alt-92 Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 Reserving a spot here In ye olden days, like many I already held the opinion that Tooms were great. Big, brutish, heavy smoker and an attitude (no that's not me), there were plenty of visiting F-4s around whenever we went to the spotting hillock next to the main runway at Soesterberg AB - the one behind the BP for those familiar . Greek, German, UK, Turkish, and US versions abounded, in all their various subversions. Hence the purchase in the early 1990s of several ESCI 1.72 Phantom kits. A short while later however, Uni and two extra jobs, followed by real life stuff meant the boxes were stuffed in storage where they would remain - only to be dug out again two years ago. So what did we find? As it turns out, TWO kits in this box. One ESCI RF-4 as it says on the tin, and an Italeri RF-4C. And an ancient Xtradecal sheet for Alconbury RF-4Cs The Italeri kit however, is not quite what it seems. An astute observer will notice some key parts missing - at least one 'burner can, short exhaust, and crucially, one half of the recce nose is gone without a trace. Bummer. Still, I believe I can make something out of this.. a perusal in the photo archive turned up some derelict Spanish AF F-4's that serve as inspiration. The lack of essential parts for a complete Phantom might just prove useful for once 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 Hi there, you brought back vivid memories of spotting at Soesterberg. I had completely forgotten about those (mostly) rainy days spent taking photos and having a great time, before going to eat some poffertjes... Re the Phantoms, the Italeri RF-4C has left a fantastic impression ever since I built it so many years ago. Shame your kit is missing some limbs! Is it really different from the Esci offering? Anyway, thank you for the trip down memory lane. Enjoy. JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted August 27, 2021 Author Share Posted August 27, 2021 hey Jean! Poffertjes from across the main road, those were the days From the trees and how the parts go together, I'd say very similar, but not quite the same. The Italeri had a separate rudder, and the afterburner cans are separate whereas the ESCI has those in one piece. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LV000 Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 Hallo Jean, By chance, I am planning to construct the same ESCI model, I bought it many years ago, I wander if you made progresses on your project. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted September 11, 2021 Author Share Posted September 11, 2021 Busy finishing up some left-overs from other GB's, and hacking up the incomplete kit-bits. Progress report next week. Op zn Beugelsdijks: rustâââg! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 This is the kind of thing that really appeals to me. I’m looking forward to seeing how you proceed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayBee Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 The Italeri has raised panellines, the Esci recessed. I remember I build the Esci as a child, marking the German one (TAM 1978), included in the kit-decals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 Was it that long ago? anyways. Both the Esci and Italeri cockpits have the same problem as the internals are... just call it bare. The rear bulkhead is a flat plate, and the separating bulkhead for the front seat is just not there at all. And since this is supposed to be a derelict, leaving the seats out means exposing those spots. Ergo: Rear bulkhead with rails and bobbins, front as well. There are some conduits, for which I'll use the lead wire . More conduits in the spine piece it's a good thing this was an incomplete kit to start with, less anxiety about hacking up kit parts. Quick bluetack and tape bodgery shows that the front bulkhead is almost right and just needs the coaming added. Meanwhile the intakes have been made devoid of ejector marks, and the slats have been cut off the wings. Off to inspect the flap situation on those Las Bardenas birds.. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted October 19, 2021 Author Share Posted October 19, 2021 Ok, this time with glue. Fuse done up, the EDSG lightly oversprayed with Dark Gull Gray to add a bit of depth. The intakes I've done in gradual lighter towards the front shades which works convincingly enough. Maybe I'll handpaint the compressor fronts. The wings are glued, once dried it's time to cut out the flaps. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted November 2, 2021 Author Share Posted November 2, 2021 Work keeps interfering with modelling. I've spent the last week mostly in a datacenter resurrecting a dead storage appliance with multiple disk failures, corrupted firmware and brittle fibreoptic cables. Job done, but I've had enough of loud, obnoxious rackmounted servers in a cold dataroom (17 degrees) for a while, thank you. -- Wings on. Slats are cut off, and filled to be attached at wonky attitudes. Intake locations were pre-coloured as they're impossible to reach later. Primer added - and some seams to be dealt with, as on the intakes although the fit is better than many a Hasegawa intake Some scrounging around turned up a spare 'burner can from another Esci F-4 kit suitably cut down for the short exhaust nozzles to be added. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted November 4, 2021 Share Posted November 4, 2021 Wow, gotta love those derelict birds! Did you make the spine avionics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted November 4, 2021 Author Share Posted November 4, 2021 No, that's an aftermarket piece I picked up on a bargain. I think it may have been a knockoff of the Blackdog spine, as it certainly wasn't 17 euros! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted November 21, 2021 Author Share Posted November 21, 2021 Wow, ok. Better get a move on. Everything that can be hacked off is hacked off. Cans are ready, gear and doors are waiting, now masking the windscreen and one of the canopy parts. She looks tatty already, but that's just because I've used leftover paint from other builds on this one as a primer/base layer. I'm sure once the real paints go on, it won't matter as much as there's quite a bit of discolouring to do anyway The weapons of choice: Now to get it to look like this: Challenge accepted 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted November 24, 2021 Author Share Posted November 24, 2021 Stage 1: Normal 4079/4102/0219 Followed by freehand/tack worms sharpening of some lines. Then came stage 2: The greens were mutated with a mix of YZC interior, a drop of Forest green and SLT and for the tan I went to flesh tone. Fading/mutating took about two hours and I have to stop now because I'm getting a cramp To come: stage 3 in which presumably some light sand may come into play, and the undersides need to be tackled. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansk Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 looking gorgerous.🥰 (…the plane by the way, not you) 🙃 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 3 hours ago, Dansk said: looking gorgerous.🥰 Looks a wreck to me. Oh yes, it's supposed to! Great Work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 Used the ESCI decals for the EdA. After 40 years or so there is no adhesive left on the sheet, so I've used the Klear dip treatment. Once dried, went over them with a fine grit sanding/polishing stick to flatten and smooth them out, and even the small decals came out ok. Now for the final wathering and adding the tiny bits. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 Aaand done! Oops - forgot to take some masking tape off I see... The base is an IKEA picture frame, with a terrain mat PVA glued & some Vallejo Sand/mud paste. Loose tufts of grass bits on the paste bits to blend the edges a bit & clumps as you would normally see. This then was treated with a mix of different earths and greens to make it a bit more interesting, and finally some Klear & Gloss Varnish on the mud parts to add a watery shine to it. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 That is so good! Great idea, brilliant execution 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 Well done, an excellent idea and well put together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 Oh as an added bonus, the tailpipes aren't glued in but held by friction. So I could make it look even tattier by leaving one or both off 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 You have captured this model very well, very realistic especially with the markings. Well done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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