Galligraphics Posted May 1, 2022 Author Share Posted May 1, 2022 Not a lot of spare time recently, so this is the result of a brief sojourn into the workshop this evening. I Dremelled out the two indents just inboard of the front of the wings where the catapult strops were attached, drilled holes and glued in a couple of small pieces of plastic strip - these will be cut down when dry/set to give the appearance of the catapult hooks. As I have cut out the nose wheel bay I needed to figure out how to fix the front leg - I took a slice of thick round sprue and glued that to the base of the wheel bay, then drilled out a hole in its centre to enable the leg to be fitted into it. And finally for today, here's the nose leg which has had a piece of plastic tube added to the support strut (which otherwise would have ended in mid-air and just looked silly - it now reaches to the base of the bay). Just as I was happy with my progress, I've looked at the Matchbox wheels and compared them with the real things/other more accurate kits and have come to the conclusion that the main wheels are too small and the nose wheels too big Can I live with that? I'll sleep on it but suspect I'll be rummaging through the spares box tomorrow... Nige 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 Oh wow this has progressed really well and looks great, like the exhaust cans great idea. Cracking work Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galligraphics Posted May 9, 2022 Author Share Posted May 9, 2022 (edited) In between replacing a significant number of rotten planks on my shed at the weekend, I found time to give the Phantom a coat of primer, and I am now starting to think/hope that I might get this thing over the line before the GB deadline . Maybe a touch more filling/sanding around the cut'n'shut vents either side of the nose wheel bay, but otherwise I'm reasonably happy. I have also put together the weapon loads - I added some representation of the sway braces and scribed (fairly roughly) some detail onto the pylons, and added the small strakes down the sides of the external fuel tanks. Oh, and I also added a little bit of detail to the NWB door - sadly my phone camera didn't focus properly... Yes, I do still need to clean up the seams of the 1,000lb bombs... I mentioned before that I was unhappy with the original Matchbox wheels - well I've found a set of wheels from an old Fujimi kit which look a lot closer to the real thing. Forgot to take pictures this time around but they'll make an appearance soon... Edited May 12, 2022 by Galligraphics Typo... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galligraphics Posted May 10, 2022 Author Share Posted May 10, 2022 So you will recall from my previous post that I'd found some suitable wheels for this Phantom from an old Fujimi kit - which was mostly complete... however, upon reflection, I thought why rob the Fujimi kit, when it is more accurate than the Matchbox kit and at some stage I'll want to build it. With wheels. So instead I attempted to mould copies of the Fujimi wheels, so I can use them on this and the other Matchbox Phantoms in my stash... And I'm quite happy with the outcome. In the first picture below you can see the two Phantom main wheels at the bottom, together with another copy of the jet exhaust nozzle (and a copy of the Revell Hunter tailpipe - whenever I mould something I think about what else might be useful and so whenever I have resin mixed I'll grab other existing moulds to use any leftover resin up). Some useful bits - top are two copies of the main wheel hubs from an Imai SPV (as the kit for some reason has a couple of blank wheels), then another copy of the corrected Matchbox Phantom nose (again for the other older kits in my stash), and to its right, a copy of the Hasegawa Jaguar exhaust nozzle (I'm moulding a couple for another less accurate kit). Below those are the main and nose wheels for the Phantom, and finally another copy of the pilot figure for a Dinky Phantom which I'm restoring. That's about it for tonight, cheers, folks. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 Looking good in the primer and great job on the payload and pylons, cracking idea using the other parts to cast resin copies. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galligraphics Posted May 26, 2022 Author Share Posted May 26, 2022 A little bit more progress to report (I am starting to panic - slightly - that the deadline is approaching rapidly and this still has a looong way to go before completion). Various parts primed with Halfords White Primer... ...and then some masking applied ahead of spraying with some Hakata Extra Dark Sea Grey. Two things to say here - a brand new no. 11 blade was used and - of course - blood was shed as a result . And the horrible fluorescent pink stuff you can see is a cheap low-tack (!) masking tape I saw in my local DIY store and thought might be handy for bulk masking. I was wrong - it sticks about as well as Bambi on ice. No-tack would be a better description... . Onwards... Nige 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Great progress. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Just catching up on this great thread again and there’s some excellent progress going on. Your Phantom and all those home brew resin bits are just fantastic. Great work! Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Delighted to see this one progressing so well, even if I do feel really inadequate as I've never cast anything in resin, so this is a treat to watch. Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Looking v.good - 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Be great to see the upper surface paint go on , I shouldn't panic about the deadline, I am never going to finish mine, 😄 I am not bothered though as rather not rush it!!! Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galligraphics Posted June 4, 2022 Author Share Posted June 4, 2022 I have heard a rumour that there might be a two-week extension to this GB. All I can say is "thank the lord". Or should that be, "thank @Enzo Matrix"?... I have made some progress (which will be evidenced in photographical form in due course) driven predominantly by panic ; so I have painted the EDSG uppers - although with a brush rather than airbrush as I realised that the Hakata paint set I had was optimised for hairy sticks; painted the ordnance and even started to add decals on the Sparrows (found some black and yellow lines on various old decal sheets). Next steps will be to continue painting the metal bits around the backside, and then a quick clear coat ahead of decals . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Hi Nige There's a 2 week extension on this GB so hopefully that will be long enough for you to finish this one and get it in the Gallery. Good luck Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galligraphics Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 As promised in my last post, a couple of where-I'm-up-to shots: EDSG painted (although I've noticed a few bits which will need touching up), bombs painted, including the yellow lines which will need touching up, Sparrow missiles painted and decaled (various black and yellow stripes cut to size). And a view of the back end - natural metal finish in progress (a mixture of MIG Ammo metal acrylics). You can also see that I added the fuel dump (from a small piece of carved plastic card) - dunno what the original kit provides; if there was anything it has broken off before I got my hands on it... It is also a bit obvious where the auxiliary intake door has been superglued in place - this will need careful rubbing down aaand - touching up... before I can go ahead with the final clear coat before decaling. Nige 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 So just a bit of a touch up ( oooo er Mrs ) and its done Great stuff, and a lovely lot of extra detail going into this one. Best of luck. Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galligraphics Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 (edited) Just one further update tonight. I made a start on the decaling earlier this evening, beginning with the underside serials. Considering their age, the original Matchbox decals appeared to be in reasonably good nick - but when I plopped them into water, I found out that the glue has turned to a horrible yellowy gunge , as can be seen from the state of the cotton bud in the pic below. I had to place each decal upside down (glue side up) on a clean plastic lid and carefully wipe off all the muck... Luckily these are fairly robust items and seem to be able to cope with this treatment. In the absence of glue, I am hoping that the "plop-it-into-a-puddle-of-Klear" method of applying decals will stick them okay... We'll see what they look like in the morning 🤞🏻. One further point - I'm not intending to display the finished article gear up - the undercarriage doors are simply held in place with Blu-Tack to enable me to apply the serials over the edge and then carefully separate them with a sharp scalpel once dry. At least, that's the plan... Oh yes... yours truly also managed to drop the wretched thing earlier . I was relieved to see that neither of the tail pitot tubes had been knocked off, but I then noticed that the tiny fuel dump bit that I'd carefully carved to shape and then painstakingly added, was missing. And could I find it on the floor? It is difficult enough to actually see the bl**dy floor... - so I'll be carving another bit of plastic card in due course. Oh joy... Nige Edited June 5, 2022 by Galligraphics minor tweak to wording 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 The carpet monster wins again! It looks great - good luck with the deadline extension. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galligraphics Posted June 6, 2022 Author Share Posted June 6, 2022 22 hours ago, Galligraphics said: Considering their age, the original Matchbox decals appeared to be in reasonably good nick How wrong can you be? Not only have I had to wipe off a horrible yellow gunge from the backs of the Matchbox decals, it turns out that they're a bit too thin and opaque... Read on... It started quite well. On the white undersides, the old decals went down quite nicely. You may also notice some stencilling which is NOT from the Matchbox kit - I scanned a copy of the decal sheet from my Airfix Phantom and printed a set out on the same inkjet decal paper that I used for my Angel Interceptor. We'll see how long the enthusiasm for cutting out 200-odd tiny little (almost illegible) markings lasts... It's amazing how a few markings (and a couple of scribed lines) make the rather basic Matchbox pylons look a bit more business-like... weathering effects courtesy of a grubby finger or two . However, when I applied the Matchbox markings to the top sides, it eventually became obvious that the dark grey was showing through a bit too much... It doesn't look too bad from a distance but in close-up... just look at the red on the tail fin... . You can also see that the white lettering/numbering appears pale grey . I have just noticed a couple of places that will need a gentle touch with micro-mesh as well. So what am I going to do? Not sure at this stage. I suppose, as I haven't yet added a satin top coat, I could strip the decals and try and source better ones. I haven't got long - I know we've got an extension but I'll potentially be away for some of that time - so I might just go ahead and finish it as-is so I can post some gallery pics, and then do some fixing later on 🤔. Nige 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galligraphics Posted June 10, 2022 Author Share Posted June 10, 2022 (edited) On 6/6/2022 at 9:13 PM, Galligraphics said: We'll see how long the enthusiasm for cutting out 200-odd tiny little (almost illegible) markings lasts... Not very long, apparently - it is becoming rather tedious... At least on the white undersides the stencilling shows up okay. When I get to the EDSG topsides it will be interesting to see whether they'll be visible at all... I still do have several to add to the undersides. Hands up who'll notice which ones are missing if I don't... Edited June 10, 2022 by Galligraphics minor tweak to wording 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Looking good, especially underneath with all the stencilling too, shame about the decal opacity though. Great work. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Sympathies regarding the decals Nige, but great that you're pushing on for the deadline Maybe one day you'll be able to find a spare set of Matchbox decals that you could overlay... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hook Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 On 6/11/2022 at 7:39 AM, CliffB said: Maybe one day you'll be able to find a spare set of Matchbox decals that you could overlay... I do have the XT864 portion of PK412 in the leftover box, but they look unusable - the red areas of the tail markings are flecked with white, while the blue of the roundels is a vivid shade more reminiscent of French blue rather than anything remotely resembling BS381C:110 Roundel Blue. Cheers, Andre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galligraphics Posted June 12, 2022 Author Share Posted June 12, 2022 2 hours ago, Hook said: I do have the XT864 portion of PK412 in the leftover box, but they look unusable - the red areas of the tail markings are flecked with white, while the blue of the roundels is a vivid shade more reminiscent of French blue rather than anything remotely resembling BS381C:110 Roundel Blue. Thanks Andre - I suspect that I may have to source some alternative decals instead of the old Matchbox ones. On 6/11/2022 at 6:39 AM, CliffB said: Maybe one day you'll be able to find a spare set of Matchbox decals that you could overlay... On 6/11/2022 at 1:04 AM, bigbadbadge said: Looking good, especially underneath with all the stencilling too, shame about the decal opacity though. Great work. Chris Thanks Chris and Cliff. I have found some alternative roundels of the right size on a couple of old Frog sheets for the Wessex (I have somehow ended up with a load of old Frog decal sheets in my spares box). Hopefully they will behave better than the Matchbox ones and I'll be able to overlay them. However, I almost certainly won't now meet the extended deadline. Mrs G has persuaded me that she needs a holiday so we're off for a few days. Whilst we will be back before the revised deadline, I'll be somewhat busy and probably won't be able to justify workshop time . Having spent a fair bit of time and effort on this, I am reluctant to rush/bodge it for the sake of a few extra days. I WILL finish it in due course, however, fear not... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galligraphics Posted June 28, 2022 Author Share Posted June 28, 2022 (edited) Having been back from holiday for about a week, I've spent a few evenings in the workshop and have finally finished the Phantom. By 'finished', I mean I've had enough and I'm not doing anything more to it. Photos below, and I'll bung a few in the GB gallery when it reopens for business. I am still disappointed about the translucency of the old Matchbox decals, but don't intend (at the moment) to strip them and source alternatives. I did use a couple of old Frog roundels on the upper wings - only to find that the white was slightly out of register and showed as a thin crescent halo; I therefore had to tidy them up with a fine brush and some EDSG. My grand plan for the yellow dotted lines around the canopies was to use some very thin yellow decal stripes (from an old Microscale sheet) and then overpaint with dashes of EDSG but they a) refused to be parted from the backing sheet, and b) disintegrated when I tried to part them from the backing sheet . So it was back to the method I used when I was younger, more optimistic, and had decent eyesight - use yellow paint and a very fine brush. Looks okay from about 2 feet away... Edited June 28, 2022 by Galligraphics Added photos 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 Congratulations, I'd forgotten just how good a Phantom looks in EDSG Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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