This one was just finished as part of the STOL/VTOL GB that is going hosted by modelcrazy.
I started with a glue bomb that was for the most part complete. I do have a unstarted kit, but since I wanted to make this one as accurate as I could it didn't seem appropriate to use up the collector kit, they are not very plentiful. Some parts were broken off such as several tail fins, some had broken off and were poorly repaired, and some of the casters on the tail fin were missing. I was able to break all the old glue joints without major damage and all the old paint was scraped off.
The changes were a cockpit, built up from an F-80 tub and various PE sets, and an ejection seat that I can't remember the source of that was somewhat modified to resemble what little I could see in pictures. I made a master for a vacuform canopy, and traded some decal work for a friend who made some nice canopies for me. The exhaust duct on the bottom was not represented in any way, and the fairing between it and the oil cooler inlet on the bottom was modified extensively , both areas done with plastic card and Epoxyclay. The engine air intakes were boxed in at the nose. There was a lot of filling and sanding on this one. There are still some areas that could benefit from more prep for the metal finish, but with my builds there always is. I console myself by muttering "perfection is the enemy of progress". I'll park a jeep or something in front of that area. The finish is Alclad 101 over a flat black finish that was buffed to a satin sheen. The control surfaces on the tail and the trailing edges of the wings were buffed with SNJ powder before the Alclad was set hard. The Spinner is ADC Grey and the tip pods are F-15 Dark Grey, both Model Master. The prop hub fairings are Alclad Magnesium.
All the decals were drawn up in Autocad and Corel Draw and printed on a laser printer except the prop logos which were done on an ALPS. The stars and bars were from decal spares, it's just easier. Masks were drawn up and cut on a Silhouette Cameo using Tamiya masking paper sheet. The 657 numbers were interesting because of the large curvature in that area of the nose, when the masks lay flat they get bigger as they progress forward. Windscreen masks were also made.
The last picture shows where some of my interest in building the XFV-1was created. Many years ago, a friend who is no longer with us built the Lindberg XFY-1 to a very high standard, and it needed some company.
The glue bomb:
