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1/48 F-4C (Now done!)


ghodges

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This is an ugly picture, but it shows how I'm shoe-horning a True Details resin F-4C interior into the old Monogram 1/48 F-4C kit. I have the Phoenix Nats convention decals with those colorful striped Phantoms, and I'm gonna do one of them! Outside of the resin interior, I don't plan to do too much extra.

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Note some pieces of plastic placed on the resin tub and in the fuselage to help position it. The Monogram kit actually has decent interior side details, so I skipped using those resin parts, opting only to add the cockpit sill items. More pics as I make progress! Comments, critiques, and questions welcome!

 

GIL :smiley16:

Edited by ghodges
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The old Monogram Phantom kits are very accurate in airframe outline and exterior detailing, but most people don't like their raised panel lines. Most of the Hasagawa and even the old ESCI F-4s have indented panel lines. By the way, the Monogram Pro-Modeler F-4E is actually a reboxing of the Hasagawa kit, and not a Monogram or Revell mold.

 

As for me, I tend to build what I have on the shelf. This Phantom is just an exercise in a color scheme that I want to add to my collection, so I'm not too concerned with the panel lines. Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

Edited by ghodges
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. This Phantom is just an exercise in a color scheme that I want to add to my collection.

 

GIL :smiley16:

 

Thats one of the reasons the F-4S I'm building is going to be in the Heater-Ferris scheme. If I don't run out of time before a contest in FEB, there is a F-4D or E that I'd like to do in the Cloud scheme.

 

 

 

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Significant progress has been made...

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Typical Monogram 80's kit fit....needs some heavy sanding!

 

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Replaced the kit fin pitots with steel tubing, which will hold the smaller diameter tubing to finish them up. I also added the fin light from clear red plastic.

 

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Adding the resin cockpit tub caused significant fit problems on the bottom, even after sanding the top of the nose gear well paper thin. I had to use a Dremel to eliminate a step at the front of the gear bay, and used superglue/baby powder to fill the huge gap down the side.

 

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The worst fitting parts of wing in the rear are the flaps. I used some Mr. Surfacer and some superglue on them.

 

Well, the main airframe is now complete. I now need to get some new sanding sticks to get her ready for priming! Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

Edited by ghodges
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  • 3 weeks later...

I have finally made some significant progress. The bottom has had the camo gray (36622) applied, the wheel wells are done in gloss white, and the tail section has had various shades of Alclad II applied.

100_3337.jpg

 

I've also gotten the clear parts masked, the windscreen and middle pieces onto the fuselage, and the flat black applied as an undercoat for the clear parts. I also sprayed it onto the topsides as a pre-shade.

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Finally, just to show how important angle of lighting is to color interpretation, here's a pic of the bottom of the stabs. They're BOTH painted exactly the same! However, the middle "darker" panel doesn't show well on the one nearest the light source.

100_3346.jpg

 

I've gotten a lot of other fiddly parts painted too, so the next big step is the top-side camouflage. More pics after that. As always, comments, critiques, and questions are welcome! Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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No pictures today, but spent a couple of hours airbrushing the top-side camo onto the model. I'd forgotten what a hassle it is to spray a pattern, add another color pattern, then go back and touch up the over-spray, and then go back and touch up the over-spray from the touch-up..:smiley22: I'll let it dry until tomorrow, and then mask off the plane to add those gaudy stripes! I'll use a base coat of aluminum though, before adding the white, to make sure of clean, even, coverage. More pics after the stripes are on!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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No pictures today, but spent a couple of hours airbrushing the top-side camo onto the model. I'd forgotten what a hassle it is to spray a pattern, add another color pattern, then go back and touch up the over-spray, and then go back and touch up the over-spray from the touch-up..:smiley22: I'll let it dry until tomorrow, and then mask off the plane to add those gaudy stripes! I'll use a base coat of aluminum though, before adding the white, to make sure of clean, even, coverage. More pics after the stripes are on!

 

GIL :smiley16:

 

Might have sumthin' ta do with using that Wagner power painter you picked up at the flea market.....:smiley2:

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Well, it may not save on paint, but it covers real fast! :smiley20:

 

GIL :smiley16:

 

What is a real kick is the look on the poor girl at Home Depots face when Gil tries to get his latex paint matched to FS #'s...

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"Match FS#'s!" Ha! That's a good one! Since when have I put that much effort into a paint job? :smiley17: Got them there stripes painted! A couple hours of work over a couple of days, and a TON of masking led to this:

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I didn't have to do too much touch-up, and they look pretty good from 6" away and farther. Hopefully the hard part is now over and I can finish this one in another week or so. Cheers!

 

GIL

Edited by ghodges
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Looking great Gil, but quick question USAF may be different from the USN but what color did you use on the seat straps? I used light gull grey and the silver blends in too much with it I believe I need to go darker problem is I have about 15 different choices of grey.

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I just finished painting the seats yesterday, and I painted the belts Testors "engine gray" (the little bottle). I was simply copying (as best I could) a pic of some nicely painted resin seats from a model building book on the Phantom. The engine gray seems to have good contrast against the OD padding, and allows for better contrast with the silver buckles.

 

By the way, I've gotten the decals onto the left side and wing, and hope to finish decaling the rest of the model this evening. These Two Bob's convention decals are DA BOMB! They are thin, very opaque (no bleed through in the res stripe areas), and lay down perfectly! Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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I just finished painting the seats yesterday, and I painted the belts Testors "engine gray" (the little bottle). I was simply copying (as best I could) a pic of some nicely painted resin seats from a model building book on the Phantom. The engine gray seems to have good contrast against the OD padding, and allows for better contrast with the silver buckles.

 

By the way, I've gotten the decals onto the left side and wing, and hope to finish decaling the rest of the model this evening. These Two Bob's convention decals are DA BOMB! They are thin, very opaque (no bleed through in the res stripe areas), and lay down perfectly! Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

 

I too have been studying cockpits, and I was looking at a site that had many pictures of the MK7 seat, and saw that the top of it was grey, I assume that is that chute. But again I can't figure out which grey to use? Did you paint the top grey or leave it olive drab?

Edited by burner12
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I painted the top and bottom "pads" (chute, seat survival pack pad, whatever) OD. I've seen MB seats painted a myriad of colors. I don't think it was standardized, per se; they just assembled their supplied components in the colors they came in. As I said, I just found color pics of some seats I thought looked good, and copied them.

 

100_3356.jpg

 

GIL :smiley16:

Edited by ghodges
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I painted the top and bottom "pads" (chute, seat survival pack pad, whatever) OD. I've seen MB seats painted a myriad of colors. I don't think it was standardized, per se; they just assembled their supplied components in the colors they came in. As I said, I just found color pics of some seats I thought looked good, and copied them.

 

GIL :smiley16:

 

Well I have to say the paint job on everything cockpit, interior and exterior looks incredible. great work.:smiley32:

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