Alright, since I got sucked into this Phantom GB...and it's after the first…lets build!
I bought Hasegawa’s QF-4N second-hand from a seller on another board.
I’ve never built a Hase kit (gasp!) or a Phantom (gag!), so I figured I’d try my hand at this one since I got it for a steal. The seller included some resin bits and a couple of other nice extras. (Thanks Dan!) Don't know if I'll use 'em though, but they're nice to have. We'll see. He did tell me when I bought it that he had sanded down the cockpit sidewall detail because he planned on using an AM cockpit set. Well he never got around to it and sold it to me, sans the cockpit set.
I figured it was no biggie since I build my kits with closed canopies. My thought was that no one woulda seen the sidewall anyway, so it really wouldn’t be missed.
So I went to my LHS after work yesterday to pick up a few odd-n-ends for the build, when lo and behold, what do I see? The same kit sitting on the counter! There’s a Post-It note stuck to it saying it was for sale. I asked the clerk about it, and apparently a private seller was looking to get rid of it. It was being offered well below retail, so I snatched it up. Now I have two Phantoms to build! (What am I getting myself in to…?)
When I get home I crack open the second kit and…TADA! There’s a surprise in there for me! A copy of the old Microscale sheet, 48-73, with two Navy and one USAF jets on the sheet.
It’s a no-brainer! One of my Phantoms is gonna be a VF-111 Sundowner. No, has to be! I just hope the decals hold together. Who knows how old these things are? I don’t, but I’m guessing they’re pretty old. The price sticker on the decal sleeve says $2.25! Uh…before you ask though, I have no idea what markings I’m gonna dress the second jet in...so don't ask.
The Spring semester doesn’t start until Jan 25, so I gotta get as much done on these builds as I can before then. Time will be thin once school starts. With that in mind, I start building…
I learned that the USN/USMC didn’t have flight controls in the back seat of their Phantoms, so out came the Dremel and away went the control stick mount. Then I scabbed over the area with a small square of styrene.
I know wunna yous is gonna ask, “Why’d you bother with the control stick if you didn’t bother with the side panels or the Navy vs USAF cockpit?” Answer is, because a hole in the floor is more obvious (to me at least, and that’s all that matters) than the slight difference in/lack of instrumentation.
I spent the first day of 2010 working on the cockpits. I got one done but ran into a problem when I went to dry fit it in place.
First, the finished cockpit:
It’s mostly OOB, except for the lead foil seatbelts. I know the belt pattern isn’t accurate, but I was going for “representation,” not “duplication.” Besides, since my cockpits are always closed, they’re simply an effort to “busy up” the office.
Now, the first problem of the new year…
As I handled the assorted parts from both kits, I noticed a slight difference in the fuse halves. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until I really looked closely.
The fuse halves from the first second-hand kit I bought, was not only missing the sidewall detail (which I expected), but also part of the cockpit structure.
Cue Homer:
You can see the fuse half missing the structure taped to a fuse half that has the structure. (Apparently, you can also see how dirty my camera body is. YIKES!) Oh well, building has stalled at this point until I can figure out how to engineer a replacement part. Not a big deal, it’s just that I didn’t expect that. Hmm…
Anyway, that’s my first installment. I don’t have to be back at work until Tues, so I hope to get more done and posted soon.
Thanks for looking! Don’t forget to drop your two cents in the bucket on the way out.
Cheers!
-O