alhenderson Posted January 31, 2020 Author Share Posted January 31, 2020 8 hours ago, billn53 said: Just be advised that Flory washes are water based and don’t like to stick to gloss finishes. Panel lines will come out fine, but if you’re goal is to “dirty up” the Phantom’s belly then best bet is to first put a clear semi-gloss or satin coat where you want the dirt to accumulate. I'm planning on a satin finish so hopefully will be OK in that regard. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 Just caught up with this again, I saw your first post then it fell off my radar. Great build so far! Although its not my style being of the Crab type it has rekindled memories of my youth in the cadets where I spent a week at an ATC camp in Leauchers climbing all over a grey Treble One Squadron aircraft. That's what really got me interested in aircraft and Phantoms in particular. I could almost be tempted to get another in that livery. Build is coming along nicely cant wait to see it completed. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted February 4, 2020 Author Share Posted February 4, 2020 Right-oh. Few days of stencil hell and I have the upper surface of one wing done! Lot of stencils on these things! Thankfully there don't appear to be as many underneath! Not entirely sure I've got them all the write way round - impossible to tell from the instruction sheet. For instance, I'd have thought that 'No Step' markings should be readable for people standing on the wing. I've put them facing outwards, which seems mad now I think of it. Oh well... IMG_20200204_201751 by Alistair Henderson, on Flickr As I discovered further up the thread, I need a code for the nose wheel door. Bought myself a Hannants sheet full of letters (better use some more of them, or it was £8 for a letter 'A'!). On looking at the nose wheel door, though, I don't think it's very accurate.. IMG_20200204_195930 by Alistair Henderson, on Flickr Compare that with the real thing: Screenshot_20200204-213141.jpg by Alistair Henderson, on Flickr Looks to me like the landing light and those 3 little dots next to it are too big on the kit, leaving little room for my code letter. Guess I could fill\sand the light and the dots and paint them back in to make them more accurate (assuming my eyes are not deceiving me). Does anyone know what size that code letter on the nwd should be? I think I can just about fit a 6in letter on there as it is, but that seems awfully small... Any thoughts much appreciated... Al. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted February 4, 2020 Author Share Posted February 4, 2020 (edited) Oh, and this turned up yesterday.. IMG_20200204_221111 by Alistair Henderson, on Flickr I've watched the video on the Flory website and it looks pretty easy to use. I'm a little concerned about overdoing the weathering, though. These things were filthy underneath, so will use it there. Should I also do a panel wash? Never done such a thing before... Al Edited February 4, 2020 by alhenderson Fixing image 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 Quick, small, update. Progress has slowed lately due to the sheer boredom of stencils! However, I'm through that now. Ready for a coat of satin varnish prior to weathering and dirtying. Although there's some construction to finish off first. Inboard flaps on the wings and those funny engine doors are now both on. I broke the little rod that's supposed to attach to one of the doors. Bit of a blessing, really, as they are fiddly little buggers that you can hardly see when in place anyway so happy to glue the other door in place on its own. Not nearly so many stencils underneath! Having never used the Flory wash I thought I'd better practise on something. Found a spitfire lying around that I think the kids got at an airshow once. Adding some paint to it first to make it slightly more realistic.. And that's it for now. Next up, coat of varnish, then weathering, landing gear, missiles and tanks. Nearly there!! Al. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 Disaster! When I put the tailplanes on as a trial fit many weeks ago they were pretty firm, so I left them in and didn't glue them. Last night, one of them seemed loose, so I tried to wiggle it out in order to glue it in. And broke it 😞 Need to glue that back on now! Al. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share Posted February 25, 2020 Still going here! Progress has been slow, but steady. Finished the decals, put a coat of satin on her and have been playing around with the dark dirt wash. It doesn't adhere to satin too well (as I was advised) so the effect is quite subtle. Haven't yet managed to get the bottom quite as filthy as in many of the pictures I've seen. But better subtle than overdone.. before: and after gently removing with a damp cloth: effect is even less pronounced on the camo: But overall I'm pretty happy, as I was concerned with over-doing it and making it look awful. Might experiment with ways of making the underside a little more dirty, need to revisit the website and watch some of the videos for applying the dark dirt. Also got the code letter on the nose wheel door. Soon be time for landing gear, missiles and fixing that tail plane! Al. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemguy3000 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Great looking Phantom. Have you considered oil paints for dirtying the underside? They are very forgiving. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share Posted February 25, 2020 1 hour ago, Chemguy3000 said: Great looking Phantom. Have you considered oil paints for dirtying the underside? They are very forgiving. David Do you mean as in enamels, and dry brushing with them? I hadn't no. Was getting carried away with this new fangled wash malarky 🙂 Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemguy3000 Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 No, not enamels (they are not forgiving!). I mean artist oil paints. I use Winsor and Newton paints and Mona Lisa odorless thinner with great results for washes, and undiluted paint for heavier streaking. Turpentine can be used as a thinner as well, but will start to strip paint down to bare plastic if you are not careful. You should be able to easily find some videos. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Looking good so far, did you have the rubber tyres with this version? or are you going with the plastic ones? Cheers now Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 43 minutes ago, Chemguy3000 said: No, not enamels (they are not forgiving!). I mean artist oil paints. I use Winsor and Newton paints and Mona Lisa odorless thinner with great results for washes, and undiluted paint for heavier streaking. Turpentine can be used as a thinner as well, but will start to strip paint down to bare plastic if you are not careful. You should be able to easily find some videos. David Ah, interesting. Thanks for that hint! Think I've seen Winsor and Newton mentioned on here somewhere else.. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 11 minutes ago, moaning dolphin said: Looking good so far, did you have the rubber tyres with this version? or are you going with the plastic ones? Cheers now Bob It does indeed have the rubber tyres. I've gone with them for the novelty factor as much as anything (plus it saves me having to try and avoid getting black paint on the rims!). They seem to look OK... Al. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 On 1/30/2020 at 9:36 PM, alhenderson said: Apart from that, the topside looks more or less the same, you can't really see the stencils that have gone on - which makes me question why I'm bothering! Realised today that I need to find a code for the nose wheel door. No black letters in any of my sheets (first kit for years so no stash to speak of). Will mull that one over, wonder how hard it is to mask and paint a letter A? 🤔 Al. You’re putting all of those stencils on because you know that if you miss one off one of us river-counters will spot it and tell you in no uncertain terms that you have!🤣🤣👺😫😫 I think (!?) that the codes were 8 inches high. I hope you have more success drilling out the “traffic lights” than I did the holes in a pair of Buccaneer airbrakes last night if you decide to do that. I’ve suffered from broken tailplane tabs on Fujimi Phantoms too, I hope your repair fares better than mine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 25 minutes ago, stever219 said: You’re putting all of those stencils on because you know that if you miss one off one of us river-counters will spot it and tell you in no uncertain terms that you have!🤣🤣👺😫😫 I think (!?) that the codes were 8 inches high. I hope you have more success drilling out the “traffic lights” than I did the holes in a pair of Buccaneer airbrakes last night if you decide to do that. I’ve suffered from broken tailplane tabs on Fujimi Phantoms too, I hope your repair fares better than mine. No way I'm putting a drill anywhere near this. Can't drill a hole in the wall for a shelf without it becoming a day long job with lots of mess and swearing!! I have managed to smooth out the details of the traffic lights and the main light to make room for the letter. Think I used an 8 inch one as well - even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and again 😂 Tried dry fitting the tailplane and I'm not optimistic about the repair - there's very little surface to join it to... Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 (edited) 54 minutes ago, alhenderson said: No way I'm putting a drill anywhere near this. Can't drill a hole in the wall for a shelf without it becoming a day long job with lots of mess and swearing!! I have managed to smooth out the details of the traffic lights and the main light to make room for the letter. Think I used an 8 inch one as well - even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and again 😂 Tried dry fitting the tailplane and I'm not optimistic about the repair - there's very little surface to join it to... Al. I think you and I might have been to the same d-I-y (destroy it yourself) classes as mine involves a lot of swearing too; none of the curtain rails I’ve put up is horizontal, even having used a spirit level. You’re right about the lack of mating surface to apply adhesive/solvent to or into which to drill and pin; the anhedral angle on the tailplane doesn’t help. Edited February 26, 2020 by stever219 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted March 3, 2020 Author Share Posted March 3, 2020 The closer I get to the end, the more progress seems to slow! Anyway, have got the wheels on in the last week or so, still got a couple of the doors to do, plus airbrakes and missiles/drop tanks. Oh, and fixing the horizontal stab 😞 Al 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 All the gear doors are on now. Slightly annoyed with the front landing gear door. Every picture I have seen shows the door pretty much snugly against the landing gear, but Fujimi have put a strut there to keep it further out. I'm not about to risk wrecking the landing gear by trying to deal with it now, so it'll have to do. One more airbrake to do then I'm done with the fiddly bits. Managed to break the struts that hold the main inboard landing gear doors, prob too fiddly for me anyway! And some weathering on the drop tanks. Which, sadly, has only made it more obvious where I sanded the joins and took away the panel lines.. 😞 With a bit of luck and a fair wind, might be finished in the next week. Which will be kind of sad, cos I've really enjoyed it! Al. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Thanks for the warning about the nose wheel door Al; one of my Fujimi F-4Ms is close to getting up on its legs so I’ll check that before committing (too much) glue to plastic. Those inner main gear door struts are a real pain; I’ve managed to break or feed the carpet monster with most of those that I’ve had. My preferred MO now is to use “reverse action” tweezers (squeeze to open) and to install the struts before the doors and then carefully butt the doors up to the struts before the cement cures. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 1 hour ago, stever219 said: Thanks for the warning about the nose wheel door Al; one of my Fujimi F-4Ms is close to getting up on its legs so I’ll check that before committing (too much) glue to plastic. Those inner main gear door struts are a real pain; I’ve managed to break or feed the carpet monster with most of those that I’ve had. My preferred MO now is to use “reverse action” tweezers (squeeze to open) and to install the struts before the doors and then carefully butt the doors up to the struts before the cement cures. I think if I'd been paying enough attention I would have removed that strut completely. I haven't actually seen any nose landing gear close ups to determine how much of a strut is there, if at all. Live and learn, I guess. One of those things, if I hadn't noticed in the pictures I'd have been none the wiser and not bothered, but now that I know I can't forget. Ignorance is bliss! Reverse action tweezers sound like a great plan, must look them up! As does a really sharp knife of some sort to reduce the chances of me breaking things while I hack away trying to get stuff off the sprue... Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 I feel your pain on the Main Gear door struts, I carefully cut mine off and then fitted before painting hoping they would survive the process. As you can see I was only partly successful! The right one broke when cutting off and the end bit just keeps falling away! I think I have it somewhere in the box hopefully, The left hand one must have only just broke off as I only just noticed it. Trials and tribulations I guess! For the nose wheel, I think there is a strut that connects it to the gear leg, but in reality is much shorter. Its that strut that closes the door as the leg is raised. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shalako Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 9 hours ago, alhenderson said: Al. What a beauty! Jolly good job lad!! Looking forward to see "her" finished!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hook Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 On 2/26/2020 at 3:34 PM, Chemguy3000 said: I mean artist oil paints. I can recommens the Vallejo oil brushers: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DPgtqutK5NvY&ved=2ahUKEwjTv9-IhYToAhWK_KQKHUs4C-IQwqsBMAB6BAgFEAQ&usg=AOvVaw1jAH7ioeIWRArF6b4aajbv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted March 7, 2020 Author Share Posted March 7, 2020 Horizontal stabiliser repairs underway... Gonna leave that for a good long time while I go and demolish a shed... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhenderson Posted March 9, 2020 Author Share Posted March 9, 2020 My horizontal stabiliser repair lasted a grand total of 48 hours. Brushed it while doing some extra weathering tonight and it fell off. Not nearly as solid a repair as I had hoped 😞 As is hopefully evident from the picture below, the tab that goes into the slot in the fuselage has broken off, leaving a very small surface area to try and glue. Any clever ideas about how I might effect a better repair? In my head removing the tab that is in the slot in the fuselage and somehow attaching something to the tailplane that can then fit into the slot sounds clever, but I'm not sure how to go about it, or if it is too tricky to do in this scale... All thoughts very welcome. Cheers, Al. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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