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OK its got 2 engines, some bones on it and rhymes with 'Bantam'... MDD F-4B in 1/48th scale


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Jonners

Does the fruitbowl go in the rear cockpit ??? if so is it a good fit ??? and exactly where does it go therein ???

Please advise

Cheers

I hope that young Jonners will excuse my interruption, but I have to say* that Academy really "didn't do a very good job"** on this one.

The Fruit Bowl was a later enhancement, only seen on slatted Es from 25th September 1973. In any case, the blue/white motif was never used on production versions and the idiot designer has completely ballsed up the gentle ogival curve on the anterior surface. Why oh why can't kit manufacturers get these simple details right? I despair. And if anyone says that it looks like a fruit bowl to them and they will fit it because "it just looks cool", I shall be round directly and administer a stuffing with the rough end of a ragman's trumpet. See if I don't.

*A meaningless statement. No one is actually forcing me to speak or more accurately, write this comment.

**I picked up the original phrase on the interweb and I now pepper many of my highly informative and well-informed forum posts with it. Sadly the Britmodeller meddling software has converted the original into this innocuous statement. In truth, I had no idea at all as to the original phrase's meaning, So this helps greatly. May I say, though, that it looks like a pooch that has been threaded and tightened to me and also "sounds cool"......

Edited by Rowan Broadbent
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Actually Rowan's almost right. Project Fruit Bowl was an early attempt to improve aircrew stamina by providing IFNE ( In Flight Nutritional Enhancement) first devised in 1971, and deployed by the USN in late 72. However problems with ARVD (Altitude Related Vittel Degradation) led to its abandonment after only 12 operational sorties.

It was also found that the location of the NCU (Nutrition Carriage Unit), next to the emergency stores jettison handle, resulted in somewhat shorter sorties than the system had been devised to augment!!

It is rumoured however that the system was taken up and improved on RN phantoms under the code name Gordon's using slightly different foodstuffs.....

Now I'm going to open window and let the paint thinner fumes clear :)

Jonners

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Nice work, I'm taking notes for mine, currently sitting in the stash.

Glad you rescued the stabs.

Apart from decals, are there parts enough in the box to make any other versions (F-4N?). I'm not genned up on Phantom versions....

Matt

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Hi Matt, glad its proving of use.

Yes you can build an F-4N from the box, as its the only only other thin main-wheeled/ winged fighter version of the F-4. Once Academy release their F-4C/D boxing - and assuming all the same bits are in that box - you'll be able to do C/D/J & S from that boxing, with suitable decals.

More pics to come - as today was spent doing missiles and the metal bits of the rear fuselage....

cheers

Jonners

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Reet then, with the Mr surfacer nicely hardened off and rubbed down, Ve can starrt ze painting....

First up a little pre-shading using a mix of Tamiya desert yellow and Nato black:

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Then a mix of Tamiya flat & gloss white & Mr Colour Levelling thinner is applied for the, erm, well, white :)

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This is all now basking outside in the sunshine to harden off.

I've spotted a couple of seams that need to be tasken care off ( fortunately where the Light Gull Gray will go) so once these are dealt with , its a masking time and then yellow for the fin & wing tips.

Sunshine, airbrush out, England vs Australia on the radio. It doesn't get much better than this..... :)

Jonners

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This is all rather silly, but in the midst of it all there seems to be a nice build emerging! Am I the only one who thinks the odd-coloured plastic (fuselage/wing top) looks like the F-4J(UK)? (that's based on the photos a page back)

bob

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This is all rather silly, but in the midst of it all there seems to be a nice build emerging! Am I the only one who thinks the odd-coloured plastic (fuselage/wing top) looks like the F-4J(UK)? (that's based on the photos a page back)

bob

Hi Bob - it might be the way the light pings of the grey [plastic - as it s less green in reality, but I see what you are getting at!!

Blimey Jonners your Mrs must be a saint the amount of overspray on the garden table is shocking !

LOL - thats my crap attempt at drybrushing the table to make it look aged... though it does now resemble mottled RLM 76!! ( Not the effect Farrow & Ball imagined I'm sure)

Jonners

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just in case you think I've been kidnapped by aliens....

Gunze Light Gull gray is now on the top of the model ( Mr self levelling thinners - wow what a revelation) but as it's a gloss paint it taking the usual amount of time for Gunze paints to properly cure; so was sprayed sunday, and is this evening hard enough to handle without real fear of finger marks.

If I can avoid drinking too much wine tonight, I'll post pics :)

Cheers

Jonnersvignon blanc

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Evening all!! right now the paint/varnish interaction problem has been sorted - heres some quick pix before the decalling begins. Please note the Gunze Light Gull Gray seems to change its perceived hue depending on what light you view it in. I assure you its not quite as warm as this!

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Burner cans pretty much done too now

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Natural metal aft area fits OK but not as well as I expected. But its OK fit wise.

NB the yellow fin tip is decal touched in with paint.

Now its time for a mammoth decal-athon - stencils first.

Cheers

Jonners

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HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!!

OK - started decalling - and on a whim thought I'd see how the Double Ugly sheet's skull & cross bones early tail flash fitted to the Academy fin ( thats the scrolling flag type flash on the black wavy background).

It doesnt. Not at all

Either the decal is about 15% - 20% too large , or Academy's fin is a LOT smaller than the Hasegawa model the decals are designed for ( I was expecting a small amount of discrepancy, but NOT THIS MUCH)

This has thrown a major spanner in the works: I've always loved the early VF-84 marking on the fin - it was the main reason for doing the model.

So now I am a bit stuck, and TBH my enthusiasm is just evaporating rapidly unless I can work out how to solve this. The only solution I can think of is to get either the new superscale sheet or the Monokio one.

Work suspended while I ponder what to do.

Jonners- generally feeling a bit effed off. ( actually totally effed off and very close to doing a cat launch into the bin with the whole thing, but I've spent out on this model so thats no way out)

Sheesh.

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Well, while I wait for a reply from Double Ugly/ Air Doc ( 3 days now, 2 emails. I bet they'd reply if I wanted to buy something...not terribly impressive customer service I have to say) I've been applying the other decals - well when I say decals I mean mostly stencils - as there are a lot.

But without that big wavy on flag on the tail it just dont look right.... :(

Jonners, pondering how hard it is to reply to an email

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Hussar!! Double Ugly came through. I was perhaps a little hard on them above, so my apologies to them ( blame it on eagerness). With luck some new tail decals will be winging their way through the post.

meanwhile stencilling continues - its a truly Augean task! But I have painted the stabs now. So any one in the mood for a pic?

Jonners

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meanwhile stencilling continues - its a truly Augean task! But I have painted the stabs now. So any one in the mood for a pic?

Jonners

Any pics of the Phantom will do.

The Academy decal guide looks like the mystery of the universe with all the lines and arrows!

Sean

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