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F-4EJ JASDF, ADTW, Special Digital Scheme - Completed


trickyrich

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Right build #2, not originally planning at all, but after finding the digital decals set for my Mitsubishi F-2A I was sort of hooked on these JASDF schemes, I even have one for an F15J! So other than that I don’t know why I’m building a 2nd Phantom….other that pure madness! :mental:

 

So starting right off with the scheme, crazy and I love it!  Way too bonkers to do with masks (in this scale…. 1.32nd??   ) but with decals it’ll look awesome!

 

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DXM Models have released this scheme in decals form..... bless there wee hearts!

 

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That said the number of decals required to do this scheme is a bit scary, least the decals are really nicely printed

 

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By pure chance I came across this model and the F-15J at a store that is slowly closing down…. They have sooooo much older/rare/unusual stuff they want to clear out by the end of the year!

 

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The base kit is the Hasegawa RF-4EJ, which is actually an F-4EJ with Recon pods, plus the kit is very much the usual mix-n-match of sprues from Hasegawa. I have Recon pods if anyone wants them?.

 

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Originally, I thought I’d have to steal of re-cast bits from my ZM F-4EJ Kai to build this but after careful study of photographs and reading up on her, she was actually just an F-4EJ which makes life so much easier. So I can pretty well build this one straight from the box. 

 

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The only extra AM bits will be some exhaust cans I stole from my F-4J. Plus she only flew with a pair of drop tanks as well, no other armament was fitted. 

 

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The only thing I really don’t like with this build is the elevators, they have raised panel lines whereas the rest of the kit has engraved….. I hate doing panel lines!! :wall:

 

The only caveat with this build is that it is build #2 so there are no guarantee's I’ll finish her in time…… I do have a huge Viggen waiting in the wings! :D

 

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4 hours ago, trickyrich said:

So starting right off with the scheme, crazy and I love it!  Way too bonkers to do with masks (in this scale…. 1.32nd??   ) but with decals it’ll look awesome!

 

 

Keep an eye on DN Models. They do masks for the Zoukei-Mura phantoms and have just put out a digital camo SU-25 set so it's in their wheelhouse

 

https://dnmodels.com/product/bulgarian-digital-su-25-camouflage-insignia-paint-mask-48/

https://dnmodels.com/product/f-4ej-kai-phantom-go-for-it-301sq-paint-mask-set-1-48/

https://dnmodels.com/product/phantom-forever-2020-f-4ej-demo-scheme-paint-mask-set-sws/

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  • trickyrich changed the title to F-4EJ JASDF, Air Development Test Wing, Special Digital Scheme
3 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

Oh my, what a scheme!

with decals it should be nice and easy for me.....though I do love a challenging scheme, have a digital scheme for an 1/48th Ukraine Su-24 waiting in the wings for me one day soon!

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12 hours ago, trickyrich said:

the elevators, they have raised panel lines

 

You juts startled me into unbagging my Hasegawa. Fortunately I have engraved lines. And a lot of scratching from the unfortunate practice of putting everything in one bag!

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I started to engrave one of them the other day, not too bad, thank god the surface is flat though, would hate to have to do it on a curved one...... would just go straight into the bin!!

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2 hours ago, helios16v said:

I'm actually surprised you didn't just order resin replacements...for no other reason than to add more resin to the kit.  :whistle:

 

..... there's still time for that! :D

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Ok and this one is off and running as well….was quite busy on them both over the weekend.

 

This one goes together very quickly and not too bad if I say so. Fit is ok as well, will have to see if I can get away without using any filler!

 

Wings were first, had to plus the holes for the centreline tank plus fitted the plugs for where the bridle would go on the Navy version.

 

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The intakes were ok too, but there is a gap I need to fix inside. I have a set of seamless intakes for the Hasegawa model but are leaving those for my IAF RF-4E(S). The wing tanks are the only stores of any type fitted to her.

 

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This being a tpical Hasegawa model the sprues are a “mix-in-match” from other models….. some being from very early releases. Unfortunately, this is one, with the elevators and a few other parts having raised panel lines. So I had to re-scribe the panel lines on them….I seriously hate this task :wall: , luckily everything was flat so no stuff ups for a change! I had thought of using the leftover ones from the F-4B but that would have entailed even more work….laziness won! :D

 

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I really don’t like the “join together” radome….. I am going to use the gun muzzle from my ZM F-4E as it is the correct shape, so re-profiling of the rear section is needed.

 

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The U/c is basic but will stay as is, the wheels will be replaced with leftover ZM one, they look so much better.

 

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Same goes for the exhaust cans, I do have a AM resin set but these old ZM ones will do the trick nicely.

 

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The cockpit, I started to paint bits.

 

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The bang seats! I’m tossing up whether to use the kit seats, or the ones from the Tamiya F-4B (or even leftovers from a Tamiya F-14D). Other than the resin seat which is a MB Mk.5, the others are all meant to be MB Mk.7’s (far right is a ZM one from F-4E kit). There is quite a lot of difference when seen together. Once in the cockpit, only a dedicated (read very sad) “trainspotter will be able to tell the difference!

 

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                           Kit               Tamiya F-4B       AM resin Mk.5            kit               Tamiya        AM resin      ZM F-4E

 

Ok lots of bits painted lacquer white waiting for the next step.

 

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….. and the cockpit has been pre-painted as well.  Plus a special prize for anyone that can tell me what is wrong with this photo??  Anyone who’s built one will know what I stuffed up!!! :doh:   It’s corrected now.

 

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She doesn’t quite fit together as nicely as the Tamiya one does without glue.  But I and enjoying this build, which is nice.

 

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I do need to do some shopping for the paint, the green is a special colour only in the Gunze range of course!! But I have since found a Tamiya in their new lacquer range. 

 

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  • trickyrich changed the title to F-4EJ JASDF, ADTW, Special Digital Scheme - started

You have been busy! I've tried this kit (twice I think) with out getting to the end. I've made most of the mistakes but I can't see what you did wrong in the cockpit area so no special prize for me. ☹️

 

The variation in the seats is huge. I was quite shocked. Irun to these aftermarket guys and assume that because they look complicated, they must be right. Now I know better. 

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On 8/25/2021 at 9:04 PM, Bertie Psmith said:

You have been busy! I've tried this kit (twice I think) with out getting to the end. I've made most of the mistakes but I can't see what you did wrong in the cockpit area so no special prize for me. ☹️

 

The variation in the seats is huge. I was quite shocked. Irun to these aftermarket guys and assume that because they look complicated, they must be right. Now I know better. 

lets just say there are only 4 parts in this picture, and 2 of them aren't glued together........:whistle:

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18 hours ago, trickyrich said:

lets just say there are only 4 parts in this picture, and 2 of them aren't glued together........:whistle:

Now i’m really curious
Having not built this kit but guessing - have you glued the nose wheel bay to the bottom of the cockpit tub prematurely?

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54 minutes ago, Dansk said:

Now i’m really curious
Having not built this kit but guessing - have you glued the nose wheel bay to the bottom of the cockpit tub prematurely?

 

yes said mentioned parts and "glue" was involved....... though the timing wasn't the issue this time!

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:thumbsup:

 

yes me the klutz put it in back to front...... and it actually goes together like that nicely....... until you try and fit it into the fuselage!!

 

Luckily I found this out before it completely set!

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Ok the 2nd beasts update, have been quite busy with this one as well…… though as with the F-4B was almost too busy to take photos… so some stuff is missing.

 

Decided to copies someone else’s idea for making the intakes :whistle:  no so empty and short looking. So some chopping and slicing later…..

 

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….. and yes I know they are actually the exhaust end of a J79 (cut from this model), but once in place they look the part if anyone peeks inside.

 

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No AM cockpit of bit for this one, so out with the paint brush, sorry forgot to take photos before closing her up!!

 

Looks good I think, amazing what some careful painting can achieve…… still won’t convince me over a nice Quinta set! I have a little bit more detailing to go here.

 

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Plus the seats form the F-4B, nice of Tamiya to supply MB Mk.7s’ and the bits for the Airforce versions!

 

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…and said seats inplace.

 

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At this stage she was closed up and the wings fitted…… time to move on to the new exhausts…….. only to realise I should have done this earlier!!!!

 

Here are the bits I’m/was trying to fit….note the difference in length...... a very important fact!! :wall:

 

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The problem is/was that the fuselage has a boxed sections at the back of where the wing fits. So the kit exhaust just fits but this longer one (still cut down) from the ZM model, well no way in hell was it going to fit without serious surgery……. and not helped by a freshly glued on wing. Unfortunately, the glue had set enough for the wing not to want to move much at all without serious repercussions!! 

 

There was carnage, poor plastic was subjected to some rather nasty tools and flame in the end to get it to sort of fit!!!

 

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It’s not pretty around this area, but luckily the new cans will hide it all!

 

As a result of all this my lovely work to get nice join...... well we now have a rather large gap at the front wing/fuselage join! :doh: Well compared to what it was it is!

 

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That nose too didn’t want to fit either without some extra tiding up, some moulded lines where it joins the fuselage caused the issues. I still need to smooth this all-in place.

 

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Fitted the new gun port, looks much better and closer to how it should, will finish tiding this up with the rest of the nose.

 

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..and all together. It’s taken a bit of work to get to this stage, now it’s all cleaning up everything. 

 

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Don’t think she’ll be ready for painting next weekend, beside I have to work one day of it.  While I’m waiting for the Quinta stuff for the Tamiya model, I’ll work on this and the F-2, both are getting close to the painting stage…. and that’s a simple “one colour all over” paint job as well!  :thumbsup:

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  • trickyrich changed the title to F-4EJ JASDF, ADTW, Special Digital Scheme - 30/8 update
14 hours ago, trickyrich said:

..and all together. It’s taken a bit of work to get to this stage, now it’s all cleaning up everything. 

Should the aircraft you are modelling have those bumps on the upper wing surfaces, only Navy/Marine Phantoms had bumps over the u/c legs but they were not that large.

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21 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

Should the aircraft you are modelling have those bumps on the upper wing surfaces, only Navy/Marine Phantoms had bumps over the u/c legs but they were not that large.

 

mmm those bumps are a bit excessive!!  Plus you're right they shouldn't be there....seems Hasegawa forgot to mention that in the instructions (is mentioned in the ones for the RF-4E)!! 

 

Plus here are some awesome photo's of JASDF Phantoms (and others)!!!  :thumbsup:

 

http://aviationspottersonline.com/phantom-spotting-at-hyakuri

 

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