McDD F-4D Phantom II - IRIAF - Zoukei-Mura 1:48 Scale Kit

[Tiger331]

Hi Folks,

 

Here's the start of another of my notoriously slow WIPs. Inspired by some recent research into Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) McDD F-4 Phantoms, I decided to use one of my growing collection of Zoukei-Mura kits to reproduce a well-worn IRIAF F-4D Phantom, colloquially known as 'Diesels' in IRIAF Service. Incredibly there are circa 6-8 of these jets still in Service with the IRIAF and in spite of the challenges associated with their age (first delivered in the late 1960s), extensive operational use, particularly during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s and, of course, economic sanctions which effectively cut off all access to spare parts etc over the extended period since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

 

First the obligatory introductory shots

 

 

 

For once, and given the quality of the base kit, I have kept the aftermarket tally way down for this project. Apart from the items shown above, I am also using the excellent Hypersonic Models F-4 fuselage correction set which is not shown, since I had already started work on this project before posting it here. I have decided to portray a well-worn jet toting British BL755 Cluster bombs, which were supplied to Iran in large quantities and used extensively during the Iran-Iraq conflict. The decals will come from one of the several sheets I have in my decal bank (more on this later).

 

One of the main reasons for posting some preparatory construction shots so early was principally to allay other modellers fears over using the Hypersonic correction set. I must admit that I approached this particular part of the build with some trepidation and was a little nervous about butchering a £75 kit in such a seemingly drastic way. I had also initially questioned whether the Zoukei-Mura kit actually needed such a major modification. I am not a rivet counter and very much fit into the 'if it looks right, that's good enough for me' mould but I have to say that having now fitted the first section of the Hypersonic set, and comparing the end result with photographs of the real aircraft, I can already see the benefit of using this set. I can also confirm, for those that may be concerned, that Jeffrey has done a masterful job with the correction set and providing one sticks rigidly to the comprehensive instructions that accompany the set, you cannot go far wrong. I would definitely concur with the suggestion (in Jeffrey's instructions) to start with the Starboard fuselage side and use this as a reference point. I think I probably went one stage further and having sawn off the tail section taped this to the port fuselage side before marrying it up with the resin part, which could then also be aligned with, for example, the upper fuselage 'trough'. I was then able to modify the forward fuselage section and, again, marry this up to the rest of the fuselage taped together. One other helpful hint - The Hypersonic set includes some 'guide tapes' to aid the use of the razor saw but I reinforced these with some dymo tape which helps to guide the saw more firmly. 

 

 

Please also note that the accuracy of the Hypersonic parts also means that when they are 'presented' to the rear edge of the fuselage there is a lip at mid-section. This is not caused by a warping of the resin part. Again, this is clearly identified in the instructions although I deviated from the instructions by fitting the resin part and then very carefully sanding the rearmost plastic part of the fuselage to match the resin. 

 

The resin part is, very helpfully, not lying on a panel line and can be sanded back quite easily although the join is sublime providing you manage the straight cut. Since this is an Air Force variant, the doors to the chaff bays need to be filled. Again this is covered in the instructions.

 

I've also made a start to the wings, drlling out the holes for the pylons and lightly sanding down the 'reference points' for the upper wing bulges that appear on USN/USMC jets with their beefed up undercarriages. 

 

 

    More to follow once I make more progress but, like I said, this initial post was designed to provide those contemplating use of the Hypersonic correction set to go ahead and use it with total confidence.

 

I should perhaps confirm that I am in no way connected with Hypersonic Models nor have I been sponsored by them although I obviously like Jeffrey's products. 

 

Thanks for Looking

 

Mark

 

[Tiger331]

Part Two of the transplant operation is underway....

 

 

 

I managed to obtain a much cleaner cut with the second fuselage half.....possibly because I had taken the plunge and gained in confidence with such an expensive original kit !. As I said previously, I have deviated a little from the Hypersonic instructions and married up and glued the resin part with the taped up tail section. Putting the fuselage together like this will ensure there is no 'forward' step with the port forward fuselage when it is presented to the remainder of the fuselage. Among other things this will avoid a misalignment with the cockpit/cockpit canopy and the radome later in the build. In the second photo I had hoped to better illustrate the 'step' that appears between the rearmost edge of the resin replacement and the original Z-M kit part. After I have filled the seam I will sand back the Z-M fuselage to blend it in with the resin part, as I have done with the starboard side. 

 

 

Hopefully this photo illustrates the 'lip' issue a little more clearly. It takes quite a bit of effort to blend the two parts given that the Z-M plastic is quite hard and thick but in my view this actually helps with the final look. 

 

More to follow....

 

 

 

 

 

[billn53]

Looking good! 
Take great care fitting the cockpit. Tolerances are very tight, I had a heck of a time getting mine installed when I built ZM’s F-4J.
The AeroBonus seats w/crew are very nice, but you might find that the backseater will need surgery to fit.  Also, if you are planning on having the canopy open, the Hypersonic canopy detailing set is well worth the cost and effort.

- Bill

[Tiger331]

Thanks for the advance warning, Bill. It just goes to show how valuable it is to obtain advice from modellers that have actually put one of these kits together. None of the 'professional' reviews I have read on ANY of the Z-M F-4 kits mention tight tolerances with elements of the construction sequence. I am aware of the potential fit issues with the Aerobonus sets......I've had these before, but its always good to have, once again, first hand knowledge based on personal experience.

 

Mark

[billn53]

2 hours ago, Tiger331 said:

Thanks for the advance warning, Bill. It just goes to show how valuable it is to obtain advice from modellers that have actually put one of these kits together. None of the 'professional' reviews I have read on ANY of the Z-M F-4 kits mention tight tolerances with elements of the construction sequence. I am aware of the potential fit issues with the Aerobonus sets......I've had these before, but its always good to have, once again, first hand knowledge based on personal experience.

 

Mark

Here’s the link to my WIP, I hope you find it of help, or at least helps you avoid the mistakes I made along the way. 

- Bill

 

 

[Tiger331]

Hello again,

 

Progress has been slow in recent weeks but I'm back on the case now. Managed to get the cockpit together and a bit surprised to find some ejector pin marks on the floor. Fortunately they are on a level surface and some filler took care of them. I'm now looking forward to detailing the cockpit although I'm undecided about the use of Airscale instrument decals yet.....I'll see how the I/Ps shape up with some dry brushing first. 

 

 

More to follow in the next couple of days, hopefully !

 

 

[Greg B]

I’m at about the same stage with mine (minus the hypersonic bits!). It’s a nice kit, so will follow your build for tips!

[Tiger331]

5 hours ago, Greg B said:

I’m at about the same stage with mine (minus the hypersonic bits!). It’s a nice kit, so will follow your build for tips!

 

I must admit that when these kits were first announced, I was in the 'why another 1:48 F-4 Phantom ?' category of modellers, especially after Academy had brought out a very nice family of F-4B/N, C/D and J variants shortly before the first Zoukei-Mura F-4J kit hit the streets. Since then I have been somewhat swayed by the ease with which these kits purportedly go together and the slightly more accurate canopy outline. I will readily admit that the Hypersonic correction parts are probably in the 'nice to have' category for the majority of builders since the kit does look good out of the box but I wanted to hone my skills on some fairly easy resin correction parts before tackling a more complex build. I am sold on the Hypersonic parts though and will use them on all of my future Z-M short nose F-4 builds - I understand the fuselage contours have been corrected on the first of the forthcoming long nose F-4E kits though. 

 

Glad you are following but I should warn you that my builds can be somewhat 'glacial' in speed although I will try my best with this one. I will not be able to help with tips on the Mk.7H ejection seats though since I am looking to fit a pair of the Aerobonus seats with crew figures during this build.

 

Cheers for now   

[exdraken]

Really nice work!

[Tiger331]

In the meantime, here are a couple of shots of the two fuselage halves temporarily mated to check the overall fit and alignment of the two Hypersonic resin parts. The single piece Zoukei-Mura fuselage spine also helps with this check....the quality of Jeffrey's (of Hypersonic) resin parts really shines through here with the spine part fitting as well as it does with the original Z-M fuselage parts.

 

 

   

[Tiger331]

A little more progress overnight.

 

The main wings go together very nicely, sandwiching well fitting undercarriage bays in the process. I remembered to drill the holes for the stores pylons this time !. The one area, so far, where I have discovered a less than optimal fit is with the 'blanking plate' at the rear end of the forward AIM-7 missile bays. According to the instructions you only fit this component if you are NOT going to fit the AIM-7s. As you can see the area needed a bit of filler to ensure they were faired in properly. I tried to minimize the amount on the outer surfaces by using filler on the inner (unseen) surfaces, with limited success. 

 

 

 

Take care with the alignment of the outer wing section. There is a step but DO NOT be tempted to align or sand it flush. The step is meant to be there in order to help align the outer, upturned, wing sections. That said, I was a bit concerned with the gap towards the rear of this section so I have used a small plasticard shim (sorry for the quality of the photo).

 

 

I also took time to address one of my pet 'hates' with some jet fighters - joining, sanding and applying gloss white paint to engine intakes !. In fairness the Z-M parts go together pretty well and are 'buried' quite far within the fuselage so any blemishes with ejector pin marks, badly applied paint etc are quite well hidden. 

 

 

 

 

   

[Tiger331]

Many apologies for the lack of progress with this project but work and a minor health issue (now thankfully eased) put paid to any progress during the first three weeks of September. Anyway, here are some photos of the latest progress. I have done a basic paint job with the engines since I wanted to experiment with some new paints and washes and there is a small possibility that they can be seen through the lower fuselage vent doors. Do make sure that the air intake tunnels are securely attached to the engines (leaving the glue to set overnight) before attaching them to the lower fuselage. There is no 'bridging' part to hold the rather long structure up in the middle (though I notice Z-M have now included one of these parts in their forthcoming F-4E 'family'). To be fair, Z-M do point this issue out in the instructions and I was perhaps too keen in trying to move on with assembly. A dry fit of my Mark 1 resin exhaust nozzles demonstrates that they should fit with absolutely no problem when the time comes. 

 

 

 

This photo shows some of the filler applied to the inside surfaces of the forward missile bays (referred to in an earlier post).

 

 

I have also done some dry fitting with the upper to lower fuselage components. One issue to potentially watch out for is some minor 'snagging' between the leading edge of the flap guide vanes on the Hypersonic fuselage correction parts and the trailing edge of the lower wing section. The vane on the Hypersonic part is approximately 1mm too long and needs to be trimmed back in order for the whole assembly to sit nicely with the Z-M wing parts. I've highlighted the area of concern with the tip of a needle file in the photo above. I have to say, that given the complexity of shapes on this section of the rear fuselage, I think Jefferey at Hypersonic has done a superb job with the fuselage correction set which fits extremely well along the lower section of the Z-M fuselage and aligns perfectly with the trailing edge of the fuselage, adjacent to the exhaust nozzles.

 

More to follow and. hopefully, at an accelerated pace !