Republic F-105G - Wild Weasel Part 2. ***FINISHED***

[PeterB]

To paraphrase a certain UK TV Quiz Show, "I have started so I might as well finish". Having posted the intro for my F-100F Wild Weasel, here is the follow-up build. I am hoping to use some elderly but as yet unopened tins of Xtracolour enamel on 3 kits simultaneously as it might make more sense, but we will see.

After the events described in the intro to my F-100F build, it soon became apparent that although the concept worked, the Hun was too slow to work effectively with the supporting F-105D Thuds. It was therefore decided to convert the F-105F 2 seater as a replacement. Like the F-100F this had been built as a trainer but retaining limited combat capability, but now 7 of them were initially given the same AN/APR25 or 26 scanning system and IL-133 as previously fitted to the Hun, under a program known as Wild Weasel III, WW I having been the F-100F and WW II an experimental fit to a pair of F-105D. Technically, this resulted in the EF-105F though it was seldom called that it seems. A further 6 were given extra electronics including an AE-100 terminal homing system. 5 planes with 8 crews were sent to the Thai AF base at Korat in May 1966, and after a period of working up they went operational at the start of June.

 

Unlike the F-100F which could only mark the target with rockets, the F-105F could carry bombs and Shrike ARM as well together with its built in Vulcan cannon, and speed wise was a match for the F-105D that followed it in. From July 1966 they replaced the F-100F and numbers steadily increased. Various improvements were made to the electronic fit, including underwing jamming pods but these reduced the armament and therefore were not considered ideal. Also the AGM -45A Shrike was not a particularly good weapon as it had short range, and the enemy soon learned to turn off their radar when attacked, which caused the missile to lose lock. Even when it did hit, the small warhead did minimal damage except to the radar dish which could quickly be replaced. Modifications were therefore made to allow the carriage of the much larger AGM-78A “Standard” missile. This had longer range, a bigger warhead, and limited ability to remember the target location even when the radar was switched off.

 

More during the build on how the F-105F became the ultimate F-105G.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by PeterB

[trickyrich]

...and finally (???) welcome to beast #3 and what a beast she was!

 

This is another model I do really like and must add to the stash one day as well!

 

Good luck with this build as well.....I expect we may see a few more of these in the GB too.

[modelling minion]

Another great choice Pete, couldn't have a Vietnam GB without having at least one "lead sled" in it, and a weasel too!

[PeterB]

Well, I thought I would make a start on the Thud.

Same ruddy sprue attachments to the fuselage as in the F-105F - they may save any damage to the outside surface of the fuselage, but unless you are very careful when cleaning them up you can end up taking just a little too much off, and that creates a gap in the fuselage joint - I have a very small one but otherwise the fit is very good. As you will see I have started on the cockpit, gluing in the seats, sticks and rear bulkhead. I will now put decals on both IP and the side consoles but Trumpeter really messed up the instructions. They provide both the IP decs but only mention the pilot's one , and they also provide no less than 6 side console decs, though I think two are surplus/spares - you can see them on the sheet in my opening post. The instructions refer only to two, saying put dec 46R on the left rear console and 46L on the front right one, but actually give you  44, 45 and 46 in both L and R versions. The L ones are clearly for the left and the R for the right so whoever did the instructions must have been looking in a mirror or something! 

 

I have good colour pics of the IP and consoles in the F-105G in my copy of Detail & Scale, but I find that the decs are not really very much like the real thing at all - what a surprise. Also all the left decals are identical ditto the right ones, so I will just stick 2 x L and 2 x R on! Incidentally, this bird was dual control as the back seater had a stick, pedals and rudimentary instruments apparently. You can't see it in this view but they offer open IFR panel and gun panels as options but I closed them up - as I had read in a review, the fit of the doors is poor but nothing a little PPP cannot fix. If the rest of the review is correct I can expect problems with the "petals" that double up as air brakes and jet pipe extensions. There is no mention of weight and my old F-105D did not need any but I have stuck 4g in the nose anyway. 

 

So, second part of the history -

Eventually it was decided to upgrade to the later improved AGM-78B/C Mod 1 and both new machines and existing upgraded older ones were now designated the F-105G.  One distinguishing feature of the "G" is that an AN/ALQ 105 jamming pod was fitted, being in effect split in half lengthways and blistered on to either side of the fuselage, thus freeing up wing pylons for more offensive stores. In reality this was a mixed blessing as the jammer could interfere with the onboard tracking gear and so had to be switched off at times. Armament varied and could include up to 6 Shrikes, or 2 Standards and 4 Shrikes using twin launchers, though this was unusual, but more on that another day.

 

Depending on the fit, the build should be a bit quicker that that of the Hun, at least until I get to the armament.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited September 22, 2020 by PeterB

[modelling minion]

Off to a great start Pete, despite Trumpeter's best efforts with the instructions. Don't blame you for adding nose weight, I would have. 

[PeterB]

This is beginning to look like one of those kits where the fit will be either very good or very bad with nothing in between, if you know what I mean. Having put the decs on and trimmed them back - the IP ones were far too big - I started by putting the central bulkhead and back seat IP in and checking their alignment and fit in the fuselage - they were fine. Then on to the pilot's IP - 30 minutes of filing, scraping, cutting and cursing later, and not helped by the vague instruction diagram, I had finally worked out where it was meant to go to mate up with the "coaming" in front of it - the problem was that the clearances were just too tight and needed some very delicate easing. Anyway it finally fitted so I glued it all together, then realised I had not taken a pic. This will have to do!

Under the tape at the front you can see the cover for the probe and drogue refuelling arm - not brilliant fit wise, but fortunately the actual fuselage joint is very good, so hopefully I will not end up sanding off all the various "pimples" and bumps molded on the underside centreline! I checked and the windscreen will clear the large coaming over the IP, but if Trumpeter have got the size right the pilot must have had pretty limited forwards vision.

 

I know it has been said before but you do have to wonder if the person who drew up the instructions has ever built a kit? They say that you should fit the nosewheel before closing up the fuselage, but I left it off as it was almost certain it would get damaged - I think it can be fitted later (I hope). The same applies to the many little aerials and fuel dump pipe though I will try putting a blob of Maskol over their location marks so I can find them once painted, and I have also left off the tiny clear "lights" that they say to glue on the tail as they would be painted over unless left off until later. You can just about see the locating holes for them under the bottom edge of the rudder in this pic.

The back end of the fuselage was a bit strange as you can see. There is the cover for the braking chute to go on top of the fuselage behind the tail, and then the four "petals" of the airbrake which according to the review could be a poor fit. Trumpeter show them all open, but pictures of Thuds at rest usually show that as with the leading edge slats on the Sabre, only the lower petal "sagged" as hydraulic pressure bled off. Some pics show it only slightly down, others 45^o or greater.

 

Next, I need to paint the engine intakes and then assemble the wings. The flaps have an insert glued into their underside which is reputedly a poor fit! Once the wings and tail are on I will be able to get some primer on.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited September 23, 2020 by PeterB

[modelling minion]

That has gone together really nicely Pete, a very neat joint indeed.

Trumpeter kits can be hit and miss as you say but having the main joints as the best fit is the lesser of two evils.

[PeterB]

I thought it might be fairly quick but as with the F-100F it will be the painting that takes the time I suspect!

Other than the undercarriage, the glazing, the air brakes and a slew of aerials the main construction is done so I can wash it and prime it tomorrow, weather permitting. Given how big and heavy the Thud was, particularly the two seater, I have always thought the wings look rather on the small size but as with my Hun they fitted very well and alignment was almost perfect, so credit to Trumpeter for that at least. The two part flaps were not as bad as I expected though they did need a touch of filler, as did the refuelling probe door as you can see, but I think I will get away with the wings as the glue seems to have filled the gap  - thought primer may show otherwise. The hole under the cockpit is for another of the lights, as at the tail.

 

So in theory that only leaves one known potential problem area - the brakes! Maybe I will get lucky and have a better fit than the chap whose review I read.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

 

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by PeterB

[modelling minion]

Really good work Pete, I love the shape of the Thud, looks like a dart.

[PeterB]

Bit of tidying up to do but the upper surface camo is now on.

Another bit of Trumpeter vagueness - the painting illustration seems to show a thick black line surrounding the trailing edge flaps - a "no-walk" area I presume,  but Trumpy do not mention it neither do they provide any transfers. Easy enough to do if required, but can anybody confirm it existed in 'Nam or is it another figment of their over-heated imagination as the far more detailed instructions for their 1/32 version do not show this at all so maybe it is just a shadow from the joint between the flaps and wing? I will check my references, but any info would be welcome! Next up I will stick on the tail panels and start the 4 or so coats of FS16622 gray on the undersurface, pylons and tanks. I also need to check exactly how much of the nose cone was painted black, as their pic suggests it starts forward of the join line - never a dull moment with their kits!

 

Cheers

 

Pete.

Edited September 24, 2020 by PeterB

[modelling minion]

That camo scheme went on quickly Pete, and nicely too.

I have checked my references and can't find any pics with a black line around the trailing edge flaps so give the instructions a good ignoring on that point. The nose cone is slightly different as there are slight variations but by far the majority seem to be just forward of the split line where the black starts. Have a good look at the pictures out there and make your best decision.

[PeterB]

Thanks Craig,

 

On my F-105D there is a thin red band between the camo and the black on the cone so I suspect the area where it hinged to the fuselage was not painted black. As to the "walkway" the only ones I have seen were the "normal" ones alongside the fuselage like on the F-100F, but getting a good view of the top surface of the wing is not easy as they always seem to have taken pics of them banking away from the photographer. 

 

As to paint, its amazing what you can do with acrylic and a lockdown!. Two thin coats of Xtracrylic with a wide (ish) brush over grey primer. Of course the light grey has much less covering power, bit like the white I used on my recent EA-6A, but I will get there in the end.

 

Pete

[PeterB]

I have stuck the first stage of the back end panels on - probably should have done it before.

The small panel at the rear of the upper half is apparently the door covering the braking parachute. I have painted the speed brake "petals" but will leave them off until nearing completion. I need to do a tiny amount of filling and then I can start on the undersides.

 

Pete

[modelling minion]

Yes that is the para-brake housing door.

Just noticed that the Trumpeter kit doesn't have the reinforcing plates that were fitted to the upper and lower wings of the G, which is ironic as Monogram have them on all their F-105's but should only be on the G, and they're a pain to remove he says speaking from experience.

[PeterB]

Hi Craig,

 

I have looked at D&S, admittedly a very early one, an early and late Squadron Signal, a "Profile" and Warbird Tech all on the F-105 and I could see no mention of wing strengthening on the G, though I am sure you are right. 

 

Pete

[modelling minion]

You can see the ones moulded by Monogram near the bottom of page 1 of my F-105F build from an earlier GB.

 

 

[PeterB]

Well, that was fun - NOT!

I would not normally have glued the undercarriage on at this stage - particularly one as long and stalky as this. However, Trumpeter provided quite a lot of detail - each leg comprises 5 parts and that does not include wheels or doors, so I thought it would be best to assemble as much as possible before painting it, and before the locating holes got clogged up with the 4 or 5 coats of gray it will take to cover the undersides - it has had 2 thin coats already and I had to drill them out to clear them. Location was not brilliant and the instructions were particularly unhelpful when it comes to the pair of small "cranked" struts at the top of the main legs - on the bottom in the pic of course. The "exploded view"gives absolutely no idea of the alignment but by looking at pics I finally realised that they are supports for the small outer door, the main outer one being attached directly to the leg, and the inner one is already on the fuselage. It helps in this case that I am painting the insides of the bay and doors in the same gray as the rest of the undersurfaces. I still have a couple of bits to put on the nose leg - lights I believe. Once everything was in place I dosed it with liquid CA and will leave it overnight to set. Needless to say I will have to ultra careful when handling it from now on!

 

With the possible exception of a Su-15 Flagon I built quite a few years ago, this and the F-100F are the first Trumpeter kits I have built and I have mixed feelings about them as you may have realised, The engineering is generally good, at times excellent, but they let themselves down in one or two places it seems, and their instructions could be a whole lot better. As to accuracy, all I can say is that they look good but...........................!

 

Oh well, onwards and upwards.

 

Thanks for that Craig - they are moulded on the lower wing - quite subtle.

 There is nothing on top though, but I doubt I will bother adding it - might be possible with my paper thin card I suppose, we will see.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

 

PS.

The good news is that it is not a tail sitter!

Edited September 25, 2020 by PeterB

[PeterB]

Ok,

 

After the odd glass of "Scottish Wine" I gave in and added the upper wing strengthening plates based on Craig's Monogram kit.

I specially lit it so that you could see the Port one - in most cases they are just about invisible as on the Starboard wing. No doubt the wrong shape, wrong size and in the wrong place but to quote the late Wndsor Davies "Oh dear, what a pity, how sad"! It is actually parallel with the lines of the spoiler behind it as on Craig's kit but the camera angle and swept wing make it look out. One more coat of the light gray should see me ready to touch everything up and start putting decs on.

 

Here's a couple of questions for any Thud experts out there.

1. Was the (sealant?) line around the canopies yellow as shown by Trumpeter or maybe silver as it looks in some pics.

2. On the nose leg just above the fork are a pair of lights, and above them is a sort of dish shaped GCA antenna. Any idea what colour it was as it always seems to be fitted with a cover in all the pics I have of Thuds on the ground?

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited September 26, 2020 by PeterB

[modelling minion]

Strengthening plates look good to me Pete, nice work.

I would do the canopy sealant yellow, that is what I have seen then finished in.

The GCA antenna seems to be black from what I can see in pictures Pete, the covers for them are either yellow or red.

[PeterB]

Hi Craig,

 

I was thinking black too.

 

Pete

[PeterB]

Quite a bit of tidying up to do but the main painting is just about done.

Then the fun really starts. Trumpeter provide quite a comprehensive decal sheet with lots of stencilling etc, but the placement instructions are very poor. I should be able to manage the main fuselage ones, but there is absolutely no info on the underwing pylons and stores. Fortunately I have followed the advice of the modeller whose review I read and downloaded a copy of the instructions for their 1/32 kit from Scalemates and that gives a pretty comprehensive guide on decal placement, though some of it is still far from clear - may be better in the actual printed instructions. A lot of the stencils are very small and I will probably miss those out, but it will still take me quite a few days I suspect. For example there are several that have to go on the centreline tank pylon which is only just over 1mm deep. On the plus side, whilst I am waiting for each batch of decs to dry, I might just make a start on my Whale.

 

For the war load Trumpeter provide a tank for the centreline pylon, two tanks or alternatively 2 Standard AGM 78 missiles for the inboards, and for the outboard pylons they have the rarely used twin adaptor rails for Shrike AGM 45. I will model a more standard load of tanks on the centreline and Port inboard, AGM 78 on the Starboard inboard, and single AGM 45 on both the outboard pylons. For some reason Trumpeter suggest either 3 tanks and 4 Shrikes, or a tank, 2 Standards and 2 ALQ-87 pods on the outers - in the 1/32 version I see they also provide bombs and napalm tanks! In the Osprey book one pilot says he did once fly with 2 Standards and 4 Shrikes, but because of the weight he had to take off with the centreline tank nearly empty and immediately head for a tanker!

 

The only problem will be the pylons for single Shrikes as I suspect the outboards in the kit will need modifying - the 1/32 kit provides extra pylons by the look of it. I believe I will need to mount a small "rail" under the pylon from what I can see in pics, but I am unclear how deep the actual pylon is - back to the research - don't you just love this hobby!

 

 

Cheers

 

Pete

 

Later,

 

I guess most of you will remember when Hasegawa decided to stop providing weapons with their US aircraft kits and issued their first 4 "weapons" sets back in around the 1970's, maybe earlier. Needless to say I bought 2 each of the bombs and AA missile sets and one each of the other 2, so I have actually got a spare Shrike and mounting rail. The Trumpy Shrike is much later bur whether or not it is more accurate I have no idea any thoughts would be welcome on that and their AGM-78! I may or may not use the Hasegawa missiles, but I will certainly be using the Shrike rail!

Edited September 27, 2020 by PeterB

[modelling minion]

Nice to see her standing on her wheels Pete.

I don't blame you for not applying all the tiny stencils, I get bored with them in 1/48 never mind 1/72!

Your weapons load out is seen much more often than the one with the twin Shrikes on it so I would definitely go with that. I can't help you with which weapons would be more accurate shape wise but the Shrike is quite a basic shape and would be tricky for even Trumpeter to get wrong.

[PeterB]

Touching up the paintwork on kits often reminds me of the old joke about painting the Forth Railway bridge - you start at one end and work your way to the other, and then you go back and start again! As soon as you think you have finished, you spot a bit you have missed, usually after taking a pic to post in the thread, so you touch that up, and then you find another problem, and so on ad infinitum.

Anyway, I am calling this done, at least for the moment, so I should make a start in the decs on Monday. I have painted the cockpit frames grey for the interior colour, then put a line of yellow round them. We will now see how steady my hands are when I try and paint the actual frame colours leaving a thin yellow line showing - the air will no doubt turn blue several times in the process!

 

Pete

Edited September 28, 2020 by PeterB

[trickyrich]

gee you made some good progress on her Pete, she looks great, though it sounds like you've had a "interesting" build!

 

You can't beat the sheer brutal look of one of these aircraft.

 

Nearly there, keep up the great work. 

[PeterB]

Just got back from having my Flu jab for geriatrics - apparently the mix has a bite this year so I am expecting my arm to swell up and ache - perfect when you are trying to do fiddly work on a kit! With that in mind I have stuck on the tiny lights Trumpeter provide for under the cockpit and on the bottom of the tail. They are no more than 1mm in diameter and not much longer, but I managed, though I don't expect they will stay on long - glued with a drop of Clearfix and then a coat of neat varnish. Funny thing is that they don't provide the same lights in their 1/32 kit, so you have to wonder why they bothered in the 1/72 version? I have also stuck on the light on the spine and the clear window for the strike camera under the nose, and finished painting the windscreen and canopies - they look passable from a distance but I will not be taking any close ups - the yellow line is a bit thick in places!

The bit over the top of the windscreen is actually the top of the tail on the EKA-3A,  not this kit!

So, next step is to start putting decs on before my arm stiffens up. The nose probe in the kit is a bit feeble so I have ordered a Master replacement - I already have one on my old D version and it is way better. Together with the Hasegawa pylons for the Shrikes that will be the only non kit parts used.

 

More in a day or two I expect.

 

Pete

Edited September 28, 2020 by PeterB