Finemolds and Hasegawa 1/72 F-4E Phantom II - the Long Nose saga - Completed!

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

5 hours ago, Gene K said:

Giorgio,

Here's that link to the Silhouette Hasegawa masks. Included is an SVG file for use in other cutters or manual cutting.

 

 

Do the Phantoms you are modeling have the belly strap?

 

Gene K

Oh Thank you, Thank you, Thank you …. Ive been looking for a clear photo of the belly strap for my Weasel and your photo is excellent. By chance is it 1:72nd scale, if so any chance you can measure it in mm’s so I can make one up from plastic ? 

[Gene K]

4 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

By chance is [the belly strap] 1:72nd scale, if so any chance you can measure it in mm’s so I can make one up from plastic ? 

Yes, 1/72. I'll post the Silhouette and SVG files ...  will contact you by PM since I'm "sort of" off topic if Giorgio's builds don't need them. 

 

Gene K

[giemme]

On 20/09/2021 at 22:24, The Spadgent said:

Loving those little details. I do

love the way your builds never get messy. It’s a joy for the eyes. 🤩

 

Johnny

Thank you Johnny, much appreciated!  Speaking of messy, it's a good thing you can't see my workbench....       

 

On 20/09/2021 at 22:25, rob85 said:

Your normal meticulous attention to details G,  you make it look simple. I really enjoy watching your builds, even these big grey jet things.

 

hope you and the family had a nice time in Florence, I’ve always wanted to go but not ticked it off yet! Might break out the Irish passport to get ahead of the Queues and get a trip over there some day. 
 

Rob

Thanks Rob!  Florence is a must-go, it was the fourth or fifth time for me but the first time ever I could get into the Uffizi!

 

On 21/09/2021 at 00:54, hendie said:

Nice update there Giorgio. Lovely detailing work and even a small splash of color here and there.

See, I told you there was some color going on...   Thanks Alan

 

On 21/09/2021 at 10:04, Terry1954 said:

Love the way the cockpit and front fuselage has come together. Interested to know more about the black tempera wash. I recall tempera paint being used by aryists, but what sort of paint is it exactly?

 

Terry

Thanks Terry!   

Tempera it's this stuff:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempera

 

On 21/09/2021 at 15:44, Biggles87 said:

It's been a while since I've seen your progress as the pictures have not been loading and I haven't been able to post,  but it's all working today so I echo all the above comments.

Stay safe

 

John

Thank you John

 

On 21/09/2021 at 17:48, billn53 said:

This is really look great, Giorgio! Can’t wait to see these come together 

Thank you Bill!

 

On 22/09/2021 at 00:48, corsaircorp said:

Pristine job detailling the Rhino !!

Now, I look at mine, considering  it as a messy undetailled toy....

Congrats my friend !!

Sincerely.

CC

Thanks Alain, much appreciated

 

On 22/09/2021 at 09:56, Fritag said:

 

Who says a grey/black cockpit can’t be interesting? Lovely looking work G.  Nice detailing too 

 

Our friend Alan @hendie, apparently?    Thanks Steve

 

On 22/09/2021 at 11:01, keefr22 said:

Very neat and tidy work G - as to be expected!

 

K

Cheers Keith, thank you

 

On 22/09/2021 at 19:40, Spookytooth said:

A very nice update Giorgio, adding all those details most of us miss.

 

The Lady Rose sends her best regards.

 

Simon.

Thanks Simon (and Rose)  

 

On 22/09/2021 at 22:58, TheBaron said:

The usual Giorgio.

You do good.

I say it looks good.

Might mention I always love your paintworking.

And detailing.

And patient purposeful assembly.

It must be admiration. 😁

That is quite flattering, thank you Tony!

 

On 22/09/2021 at 23:18, 71chally said:

...are you mad!  Oh, you are, service is resumed😄

I probably am....     Thank you James, much appreciated   Pics are always useful - in the end, I decided that trying to perfectly replicate those four antennae in this scale was too much of a trouble, so I settled for "they give a good impression" ...

 

19 hours ago, Gene K said:

Giorgio,

Here's that link to the Silhouette Hasegawa masks. Included is an SVG file for use in other cutters or manual cutting.

 

 

Do the Phantoms you are modeling have the belly strap?

 

Gene K

Thanks Gene!  The HAF Phantoms have no belly strap, and from the few and not very clear pics I could find of the Turkish ones, it doesn't appear to be there either.

 

17 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

 

Great pictures James, and I'm with you on the Hellenic jets. Have to confess to having ordered two FineMold Phantoms this week . An F-4E Early USAF and an F-4J.

 

It's all Giorgio's fault!

Of course it is   

 

8 hours ago, Gene K said:

Yes, 1/72. I'll post the Silhouette and SVG files ...  will contact you by PM since I'm "sort of" off topic if Giorgio's builds don't need them. 

 

Gene K

I think anything Phantom isn't off topic here...

Ciao

[giemme]

Hi everybody, time for WE progress report  

 

Inner intakes sections glued in place

 

 

The plate with the compressor faces got glued in place too

 

along with these other two bits you need to fit before joining the main fuselage to the front

 

The camo painting extends inside the intakes, so I airbrushed the relevant area with FS35327 Blue Grey (well, an eyeballed mix of Tamiya Sky Grey, Light Blue and Blue, anyway), which is one of the Ghost scheme colors

 

I wasn't too concerned about the exact hue at this point, as not much is going to be visible once in place (I did however keep the paint mix leftover, it didn't seem too off to me).

I'm still not sure what kind of paint I'll be using for the camouflage; Lifecolor has a dedicated set for HAF, but I only need three colors over a palette of eight. I'll see if I can get them separately, otherwise I'll ponder what to do.

Anyway, at this point I could glue in the splitter plates and the outer parts of the intakes

 

I'm not crazy about this bit of engineering; I'd have preferred separate splitter plates, as on the Hasegawa kit, because they are going to be very much in the way when painting/masking.

 

For some reason, the starboard outer intake didn't fit as smoothly as port one, as if there was something fooling it and preventing to get a neat join on the top part

 

Before gluing this assembly to the main fuselage, I decided to discard the glazing I had attempted for the pressure gauge; once removed I taped a leftover decal on the inner side

 

like this

 

and filled the gap with Tamiya Gloss clear (still drying here)

 

I then proceeded to the big glue-in

 

There were some minor gaps, both sides

 

but I was actually surprised to see that there was a visible (not as in next pic, the macro effect widely exaggerates it) step port side

 

Starboard side is basically flush, instead

 

Anyone who built this kit experienced anything like that? I don't think this is self induced, but I'd like to find out. Not a big deal to fix, anyway.

 

The spine section got glued in too

 

Starting to look like a Phantom, ain't she?    

 

At this point, I did check what could be seen inside the seamless intakes:

 

 

Not much, and this pic was taken with the flash. Oh well - it does look the part, anyway  

I set this aside to cure a few days, before I take care of those steps and gaps; in the meantime, I thought it was the case to bring the Hase kit on par. First off, I removed the molded in divider between front and back cockpit (one side done here)

 

 

 

The idea is to replicate the solution used in the FM kit, so that I can insert it once the tub is in place; this way it will be easier to deal with the positioning of the wires and cables I'm going to add to the WSO IP. Here are the two halves glued together and partially refined

 

I started working on the tub, adding the PE parts form the dedicated Eduard set that are supplied unpainted, so they needed to be glued in at this stage. Rudder pedals and a side panel

 

Canopy sills and opening mechanism, starboard side

 

and port, with a switchbox too

 

That's it for this update, all comments welcome.

 

Ciao

[hendie]

Wonderful.update and some real craftsmanship on display G. 

[keefr22]

They're coming along really well G, lovely work as usual!

 

K

[billn53]

Great progress! I have three of the Fine Molds kits, and am taking notes on your build. 

[Spookytooth]

Nice work there Giorgio sir.

All coming along quite swell.

 

Simon.

[giemme]

On 26/09/2021 at 23:01, hendie said:

Wonderful.update and some real craftsmanship on display G. 

Cheers Alan, much appreciated!  

 

On 27/09/2021 at 12:19, keefr22 said:

They're coming along really well G, lovely work as usual!

 

K

Thanks Keith, glad you like them

 

On 27/09/2021 at 14:14, billn53 said:

Great progress! I have three of the Fine Molds kits, and am taking notes on your build. 

I'll soon own three too, 'cause a J and a D are on their way from Japan - must be some kind of disease...   Glad if this can be of any help when you build yours  Which ones did you get?

 

On 27/09/2021 at 16:20, Spookytooth said:

Nice work there Giorgio sir.

All coming along quite swell.

 

Simon.

Thanks Simon!  

 

Alright, apologies for the lack of updates but last WE I was busy with refurbishing some furniture at home, and I managed very little throughout the week too. Plus this WE I was at a nearby Model show and contest, so not much time for modelling (I did get a bronze for my Lightning T4 and a Special Prize for the Italian Stuka, BTW).

 

Some progress on the Hasegawa cockpit happened, anyway, so here we go:

 

I mentioned earlier in the build that I was going to use the spare WSO IP from the Finemolds kit for the Hasegawa model. It is slightly different in shape though (Hase left, FM right)

 

 

I'm not referring to the top part, Hasegawa instructions would have you to reshape it just like the FM one; it's the bottom part, that would not fit properly inside the tub and would not conform to the PE parts, which are designed for Hasegawa. The bonus feature on the FM IP is on the back side:

 

A lot easier to add cables and wires there. So I went for surgery once more:

 

FM top IP glued onto Hasegawa bottom IP

 

 

I then brush painted white on the back of the pre-printed acetate sheet with the IP bezels

 

so that they'd show up like this

 

and while still on their fret, I brush painted the PE IP parts with Lifecolor Dark Gull Grey, in lieu of the pre-painted nonsense grey supplied by Eduard 

 

If you squint, you should see the difference between part 15 (original Eduard's offering) with the other brush painted grey bits on the left of the fret ( a protective gloss coat was also brushed on)

 

I then glued the relevant PE parts directly on top of the acetate bits, using Tamiya Gloss Clear as glue and Gator's Grip along the edges, to secure the bond

 

While those were curing, I airbrushed the tub with Tamiya Flat Black first, followed by Lifecolor Dark Gull Grey and a very thin layer of the same mixed with a bit of Lifecolor Light Gull Grey

 

Same for the side walls

 

 

and the IPs

 

All sealed with a gloss clear coat, obviously. I then started gluing the PE bits on the IP

 

They need some refining, but they should look the part once inside the tub.

 

That's it for the day, all comments welcome

 

Ciao

[hendie]

The more I watch your airbrush skills,  the more I realize just how basic my airbrush  skills are.

 

[keefr22]

Cracking panel work there G, really nice work!

 

22 hours ago, giemme said:

(I did get a bronze for my Lightning T4 and a Special Prize for the Italian Stuka, BTW).

 

Very well deserved too!! Although I have to say they must have been two exceptional models to beat that gorgeous Lightning into third place!

 

Keith

[The Spadgent]

Congrats on the competition Giorgio. Just caught up. Beautiful (and neat) work once again. I do so enjoy watching your builds come together.

 

Johnny

[Spookytooth]

All looking rather grand dear chap.

And very big well done for picking up some awards at the show.

 

Simon.

[Cookenbacher]

Amazing as always Giorgio.

[Brandy]

More impressive stuff Giorgio. Congrats on the awards!

 

Ian

[TheBaron]

On 10/10/2021 at 22:10, giemme said:

I did get a bronze for my Lightning T4

Congrats Giorgio.

 

I love the modulations here - your way with pigments continues to enchant the eye.

On 10/10/2021 at 22:10, giemme said:

Tamiya Flat Black first, followed by Lifecolor Dark Gull Grey and a very thin layer of the same mixed with a bit of Lifecolor Light Gull Grey

 

 

[Terry1954]

Great news on the awards Giorgio, but very well deserved!

 

And a fantastic start on the Hasegawa cockpit. The repainted I/P looks superb as ever.

 

Terry

[Zorglub]

I always follow avidly the evolution of your work:
It's always so impressive and instructive!
I'm learning a lot of tricks that I'll use on my greek phantom too.
It won't be for a while, but in the meantime, your "double build" is great.

Thank you again for this sharing

 

Chris

[giemme]

On 11/10/2021 at 01:11, hendie said:

The more I watch your airbrush skills,  the more I realize just how basic my airbrush  skills are.

 

Thank you Alan, way too kind   And way too hard with yourself! 

 

On 11/10/2021 at 22:04, keefr22 said:

Cracking panel work there G, really nice work!

 

 

Very well deserved too!! Although I have to say they must have been two exceptional models to beat that gorgeous Lightning into third place!

 

Keith

Cheers Keith, thank you!   The level at the show was very high; BTW, the competition rules in this case allowed for multiple winners, so I got the third place along with other three guys, two got in second and two in first. 

 

On 12/10/2021 at 00:56, The Spadgent said:

Congrats on the competition Giorgio. Just caught up. Beautiful (and neat) work once again. I do so enjoy watching your builds come together.

 

Johnny

Thank you Johnny, on both accounts   There's more below

 

On 12/10/2021 at 16:54, Spookytooth said:

All looking rather grand dear chap.

And very big well done for picking up some awards at the show.

 

Simon.

Thanks Simon, much appreciated

On 13/10/2021 at 02:54, Cookenbacher said:

Amazing as always Giorgio.

Thanks Cookie!

 

On 13/10/2021 at 15:06, Brandy said:

More impressive stuff Giorgio. Congrats on the awards!

 

Ian

Thank you Ian

 

On 13/10/2021 at 22:46, TheBaron said:

Congrats Giorgio.

 

I love the modulations here - your way with pigments continues to enchant the eye.

 

Cheers Tony, thank you!   Most of the modulation comes from the black base coat; it gives a lot of depth, especially if you keep the subsequent color coats quite thin

 

On 14/10/2021 at 00:15, Terry1954 said:

Great news on the awards Giorgio, but very well deserved!

 

And a fantastic start on the Hasegawa cockpit. The repainted I/P looks superb as ever.

 

Terry

Thank you Terry  Cockpit completed now, see below

 

On 14/10/2021 at 17:59, Zorglub said:

I always follow avidly the evolution of your work:
It's always so impressive and instructive!
I'm learning a lot of tricks that I'll use on my greek phantom too.
It won't be for a while, but in the meantime, your "double build" is great.

Thank you again for this sharing

 

Chris

Glad if I can be of any help, Chris  That's how I continuously learn from here: from people that shares  

 

 

Alright, here's WE progress report. As I mentioned, I completed the cockpit; PE side consolles glued in place, followed by a weathering of the whole tub and a flat clear coat

 

 

I tidied up the IPs and flat coated them too

 

 

 

WSO IP grew some wires too  

 

 

And in place

 

Sidewalls painted, weathered and flat coated

 

 

So I was ready to join the fuselage halves. Prior to that , I inserted a couple of tape strips inside the fin

 

This is needed because the fin top on these kits is slightly larger than the base - this way it sits flush.

I glued the tub on the front wheel bay "roof", as Hasegawa intended, but said roof was glued to the bottom front fuselage only in the back part

 

This is because the front ends need to be spread a bit to actually align with the top sides of the fuselage - again, another common fix for the Hase kits

 

Spreading them would obviously be impossible if all the roof were to be completely glued to the bay sidewalls, so I'll have to glue the bottom fuselage first (one side at a time) and then glue the bay walls with their top. I hope this makes sense to you guys...

 

Fuselage halves joined:

 

One thing I really don't like of the Hasegawa kits is the way they represent the Door 19 area (the hunch); here's a comparison with the FM kit

 

I think the difference is pretty evident.

 

Earlier in the build I did cast a resin copy of the part as supplied by Finemoolds; it was then time to fit it to the Hase kit. So, after a bit of surgery

 

A dry fit showed that I needed some sort of shimming underneath the resin part to have it sitting at the correct height

 

So I glued a couple of plasticard strips to the carved sides

 

 

Better, but of course it needed filling. So out came the CA + flour

 

and after much sanding (please excuse the overexposed pics)

 

 

I don't know if you noticed, but while I was at it I also sanded the intakes flush with the fuselage (again, known "issue" with Hase kits)

 

There's some rescribing needed around the plastic surgery area, but I'll take care of that once I fix the spine seam - there's going to be a lot of rescribing there, if nothing else because the AAR door isn't represented at all and I need to scribe it in.

 

That's it for the day, all comments welcome

 

Ciao

[TheBaron]

Top hump surgery Dr. Giorgio.

[Spookytooth]

As above dear chap, fine work.

 

Simon.

[Fritag]

Good to see your hunch paid off Giorgio 

 

Clever idea well executed.  Tub looks first class n’all. 

[Terry1954]

That cockpit is incredible, and superbly executed work on the rear cockpit "hunch".

 

It is like watching a Phantom master at work!

 

Terry

[PlaStix]

Hi Giorgio. I hope you and yours are all keeping well. From the amount of likes you've been getting from me, you can probably tell I have been trying to catch up, a little, with your project. As always, I have been really impressed by your attention to all the details. All your work, but especially in the cockpit area, is so amazing. Very impressive work so far!

Kind regards,

Stix 

[Bertie McBoatface]

On 4/24/2021 at 9:03 PM, giemme said:

This is going to be quite a long term project

 

You weren't kidding. It's getting  interesting now though.

 

I'm very impressed by your cockpit. How you do that sort of work in 1/72 escapes me entirely.