Rhino Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Hello Phantom Phans. This WIP is for the forthcoming Brigade Models conversion set for Academys F-4B into the prototype F4H-1. I have obtained from Kevin a pre production test shot of the mouldings as seen at SMW this year. This does not include canopies or decals as they are not ready yet. Availability of the set should be March next year. Kevin has agreed to add a second seat so later small radome aircraft can be built. Any changes for this will be up to the modeller, as the main purpose here is for a first flight aircraft. Also, there are no instructions (I suspect I may be writing them now). Onto what you will get. This first picture shows what you get. This first pic shows the parts, except for canopy, decals, and the pitot probe, which I do have. This pic shows where to cut on the wings (for the perforated airbrakes) and the fuselage. Close up of the wing where the airbrake goes. Note that either the wing can be cut, or alternatively, the resin part could be used as a master to drill your own holes in the wing. Here is a close up of the fuselage cut point. And the cut made. Another part that needs cutting is the forward under fuselage (part F40) The resin intakes and the kit trunking is being joined. Some fettling may be required for a perfect fit. Airbrakes being sorted. Airbrakes fitted. Note that the gap is my fault, not the kits (my cutting skills still need work). First look at the front fuselage. The black parts are kit parts. They mate to the resin perfectly. That is all for this introductory part. Ted 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 I'll just sit quietly at the back and take notes of you don't mind. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Yes Taking a Seat note pad in hand. With beverage at the ready 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 Welcome all BTW, if anyone has pictures of the rear cockpit of the prototype it would be very useful.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Watching this with much interest as i've wanted to do one of these for quite a while Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basket Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 On 18/11/2017 at 5:50 PM, Biggles87 said: I'll just sit quietly at the back and take notes of you don't mind. John Same for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Brown Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Hi All, I just discovered this thread and I'm waiting excitedly for this conversion! One thing I don't see in the photo of the parts is the fairing aft of the tail hook that was on the first flight jet. There is a good drawing and photo of it on Tommy Thomason's Tailhook Topics blog HERE, about 1/4 the way down the page. Will we be on our own for a nose probe (easy to do, I'm just lazy )? Have you heard any news about price? Thanks, Ben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 3 minutes ago, Ben Brown said: Hi All, I just discovered this thread and I'm waiting excitedly for this conversion! One thing I don't see in the photo of the parts is the fairing aft of the tail hook that was on the first flight jet. There is a good drawing and photo of it on Tommy Thomason's Tailhook Topics blog HERE, about 1/4 the way down the page. Will we be on our own for a nose probe (easy to do, I'm just lazy )? Have you heard any news about price? Thanks, Ben Ben. the fairing is not included, though the nose probe is. The fairing should be easy to sort with milliput, I will be trying it out soon. As for price, I'm not sure but somehere around £35 is probable. You will need to speak to Kevin at Brigade models. He will also be offering an option with an Academy F-4B as well. I will be doing another update soon as well. I have the basic paint job done now. Ted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ossington 2 Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I thought that early aircraft didn't have Martin Baker Mk 5's but McDonnells own design. Stanley (?) seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 42 minutes ago, Ossington said: I thought that early aircraft didn't have Martin Baker Mk 5's but McDonnells own design. Stanley (?) seats. The prototypes and a few of the F-4A's had the McDonnell seat as included in the kit, then the MB 5 came in later. I'm not exactly sure which airframe was first fitted with the MB seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 Progress on this one has been a bit slow due to other commitments but here as promised is the next instalment in the prototype Phantom (just in time for it's 60th anniversary). This shows the completed cockpit (minus seat) installed in the fuselage. The Academy parts were used for panels in the front, while I left the rear panel devoid of instrumentation. I've started assembling the fuselage here, with the internal details being added. Here I am putting thge fuselage upper half on, and attempting to mate the Brigade Models parts to the rest. The cut I made on the fuselage was not accurate, but is easily sorted. In this case it is probably easier to leave a gap to fill later, but I'm sure everone building the kit will have their own ideas. The Brigade Models arrestor hook is shown here. Later it was to drop off, and still needs refitting. Here is the Mcdonnell seat shown with a Martin Baker Mk 7 seat for comparison. The kit will include 2 seats for those wishing to do the prototype later in life, or a later airframe, though extra work will be needed for that option. This shot shows the seat installed, but I then took it out again to avoid damaging it. Here I have removed the lower pitot tube as it was not fitted until later in the program. Here I have painted the grey and white parts of the fuselage. One thing missing from the conversion is an additional fairing behind the arrestor hook. First is the standard look to the area, the rest of the shots show the fairing in whit milliput. Next is the undercarriage legs being added. Straightforward enough, exactly as per Academy standard. Thats as far as I have got so far. Ted 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 looking good! great progress and looks promising! the Phantom prototypes with their short nose look so much like the Demon, or just like a 50ies jet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tailspin Turtle Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 On 1/25/2018 at 2:21 PM, Rhino said: The prototypes and a few of the F-4A's had the McDonnell seat as included in the kit, then the MB 5 came in later. I'm not exactly sure which airframe was first fitted with the MB seat. The 12th F4H, BuNo 145311, which first flew in February 1960, was the first to have the Martin-Baker seat installed on the production line. However, 142260 (ship #2), 145307 (the second Sageburner), and 145309 are known to have been retrofitted with M-B seats. There may have been others. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gondor44 Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 What scale is this? Gondor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Bunker Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 I'm guessing the scale is 1/48 though it would be nice to have this confirmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christer A Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 (edited) This should be the 1/48 kit, since the parts are exactly the same as in my recently started F-4C. @Rhino, how did you attack the landing gear att that stage? The instructions would like you to so that before fixing the top wing in place. It's a cracking job so far! Edited January 29, 2018 by Christer A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 8 hours ago, Tailspin Turtle said: The 12th F4H, BuNo 145311, which first flew in February 1960, was the first to have the Martin-Baker seat installed on the production line. However, 142260 (ship #2), 145307 (the second Sageburner), and 145309 are known to have been retrofitted with M-B seats. There may have been others. Thanks for all your help and info, the early Phantoms are a nightmare to keep up with. Can't wait to see your book. Ted 7 hours ago, Gondor44 said: What scale is this? Gondor It is 1/48th, and designed specifically for the Academy kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 I've had a decal sheet with F4H-1 markings for many years ( probably unusable by now ) but I think they might be 1/72. I've often considered getting an Academy Phantom, and this might just push me over the edge. Good job so far. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Brown Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 On 1/25/2018 at 1:30 PM, Rhino said: Ben. the fairing is not included, though the nose probe is. The fairing should be easy to sort with milliput, I will be trying it out soon. As for price, I'm not sure but somehere around £35 is probable. You will need to speak to Kevin at Brigade models. He will also be offering an option with an Academy F-4B as well. I will be doing another update soon as well. I have the basic paint job done now. Ted Hi Ted, Thanks for the info! I might have to add this one to my "to do" list. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismac60 Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Hi I was asked by Brigade Models to build this 1/48 resin conversion and leave it unpainted so everyone can see what I did. Here are the photo's of the finished model, minus canopy. The aircraft is as it was on the very first flight, so no rear seat or fittings. A nice straight forward conversion. Rear hook fairing to follow. Chris 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tailspin Turtle Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 A few notes. The first 47 F4Hs did not have vents on the bottom of the inlet ducts; the unwanted air was dumped out between the inlet and the fuselage through holes in the first variable ramp. The tailhook on the first few/several F4Hs was flat on the bottom immediately aft of its attachment point. See http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2011/05/early-phantom-iis-redux.html The first few F4Hs did not have the stabilator with the cambered leading edge. See http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2009/11/early-phantom-iis.html and http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2011/09/f-4-flapstabilizer-change.html I don't know much about the rear cockpit on the first flight other than an ejection seat was not installed. My guess is that the basic structure was there, certainly the circuit breaker panels. One detail was that the aft bulkhead of the rear cockpit was vertical, not canted, since it was originally a compartment full of aircraft systems components and the ammo drums for the AH's cannon. The rails for the ejection seat were attached to the floor and the top of the bulkhead like a ladder leaning against a wall. For some reason, the first-flight F4H's first variable ramp did not have all those holes for boundary-layer air removal. Also see: http://tailhooktopics.blogspot.com/2013/02/f4h-1-flush-canopy.html http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2013/03/f4h-f-4-phantom-index.html http://tailhooktopics.blogspot.com/2012/12/early-f4h-rat.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Brown Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Thanks for the additional info, Tommy! Perhaps Brigade can include a set of stabs, too. Here are some good profile drawings of the evolution of the intakes: The Phantom Phacts blog (A little off topic for this thread, but he also has some great info about the differences between the Phantom FG.1 and FGR.2) Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tailspin Turtle Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 4 hours ago, Ben Brown said: Thanks for the additional info, Tommy! Perhaps Brigade can include a set of stabs, too. Here are some good profile drawings of the evolution of the intakes: The Phantom Phacts blog (A little off topic for this thread, but he also has some great info about the differences between the Phantom FG.1 and FGR.2) Ben Let's see if this link works: http://phantomphacts.blogspot.ca/2014/07/f4h-1-intake-splitter-plates.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted February 3, 2018 Author Share Posted February 3, 2018 Thats a great site, thanks for adding it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpk Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Anything new going on with this conversion set? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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