Lifeline Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Hi.. This year mark Phantom's 60th Anniversary, a local modelling group here organize a Phantom Group Build. And since I have several in my stash, and this GB start right in my off-shore work schedule, obviously I'm obliged to join up. I start with these two 1/72 Phantom; Fujimi (Fgr.1, with Raspberry Ripple Scheme and 25th Anniversary marking) and Revell (JG.71 "Richtofen" Anniversary marking). The build started as soon I arrived and set in my usual "off shore work bench", with the F-4F got the first cut, filled the injection marks. I learned that one of the (apparently, many) flaws of the Revell was in the cockpit area. The Ejection seat mas set too low, I add several stack of evergreen strips I have with me. This made the instrument panel seated lower, So I hack out the kit's, made a new one using the strips, and glued the kit's instrument panel to keep with the original detail. Added some tiny detail to the other parts of the cockpit (wiring from the WSO's instrument panel, circuit breaker panel on the WSO's cockpit) I really not much of a Phantom Phreaks like many of you guys, and I don't have many references lying around here so.. any comments / reference are welcome.. Cheers, Mario 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeline Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 Aaand I forgot mentioning about the Fujimi's A&AEE Phantom...🙄 The build started almost as the same time.. Pretty much Out of the box, but just add same wiring as the F-4F... Here is the picture of the tubs.. Fujimi's on the left, Revell's on the right Yeah.. my painting skill sucks....😖 And here's my current problems... 1. I understand the A&AEE Phantoms are FG Mk.1 which originally a F-4J, so they don't have any stick in the WSO's (Err.... Observer? Navigator?) office, right? or was it different for A&AEE Phantoms? because the instruction tells differently.... 2. Should I filled the catapult connector? I really inspired by @giemmeF-4C build.. So I decided that I'm going to try several technique of his, especially the Seamless Intake.. Fujimi like Hasegawa only give you a blank wall, while Revell does have Engine face, but no intake tubes. In my previous build I just glued a 'faux engine face' inside the hasegawa intakes, but to be honest it's not convincing enough. So I decide to recast some engine face from Revell, and Academy's (the result was not smooth, but I think I can fix it with putty and sanding) And I got in touch with the creator of the technique @Gene K, who kindly share me the intake's template. 🙇♂️ Cheers, Mario 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Nice job so far, Mario 👏 Watching... 🍿 Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azgaron Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Very nice work so far! Håkan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 (edited) Amazing cockpit detail, it's looking great! The Phantom FG.1 had the US designation F-4K, not J (the FGR.2 was the F-4M). Some FG.1s and FGR.2s were both the twin-stick types for training, but as far as I'm aware looked externally identical. I think many of the 'XT' serialled ones were the twin-stickers in RAF service, but I don't know whether the A&AEE one was (though it did have an XT serial). Edited June 17, 2018 by Lord Riot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 (edited) XT891 to ‘914 were the two-stick FGR. 2s: AFAIK none of the FG. 1s had that facility. The rear cockpits of the FG. 1 and FGR. 2 didn’t have a console on the right: instead there was simply a vertical wall from floor to canopy sill with a narrow step at console height. Like the US Navy versions from which they were developed the stowed AAR probe lived in this area, so no real access for a console and its associated switchery. The FGR. 2s had no catapult hook provision and the hook recesses were replaced by flat skinning during production. De-nasalised FG. 1s had the catapult hooks deleted but, AFAIK, the recesses remained. As XT597 spent all of its life on test and experimental work it’s quite possible that the hooks, if installed, were retained ‘til the end. I’ve found one image of ‘597 on the catapult at RAE Bedford (Thurleigh) in her original RN colours, so she must have had the hooks early in her working life, but I can’t yet find any of her later on to confirm that they were retained. Edited June 17, 2018 by stever219 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeline Posted June 18, 2018 Author Share Posted June 18, 2018 Thank you for the good words, and info guys...🙏🙏 17 hours ago, stever219 said: XT891 to ‘914 were the two-stick FGR. 2s: AFAIK none of the FG. 1s had that facility. The FGR. 2s had no catapult hook provision and the hook recesses were replaced by flat skinning during production. De-nasalised FG. 1s had the catapult hooks deleted but, AFAIK, the recesses remained. As XT597 spent all of its life on test and experimental work it’s quite possible that the hooks, if installed, were retained ‘til the end. Noted... I'll left off the back seater (WSO/GIB/RIO/Observer/Navigator?) stick, but will install the catapult hook, then. It does make sense remembering the history of this particular airframe.. Beside, it would be easier for me to fill the hook recesses and add the stick if there's any new information coming up.. I got the Fujimi Kit from another Phantom Phreaks who bought this kit years ago. The decal already start yellowing (Slightly cured after a few days taped on my car window), and apparently the plastic are starting to brittle, some crack spotted in few area, and half of the the tail's fuel dump mast is missing, I just realize it recently, so it must've happened days ago. Luckily, I brought enough blue stuff, epoxy putty and I still have the other half of the part.. so after several attempts of moulding and recasting the part... Close enough? Phun Phact; I always break this part when building a Phantom, either it's Hasegawa, Italeri, Revell, and now Fujimi.... Don't know why..😕 I put some rivet on the elevators... I copied the Academy kit's rivet patterns, and only on the bare metal area of the elevators because from the pictures of the metal area, riveted area shines differently and I plan to simulate it later Dry fit the Cockpit tube and drill out the intake "wall" for "Gene's One Piece Intake" Not much of a progress on the Revell F-4F. I just decide to cut the aileron, and will posed it with a slight droop, just like the actual thing when parked. Cheers, Mario 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsaircorp Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Hello Mario, Pretty good start on your Phantoms !! I'll follow too ! Sincerely. Corsaircorp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Way to go, Mario 1 hour ago, Lifeline said: WSO/GIB/RIO/Observer/Navigator?) Just call it GIB (Guy In Back)... Just kidding As for the fuel mast, I did replace it with a scratch built one from brass pipes soldered together and shaped accordingly - so I had an excuse to break the plastic part off intentionally rather than accidentally... Ciao 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeline Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 Hi... It's been days since my last post, The build is still going, but the Internet were down for the last few weeks, here and I can't upload any pictures.. So, progress... I talked to @Gene K when I started the build and He was so kind to share me the pattern (along with so many references 🙇♂️) for his one piece intake.. He did mentioned the pattern was designed for Hasegawa's Phantom, and fitting it to Revell and Fujimi will need several adjustment/modification, which I did. The F-4F received it's one piece intake, build using 0.2 mm Tamiya Pla Plate, and recasted Engine Face.. The result (with the nose on too)... Yeah it need a bit more touch ups Plastic strips also added to the exhaust On 6/19/2018 at 1:03 AM, giemme said: As for the fuel mast, I did replace it with a scratch built one from brass pipes soldered together and shaped accordingly - so I had an excuse to break the plastic part off intentionally rather than accidentally... Ciao Thanks, Giemme... The brass pipe fuel dump mast you did for your Phantom is beautiful, it really capture the tubing detail like the real ones... 🤩 Unfortunately I'm not "brave" enough (yet) to try soldering... Cheers, Mario 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeline Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 I forgot to documented the one piece intake process for Fujimi's FG.1 XT597 😑 But it went easier... the pattern Gene provided fits quite well although it was actually designed for Hase's F-4. The hard part was actually fitting both side of the fuselage section. As I mentioned earlier, the kit has several issues due to it's age. one of the problem shows when I tried to dry fit both of the fuselage halves and the lower section of the kit. I found that the fuselage has wrapped, and following the kit's instructions will result a lot more problems in form of gaps, and misshape. So, I planned to use the lower sections of the kit as guide since it's still in a good form, glued the wings upper section on it first first, then glued the fuselage half one by one. I glued the assembly one by one, started with the wing-fuselage joints, tail, spine and finally the nose area, which need some gentle bending to shape the area correctly. Luckily, I'm quite happy with the result.. and fitting the special nose which XT597 have showed that I managed to avoid some serious shape and gaps issues, in other area... I made several intake pitot tube for the Revell F-4F since the kit didn't provide it. Cheers, Mario 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hook Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 Lovely work so far! Cheers, Andre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 Agreed, really lovely work, Mario The seamless intakes are really a plus on these models, glad you got along well with Gene's guidance Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeline Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 Not much update... Reading through giemme phantom build, I realized the air scoops Fujimi is not better than Hasegawa.. It's basically just a small box without any details. So I decide to make one from soda can.. Quite effective I think.. After quite lot of sanding for both, time to be packed. I'm on my last day onsite and headed back home. Hope for a smooth ride back home and mercy from the ham fisted deck crews and airport staff who'll handle my bags...🙏 Cheers, Mario 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 27 minutes ago, Lifeline said: Quite effective I think.. Indeed! Can you please expand on how you actually did it? I love using beer can cutouts, but always refrained from doing very narrow bends because the material tends to crack and snap, so I'm very curious. Hope you (and your models) have a safe trip home Ciao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene K Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 (edited) Have you had time to do more on these fine starts, Mario? Very impressive beer can work!! Gene K Edited January 29, 2019 by Gene K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeline Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Gene K said: Have you had time to do more on these fine starts, Mario? Very impressive beer can work!! Gene K Unfortunately, life (family, job, and study) gets in my way and I missed the GB's deadline, and it almost flew the Phantoms to the Shelf of Doom... But, lately I took a look on those and think after all those effort, encouragement, and helps I already received during the initial build process, it would be a shame if I don't continue.. So, I was able to find a time to sit down on my bench and just continue on it, just start continuing on something without any plan... I started with a shot of primer for both kits, and it led to painting the external fuel tanks, and then masking the FG.1, and the next thing I know; 20190110_083850 by mario binsar, on Flickr What you see is actually 4 days after I decided and start continuing.. Sorry for not able to take pictures of the process. For the Raspberry Ripple, I use Mr.Color GX-1 Cool White, Tamiya Red (XF-7), and Revell Aqua's Lufthansa Blue for the blue... Some people said I would get trouble for using 3 different type of paint on one model, but the result is fine by me. 20190110_082733 by mario binsar, on Flickr For the F-4F I use the Mr Color Super Metallic, and again... Sorry I forgot to take a picture of it. I spray Mr.Color Super Gloss for the FG.1, and Revell Aqua Clear Gloss for the Phantom since I've red somewhere due to the acrylic nature of the paint, it won't take away the silver shine. After a 2 days drying time, I started with the bare metal areas.. This is the second time I use AK Interactive Xtreme Metal, and it is amazing. Dead simple to use with great result (well, to my eyes at least). Next; Decals. The FG.1 Decal was already started to yellow, and I actually dreaded the risk of it might already lost it's affinity and would break when I put it on the water.. But to my surprise, it actually perform really well! 20190115_111123 by mario binsar, on Flickr All the markings and stencils successfully placed. The only problem is it was thick and rather transparent at the same time...😵 as you can see in some area, especially between the white and the blue. But, then again I'm already grateful I could even reach this point. A coat of Mr. Color Super Gloss Clear for the Raspberry Ripple, and I start to decal the F-4F. Revell decal was superbly printed and thin, but was rather stiff and easy to break when applied.. small problem which can be dealt by maneuvering the decal slowly.. much like puzzle but with wet fingers... 20190116_095146 by mario binsar, on Flickr These were 2 weeks ago, I haven't finished the decal for the F-4F, but it was time for me to leave home and go to work for 3 weeks. And now, I just can't wait to finish these two! Cheers, Mario Oh yeah... and @Gene K, You're right... Very Impressive Beer (and keep on watching other build and finish on forum such as BM) does help a lot!! 😃 🤩 Edited January 29, 2019 by Lifeline 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 That's some progress! Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeline Posted February 7, 2019 Author Share Posted February 7, 2019 I just got back from my 2 weeks work, and straight to my workbench.. Overall the revell decal is nicely printed, it looks like it painted on. But it does need to be handled carefully, since it will easily broken when drying, like the one below.. I planned to fix the area with subtle coat of clear blue, followed by clear grey... Then disaster struck... It was a small paint drip on the wing, and I foolishly try to clean it using IPA on cotton bud, forgetting about the decal underneath.. The cotton buds wiped all the decal on the outer wing section, and I'm about to give up. But after a while, I thought what could get worse... And carefully repaint the area using both clear grey and clear blue.. Far away from perfect... But I guess I got to live with it.. Cheers, Mario 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeline Posted February 7, 2019 Author Share Posted February 7, 2019 (edited) Double Post.... Sorry Edited February 7, 2019 by Lifeline Confusing connections Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeline Posted May 4, 2019 Author Share Posted May 4, 2019 (edited) Hi there, This WIP proof several thing for me; 1. Building 2 kits at the same time seemed too much for me 2. I'm suck at writing WIP! Most of the time I just build and forgot to take pictures of the process.... Nothing special happened after the last post, just many trouble regarding Revell's Decal being too rigid and won't stick to the kit surface, clear coating, and weathering both of the kits using thinned enamel.. not much drama going on except I have to repaint the FG.1 Airbrake well from red (as noted by the instruction sheet) to Blue as accordance with a picture I found on-line. Semi gloss using Mr.Hobby semi-gloss coat, pull out masking tape... Oh, and making new pitot tubes one the fin using (sterile) syringe needles I raided from the clinic. Next thing I know.... But the quality of my build make me nervous about posting it on the RFI sections 😖 Cheers, Mario Indonesia Edited May 4, 2019 by Lifeline 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 Definitely go for the RFI, Mario The only minor point I would mention, on the long nose Phantom, is that you probably used a too dark of a wash. I tend to prefer less contrasting tones for panel lines, except for hatches and movable surfaces (for those, I just go with a black wash) Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene K Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 On 5/3/2019 at 11:28 PM, Lifeline said: But the quality of my build make me nervous about posting it on the RFI sections 😖 The quality of your builds is excellent, so please post more pics in RFI. I'm not a fan of Revell's long nosed Phantoms, but you did a beautiful build. On the other hand, I love the Fujimi British Phantoms, and I really admire your treatment of this venerable kit. In particular, I applaud your finish and decal "work" . Gene K 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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