Phantom FG.1 aka F-4K 1/48

[mess]

Hey all,

I've started RN Phantom build few months ago. I thought hasegawa will be quite shake'n'bake, even with added resins (cockpit, wbays, nozzles, slats, wheels, dmold intakes) and I was wrong. Engraving needed to be reworked, almost all rivet job had to be puttied and redone etc. Aires cockpit sideconsoles were too long, aires nozzles were almost 3mm smaller in diameter, wolfpack slats were one of the worst sets I've used ever, DMold intakes had useless splitters (bublles, scratches) - it will be simplier to add some details to kit ones.

Phantom is now in black surfacer waiting for gathering energy enough to continue. I have dry transfers from HobbyDecals.

M.

Edited August 4, 2014 by mess

[Grizzly]

Hey all,

I've started RN Phantom build few months ago. I thought hasegawa will be quite shake'n'bake, even with added resins (cockpit, wbays, nozzles, slats, wheels, dmold intakes) and I was wrong. Engraving needed to be reworked, almost all rivet job had to be puttied and redone etc. Aires cockpit sideconsoles were too long, aires nozzles were almost 3mm smaller in diameter, wolfpack slats were one of the worst sets I've used ever, DMold intakes had useless splitters (bublles, scratches) - it will be simplier to add some details to kit ones.

Phantom is now in black surfacer waiting for gathering energy enough to continue. I have dry transfers from HobbyDecals.

M.

Stick with it I am just putting the decals on mine looking good ,the resparyed one at Yeovilton was a great surprised.

[exdraken]

very nice start!

a pity hearing of your problems! though!

looking good!

[eng]

That looks like it's going to be a show stopper!! Very nice indeed, the cockpit and intakes are superb. Little bit of me hoped for a 111 Sqn jet

Keep up the good work

Rgds

Eng

[Duncan B]

Very nice work so far.

Duncan B

[Tiger331]

Nice work but I think you have had some bad luck with the AM sets you have used. I am in the middle of my own FGR.2 project and must say the DM Mold intakes/splitters have been excellent….far superior to the Cutting Edge sets that I also have….no signs of any of the surface problems you have encountered. Likewise, the Wolfpack flying control surfaces set fitted like a dream. I could not agree more about the Aires stuff though……...typical over-hyped stuff from this Czech company…….I have yet to use an Aires set that actually fits the kit it is intended for…I have two other stalled projects, a Hasegawa A-4 Skyhawk and F-104 Starfighter…..utilised Aires products for both and nothing fits even though the container clearly states "Recommended Kit: Hasegawa" !!. I now have another F-104 on the go using a Cutting Edge cockpit set which fits like a dream. I seem to recall that Aires response some years ago to the charge of ill fitting sets was "we design them to be a 100% accurate replica of the real thing (in terms of internal dimensions) unlike our competitors who design their accessories to fit the model thereby rendering the AM set inaccurate"…….talk about smoke and mirrors.

Good luck - I will be monitoring this closely

[mess]

Thanks for comments!

... Likewise, the Wolfpack flying control surfaces set fitted like a dream....

I dislike construction of inner slats - I fitted them to wing, puttied completely and redone the inner part (the one which is hidden while slats are retracted). Outer part was too short and completely wrong on outer edge - there are two lines on it - one is parallel with plane axis (wolfpack used to divide) and one is perpendicular to leading edge (which has to be used - correct me, if I'm wrong please).

This part was too short and engraving too poor, it was simplier to modify removed wing part. I have to say, that WP control surfaces set fixes one of (many) kit errors - there's no fix wing part between inner flap and fuselage in kit.

And small note - AFAIK Phantom doesn't have ailerons on outer wing parts in real(again, correct me, if I'm wrong ). Not in Hasegawa interpretation, there's hinge too

M.

[Roof Rat]

Hello mess

I hope these will be of some help

Good luck with your build.

RR

[JeffreyK]

The dividing line between the inboard (fixed) and outboard LE flap on the fixed wing portion isn't a straight line. While for the most part it is parallel with the longitudinal axis, when approaching the hinge the line kinks inboard, perpendicular to the hinge.

http://www.angelfire.com/dc/jinxx1/Phantoms/F4NLEflaps2.jpg

On the Hasegawa kit the lines are also doubled up in this area - the long line should stop where it kinks to the 90° line. Wolfpack have probably used a cut-up Hasegawa wing for their pattern and hence carried over the error. The problem of too short LE flaps has cropped up before, I think Wolfpack at one time used resin with and extraordinary shrink rate which caused lots of problems. They were aware of the issue and have changed their resin. I haven't seen reports of fit problems recently.

Jeffrey

[mess]

Thanks, guys!

My current slat configuration. Are there any mistakes?

Sorry for low quality photos

BR,

M.

[JeffreyK]

I think that looks about right, nice work! The LE flaps (not slats) hinged at the bottom (piano hinge type) with thin curved sheet metal covering the gap that is revealed when the flaps drop. Inside is a duct for the BLC control system which blows compressed through thin gaps between in those covers, over the wings. If anything, then you may try to insert a very thin (and perhaps slightly rounded in profile) strip of plastic into the gap at the top to reduce the step a little. I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think this bit is not normally painted, i.e. natural metal.

[mess]

Small update.

M.

[Bobski]

I seem to recall that Aires response some years ago to the charge of ill fitting sets was "we design them to be a 100% accurate replica of the real thing (in terms of internal dimensions) unlike our competitors who design their accessories to fit the model thereby rendering the AM set inaccurate"…….talk about smoke and mirrors.

If that's true then it would certainly explain why their aftermarket stuff never fits. Design it to the model, that way it will actually be of some use! I destroyed a Hasegawa FGR.2 trying to shoe-horn their resin cockpit into it. Their 1/32 Eurofighter exhausts are the same. "Designed for the Revell kit" they say. If they were they would slot in without having to remove most of the plastic in the rear fuselage! The only Aires set I've had any success with is their F-15C cockpit, and even then it's only because I left off the sidewalls and spent hours sanding it to get it to fit!

The F-4 is looking good, and I like the way it looks with the flaps and slats down. Looking forward to seeing more progress.

[Duncan B]

The BLC ducts which are uncovered as the slats open were left unpainted as stated above so you should have a stainless steel coloured line between the top of the slats and the wing.

Duncan B

[mess]

Thanks for suggestion, Duncan, just quick question - the rest of inner surfaces should be red?

No photos now, just masking those metal areas above After that I'm going to paint the red-white stuff on vertical stabilizer, insignias and red-white-blue stripes on nose.

Thanks to all for viewing and posting.

M.

[Duncan B]

The inside ends (edges?) of the flaps were painted red as were the inside of the aux air doors and the inside of the speed brakes and rams. I can't remember if the inside ends of the slats were painted red too but as all the other stuff was I'd say they probably were too. The outside end of the fixed part might not have been painted red though.

Duncan B

[mess]

Thanks!

Martin

[mess]

Some progress - red, white and blue done and masked.

Now I have to mask radome, some other black details and ESDG could be applied

M.

[mess]

Started camo.

M.

[exdraken]

very nice progress!

like it a lot!

[mess]

Thanks. Some progress. Grey finished, I removed some masks to ensure that nothing unexpected happened to red-white-blue stuff. Some small fixes will have to be done.

Next time I'll mask white bottom.

M.

[Paramedic]

Looking real good! Nice job!

Got my first 48th scale Brit Phantom but think I am gonna do the first OOB...

[pacificmustang]

. I seem to recall that Aires response some years ago to the charge of ill fitting sets was "we design them to be a 100% accurate replica of the real thing (in terms of internal dimensions) unlike our competitors who design their accessories to fit the model thereby rendering the AM set inaccurate"…….talk about smoke and mirrors.

really? I wonder what there excuse is then, for their horrible set for the trumpeter sea fury which just perpetuates the inaccuracies of the kit cockpit

sorry for the hijack, beautiful build and paintwork Mess

[David H]

Looks very cool. Built the kit eons ago. i enjoyed it.

david

[HL-10]

Just love British Phantoms, especially the Royal Navy ones.

Great work, looking forward to seeing it finished