Gidge Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Continuing on from my unfinished attempt at the recent Phantom group build, here's the Zoukei Mura F-4EJ Kai Scalemates Project Page Scalemates WIP album Legacy group build thread The kit and other parts being used And some highlights of the build so far (See original thread for more detailed breakdown of everything up until this point): 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Lovely work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 So now for the new updates The starboard side needed some light fitting work for the cockpit. I suspect that's down to me not perfectly aligning things. Port side just slots in like magic. Painted the canopy unlock and emergency release release handles Painted the side walls of the cockpit, and added some wash. The colour of the plastic is so close you could easily skip this step as it'll barely be noticeable and even with an open canopy this is mostly hidden. And finally painted and washed the circuit breaker panel 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nachtwulf Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Wow! That is looking great! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 Canopy release levers superglued in and the cockpit glued to the starboard side of the canopy. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 That's going to require some slight fitting to clear the console 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deano353 Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Always wanted to make a Zoukei Mura Phantom, how are you finding it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 1 hour ago, Deano353 said: Always wanted to make a Zoukei Mura Phantom, how are you finding it? I'm enjoying it. Moulding detail is remarkable, no flash and they've got the hardness making them good to work with. Parts are all keyed so they can only go in the correct way and makes it harder to accidentally fit parts from other Phantom variants that are on the sprues. Another cool detail is the manual lists the real world names for all the components. Asside from being able to brewers out over it this is handy when trying to Google reference pictures. The way the kit is engineered it expects you to be absolutely spot on with the cockpit dimensions and clean up where you cut parts off the sprues. Otherwise you run into some fitting issues down the line. It expects you to know what you're doing. Not one of those kits you need an engineering degree but definitely one for experienced builder. Test fit everything and you should be fine. The other odd thing I find is they've made a remarkably detailed cockpit and put a lot of work into detail that'll never be seen (including the back of ejector seats) but haven't included any seatbelts or crew figures. The one thing that stands out a mile away. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 I had to do some light Dremel surgery to get the clearance on the WSO's port side circuit breaker panel in order to close the fuselage. I'd say this is mostly my fault rather than the kits (especially since I was warned by @helios16v to be careful here) but the instructions could be a bit clearer on the positioning. If you're doing it as per the instructions make sure you fit the panel as high as possible. Alternatively I've seen some people deliberately install the panel upside down for easier clearance. With the scale and positioning only hardcore Phantom guys would be able to tell it's a little inaccurate and even then it's hidden well enough that in this scale you'd really need to know to look. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 Starting to resemble an actual aircraft! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deano353 Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 On 12/2/2021 at 10:39 PM, Gidge said: I'm enjoying it. Moulding detail is remarkable, no flash and they've got the hardness making them good to work with. Parts are all keyed so they can only go in the correct way and makes it harder to accidentally fit parts from other Phantom variants that are on the sprues. Another cool detail is the manual lists the real world names for all the components. Asside from being able to brewers out over it this is handy when trying to Google reference pictures. The way the kit is engineered it expects you to be absolutely spot on with the cockpit dimensions and clean up where you cut parts off the sprues. Otherwise you run into some fitting issues down the line. It expects you to know what you're doing. Not one of those kits you need an engineering degree but definitely one for experienced builder. Test fit everything and you should be fine. The other odd thing I find is they've made a remarkably detailed cockpit and put a lot of work into detail that'll never be seen (including the back of ejector seats) but haven't included any seatbelts or crew figures. The one thing that stands out a mile away. Ok great thanks for the information it sounds like a good kit to build I will have to get one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 13, 2021 Author Share Posted December 13, 2021 Some overdue progress with some delicate small pieces. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 14, 2021 Author Share Posted December 14, 2021 And a little sanding while I'm supposed to be working 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McG Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 Coming along nicely. Be careful with the intake trunking. There is not a lot of surface to get a good glue join. In the end I gave up trying to fill the seam lines and make them seamless. In part because the glue joins kept weakening. Have the GT Resin Seamless intakes as a replacement from SprueBrothers, however the kit is on the shelf currently while I work on the Tamiya Mustang I started waiting on the intakes to arrive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 17, 2021 Author Share Posted December 17, 2021 On 16/12/2021 at 04:26, McG said: Coming along nicely. Be careful with the intake trunking. There is not a lot of surface to get a good glue join. In the end I gave up trying to fill the seam lines and make them seamless. In part because the glue joins kept weakening. Have the GT Resin Seamless intakes as a replacement from SprueBrothers, however the kit is on the shelf currently while I work on the Tamiya Mustang I started waiting on the intakes to arrive. Thanks mate. I appreciate the heads up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helios16v Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 I found my flaps to be really snug trying to install (in the up position). If you were going to install them in the up position it might be worth installing them before you attach the fuselage to the wings to give you more room to work. I ended up putting a bit of an taper/angle on one side of the alignment tabs to give me a bit more yaw angle to finagle them into place without forcing the parts too hard. Worked well in the end. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 23, 2021 Author Share Posted December 23, 2021 Thanks for the heads up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 Some long overdue progress and proof of life. Engine internals are painted. I've used both "Steel" and "Stainless Steel" from SMS to give a little contrast between different components. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 The phone camera doesn't quite do it justice, but using the two subtly different steel tones gives the afterburner rings and the front part of the intake vein some subtle contrast that makes it pop just enough. Shame this detail will be hidden deep in the model. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 And that's the engines assembled. The kit comes with a display stand if you want to paint up the whole engine, but I'm just going to paint the section that'll be visible. This kit moulds lots of details that would never be seen in a traditional build but that gives builders plenty of scope to do things like a diorama of an aircraft being maintained, damaged or crashed aircraft. There are plenty of stories where Phantoms were badly shot up but still managed to complete their missions and limp home. Zoukei-Mura kits potentially give you the scope to recreate some of these impressive stories. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 Intakes painted and fitted. Engines test fitted to see where I need to paint them They stay in pretty solidly without cement. It's challenging to catch on camera but the detail on the engine intake and intake veins shows nicely. Another nice detail is the way Zoukei-Mura key their parts asymmetrically to prevent them accidently being put in the wrong way or to make sure parts from the wrong Phantom variant won't fit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted January 6, 2022 Author Share Posted January 6, 2022 Getting the underside of the engines painted up. I'm simplifying these as only a small section of them will barely be visible (for those who know to look) so I've just hit them with a stainless metallic, I'll give them a clear coat and a wash and call them done. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billthebattler Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 I wish this model had been available thirty years ago when I made my Hasegawa "Phabulous Phantom". It's miles better than the Hasegawa. With engine detail too. Corr! Your work looks incredible, really breathing life into the F-4 and it deserves that.👍 Those J-79's would make a standalone model in their own right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gidge Posted January 6, 2022 Author Share Posted January 6, 2022 9 minutes ago, Billthebattler said: I wish this model had been available thirty years ago when I made my Hasegawa "Phabulous Phantom". It's miles better than the Hasegawa. With engine detail too. Corr! Your work looks incredible, really breathing life into the F-4 and it deserves that.👍 Those J-79's would make a standalone model in their own right. 30 years ago that Hasegawa kit must have been amazing. This is CAD/CAM developed with 2016-2020 tooling so not exactly a fair comparison. They do provide a stand on the sprue's to mount one engine and full colour callouts if you fully paint it up. See Page 10 of the manual. https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/0/9/3/1314093-37-instructions.pdf They've just reissued this kit along with it's yellow "Go For It" squamate. https://www.zoukeimura.co.jp/en/products/sws48_13_f4ejkai-gfi301sq.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now