11bravo Posted June 10, 2022 Author Share Posted June 10, 2022 Paint corrections, touchups, etc. Getting very close to the final version of this very complex paint job. Note that the vertical stab is just resting in place. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 Looks like you won’t have too much to do to the wing/fuselage joints, they look pretty good from here. John 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted June 14, 2022 Author Share Posted June 14, 2022 Quick update, painted the radome (I'll be weathering it further down the road, for now it's just a semi-gloss black), did some touchups to the camo scheme and started decaling the undersides. These early F-4C's retained their Navy style gloss white undersides, along with about 200 servicing / warning stencils. The only thing the Airforce did was to overpaint the large national insignia and "USAF" on the lower wing surfaces. On more than a few jets, you could still make out these marking under a thin coat of white. I did my best to replicate that look. I've only started to add all the servicing decals. Thanks for checking in! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 I really like how you’ve done the underside and can still make out the USAF & star-and-bars. If anything, the weathering (especially below the engines) is too restrained. I knew a guy who serviced Phantoms, and he was always beating up my F-4 models for being too clean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted June 16, 2022 Author Share Posted June 16, 2022 On 6/14/2022 at 7:00 AM, billn53 said: I really like how you’ve done the underside and can still make out the USAF & star-and-bars. If anything, the weathering (especially below the engines) is too restrained. I knew a guy who serviced Phantoms, and he was always beating up my F-4 models for being too clean! You are spot on. These aircraft got filthy. I've got more work to do once the hundred or so decals are in place. Here's the real thing: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 I used a Flory wash on my ZM F-4J, and am very satisfied with the results 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 That's very nice work so far, realistic painting adds so much to the overall look 👏👏👏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted June 16, 2022 Author Share Posted June 16, 2022 10 hours ago, billn53 said: I used a Flory wash on my ZM F-4J, and am very satisfied with the results Bill - that is one of the best weathered F-4 underbellies I've seen. Great work! It's surprising how many fantastic looking F-4 models have pristine undersurfaces. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 16 minutes ago, 11bravo said: Bill - that is one of the best weathered F-4 underbellies I've seen. Great work! It's surprising how many fantastic looking F-4 models have pristine undersurfaces. Using the Flory wash made it quick and easy. I simply sprayed a clear, flat coat where I wanted the wash to adhere, dirtied it up with the wash, and wiped it down after the Flory had dried. Here's another pic, after I'd finished the build: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted June 25, 2022 Author Share Posted June 25, 2022 As my subject was an early F-4C in the "Navy" scheme, it had a full set of stencils on it's gloss white belly. Took me the better part of a week but I was finally able to then start the final weathering on the undersides. I used a mix of Flory Washes (love this stuff), some thinned black and brown enamel paint and a touch of pastels. Still have some touchups but I think I'm 90% done in this area. \ Thanks for checking in! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted July 14, 2022 Author Share Posted July 14, 2022 Wrapped up my underside weathering. Last step was to grunge up the external tanks a bit since most of my pictures show the undersides as less than immaculate looking. Note the intentional sloppy paintwork and mismatched sections. Unlike later in the war when the tanks arrive painted from the factory, these early tanks were overpainted green in the field when the switch was made to the SEA camo scheme and you see lots of strange looking tanks in service. Next up are the TER/MER (I'm building an asymmetric weapons load of external wing tank / 2 AIM-9 with ECM pod underneath / MER on centerline with 5 M117's / TER with a single M117 / external wing tank). I added close to 50 extra parts for each of these, as the kit parts are extremely basic. Note that the red numbers are intentionally mis-aligned, as it per my pics of the originals. I'm going to be touching up those bolts on the sway braces, looking at the pictures made me realize they are less than optimum. Press fit of an M117 on the TER. Still have much cleanup / paintwork to do on the bombs. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted July 23, 2022 Author Share Posted July 23, 2022 Bombs are completed (aside from some cleanup needed around the safety wires on the nose). The Videoavaition bombs are outstanding. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 I just managed to catch up with this (been busy with schoolwork and work-work). Your underside weathering looks great, and the detail of the bombs & pylon is amazing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted August 1, 2022 Author Share Posted August 1, 2022 Got the landing gear finished and installed (sans the nosewheels that I bumped into and sheared off), also decided to load up the centerline MER and get the rack mounted. Love the look of those M117's! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 Looks like the F-4 was the most stencilled aircraft in the US inventory! John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted August 19, 2022 Author Share Posted August 19, 2022 Everything except the 2 foward AIM-7's are loaded up. Honestly, the F-4 is simply a brute. It doesn't even look like it could get off the ground with all that gear hanging off the bottom and yet..... The external tanks are a bit off-spec as is the QRC-160 ECM pod with the crudely painted green camo and the grubby Sparrow missiles but I've got pictures that back all this up! No liberties were taken. Getting closer to the finish line! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share Posted September 6, 2022 Working on the WSO's cockpit. Add the upper instrument panel (Quinta), removed the anemic Tamiya instrument housings on the back of the panel, scratchbuilt new ones, added a bunch of wiring and connectors, also added Airscale placards on the instrument cases. On the aft bulkhead, I installed the canopy retaining lock and spring, the canopy airline connection, along with yet more wiring. Doing my best to replicate the 'busyness" of those areas on the real jet. Lastly I added some boot scuffings along the intake and fuselage upper surfaces. That's it for now, thanks for checking in. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feifeitim Posted September 6, 2022 Share Posted September 6, 2022 Quite outstanding work! I’m blown away by your modelling skills! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted November 2, 2022 Author Share Posted November 2, 2022 Just finishing up the cockpit area. I tried to keep all the wiring and fittings as close as possible to the real thing. Slowly but surely, I'm getting to the end of the build. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feifeitim Posted November 2, 2022 Share Posted November 2, 2022 That is mind boggling! Can I get in it? 🤣 Fabulous work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hook Posted November 2, 2022 Share Posted November 2, 2022 Most impressive! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted December 31, 2022 Author Share Posted December 31, 2022 (edited) Plugging slowly away. I think I'm 99% of the way there. Notable updates are: Added a bunch of scratch built details to the canopy interiors, installed the hydraulic jacks (with their hydraulic lines added) and glued the canopies in place. Added details to the interior of the wing folds (Tamiya must have been thinking about offering folding wings as an option since they provided some of the details). Fixed the outer wings in position (yes, USAF jets did on occasion fold their wings). A few pictures: If you look close, you can see a portion of the original large "USAF" marking that was on the lower wing until it was hurriedly overpainted when the SEA camouflage was applied. These early jets were just left in their gloss white undersides, with the large national insignia and USAF overpainted (sometimes quite lightly) with white paint, allowing those markings to occasionally be seen under the top coat. That's it for now. Thanks for checking in and have a safe and happy New Years! Edited December 31, 2022 by 11bravo 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 23 minutes ago, 11bravo said: If you look close, you can see a portion of the original large "USAF" marking that was on the lower wing until it was hurriedly overpainted when the SEA camouflage was applied. These early jets were just left in their gloss white undersides, with the large national insignia and USAF overpainted (sometimes quite lightly) with white paint, allowing those markings to occasionally be seen under the top coat. Here is an interesting example of the hurried nature of the re-paint. Not only can you still make out the original, large insignia, but the smaller replacement was painted upside-down! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11bravo Posted December 31, 2022 Author Share Posted December 31, 2022 (edited) 38 minutes ago, billn53 said: Here is an interesting example of the hurried nature of the re-paint. Not only can you still make out the original, large insignia, but the smaller replacement was painted upside-down! Just proves that for those early SEA paint jobs, pretty much anything goes. Almost as non-standard as late war Luftwaffe... Note also the horrible paint work on the port-side external tank. Edited December 31, 2022 by 11bravo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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