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1/48 F-105B conversion, done!


ghodges

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Started with the Monogram 1/48 F-105D kit, and I'm using the Falcon vacuform F-105B nose. The other changes needed for an early "B" (USAF service '58/'59, not the later ANG use) are removing the radar scope from the main instrument panel and removing the antennas molded in to the top of the tail fin. This pic shows the first of the major work done so far...

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This close up shows the Apoxy Sculp used to blend in the nose and fill the gun gas vents.

 

Other small changes also include the need to move the pitots to the sides of the nose under the windscreen instead of being on the wingtip, and deletion of the afterburner cooling scoops on the rear fuselage sides (which were not added until after engine over heating problems later in its career).

 

Still splitting time between this one and a P-40E in the painting stages, so it'll be a week or two before I get this one done. More pics after I make some more significant progress. Questions, critiques, and comments welcome, as always!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Gil, cool conversion project. Talk about a needle nose. Don't forget to take off the raceway on the spine from the front of the tail to where the V meets the top of the spine also. That was added to the top of aircraft after the plane lost hydraulics after taking some hits in the lower section of the fuselage. Faichild moved the hydraulics to the top of the fuselage in that fairing raceway.

 

Looks great so far. Nat metal finish? They had some great markings

 

Bill

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Thanks! And as mentioned by Rick And Bill, more mods have been made!

 

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It will definitely be natural metal, as the B never wore camo until late in life in Air Guard duties, and I'm doing one from '58-'59, before they went to the painted aluminum lacquer finish. I'll have to cobble the markings together, but that shouldn't be too hard, as there weren't many squadrons that used it during its USAF career!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Gil,

 

How was the overall fit of the nose to the kit? It looks respectable, but did any extreme measures apply to getting it faired on to the kit parts? Are Falcon's directions pretty self explanatory?

 

Just wondering.

 

Bill

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The fit was marginal....I cut it where it said (3mm in front of the nose well, along a panel line), but there was a significant step most all the way around. You could safely cut the nose off probably another 5-6mm farther forward and get a better fit. I'd suggest using dividers to measure the diameter of the vac nose and then match that measurement to the Monogram kit, mark it, and cut there. Falcon gives almost no instructions, except where to cut. They do not tell of any of the other mods needed to back date the "D" to a "B".

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Making some progress!

 

2 hours of masking and 4 Exacto blades to get to here....

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20minutes later (10 to spray, 10 to dry!), this is the result of the first 2 colors of Alclad....

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The brighter silver is Aircraft Aluminum and the duller color is just plain Aluminum; both applied over gloss black primer. I'll be doing more masking tomorrow of some smaller areas for a couple more colors to add even more variation. The anti-glare panels and squadron trim colors will be added once the airframe is painted.

 

Comments welcome!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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One thing I've discovered about the Airframe Aluminum, which came out MUCH shinier than I expected over the gloss black, is that If you apply it over a base coat of gray or plain aluminum, it is much more muted, and avoids that "polished" look (which is what Polished Aluminum is for!).

 

I've added some more dissimilar panels....

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May add a few more tomorrow. Hope to have this done in time to take to Orlando next weekend!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Got the green stripes painted, and all the decals are on!

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The green is Testors (the small bottle, cut with lacquer thinner).

The markings are ALL from the spares box, and it definitely helps to have a DEEP spares box! Not only did I have to use parts of no less than 7 different sheets, some of the markings fractured first time around, making me go back and find yet more of the same from secondary sources.

The buzz number on the tail and all of the 1s (tail and fuselage) are dry transfer decals. These are very easy for me, as I've learned how to use the sheet to help align them as I apply them, instead of cutting and applying them individually. It's MUCH faster and easier! A real stroke of luck was that the dry transfer numbers happened to match a regular decal sheet of letters (size-wise), so I could combine them for the FH-111 on the fuselage sides. I did overcoat them with Future, as they are subject to scratching/tearing until they're sealed.

 

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These markings are from a color side view in the F-105 In Action book. Once I saw the indian head squadron insignia, I knew I could do this! I remembered seeing them in my spares box and sure enough; they were part of a Microscale sheet that came in the old Testers 1/48 Nieuport 17. The blue and red triangles are simply solid decal sheet cut to shape; and everything combined to make up the insignia.

I have high hopes to finish this one tomorrow evening. All the fiddly bits are painted, so it should just be a matter of gluing stuff on, painting some lights, and giving a final clear coat (which I haven't decided on yet). No more pictures til she's done!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Got 'er done!

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The markings represent the 335th TFS of the 4th TFW in 1958

 

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This shows the differences in shape and length between the D and B noses

 

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Comments, questions, and critiques welcome! Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Yes, the T-birds flew them for just a few months til they crashed one. I only rescribed lines sanded off with an Exacto knife, except around the vac nose, which had no lines to begin with. I used Dymo tape and a scribing tool up there.

 

GIL :smiley16:

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