Chris Bucholtz Posted June 23, 2025 Report Posted June 23, 2025 I was hoping to have this nightfighter Tigercat done by the start of June, but I missed my deadline by two weeks! It's a 1968 issue of the classic kit, with the Cobra Company conversion for the nose, Resin2Details engines, Starfighter's wheel bays, an Aries cockpit (with a scratch-built instrument panel, since I lost the original one), and a scratch-built radar operator's cockpit. Decals were modified from a Print Scale sheet to depict the plane that scored the first F7F-3N victory, downing a Po-2 on July 1, 1951. Once it was together, I shot it with Tamiya rattle-can aluminum, then gave it a coat of MCW flat black warmed up with a drop of red and a tiny bit of gray. Weathering started with some chipping with the tip of a No. 11 blade, which was added to with some silver Prismacolor pencil. I post-shaded the panels a bit, using Post-its as quick masks, and then muddied up the plane where appropriate with oils. The whole shooting match was given a coat of Dullcoat mixed 60:1 with dark gray paint. The exhaust stains were applied with black, brown and white pastels. I drilled out the resin nos and filled it with lead shot - it still wasn't enough to keep it on the nose gear! Like the real airplane, which would tip back when the tanks were empty, a 55-gallon drum was used to prop the plane up. Any day now, the Fly Models 1:72 F7F family is going to arrive. So, this may be the last conversion of the Monogram kit anyone is dumb enough to do! 1
ghodges Posted June 23, 2025 Report Posted June 23, 2025 Wow! That certainly looks the part Chris! I think you nailed the weathering for its use in Korea. It also shows just how good those older kits can look with a little detailing help and skills like yours applied. Congrats! Gil
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