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Hi there A few years ago I built the B-36 FIghter CONveyer using a Monogram B-36 and an Italeri Thunderflash. An interesting concept for lomg range reconnaissence that required the B-36 to transport the Thunderflash part of the way to the target, release it and then allow the Thuderflash to dock onto a trapeze sytem and be recovered. This was done afew times back in the 1950`s. When fully loaded there was 6’’ of ground clearance to the Thunderflash fuel tanks. The other clearance problem was resolved after take off by lowering the Thunderflash on its trapeze so the B-36 undercarriage could be retracted. The B-36 needed the bomb bay opening up in size and supports making. Various antenna were scratch built. The Thunderflash was bult out of the box with the stabilisers on the tails drooped to fit the bomb bay. A lot of Alclad was used for painting this. The B-36 was put on an office chair and rotated for painting because of its size. Warbird decals were used for the B-36. Here are the pictures. Regards Toby

My next build, as chosen by my two boys, is Monogram's 1:72 Twin Mustang F-82G. It appears to be a Revell kit, reboxed by Monogram. I plan to build the kit straight from the box, using Vallejo acrylics in place of Revell. Lets get down to business and see whats in the box. The box art is pretty basic, and once open there is again a basic black and white instruction sheet. There is a small decal sheet with the option of 2 liveries. There are 5 grey sprues, these have some flash and some detailing (most of the panel lines are raised). I have already given the sprues a wash, and the interior sections a coat of Vallejo primer. I am looking forward to any challenges the kit may throw at me, and can't wait to get started.

Ready for inspection is my Monogram 1:72 Twin Mustang F-82G. It is built straight from the box, using Vallejo acrylics. Being an old kit it had plenty of flash, raised panel lines, and needed some coaxing to get it to fit together. However, with lots of patience and plenty of filler and sanding the problems were overcome. I have really enjoyed the challenges this build has thrown at me and hope I have done it justice. Thanks for looking.

AV-8B Harrier II VMA-214 'Blacksheep', Yuma, Arizona, 1992 This is the old 1/48 Monogram kit built straight from the box except for decals, which were Microscale. This was unusual for me in two ways. Firstly I normally stick to 1/72, and secondly I would normally spend a long time re-scribing a kit that has raised panel lines. In this case I went for a quick build (is there ever such a thing?) as the kit only made its way from the attic because I needed the drop tanks from it to finish off my old UPC Skyray which I posted onto this site earlier. So it was lying around and I thought I might as well build it. I was very pleasantly surprised. Firstly to my eye it looks just right for an early AV-8B. The detail was all there in typical Monogram style and it went together very nicely without much filler. I kept wondering when I was building it whether I should have scribed in the panel lines but now its finished I'm glad I didn't as it looks fine. It's made me re consider re-scribing in future. Maybe I don't always have to do that! The old Superscale decals worked perfectly well, except that on the sheet I used there were no stencils except for the air intake warning so I had to search the spare decal stocks and found something that was roughly right from some F-18 sheets. I'm very tempted with more 1/48 Harriers now - a couple of those Kinetic Sea Harriers might be first on the list.

Hi there! I've recently been drawn towards dioramas. I've always found them to be super cool - and as a kid I started a few but they never got finished. Found Warhammer games instead and off I went. Anyways, I've been back in the hobby for year and a half now, making quite a few airplanes which are my passion. But like I said, recently I've picked up interest in the dioramas again and wanted to try to do one. I got couple models on the post, but I wanted to start with something that I already have. And I have this: I don't normally do 1/48 - so the ones I do I usually try to do something special with them. I've gotten this Monogram 1/48 as a gift it came to my mind as I was flipping through the 'Bent & Battered Wings'. Couple of images stood out for me: On the back of the book there is this photo which is like a ready diorama on its own! Now, I don't have a Banshee, but I have a Skyraider: So maybe something like this. Maybe not as beaten, I think this plane has had a fire after it came down - but something in similar vein. Rough idea for the diorama. The extras are from old Monogram B-24 kit, including the tractor. Not the greatest of details but inspired by the scratch building master @JeroenS maybe we can pull something off and make it look more detailed. Probably can't do anything about the tracks, but what we can't make better, we will hide with mud! Let's see what comes out of this.

Hi All, This is another one I have rescued from the 'forgotten in the mists of time' shelf. I had kind of started this a loooong time ago, not sure when. Must be over 30 years ago, I think. Anyway, I have rescued it and plan to work on this as well as all the other stuff I am working on. So, pictures: This is the box-top: Looks quite aerodynamic. Hopefully, I can make a good stab at it. This is where I have got so far: There's two choices of version. A short-tail and a long-tail. This, if I recall, is the long-tail variant. There's an awfully long way to go with this one. Thanks for looking, Alan.

Last night, I completed Monograms lovely 1/72 F4B-4 as a Boeing Model 256 - the export model of the P-12 as used by the Brazilian Air Force in the 1930's. Decals were sourced from a MicroScale Texan sheet that cost more than the kit itself. Hopefully more F4B / P-12 and Brazilian Aircraft will both be on the way at some point in the future. It may only be me, but I think the FAB Roundels are rather attractive, especially on P-40s and A-20s. With a new desk to model on, progress on kits has been a little faster and I hope I will be able to upload more in the coming days.

I'm a bit late to the party here but I have been concentrating on finishing my builds for a couple of other GB's, now that they are safely out of the way I have a 2 week window before my next GB starts so I thought it was about time I joined in the fun here. I had originally planned on doing something else (a Spanish AH-1G) but seeing as how I talked my model club into building things along the theme of test aircraft I thought that I had better start building some myself and what better way than to combine it with the In The Navy GB and I remembered some excellent pictures taken and shared by one of our members ( @Old Viper Tester ) in the aircraft photography section of a USMC Harrier II being used at Edwards AFB for spin and stability control tests which had varying amounts of extra white and red paint on the wings and tail and looks fantastic, well it does to me anyway, so that is what I am going to build in it's later scheme from 1985, there is a link to the pictures below; As for what kit to use I decided to go with the old Monogram 1/48 kit. I built their AV-8A a few years ago and enjoyed it and it is a pretty good kit and accurate so I'm hoping for another enjoyable build here, we shall see. Here are the usual box and contents shots; I have made a very slight start but have only added a few small bits to the fuselage and put one coat of white on some parts so I think I am well below the 25% rule. I will be building her OOTB and using decals from the spares for the markings, not difficult as there are no visible unit markings. Hopefully I will be making a bit more of a start tomorrow. Thanks for looking in and as usual any comments, criticisms and advice are always welcome. Craig.

Hello to everyone, I've been thinking a lot and finally decided to start this new project, I am building the Revell / Monogram P-61 a true classic! the kit its dated 1974 The mold it's 46 years old! Alright, I will post here what I have done so far. I first started by riveting and full scribing the panel lines. I will leave the Revell mark molded under the horizontal stabilizer as a reminder of what kit this is Before and after of the wings I didn't relized how big this kit really is

Been on an epic journey with this - build thread is HERE . Many thanks to BM's Canberra Fan for the generous donation of the kit; also thanks to the many people who genuinely supported and encouraged me during the build process. Aircraft represented is a 90 Sqn machine polished up for the 1953 Coronation celebrations at RAF Odiham. Build notes: True Details replacement props, Eduard Brassin wheels, Eduard exterior etch set, Karaya metal gun barrels, Falcon vacform transparencies for the bubble windows. Painted with Alclad (various shades) and Mr Metal Color (Stainless and Chrome Silver) for the metalwork, and mostly Xtracrylix for the other colours. Also used metal foil (kitchen and Bare-Metal) for some of the details. Thanks for looking! Alan

Hi everybody; after a couple of propeller builds, here I am back to a jet, and in 1/72! A few words to introduce this project: almost one year ago, I started the build of a Hasegawa 1/72 F-4 J Phantom II, this one: It was my first serious venture in 1/72 scale, and was a lot of fun. I learnt a lot from all the people who followed that WIP, and one in particular is Gene K; former USAF F4 pilot, he has been very helpful both in terms of technical info on the AC and in terms of modelling tips. Long story short, we became friends an I offered him, as a sort of way to thank him for the great help and as a tribute to his career, to build a model of one of the F4-s he has actually flown. He suggested the subject of this build, and not only that: he has actually donated me the two kits I'll be using for this, plus a lot of extras. Basically, following Gene's guidance, I'm going to modify an F-4 J Hase kit to become an F-4C, with the addition of parts coming from the greatly detailed MONOGRAM kit and a few aftermarkets (and some scratch building, of course ). This thread is going to be co-hosted together with Gene, and we'll go into more details in the next few posts. For now, what I have is: a completely cleared workbench (that is something totally new for me ) the kits Hasegawa parts to be added/modified: Nose sensor Stabs Seamless intakes, Gene's patented method Monogram parts: Tanks, pilons, gunpod etc Speed brakes and arrest hook Cockpit (amazing detail for a 1/72 injected kit!!!) Pilots!! One half fuselage has already been "treated" by Gene prior to sending me the kits, as an example to follow. He has also noted indications on the kit plastic Aftermarkets: Specific decals Stencils; these have been donated by another friend, Silvano (Phantom61 here on BM) AC Profile and most important thing: Now Gene will go into more detail about the project and the aircraft. Enjoy! Ciao

In 1988, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 was still little known to the West. Monogram released its 1/48 kit of the type based on information that was available at the time. I recall comments that the size was off a bit, and of course, many details were just speculation I suppose. I’ve been a denizen of scale modeling message boards for many years and I don’t recall ever seeing one built and presented. Probably lot’s of good reasons for that. 😉 All it’s faults and shortcomings had prevented me taking pics of the model until the Wednesday trip to the airport. She accompanied other photovirgins for their day in the sun, in front of my camera. I had not been out there in three years and it took a while to get my mojo working (shout out to Muddy Waters there! 😎). The sun was really bright and glare in the viewfinder was a big issue. I prefer slightly overcast days out there but once committed, I was hell bent on getting some good pics. The model, so much larger than her two companions, the Howard Ike and the Komet, was hard to position. I did get a lot of photos and would have taken more to choose from but when turning the model for a new perspective, the SB main landing gear collapsed and also dislodged a missile pylon and part of the front gear too. Arrrgh. 😬 Well, that tore it; I packed up and came home where the MiG-29 was immediately restored. Can’t have her laying over that way! This model was built during that so productive period for me of the early 1990s to early 2000s. I wish I had documented start and completion dates for all those old builds but now I can just guess at the dates. My knowledge of weathering was pretty sketchy in those days but I did add some details. Actuator arms for the rear brakes between the engines and a drag chute cover were scratched out as well as a couple small scoops. I added some “imagineering” to the cockpit rear deck and few details inside. I also added a few antennae bits and pieces. And oh yeah, I detached the horizontal stabilizers and reattached them with pins that allow them to pivot up and down. I have no idea what colours I used, other than MM flat gull gray. Again, no build notes from those bygone days…😪 We are accustomed to having models that are usually quite accurate and then strive to make them more so. Here’s a look at what was available (to most of us) back in 1988 if you wanted a MiG-29 in 1/48 scale. I still think they are really beautiful aircraft, whether modeled or the actual plane, and regardless of accuracy issues, I like having mine in the display. So, here she is with all her warts and faults, trying to be photogenic at our little airport! Thanks for your interest and please feel free to comment!

Hi, As I should finish the last of my entries in the Nordic GB shortly, I will make a start on my "Electric Intruder" this week. To fill in whilst waiting for glue and paint to dry I have my Japanese cruiser Jintsu, but I thought I might put another "quick" build into the production queue as well. Having built the Grumman F8F Bearcat in the Frog GB and the F9F Panther together with an F2H Banshee in the "Year I Was Born", I still have half a bottle of Gloss Sea Blue left so I thought I would use it on this- The Tigercat, like the Bearcat, is one of those planes which just missed out on the war and were soon replaced by jets, and so is a plane I was vaguely aware of but knew very little about for many years. Apparently Monogram first released this kit in 1965, but this is the 1975 re-boxing according to Scalemates and is probably the same as the one I saw in a model shop in Chester not long afterwards (the 1973 boxing is the same except for the French bit ). I did not buy it then - as ever I wished I had, and I eventually got one second hand from an auction site about 20 years ago so it has been gathering dust in my stash since then. It is typical of its time, a bit crude and lacking internal detail so I might make a few "improvements". Over the years the parts have come off their sprues and a couple of small pieces are missing but they can be replaced. The decs are very yellow and are currently getting the "in the window" treatment, but with the present lack of sun that could take a long time. However they too can be replaced relatively easily should the need arise. Not sure when I will make a start on this but probably in the next couple of weeks. See you then. Pete

The next one from my archives, which by pure co-incidence, was completed on this date nine years ago (which is also when the pics were taken). It's Revell AG's rebox of the Monogram pre-1982 (E12 platform) 6 series - the Tamiya & Fujimi (sometimes also seen in a Testors boxing) 6 series is the later E28 platform version. Visually, the main difference is the design of the rear bumper. I suspect therefore that the tooling dates from no later than 1982. Unlike many of my model kits, this one was bought new in 2008 (along with a Revell AG's also current at the time rebox of Monogram's Ferrari 308 GTB but that's another story...) but it wasn't completed until 2011, at about the same time as the AMT Dodge Viper. It isn't as crisp or refined as the Tamiya or Fujimi (at the time, those were difficult to get hold of for sensible money unlike the Revell, but since building this, I have acquired both although I later sold the Fujimi as I don't like the 6 series that much to embark on as in depth a build as their Enthusiast kit, whereas the Tamiya is waiting to be built), but with care it still builds up well, and the result is a decent representation of a 6 Series. Revell included decals for the badging and instruments, which I think may not have been included in the earlier Monogram releases as these were all molded in. I ignored the instructions, and fitted the nose to the main shell at the start so they could be painted as one assembly, and so avoid a seam at the top of the kidney grilles. This turned out to have been a very wise decision, as it highlighted early on that the front of the chassis needed trimming to fit. If the nose had been fitted at the end, it would not have located properly on the body. The front subframe needed careful re-alignment to get the wheels properly centred in the arches, and I had to adjust the locating pins quite a bit to get the necessary movement. The suspension also wanted to sit too high, so that needed tweaking as well. Rather than try to modernise or update it, I decided to embrace the 1980s and build it as it would have been when new, so keeping the high profile tyres and the black boot spoiler.

Following on from the 1930 Packard, & whilst still fed up with that 1:16 Bugatti, I started another classic Monogram kit as I had really caught the modelling bug. However I also had quite a few half built models that I was working on at the same time so it wasn't completed until a couple of years (and one house move) later, in 2009. There were a few fit issues with the bonnet side trim, which needed sorting before painting, to ensure that the top and bottom halves aligned properly around the exhausts, and the rear valance which was supposed to be glued in place after the body was fitted to the chassis was cemented in place before the body was painted in order to avoid an unsightly seam where there shouldn't be one. As the rear bumper irons are sandwiched between the valance & the body, the irons were cut to enable the chassis to fit, and then the remaining sections glued in place when the rear bumper was installed. This mod worked really well: This was the first paint work that I was really pleased with (the Edsel in the background doesn't count as it was one of AMT's prepainted kits, which I bought to practise using BMF). & after polishing My only regret is that I didn't make the bonnet fully removable (instead, it is hinged as per the kit design) as it is difficult to see the engine detail once assembled There is also a hood, which fits well but I only have a rear view photo from when the model was half built & this poor indoor pic I thought that this one turned out quite nicely, as it was definately far better quality paintwork than anything I had built before but I still had a lot more to learn...

Yet another from the archives, this time a slightly unusual one. I chose this as the body didn't need painting (I have to spray outside & this was during winter) and I wanted a quick & easy build to make up for the 1:16 Bugatti which was driving me mad at the time (& is visible lurking part-built in the back of some of the pics). It is one of Monogram's Metal Master series, which I think was a '80s release, but the original kit is from their excellent 1920s & 30s car series which I think dates from the late 1960s. What should be bare plastic is silver / satin chrome plated, and what should be chrome is instead gold plated... I think they were intended to be built as exactly that, with no painting based on the info on the box and in the instructions but I don't think I've ever seen one built. However, I decided to treat it as though it was simply an over-restored motorshow / museum display car, and thus appropriate details were washed (e.g. the engine & grille) and painted as per the appropriate material (e.g. badging, tail lights, engine hoses & instruments), and which is also why the spare wheel covers and interior are a natural leather colour. Looking back, the latter could do with some more texture / depth, especially to the flooring. Anyhow, whilst the glitzy, Liberace style finish not to all tastes, it was a good mojo booster at the time. I was pretty impressed with the kit itself and as a result I soon ended up building another from this series although it was a normal version this time!

Another one of my novice builds from 2005 - this time a 1964 Pontiac GTO. Looking back, it's quite a basic kit with a tub interior (rather than seperate side panels) and exhaust molded with the back axle but I do remember it all fitted together well. The only problem I recall was that there were no positive location points or pins for the bumpers, so those needed very careful cementing to avoid damaging the paint on the body. Again, built completely box stock with just a rattle can for the body and brushed enamels for the rest, with sections of window frames cut out as per the instructions to turn it into the hardtop version. I chose this car as my grandfather had imported a new '64 GTO convertible and I'd seen pics of it in one of my father's photo albums, but I wasn't feeling brave enough to remove the roof! I still managed to mess up the headlights as I had yet to discover Clearfix at this point but for this one I had worked out how to wash the grille & wheels to make them look more realistic. If I had known about BMF or Molotow Chrome pens at the time, I would have used them instead of silver paint for the window trims & badging. This one has survived without damage aside from a couple of lost wheel spinners but needs a lot of careful cleaning as it is very dusty. A while back I picked up another one very cheaply to use as spares to replace the spinners and to redo the fogged headlights, but I may instead use it to make a replica of my grandfather's convertible, and leave this one as it is. Anyhow, my later work (& also photography...) does get better...

The Me-262 is, hand’s down, my all-time favorite aircraft. I really love them! In fact, when the “Stormbird Project” was building its replicas, I got in touch with them about volunteering. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_262_Project Unfortunately, the commute from central Texas to Seattle, Washington killed the deal. 😉 I built this Monogram Me-262 somewhere between 1992 and ’96 I’d guess. I really should’ve kept better build records back then. I knew very little about weathering and wear, and looking back now, my models from that era look more toy-like I guess. Because of that, I had never taken the Me-262 out for a proper photo session. So, a couple years ago, I decided to take her out to the airport, along with a Monogram F-15 in Israeli livery that had never been photographed either. Both the Me-262 and the F-15 photographed well out there, surprisingly. Nothing like a good background of hangars and skies to bring out their best I guess. This aircraft belonged to 2./KG (j)54, based at Giebelstadt in March of 1945. The paint is Model Master and Humbrol enamels, sprayed through my Paasche Model H. The red paint was from an ancient little tin that I bought when an old hardware store in Cameron was closing it's doors. Amazingly, the paint was still viable and worked great through the AB. I did make some belts and buckles for the pit as well. So, here’s a look at this old warbird. It’s best to go ahead and lower your expectations jes’ a lil’ bit before diving in though. Thanks for your interest and support! 😀

This is another older build, circa 1991-'92. It had never had a photograph made until the photo session with my Me-262 at the Cameron airport. It’s painted with Humbrol and Model Master enamels and built basically out of the box. I’d have to look through my decals box to say for sure where the Israeli markings came from. When I look at the model now, I see so many things I would do differently these days. But back then, I thought it turned out great. 😉 But as my meager skills progressed and improved somewhat, I didn’t feel it was even worthy of a photo session. Loading up for my last trip to the airport, I looked over the display cabinets and thought, “what the hell!?!” Although it was very old and from my pre-internet days, I’d take out the old F-15 Eagle and see how it looked in a “different” environment. All in all, I think she did okay. The passage of the years hasn’t been that unkind once she was photographed in her natural setting. "Natural"? Well, I guess Texas will have to pass for Israel in these pics.😉 Although it's been said a lot, Monogram's classic kits were a lot of bang for the buck "back in the day" and I think they still represent their real-life types quite well. That said, thank you for stopping in and taking a look at this old model. Please feel free to comment, good or bad! 😀

While I was waiting for the paint to dry on the Cessna 172P and Chengdu J-7G, I thought I'd start my next project. It's Monogram's venerable AH-1S kit but I'm modelling it as 76-22592, the AH-1P that is now at the Historical Aircraft restoration Society's annexe in Parkes, New South Wales. When I worked on it in Bankstown during the early 2000s, we were close to getting it running again. As the P differs from the S in a number of areas, I'm using the Cobra Company's AH-1G conversion for the Fujimi AH-1J as it has the turret, pylon and engine cowlings and exhaust I need for the P. I'm also using the seats as I like them better than the kit versions. Most of the cockpit is suitable enough for the AH-1P but I need another cyclic stick as I've lost the gunner's (yes, I do need to keep better track of the parts for my models!) I've got one at home but I won't be back there until early next month to get it. I'll probably need to scratchbuild some tail rotor pedals, too. It'll be finished in the scheme it's in now; US Army Helo Drab all over with the usual stencils.

So hopefully this is allowed (seems the twin-Mustangs are allowed judging by the comments in the chat thread)... It's going to be an 'out of the box' build, with the exception of some extra decals and I'm going to build the night-fighter version with the huge radar pod because I have a thing for odd looking birds (!?!) The history of the aircraft is very much a tale of 'necessity is the mother of invention', needing a long range escort fighter to keep up with the bombers the idea of strapping two Mustangs together seemed like solution (plus having two pilots allowed them to take shifts at the controls), though it was never completed in time for active service during WWII. The radar equipped version needed the radome pod to extend beyond the propellers to stop interference, hence the extra goofy looks. The F-82 was also the last piston driven fighter ordered into production by the USAF. Back to the kit... As can be seen it's of an old vintage, complete with raised panel lines, not too many pieces, some interesting moulded in part numbers and what looks to be some silk screening on the main wing section. There's some nice detail on the guns, which can be seen if you model the access panel open, though rather a lot of flash in places - like round the pilot and co-pilot! All the parts are supplied in a single poly bag, though the clear parts are in a separate internal bag. The supplied decals seem OK (for the age of the kit) but I really didn't fancy the large tail decals (too much chance of me mucking up) so bought some after-market ones (though they also have a similar option). The instructions are in typical style: 2 A3 sheets, printed in black and white, folding together, though very large scale, easy to follow instructions.

Hello everyone... A few months ago a fellow member gifted me an old Monogram 1/72 F8F Bearcat. I decided to build it as an F8F-2P stationed at Pensacola in 1949. It was part of the NATTU or Naval aviation Technical Training Unit. To make the plane accurate the tail had to be raised 3.5 mm, as the kits tail lies somewhere in between a -1 & a -2. Its not the 1st time I've ever done work like this but its good to keep my skills in practice. This model is the 1st time i ever painted day-glo or International red color on a model. I am here to present my finished product. I do hope it meets with your approval ? The real aircraft was serial #121714. The aircraft still exists and flys regularly in the U.K.. For those of you interested here is a link to the WIP log. Questions, comments, thoughts, or good stories. Dennis

The model is the Monogram 1/48 Dassault Mirage 2000, the instructions are dated 1986. I built the kit somewhere between ’93 and ’95. It was years later that I finally took some photos of the model. When it was built way back then, I had very little experience with weathering and wear on aircraft and most attempts were not that good. As my meager skills in that part of the art grew, I felt better about newer builds and sort of looked down on my old efforts. After I started using digital cameras to record my planes, some older builds never got any consideration. I realized that was a bit unfair to those older builds and then saw them as "documentation" of my modeling abilities at that moment. They were then taken out to the airport for their turn before the lens. The paint was Model Master camouflage gray and a custom-mixed blue (tried to match a blue I’d seen in pics somewhere), both enamels, done back then with my Paasche H and an ancient, pulsing ol’ compressor that made an horrendous noise. Originally it carried two Exocets but I robbed one for my CSAF Mirage F-1 and used the kit-supplied drop tank in it’s place. I did add some gee-gaws to the cockpit that look okay still. I notice a bit of silvering, and some discoloration around a few decals. That’s happened in the last 10 or 12 years, but hey, they were laid down a long time ago. 😉 All in all, she turned out better in pics than in person. I think she’s passed the test of time pretty well and looks okay in the airport setting, posed in front of new hangars out there. Thanks to all for stopping by and taking a look at the model. Please feel free to leave comments if you'd like! Gary

An older build that finally made it out to the airport. This is the 1/48 Monogram Panther, painted with ModelMaster gloss dark blue. I would’ve liked to take more pics but I was afraid the gusty wind might take her airborne any minute. 😉 (there's that wind again!😁) This kit has a lot of nice detail, especially the cockpit. The framing on the windscreen was way too big so I sanded it all off and masked it with tape to get the more correct size frame. I read about the canopy frame issue in FSM years ago. I was really hesitant to sand them off but I jumped in and gave it a try. Believe me, I was worried that it would never look right again. But my ol’ dad used to say, “Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then.” And I did find that acorn! Whew, a lot of polishing saved the day! It’s been a long time since the kit was built, but I don’t recall any particular fit issues. I approached the canopy frame issue with great trepidation, but it turned out okay. As I said earlier, the cockpit has some nice detail and features, but one does find that in many Monogram kits of this vintage. I am going to replace the cannon barrels with hypodermic tubing as one of the kit barrels has fallen back into the fuselage since these pics were made. 🤦‍♂️ The metal parts will look better anyway. The decals are a mix of aftermarket and kit markings. Please excuse the crooked canopy in one of the overhead shots. I left it unattached so I could pose it either opened or closed and I didn’t notice that it was askew before I took the pic. Thanks for checking out my old Panther and thanks for the likes and comments!😀

Hello all... heres my entry for the build. Accurate miniatures F-4C/D which is the old Monogram plastic re-boxed. Im not sure if i will do a Line bird from Vietnam, not sure which unit this belonged to. From what i know its of an early plane repainted in theater, which chipped and flaked badly. From a query in Aviation. "The Phantom is the Mig Killer flown by Capt Swender and 1 Lt 480 TFS, 35 TFW based in Korat Thailand in July 1966." My other option is Illinois or Michigan A.N.G. markings ? But here are the obligatory sprue photos. This hasn't ben unbagged yet so I'm pretty sure it meets the 25% or less mark. Separate bags for canopies and resin ECM pod. And finally the kit decals which include an option for one of "Yeagers" birds, so that also may become an option. Questions, comments, or thoughts ? Dennis