Gary Brantley Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 (edited) The first new build finished in three years, I started this model around the first of the year, after my Meteor build stalled due to decal issues. I bought the kit from a consignment table at Kings Hobby in Austin, Texas a couple years ago. When I began work on the cockpit, the starboard side console top was missing and that required a scratch-built replacement. That was a harbinger of many snafus and problems to come. ;) In assembling the driver’s seat, I managed to break one side of the headrest attachment. Much gnashing of teeth and a fog of expletives resulted from the effort to reattach that fiddly part. 😉 A couple odd engineering choices soon became apparent as well. The nose gear doors were attached to the intake splitter/landing gear well piece and due to the builder’s clumsiness, the port side door broke off. I reattached it and soon mishandled it enough to break it free again. I then drilled holes and insert tiny pieces of copper wire to serve as attachment points with corresponding holes in the gear bay sides. Spent bullets were epoxied in the recess above the gear bay for the necessary ballast. Because I knew this was going to be a NMF bird, I began assembly of the fuselage halves with some trepidation. And sure enough, continuing with a problem I’ve had with my last several builds, I had trouble getting a smooth seam. Mr. Surfacer and body shop filler were then employed in numerous attempts to get it passable. But not perfect. Oh well, says I, as the wings took their position with no drama at all. But yes, Murphy was still to have his say…🙂 I had an unopened bottle of SnJ aluminum paint, my favorite “go to” choice for NMF builds. It’s very tough, allowing masking with almost any tape and can be polished with a cloth as well as the SnJ aluminum polishing powder for a nice variety of sheens. Well, the bottle was bought probably at least ten years ago and sure enough, when opened, was found to be unusable. 😪 Arrrgh… Fruitless searches for more ensued and another choice had to be made. My second choice was Floquil Bright Silver. Guess what? My remaining stash of that had dried up. I then experimented with painting white plastic spoons and found that Humbrol Metal Cote Polished aluminum would stand up to asking when needed and also allowed for some polishing variety. And therefore, “onward through the fog!” I went. Curiously, the inner main gear doors were attached to the inside wall of the gear bay assembly, and in handling the model, the clumsy builder broke the port door off ricky-tick. Why they were designed like that is known only to the kit’s engineers I guess. The painting process went fairly well. I had fun experimenting with combinations of colors for different areas on the plane. Color photos from the Korean War showed a distinctively different sheen beneath the cockpit area as well as on the lower nose. I had a small can of red paint that must be close to 50 years old that I had used once before, many years ago on my Me-262 and I found that that “Mohawk Red” was a perfect match to the red on the extensive decals and would be used for the nose ring. But first, the green anti-glare panel on the fuselage top had to be masked and painted, as I didn’t trust the 2002-dated decal provided for that. Oh yes, the canopy. The distinctive white “glazing” seen on later model F-84s does not represent different panels. It was actually reinforcing strips of fiberglass that were glued to the Plexiglas blown canopy, inside and out. I had a set of EZ Masks for the canopy and all went well until I unmasked it. Paint pulled up from almost every frame. Eventually, it came to me that it should be done similarly to the real thing. I painted clear decal film with camo gray and then cut that into small strips of two different sizes and applied those over the polished canopy. It was an incredibly fiddly and nerve-wracking process for me that stretched over several days. Unlike the actual canopy, my pieces were only applied on the outside (hey, I’m only human folks…). I think the end result looks okay. Sure enough, the old decals were a headache to deal with. First, I coated the sheet with Microscale decal Film. In order to use them, I had to dip them in very hot water (just below a simmer) kept in a pan on an electric hot-plate on the work table. Each one of the many dozens of decals required a lengthy soak in the pan and then a long wait until they would dislodge from the paper. Another several days process; remarkably, only a couple of them broke part and even they could be carefully used. But even so, I found that they didn’t adhere well to the aluminum paint and several needed reattaching more than once. They were quite thick and required Solvaset to soften. Each main landing gear was composed of myriad parts and I compounded the issue by adding more scratch-built pieces. Completed, they were hard to handle. Between dropping so many tiny pieces of wire and tubing, breaking the HUD and making another, building up the bombs and pylon sets and yes, breaking off both of the inner main gear doors, loosing and then finding both of the very small clear lens for the wing lights (just inboard of the tip tanks), I came to hate this build! Even with all my efforts to insure the flats of the tires were actually flat on the ground and true and plumb, that too fell short of perfect. I finished it on June 5 and please believe me that I was so damned relieved to set her on her tires and step away. And though this description has gone on to ridiculous lengths, I could’ve added even more details to this never-ending tale of woe of the Thunderjet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_F-84_Thunderjet “Little Butch” Republic -84-E-25-RE, 51-0478 9th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 49th Bomber Wing Korea, 1952 Thanks for bearing with me thus far. And thanks for stopping by to have a look! Comments welcomed. More images of the F-84E if interested: https://imgur.com/a/igdPpxf Edited June 8, 2020 by Gary Brantley 69 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Leijdens Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Looks good! And a nice kit it is. Great job. Erik 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Thats is a lovely piece of work despite your issues. The Revell F-84E was never issued on my side of the Atlantic, just the Revell of Germany G model, I was lucky enough to have to work in Pittsburgh for a couple of weeks and managed to import two. I prefer the Revell kit to the Tamiya kit, You photography at the airfield really adds to overall look of the plane. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wulfman Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Superb modelling and presentation , excellent stuff ! Wulfman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abandoned Project Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Your photography, wow! Kudos my friend. Some of those shots look so realistic! Especially the first two! Bravo Sir. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Gorgeous model, beautifully photographed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Oliveira Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Incredible job. Spectacular photos. Awesome. Thanks for posting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Fantastic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorty84 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Hi Gary, sorry to hear that you had so much troubles with the kit. I've heared only good things about it but sometimes everything is going wrong. Still, it seems you fought the kit into submission and you've achieved a cracking result. I really like the first three pictures, photographs under natural light show the kit to its best advantage Cheers Markus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binbrook87 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Incredible! Looks like the real thing. Great modelling 👍 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Despite the trials and tribulations, the end result is excellent. Very high quality and something to be well proud of. Awesome photography too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Brantley Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 2 hours ago, Erik Leijdens said: Looks good! And a nice kit it is. Great job. Erik Thanks Eric! 🍻 2 hours ago, Silver Fox said: Thats is a lovely piece of work despite your issues. The Revell F-84E was never issued on my side of the Atlantic, just the Revell of Germany G model, I was lucky enough to have to work in Pittsburgh for a couple of weeks and managed to import two. I prefer the Revell kit to the Tamiya kit, You photography at the airfield really adds to overall look of the plane. I appreciate that so much Silver Fox! I agree that the airport does bring out the best in the models. I think it makes them look better than they are actually! 😉 2 hours ago, Wulfman said: Superb modelling and presentation , excellent stuff ! Wulfman Thank you for those kind compliments Wulfman! 🍺 2 hours ago, Abandoned Project said: Your photography, wow! Kudos my friend. Some of those shots look so realistic! Especially the first two! Bravo Sir. I really appreciate that AP! I started out with my Nikon DSLR but I still struggle with that one, so I switched to my old stand by Canon "point and shoot". The sunrise pics were among the Nikon's. Thanks so much! 😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Brantley Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 2 hours ago, Alpha Delta 210 said: Gorgeous model, beautifully photographed. Thank you sir! 😀 1 hour ago, Jeff Oliveira said: Incredible job. Spectacular photos. Awesome. Thanks for posting. Jeff, thanks for the kind words; they mean a lot to me!🥃 1 hour ago, RMCS said: Fantastic Thanks Rich! 50 minutes ago, Shorty84 said: Hi Gary, sorry to hear that you had so much troubles with the kit. I've heared only good things about it but sometimes everything is going wrong. Still, it seems you fought the kit into submission and you've achieved a cracking result. I really like the first three pictures, photographs under natural light show the kit to its best advantage Cheers Markus It's hard to beat the natural light isn't it Markus? As for all the issues, no doubt many were of my own making, but there were some odd engineering choices. Lol, yes sir, I finally beat it into shape! Thanks so much! 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Brantley Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 53 minutes ago, binbrook87 said: Incredible! Looks like the real thing. Great modelling 👍 Oh my, thanks for kind words binbrook87! Realism is our ultimate goal I guess and worth all the trials and effort! Much appreciated! 36 minutes ago, SAT69 said: Despite the trials and tribulations, the end result is excellent. Very high quality and something to be well proud of. Awesome photography too! Thank you much fellow Texan! As we say in these parts, "much obliged sir"! 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 A great looking build. I've just picked up the Detail & Scale book on these aircraft & see that the cover shot is the exact aircraft you've modelled. I think yours looks better than the real thing. I'd be keen to do one in a similar scheme in 1/72, using yours as an example & inspiration. Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Brantley Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 37 minutes ago, stevehnz said: A great looking build. I've just picked up the Detail & Scale book on these aircraft & see that the cover shot is the exact aircraft you've modelled. I think yours looks better than the real thing. I'd be keen to do one in a similar scheme in 1/72, using yours as an example & inspiration. Steve Thanks for commenting Steve! 👍 I really appreciate the kind words man. I'd love to see your version! 😃 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Brantley Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 Hey, I want to also thank those good folks who've "liked" this effort. 🙂 Thanks for those kind reactions my friends! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 In some of those photos you'd almost expect the groundies and the pilot to walk up, kick the tire and launch off down the runway into the Korean sunset on the next mission. Very nice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryu Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Hi Gary, Are these the only 'accidents' that happened to your model? Those are the ones that I have with nearly every build, they don't even irritate me anymore... A wonderful masterpiece you have created here. I love the color change of the NMF in the evening sun - well photographed! Can I send a few of my models over for you to take them to the airport? Cheers, Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Brantley Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 1 hour ago, Natter said: In some of those photos you'd almost expect the groundies and the pilot to walk up, kick the tire and launch off down the runway into the Korean sunset on the next mission. Very nice. Thanks Natter! Yeah, I got lucky with a few of the pics; I'm slowly getting my photography skills back as my modeling mojo returns. 😀 17 minutes ago, Toryu said: Hi Gary, Are these the only 'accidents' that happened to your model? Those are the ones that I have with nearly every build, they don't even irritate me anymore... A wonderful masterpiece you have created here. I love the color change of the NMF in the evening sun - well photographed! Can I send a few of my models over for you to take them to the airport? Cheers, Michael Lol, yes, I'm a bit accident prone as well. 😉 Thank you so much for the great compliments, you're much to kind Michael! 🍺 Just to note, that is the sunrise we see there. I'm usually not that much if an "early riser" but hey, I made the effort for the hobby yesterday and I'm glad that I did. It was so pleasant out there in the early morning; and I didn't break anything during the session either! We're expecting a high temp of 102*F today, that might warp some plastic... Sure, send 'em over and I'll give them a ride out to the airport! Your beautiful work and our airport; a great combination sir!! 🍻 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPMS19 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 - Very nice , I particularly like the mood of your photos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Brantley Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 27 minutes ago, IPMS19 said: - Very nice , I particularly like the mood of your photos Merci beaucoup! Thank you for commenting, I'm glad you liked my model sir! 🥂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ c Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Excellent Thunderjet there Gary, great photo`s too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Brantley Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 54 minutes ago, russ c said: Excellent Thunderjet there Gary, great photo`s too Thanks a lot Russ! 😀 That means so much to me, as I've always admired your incredible models here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Good work and lovely pictures, bravo 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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