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F-4J Phantom (not 'Showtime 100')


Ian

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Kit - Hasegawa PT6

Paint - All acrylics & AK Xtreme Metal lacquers

Decals - Furball 48-045 & kit

Extras - Aires resin seats, Eduard & Airwaves kit specific etch sets, cockpit & IP wiring, wheel bay plumbing using various gauged of wire and plastic card etc.

 

F-4J Phantom II

VF-102 'Diamondbacks'

USS Independence

1973 / 74

 

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One of the kits I brought out to NZ with me over eight years ago... I bought the 'extras' over the course of a few years and as soon as the Furball decal sheet came-out in 2015 leaped on it ! - The VF-102 scheme is my absolute favourite on any Phantom, inspired by the box art on the Revell 1:72 kit from 1965. 

 

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So the kit is the re-issue of the F-4S from 2004, but with the 'J' wings and all engraved panel lines - because the fuselage is the 'S' version, the 'slime lights' had to be carved-off, so whilst I was doing that, I decided to cut & re-profile the inner flaps, scratchbuild the rear of the back-seater's IP with scrap sprue and short lengths of fuse wire etc and detail-out the nosewheel bay with larger gauges of wire. I also added all of the Eduard kit-specific etch set and Airwaves canopy set. The seats are Aires resin replacements which come with separate etch frets for the seat harnesses. The rest of the kit was built straight from the box.

 

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I mixed the Light Gull Grey from Tamiya acrylics using the (in)famous Mk.I eyeball method, but before laying down the paint I decided to test my new Uschi Van Der Rosen 'splatter masks' which was risky but very worthwhile - I would recommend giving them a  go, but be careful, practice to get the best results - I just got lucky. This was my first time using Furball decals, they are bl**dy superb - amongst the very best decals I have used in fifty years of modelling. For final weathering I went to my tried and trusted 'oil dot & blending' method using Windsor & Newton products - been doing this technique for thirty years, so I'm sticking to it.

 

Not too much else to say - I love how it's turned-out, certainly the best F-4 model I've completed - but then the last 1:48 kit I actually finished was sometime in the 1990's so it's not much of a claim. Please feel free to comment, question and criticise.

Best from NZ.

 

 

 

Ian.

 

Edited by Ian
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Love it!

 

Very very well built and nice to see an unusual scheme.

 

I also like to build homage's to the box top art of yore so very nicely done on that score as well!

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What! Not Showtime 100?! Not a Sundowners' bird? I never knew such things to exist...

Very beautifully done (as beautiful as the Rhino can be). I first thought I'd spotted a control stick for the RIO, but it can't be at that angle. 🤦🏼‍♂️

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7 hours ago, Johnny Tip said:

I first thought I'd spotted a control stick for the RIO, but it can't be at that angle. 🤦🏼‍♂️

 

Definitely not... no controls for the GitB on this one.

 

 

 

Ian.

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Nice that, I built a 1/50 (1/48?) one under the RSL label here about 50 years ago, all white 'cause thats what the box art looked like to me back then. Your's is much nicer. ;)  :D . I'd like to do one of these in 1/72 one day, even though I still have the old one. :)

Steve.

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