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DONE! Dermot's Airfix F-4B VF-21 Mig Killer USS Midway 1965


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Hi everyone,

I'm in with this old relic, also pulled deep from the stash. I think I bought it in a fit of nostalgia and never considered building it...until now and will be my first Phantom!

Kits067.jpg

Markings will be from Afterburner decals for one of the first Mig kills from Vietnam. Will give it a little bit of a attention and just have some fun with it.

Really looking forward to this GB!

All the best,
Dermot

Edited by Dermo245
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Welcome along Dermot, it's nice to see these old kits seeing the light of day.

will be my first Phantom!

It's just as well this build has come around then, every modeller should have at least one Phantom lurking on the shelves...

Sean

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Thanks everyone and looking forward to it!

For it's time, this kit has soooo many options - you could build and decal a Navy F-4B or J, or an Air Force F-4C or D, or an Israeli E-model. Drop tanks, bombs, missiles, gun pods, the lot! Of course I don't know how accurate any of those would be but c'mon....when you were a kid buying kits, that was a bit special, right?

So here's what's inside the box, all 86 pieces. And apologies in advance for any blurry photos - didn't think it would be so hard to photograph white plastic.

Airfix_F4_Phantom_contents_zpsvdaa26o0.j

Looks like a Phantom!

Airfix_F4_Phantom_fuselage_zpspqqqsriv.j

Hmmm....isn't that cockpit framing meant to have a window in it?

Airfix_F4_Phantom_fuselage_close_zpsntoj

So out with the mini-drill...

Airfix_F4_Phantom_cockpit_frame_before_z

And then some trimming....yep...much happier with that!

Airfix_F4_Phantom_cockpit_frame_after_zp

Cheers for now Phantom phans....

Dermot

Edited by Dermo245
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Apart from the seats and the joystick, this is the cockpit...ahh, those were simpler times!

(the struts taped to the fuselage side are spacers for inside the fuselage halves to keep them rigid and cut down on the wing root gap)

Airfix_F4_Phantom_cockpit_zpshrzmphez.jp

Hope to try and spruce things up with this set...if I can make them fit..

IMG_3035_zpspudfdmrs.jpg

Cheers,

Dermot

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  • 2 weeks later...

So here's the latest on this!

The cockpit was always going to get a bit of attention on this one so started with the seats...

Airfix_F4_Phantom_seats_before_zpsnxz5ds

I drilled out a notch in the front (for the ejection handle) and added some plastic card to give them a bit more depth...not 100% accurate but good enough for my abilities..kinda hard to see with all that white plastic!

Airfix_F4_Phantom_seats_after_zpssqjtra0

The kit cockpit was just a floor...

Airfix_F4_Phantom_cockpit_zpshrzmphez.jp

So built up some side consoles front and back with plastic card and bits of plastic beam. I've measured these against the Eduard F-4 etch bits I have to make sure they fit!

Airfix_F4_Phantom_cockpit_1_zpschfwlvl8.

And then with the seats added, some bulkheads and instrument panels, again all from plastic card.

Airfix_F4_Phantom_cockpit_2_zpsah0bbiry.

And blu-tacked into the cockpit for a look. Still needs some fettling but happy with it!

Airfix_F4_Phantom_cockpit_3_zpsk7undc01.

Airfix_F4_Phantom_cockpit_4_zpsxkwjsnky.

I'm really happy that it's going to make the cockpit look a bit busier and have some etch bits for the seats too.

All the best!
Dermot

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Oh the nostalgia!!

I built three versions of this kit when in secondary school, the B, D and E. i wish I'd done half as good a job on the cockpits as you've done, but for me then a coat of Airfix M6 Black sufficed.

The kit's only really suitable (for us rivet counters) as a B as it doesn't have the deepened wing roots to accommodate the wider wheels of all later Phantoms apart from the N, which was a remanufactured B.

US Navy Phantoms (and the Ks and Ms) didn't have a starboard side console in the navigator's cockpit as the IFR probe lives in the fuselage side just above where it would be. There's just a vertical wall from canopy sill to floor IIRC. I think there are pictures somewhere on the site that show this, but I haven't managed to find them yet.

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US Navy Phantoms (and the Ks and Ms) didn't have a starboard side console in the navigator's cockpit as the IFR probe lives in the fuselage side just above where it would be. There's just a vertical wall from canopy sill to floor IIRC. I think there are pictures somewhere on the site that show this, but I haven't managed to find them yet.

I concur with you on the starboard console being vertical: mostly overlooked by manufacturers and modellers alike. But once the cockpit is enclosed....

Having said that I have been scouring the net for a photo of the blasted back seater starboard console for yonks, to no avail. There are photos of every parts of the plane, bar that console!

If you know where to find a decent pix of that section on the net, please let me know!!!

Cheers

JR

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Thanks everyone and I've learned about the starboard console now! Think I'll leave as is but will know for the future.

Tonight, trying to use photoetch for the first time.

The Airfix seats before...having already had some cutting, drilling & plastic to give them some more relief...

Airfix_F4_Phantom_seats_after_zpssqjtra0

And after...the etch is meant for a Hasegawa seat so a bit oversized for this onet. But I'm happy how it turned out and will make the cockpit look much busier.

Airfix_F4_Phantom_seat_zpsjjqmlhnd.jpg

Cheers,

Dermot

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That back seat console was vertical to make room in the forward fuselage for the Navy style retractable refueling probe. It wasn't there on Air Force Phantoms because they had a fuselage top receptacle for the flying boom refueling system favored by the USAF, leaving room for a more normal console.

Built the Airfix Phantom back in the day when it was new. Found it to be a good kit by the standards of the day. Great to se one still around

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So one last look at that cockpit before it get (mostly) hidden..

Airfix_F4_Phantom_cockpit_final_zps6oki3

Please go easy and I know it's not 100% accurate...trying to get the homemade cockpit sides to match up was a bit of a pain..

Some sprue spacers to give the main fuselage some more support..

Airfix_F4_Phantom_Fuse_zpsrj4utu6j.jpg

Starting to look like a Phantom...

Airfix_F4_Phantom_build_zps1p3hqkuk.jpg

And as she was tonight. I don't know if F4's need nose weight but I threw some in there anyway. The nose fit was fairly poor to be honest and that, along with some hefty sink marks around the fuselage will need some filler.

Airfix_F4_Phantom_build2_zps1w5glz1j.jpg

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Dermot

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You did a sterling job on the cockpit. I've never done a scratch built cockpit on an old kit like this but I can imagine it gave you a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction.

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You did a sterling job on the cockpit. I've never done a scratch built cockpit on an old kit like this but I can imagine it gave you a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction.

Cheers Rob. It's a bit rough & ready in places but happy how it turned out!

Great work on that cockpit Dermot.

Hard to believe this is the old Airfix kit, can't wait to see the finished result.

Craig.

Thanks Craig - I think getting an unexpected result from an old kit is always a bonus. I built the Airfix F-14 Tomcat last year and was really surprised how well it turned out - a bit basic in places but looks good on the shelf!

great stuff on the Pit, puts Black Mike to shame!

Too harsh Tim - Black Mike looks the business!

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

The Airfix Phantom was originally boxed just as a "B", I remember looking at the box art in Woolworths and being mightily impressed:

http://oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=27702&erl=Airfix-1-72-F-4B-Phantom-II-VF-74-388

The new noses and other bits, terrific Israeli F-4E artwork and a hike up to Series 4 came in the early 1970s:

http://www.vintage-airfix.com/images/Type%203%20MD%20F-4%20Phantom.jpg

I'm slightly surprised to see the E in a Type 3 box, I thought it came out a bit later than that.

John

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So tried to fix the nasty seam on the intakes...sanded back, filled and painted again...

Airfix_Phantom_F4_paint_2_zps9xr5tag5.jp

The daylight in this pic really shows how gnarly it still is....but have decided to go with it and gloss in preparation for decals!

Airfix_Phantom_F4_paint3_zpsa0kmjiso.jpg

Thanks for looking!

Dermot

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So started on decals for this.

These are a mix of the kit's own (which came back to life after a couple of weeks in a sunny window) and aftermarket for things like the squadron/carrier details.

Airfi_F4_Phantom_Decals_1_zpsrom2b9kk.jp

Still a bit of a seam on the forward intake but I'm not losing sleep over it!

Cheers,

Dermot

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