Another Phantom STGB Chat - Poll open.

[Bertie McBoatface]

16 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

It took them 2 years to bring out the F-14D (2018) after the initial F-14A (2016) and now their follow up F-14A late version with dropped flaps and slats in 2021 so you have a few years to save up. 

They are always worth their wait in gold. 

[Retired Bob]

9 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

They are always worth their wait in gold. 

Unfortunately time is the one resource that I am short on, at their rate of issuing kits I might be 70 by the time they decide to bring out the F-4C/D. 

[Gidge]

33 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

It took them 2 years to bring out the F-14D (2018) after the initial F-14A (2016) and now their follow up F-14A late version with dropped flaps and slats in 2021 so you have a few years to save up. 

 

Makes good commercial sense. Let's them gauge the success of a product and customer feedback before investing in tooling.

 

Plus if they bring out new variants too quickly they're less likely to get people who built the last one jumping on it if they have only just built the last one. 

[Retired Bob]

3 hours ago, Stephen said:

According to a post on ARC the plain fin cap included in the ZM F-4 kits is a good match.

Checked the ZM kits in my stash, they are correct, not only the plain fin cap but the early cap with just the rear AN/ALQ-51 blister is a drop fit as well. early F-4B's are back on the menu. 

[helios16v]

This is excellent news!  I'll have a couple in that case since the S & EJ Kai have blisters.

[trickyrich]

8 hours ago, Retired Bob said:

It took them 2 years to bring out the F-14D (2018) after the initial F-14A (2016) and now their follow up F-14A late version with dropped flaps and slats in 2021 so you have a few years to save up. 

... and maybe  chance to clear some space in the stash for them........ though I can't see that happening!! 

8 hours ago, Retired Bob said:

Unfortunately time is the one resource that I am short on, at their rate of issuing kits I might be 70 by the time they decide to bring out the F-4C/D. 

I look at my stash (which isn't as huge as some... @helios16v ) and compare that to the number of builds I do/complete each year and models I end up buying......so by the time I'm the worlds oldest person by a decade or 2 I'll still only be halfway through it!!! 

 

I have a problem!! 

 

6 hours ago, Retired Bob said:

Checked the ZM kits in my stash, they are correct, not only the plain fin cap but the early cap with just the rear AN/ALQ-51 blister is a drop fit as well. early F-4B's are back on the menu. 

 

yeah I used it for my RAAF F-4E..... bugger, maybe there was no need to buy that AM tail tip after all as I have 2 ZM E's in the stash already!! 

[Retired Bob]

22 hours ago, trickyrich said:

... and maybe  chance to clear some space in the stash for them........ though I can't see that happening!! 

I have that problem as well, as soon as there is some spare room....new kits arrive.  A couple of new Airfix Vulcans, some Tamiya F-4B's and now there is a Gaspatch Me 163 Komet on it's way.

I certainly have a problem!  🙄

Back to the Tamiya Phantom, Tamiya really want to make you use the centerline drop tank, they have moulded a large wedge to firmly attach it to part B2, the auxiliary door panel.  They could easily have supplied another part without the wedge if you want a clean aircraft, if you want to remove the wedge then you need to add the detail of the centerline launcher. 

[trickyrich]

yeah they do some odd things like that at times. Guess it keeps the AM makers in business.

 

I reckon Tamiya, Hasegawa and Zoukei-Mura have some sort of pact going (Holy or UnHoly Trinity) where they won't supply you stores other than basic AAM's with their Phantoms!! At least Academy gives you bombs, ok you could always raid the ZM F-4E for TER's or BRU's, but still no bombs.

 

Plus the Holy/UnHoly trinity don't give you any proper seat belts either!!!   

[Gidge]

6 hours ago, trickyrich said:

yeah they do some odd things like that at times. Guess it keeps the AM makers in business.

 

I reckon Tamiya, Hasegawa and Zoukei-Mura have some sort of pact going (Holy or UnHoly Trinity) where they won't supply you stores other than basic AAM's with their Phantoms!! At least Academy gives you bombs, ok you could always raid the ZM F-4E for TER's or BRU's, but still no bombs.

 

Plus the Holy/UnHoly trinity don't give you any proper seat belts either!!!   

 

Hasegawa at least offer their weapon sets. It's less than ideal but at least they have options that are available which are made to work with their products and don't require any creativity to make them work. Their spin is probably "Instead of giving you a heap of weapons you don't want, We keep the kit price down and you only buy the weapons set you want to use." But you still have to pay extra and inevitably have to buy two or more sets because the loadout you want is split across two different sets.

I can kind of forgive Tamiya's lack of seatbelts as they do come with a crew which is their intended way to build the kits. The decal seatbelts they include are clearly an afterthought but at least they're included.

Zoukei Mura's lack of seatbelts is very strange to me. They've put a lot of effort into having a very detailed cockpit with nice out of the box seats and a lot of nice detail that's barely visible without an endoscope. This must have been expensive to develop and produce to these standards... then they ignore the seatbelts which can be seen a mile away. WHY???? They don't include a flight crew!

 

 

 

 

[helios16v]

Gorgeous pit @Gidge.

[Retired Bob]

9 hours ago, trickyrich said:

yeah they do some odd things like that at times. Guess it keeps the AM makers in business.

The only problem hoping that AM makers answer the call to make replacement parts like this auxiliary door panel without a great big wedge on it is....will they?  and if they do will it fit?

On the Tamiya F-14A, it was made with the production gun cover, I bought the Furball early Tomcat sheet and most needed the early 7 vent gun panel which was made by Quickboost, I bought one, cut up the kit panel to fit it but, lets say it didn't fit like the Tamiya part.  I had to thin it so I could get the curvature right and with a lot of sanding, ca glue and cussin I managed to get it to fit.

But hey, if it were easy anyone could do it. 

[Gidge]

11 minutes ago, helios16v said:

Gorgeous pit @Gidge.

Not mine. Pictures from their website and a review I found online. I hope I can do it justice when I start the build.

[Bertie McBoatface]

Bedtime reading has arrived. 

 

 

I'm getting very keen to start this GB!

 

 

Looks very smart in its new green paint, I think.

[Redstaff]

On 06/08/2021 at 23:45, trickyrich said:

 

I look at my stash (which isn't as huge as some... @helios16v ) and compare that to the number of builds I do/complete each year and models I end up buying......so by the time I'm the worlds oldest person by a decade or 2 I'll still only be halfway through it!!! 

 

That's always assuming you don't buy any more in the mean time Rich 🤣 🤣

[Redstaff]

I've got the Hasegawa collectors hi grade FG1 in the loft that I started many many years ago (the raspberry ripple 25th anniversary 1)

I might get it down and see how far I got with it, don't think I did much

[helios16v]

23 minutes ago, Redstaff said:

That's always assuming you don't buy any more in the mean time Rich 🤣 🤣

 

Oh don't worry, he's looking.  

And he's already trying to goad me into another G in the future.....and these are the people I call friends?  I get myself into enough trouble as is thank you very much.  

[Redstaff]

1 minute ago, helios16v said:

I get myself into enough trouble as is thank you very much.  

I think that's a common trait in modellers, I think over the last couple of years lockdown etc, I worked out that my stash expanded to the rate of about 5 or 6 purchases per 1 build 🤔

As there were no shows etc to go out and buy kits, the ability to get them in the house stealthily was lost and replaced by a man in a van and a knock at the door which was usually opened by the wife 🤣

[trickyrich]

16 hours ago, Redstaff said:

the ability to get them in the house stealthily was lost and replaced by a man in a van and a knock at the door which was usually opened by the wife 🤣

 

haha .... I know exactly what you mean..... I ran out of excuses ages ago, now I just beg for forgiveness when one shows up!!  

[coneheadff]

Am I happy that DHL installed "boxes" where you can send your treasures to and pick them up whenever you want to.

Makes live soooo much easier 😁

They are called Packstationen. You can pick up your packages there or even send out from there. 

[Greg B]

On 07/08/2021 at 02:37, Retired Bob said:

Checked the ZM kits in my stash, they are correct, not only the plain fin cap but the early cap with just the rear AN/ALQ-51 blister is a drop fit as well. early F-4B's are back on the menu. 

The ZM items are a bit wider in top section. Need a bit of sanding and reinstating of the rivets and they are good to go.

[Retired Bob]

11 minutes ago, Greg B said:

The ZM items are a bit wider in top section. Need a bit of sanding and reinstating of the rivets and they are good to go.

I found that out but compared to the twice as wide Academy fin caps it's almost ready to go.  I see that Hypersonic are going to make a centreline pylon so that you are not limited to just a fuel tank for that position and FunDekals are making an early navy Phantom decal sheet including the F-4G in case @Bertie Psmith hasn't got his decals yet.  They are also going to produce a full factory stencil decal sheet if that is something you fancy doing! 

[Bertie McBoatface]

9 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

 ...in case @Bertie Psmith hasn't got his decals yet.  

 

I'm more than sorted for decals thanks, Bob. I have accidentally acquired the set in 1/72 and 1/48!

[trickyrich]

just over a week to go!!!!!!!   

 

19 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

I'm more than sorted for decals thanks, Bob. I have accidentally acquired the set in 1/72 and 1/48!

 

so I take it now you'll be build 2 Phantoms???  

[Gidge]

23 minutes ago, trickyrich said:

just over a week to go!!!!!!!   

 

I've got to hurry up and finish my current project. Going to go very close to the start date

[helios16v]

Good god this is coming up too fast....