ghodges Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 (edited) 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... 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 Edited September 26, 2013 by ghodges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spruemeister Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 Very nice, Gil! Watching with interest. How about the skin reinforcement panels on the fuselage and wings? They were a late mod to the D, if I remember right. Rick L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted September 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 Thanks Rick! I'll have to look into those! GIL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBill50 Posted September 11, 2013 Report Share Posted September 11, 2013 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted September 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 Thanks! And as mentioned by Rick And Bill, more mods have been made! 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBill50 Posted September 12, 2013 Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted September 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted September 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 Primer coat is on! Still a lot of sanding and scribing to do, but the conversion work should be done! GIL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted September 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 Making some progress! 2 hours of masking and 4 Exacto blades to get to here.... 20minutes later (10 to spray, 10 to dry!), this is the result of the first 2 colors of Alclad.... 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PetrolGator Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 Gil, always like watching your builds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmorrissette Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 Excellent Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Deliduka Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 Gil, this is one of my favorite planes. I love the silver finish. You've given me something to strive for. I'll be trying some of this technique on the Connie I picked up in Colorado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted September 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 (edited) 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.... May add a few more tomorrow. Hope to have this done in time to take to Orlando next weekend! GIL Edited September 21, 2013 by ghodges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spruemeister Posted September 21, 2013 Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 Oh, that's nice! This is really coming along well. You gonna make me dig out the C&H conversion set. Rick L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted September 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2013 95% of the colors are on! Those wide white stripes will actually be green stripes with thin white borders, hopefully by tomorrow night! GIL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted September 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2013 Got the green stripes painted, and all the decals are on! 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. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmorrissette Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 Gil: Always loved the F-105 and you are doing a wonderful job Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted September 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 Got 'er done! The markings represent the 335th TFS of the 4th TFW in 1958 This shows the differences in shape and length between the D and B noses Comments, questions, and critiques welcome! Cheers! GIL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 Great job. I can't tell for sure if you rescribed all the panel lines (but I couldn't blame you if you didn't!). The Thunderbirds flew the B, too, didn't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted September 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PetrolGator Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 Great job, Gil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBill50 Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 Too cool, Gil. Great job. Love those markings! Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts