little variable. Test fit, adding the surrounds by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr With the tub held in place this way, I used a sharp pencil to mark off the underside of the tub at the front and rear so that I could add four ‘shelves’ onto which the tub would sit. To give a positive location at the rear, I also beefed-up the rear frame to hold the tub positively and to fill-in the gaps that were otherwise evident around the cockpit’s rear. At the bottom of the picture you will also see a curved piece of plasticard that I attached to close-out the remaining gap forward of the coaming; I secured this with small triangles of plasticard/plastic strut, secured with superglue. In this photo you can probably also see the tabs I added to the fuselage halves to help give a better, more positive alignment of the two halves. Note that the between cockpits arch is now much, much thinner to allow the resin panels to sit with less stress on it. Packing out the rear section and braces for cockpit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Here’s another image of the cockpit tub with the forward frame added. There’s lots more detail to add to the rear bulkhead of the front cockpit (and a bit to the rear) but I’ll tackle that later. For now, I’ll move on to another area of the kit. Cockpit forward piece added - gap filler by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Intakes So, let’s talk intakes. The kit is quite disappointing in this area as, quite simply, they’re blank. Having failed to find a set of the Russian XXM resin intakes anywhere, I pondered alternatives. The easy approach would be to just leave them. No, that wasn’t going to work for me. I thought about scratch building some intake blanks (I’d need exhaust blanks too), but when I looked through my reference library I failed to find (m)any photos that convinced me that these were used at any time apart from when the aircraft was stored in the hangar bay (or perhaps during an ocean transit). I found just one photo and that was of the exhausts blanked! So… what to do? I decided to dig out my A6 kits (Italieri A-6E and Fujimi EA-6A) and see how they tackled it. Well… that was enlightening! Each of the A6 kits has an attempt at providing some form of passage through to a compressor disc, but the Italieri compressor disk is tiny and whilst the Fujimi disk is the right size at about 10mm diameter (scaled from dimensions for a P&W J52) the intake itself is a little oddly shaped. However, both have cut-out intake splitter plates; the Fujimi kit has a half-diameter trunking piece. The intake shapes are however varied. The first photo shows the Hasegawa kit ‘blank’ intake alongside the Fujimi kit. Intakes... to see the compressor disk or just a blank? by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr A further comparison of the three kits sees the manufacturers attempts at intake shape. Let’s be honest here… this is nothing new (ever looked at the intakes offered on A-7s, of F-100s come to that) so the shape of these seems to be a challenge for most companies. I think in isolation, you could probably get away with any of them, but together they do tend to jump out a bit. I presume that there would have been subtle differences in the Prowler intake from that of the intruder, but not too much. I think the Hasegawa kit item shape isn’t too far off, although it is still a little egg-shaped (rather than symmetrical which I think it should be), but it’s possibly close enough; the Italieri seems too squashed and the Fujimi just too round… but… that was not the point of the exercise, so let’s use what we have and move on. Comparing intake lip shapes ... prowler and intruders by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr The intention was therefore to produce some form of trunking that would allow the compressor disk to be seen through the intake. I’ll use the Fujimi disk for now (as it’s about the right size – close enough) and attempt to fabricate something. Time for some prototyping! Because I’d already invested time on the fuselage parts I’m using, and because I didn’t trust myself to get this right first time, as I’d not tried this sort of thing before, I grabbed the fuselage parts from the other kit (header photo). Approximating what I could see in the Fujimi kit, and in looking at photos of the XMM pieces online, I set about the drill and cut process, opening up holes in the splitter plate piece and the fuselage intake section. Intake splitter plate and fuselage drill cut and file by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr I’d no idea what diameter of plastic tube I’d need (and I didn’t have any!) so I made a tube section from plasticard which I formed around the body of a pen and secured the two layers with Tamiya thin. I then guessed the shape that I’d need to cut out of this for a first test fit – then fettled more and more. First prototype components by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr A first test fit revealed lots of fettling would be needed, but that the approach might produce what I sought. First prototype test fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Clearly, I’d need something a little stronger, so I guesstimated the tube diameter and popped out to get some from a local model shop, settling in the end for some Evergreen 11.1mm diameter tube. A second prototype was made using this tube, with more an more refining of the shape to give a better ‘sit’ inside the fuselage. I also attacked the inside of the outer intake with white (fine) milliput to sculpt the intake trunking shape. I remember using the old green stuff years ago, but this was my first time using the white – and yes, I set a 7 minute timer when mixing/kneading the two-arts mix to ensure I got a good mix of the two white parts. Once attached and cured (overnight) some sanding, filing and cutting away (with a sharp blade) were necessary to get the shape I was after. It’s not perfect, but it’s a test piece and more care will be needed for the final item(s). This also shows the repairs to the now-fragile splitter plate piece, the fuselage hole now reduced in size and the prototype#2 trunking. Second prototype components by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr A test fit shows where this will go; still far from perfect but getting-there! Second prototype test fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr A third prototype was then made, trying to make it to match the shape of the second, in which I’d constantly added and removed sections for a better fit. Some repairs were needed to strengthen the corners of this… but this was still better than the second. The main tube is made from two sections that are spliced at an angle to ‘curve’ the tube… it’s not enough yet, so some more curving is needed. The next one may be three rather than two pieces. Second and third prototype pieces by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr The following photos show some of the test fits that I eventually achieved with No. 3. It’s still far from perfect but it’s getting there. So, some points to make here… 1. The intake trunking fouls the rear of the nose gear bay piece. I removed a lot of material off the outer corner of the gear bay and ultimately filed a flat onto the trunking to allow a stress-free fit. It’s till tight, so some further fettling will be required with the next version. 2. The inside face of the crew-access ladder is now paper thin. The XMM parts replace this altogether on one of the A6 kit parts, and it’d be better to do so here, but I’m still experimenting. As the photos sow, this doesn’t give a seamless trunking on the outer faces, but they’ll be difficult to see with the finished model – only the inner faces will be easy to see (see photos) so it might be good enough. Let’s see what prototype no. 4 gives me! 3. The intake piece needs tidying up between the outer part and splitter plate, to fill-in the corners seamlessly. Something that I’ll need to try when I come to final assembly of these parts. 4. The outer diameter has an additional tube piece glued to the outside to allow this to ‘sit’ against the fuselage outer wall and present a bonding surface to secure it. 5. Inner face has a ‘flat’ filed away where it meets the nose gear bay corner. 6. The front of the trunking has a small tab that secures to the inside of the fuselage, again, to allow correct positioning and to secure the part with glue. Third prototype test fit #1 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Third prototype test fit #2 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Third prototype test fit #3 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Third prototype test fit #4 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Prototype 3 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Third prototype test fit #5 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Third prototype test fit #6 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Third prototype test fit #7 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr So, that’s it for now. I need to use the parts I’ve made, and the holes I’ve cut, as templates to try the other side and hopefully improve again on the design and assembly. It’s a lot of effort (more than I’ve tacked before) and I’m still not 100% convinced that I can pull it off… but I’ll give it a go. I still need to determine how I’ll present a seamless trunking throughout the whole of the final assembly; but let’s get it’s structure and design sorted first. I guess I could always go back to plan b and add intake blanks if the end result isn’t good enough, but let’s see how this goes. I’m in no rush. Thanks for reading… and please throw you comments my way… especially any positive suggestions that could help this further. Cheers, Jonathan
  15. I inherited this model from the late Tom Weinel, former F8U Crusader pilot, model builder and Naval Aviation curmudgeon. It arrived in a largely-constructed state, but i needed to take a few steps backwards in order to fix some elemental construction issues in order to get some assemblies to play well with each other- mainly the upper fuselage seam and the leading edges of the wing. Either due to kit design or operator error, the wing did not "sit" in proper alignment with the fuselage saddle when i test fit it. As usual, i wrote an extensive "Deep Dive" (some may call it an incoherent, rambling diatribe) on building this huge Douglas monster. It is available here: Let me get the executive summary out of the way. Subject: Douglas A3D-1 Skywarrior, BuAer No. 135431 from VAH-123. NAS Whidbey Island, WA, 1962. Kit: Hasegawa A3B Skywarrior, Kit No. 04041 Scale: 1/72 (You'll need to pay me to build a bigger one) Additional Parts Used: Resin Nose Radome and 20MM tail Gun installation from Hasegawa A3D-2 Skywarrior "Early Version", kit No. 00029; resin main wheels from Reskit, part no. RS72-0170. Paints Used: Tamiya Acrylics mixed to FS595 specs per guidance found over at www.replikator.club; Tamiya LP-series metallic lacquers and Mr Color Lacquers for the undersides and the faded orange. Decals: National Insignia from Fundekals sheet FD 72-011; BuAer Numbers and Modex codes robbed from Microscale sheet 72-26 and Zotz RA-5 Vigilante decal sheet; Itty Bitty BuAer numbers kluged together from a couple of Eagle Strike/AeroMaster F-4 decal sheets. Modifications/Additions: "Blunt" nose and tail cut from fuselage and replaced with earlier version nose and tail from the Hasegawa "Early Version" kit. The Quickboost conversion parts i think are identical, and should work as well. Intake Bullets had the oil cooler inlets drilled out and plugged with tubing of smaller inside diameter; Bullets were subsequently filed, sanded, and re-profiled to make them more pointed. Intakes were cut from front of nacelle and seams were filled on inside; subsequently primed, masked and painted the insides before re-attaching to the nacelle. Aerodynamic fairings removed from inboard sides of engine pylons and corresponding gaps and cavities filled. Inboard wing slat panel lines eradicated. This was required in order to backdate the aircraft to A3D-1 standard. Locating pins on the nacelles removed and replaced with longer, more substantial pins made from Copper rod. Nacelles were painted and weathered prior to mounting on the wings, towards the very end of the painting stage. Anti-collision beacons removed. Fuselage Fuel Vent Mast replaced with smaller, earlier version, mounted on underside of left tailplane. Void between top of nosewheel tyre and inner side of nosewheel fork opened out and cleaned up Multiple layers of filler, added to rear of canopy at the base to improve the profile and integrate it better with surrounding fuselage sheet metal. Weathering: Panel lines highlighted with mix of Model Master Grey enamels; Oil, Lubricant, and Hydraulic leaks depicted with Windsor & Newton Payne's Grey artists oils; Hand prints and foot traffic depicted with Tamiya Weathering Master, Set B "Soot". Shadowing on landing gear, flap tracks, gear doors etc. done with a wash of water, Future, and Tamiya Flat Black. This model came to me with the interior already assembled and painted, so with the exception of a wash i added, some seam filling and the addition of masking tape belts, there is nothing else added. Late in construction i discovered the model did not have sufficient nose weight, so i fixed this by mixing copper BB shot with 5 minute epoxy and i poured it in through the opening for the lower entrance hatch/bailout chute (having masked off the surrounding surfaces first, to prevent epoxy drips from ruining the finish). The model was a test case for closing up 90-degree gaps by using a combination of black woodworking CA, and bare metal foil. The result was a joint that was not eliminated, per se but mitigated to a degree where it was appropriate for scale. This allowed me to delay engine installation until after the model had been painted. Since the model came to me with the wings assembled, it was not practical to cut out, and depict the aerodynamically actuated Douglas slats (something of an Ed Heinemann design trademark). While it would make the model more accurate, it would definitely complicate the assembly task in the construction end game. BuAer 135431 was the 39th Skywarrior built, and was part of the second batch of A3D-1s. Originally delivered in overall gloss sea blue, it was assigned to NATC at Pax River and served as a service test aircraft. I'm not sure if it ever went to sea with an operational squadron, but it was re-painted in the Light Gull Grey over Gloss White paint scheme and assigned to VAH-123; the west coast A3D Fleet Replacement Group. Many of the aircraft in the squadron wore high visibility Fluorescent Orange markings as a preventative measure against midair collisions. The dayglo did not stand up to the elements very well, losing its fluorescence first, then fading to a pumpkin orange colour before the dayglo wore away exposing the white primer underneath. I based this model off a profile photo found in the Aerofax book on the A3D, written by the late Rene Francillon. Other photos taken of different aircraft from the same squadron helped to "Fill in" the knowledge gaps, so the markings represent something of an only partly informed, educated guess. Omission of the twin 20MM cannon in the tail was not an oversight; Early on in the service testing and evaluation, the gun system showed poor reliability and it's effectiveness as a defensive measure was uncertain at best. This was my first test using the Tamiya LP- series of metallic lacquers and For the most part they worked well. I used a 50-50 mix of LP-11 Silver and LP-61 Metallic Gray for the stainless steel "hot sections" on the aft engine nacelles. Masking the canopy framing was difficult and only made bearable by using the KV Models vinyl A3D canopy masks. They are accurately cut but they are somewhat thick and occasionally they had difficulty adhering to some of the tighter radii on the upper canopy. Eduard masks would have been my first choice, since the washi-paper material is thinner and it sticks well enough to the clear part, but not too well. The thickness and tenacity of the KV masks combined with the multiple coats of filler, primer, paint, and clear coats resulted in chipping when the masks were removed the first time. This required substantial re-work. Speaking of the canopy, it's thin and clear, but the attachment to the fuselage is problematical because it sits on a curved "saddle", as it were. Also, built from the box, the canopy profile has an exaggerated bubble shape when simply placed onto the model. The A3D canopy was actually integrated fully into the surrounding sheet metal structure and it was not installed as an afterthought. I applied multiple layers (3, i think) of Mr Surfacer 500 to the back of the canopy to build up the profile and blend it in more seamlessly with the upper fuselage. However, i think it was definitely worth the effort. I would like to take more photographs of the finished model, but right now i need to take a breather and ponder my next project. I have another Buccaneer close to the finish line, a Boeing 720B in progress and of course there's still more decals to put on the Phantom. As the largest and heaviest aircraft to serve aboard a carrier, the A3D makes an impressive centre piece in a Carrier-Based Naval Aviation collection. While it seems somewhat simplified compared to contemporary offerings from Academy, Airfix, and Clear Prop etc. It's a good starting point for just about any A3D Skywarrior one would choose to build. Fly Navy!
  16. The second of my little display of mostly colourful Starfighters is this Italian F-104S in the markings of the 1996 Tiger Meet. Up to then, most "Tigers" had rather simple paint schemes, mostly consisting of tigerstripes partially or on the whole planes. This jet, however, was spectacular with a tiger schown ripping through the jet's structure. Cutting Edge made a nice decal sheet for this which I used. The biggest challenge for me was the reproduction of the feathered edge between the blue and silver areas, the latter not being natural metal, but painted in bright silver. The Hasegawa kit is nice, but the canopy is far too shallow, which can be easily seen already when comparing the actual model with the kit box illustration. So the seat does not fit when the canopy is closed and has to be massively grinded down. Other than that, there were no problems building the model. Marcus
  17. Finally complete after many many self induced screw ups. A great kit, fits well. I installed an Eduard cockpit and after market weapons and decals.
  18. For years I couldn't find a Hasegawa A-4C. A-4Es, A-4Ms, and TA-4Js were fairly plentiful, but the C Model eluded me. This year I was able to snag one. Bulleye decals, who say this particular machine was later sold to Argentina and used it during the Falklands war, where it claimed a hit on a RN carrier. Not enough an expert about that particular war to know if that is true. Great decals, though. Xtracolor light gull gray over Tamiya Liquid Surfacer Primer White (my fav white.) Sealed with Testors Dullcote. Added a Hasegawa Mk. 84 2000 pound practice bomb in "practice bomb blue" and an OD trail assembly. Weathering with oils Added a complete belly shot.
  19. I'm on quite the roll this year. 4 kits finished (not all started this year, mind) and another one approaching the finish line. So let's keep the momentum going 👍 I'm very much a cold war jet fan, and of those the flamboyant USN jets of the 50s & 60s are the best! I don't know why, but this one has been calling me for a few days now. Might have been @Lord Riot asking about USN jets in another thread somewhere. I got this second hand out of the back of someone's van at Sywell model sale a couple of years ago. Scalemates tells me it's a late 1970s vintage took reboxed sometime in the 80s. It doesn't seem to get the best press online, but I'm not a rivet counter and it's unlikely to end up sitting next to an Academy F-8 so I'm hoping it'll do just nicely. Obligatory box shot: Apologies for the dim witted politician photo bomb, I have to scrounge newspapers off others. The instructions are quite the contrast with modern efforts. Simple eh? Think I'm going to do it with the wing down as I think that technically you should drop the flaps if the wing is up, and that requires surgery. And the sprues. The decals are a bit yellowed so they are currently taped to the dining room window, hopefully they'll be OK. If not, there are plenty of aftermarket options out there. Think I'm going to do the USMC option as the markings are the prettiest 😁 I really need to get on and buy a display cabinet for my office.. 🤔 Al
  20. Hello there!! May I play too? ... I'll be joining in with the well known hasegawa kit in aggressor paint scheme from the JASDF, you can see a picture HERE 20240725_170035 by Andrés Alvarado, en Flickr 20240725_170106 by Andrés Alvarado, en Flickr Still in its's sealed bag 20240725_170222 by Andrés Alvarado, en Flickr Decals are from another Hasegawa kit that is somewhere in the stash I've ordered a couple of 3d printed AAM-3s from Paveway models, awesome stuff BTW!!! Cheers!!! Andrés
  21. Here's another blast from my past. Yup another OOB Hasegawa 109. In case you were wondering where my short tailed G10 got it's tail from. Here it is. It was a short tailed G-6(or 14?) kit. I grafted the taller tail on it to make this G-14. I find it easier to make the cut between the stations and smooth everything later. I don't know why people prefer glue joints to fall on natural panel lines. I find it a bear to get a nice clean panel on a glue joint. That's just me. This plane appealed to me for the same reasons as the other 109 I just posted. Painted over markings, late war hodge podge colors, Luftflotte 4 yellow ends. The cool Croatian markings sealed the deal for me. Like the other 109 this plane was finished with a mix of Aeromaster, Floquil and Modelmaster enamels and weathered with pastels. That's it. Gotta go eat breakfast. Be well Ron
  22. I've been working on improving my model photography lately. I figured while the stuff is set up I'll snap shots of older builds that haven't been RFI'd before, or at least think so. Hopefully this is allowable because I have a few more coming. This is Hasegawa 1/48 Bf109G-10. Other than swapping the tail with a Hasegawa Bf109G-6, it's out of the box. I have a real shine for the Hasegawa 109s. They're a quick and easy build and look like a 109 when done. Or at least close enough for me. This plane was poorly photographed after the surrender. It's a later model 109 with an early style short tail and segmented spinner. The previous theater markings and I believe tactical number were painted over. All that combined the Luftflotte 4 yellow cowling and rudder really appeals to me. I thought it was a cool Frankenstein of a 109. I call it my Franken-nine. I guessed at the colors and marking. Please be kind, this was built years before the current wave of research surfaced. This kit, like most of my older builds was finished with a mix of Aeromaster, Floquil and Modelmaster enamels. Weathering was done old school with pastels and a mix of washes and spatters of a Pollyscale color called Dirt. That's it for now. Hope you like it.
  23. G'day All, The latest off the bench. Hasegawa 1/48 SAAB Draken. Mostly OOB except for metal probes, extra external tanks & pylons and the Sidewinders. Cheers, Motty.
  24. This is my first build here. About a year ago I managed to buy such a kit from hands. And I got guns by Master this week. But I want to build A3's variant in Tamiya's kit 61037. First I installed the wheels bay. I cut the plastic incorrectly and cracks formed. I will remove them later. It was also difficult to install the bay in the center. I was upset when I found a stumps on the cockpit floor for his legs. So I made a elements that, in general terms, repeated the original. I will install leg bindings after painting. Edward's photoetch is often flat in cases where it is not. I made a handle instead of a flat piece. Engines are always my headache. Only if you are building a large scale model you are not be cut with a scalpel and your desk will not be covered in your blood when you remove the pushers of cylinders. I had made the pushers out of copper wire. My set is A4, but I want A3, so I had made new panels with holes. I wish you a enjoy watching
  25. Hi, Sabrejet told us that it is possible to fit the slatted wing of the Revell F-86D to Hasegawa's F-86F-30. I'm going to try that here while building Captain Harold Fisher's "Paper Tiger". The Hasegawa wing and Revell fuselage can then be used to build an F-86D. Best to make that an in-flight one as the slats will be represented only by an engraved line and thus look retracted. I'm mainly aiming to build Paper Tiger here, the F-86D would be secondary. I'm still commited to an F-35A, a Valiant B Mk2 and an F-4EJ in other GB's. Cheers, Stefan.
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