WIP Hasegawa 1/48 F-4 Phantom NFARS

Here's a link to a ground-level pic.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA-Air-Force/McDonnell-F-4C-Phantom-II/2707973/L

Phil_H

I believe the subject of your project, 64-0660 is on permanent display on the base, mounted on a pedestal, though it now wears an overall grey colour scheme.

My best guess, using Google Maps overheads, is here: https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/43%C2%B007'06.8%22N+78%C2%B056'42.5%22W/@43.118545,-78.9456948,82m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d43.118545!4d-78.945149

 

Wow, I had no idea it was possibly the same aircraft.  I knew we had a Phantom on display, from looking on Google maps, but didn't even think for a second it could be the same one from that picture I stumbled on.  That's pretty cool. 

I believe the subject of your project, 64-0660 is on permanent display on the base, mounted on a pedestal, though it now wears an overall grey colour scheme.

My best guess, using Google Maps overheads, is here: https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/43%C2%B007'06.8%22N+78%C2%B056'42.5%22W/@43.118545,-78.9456948,82m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d43.118545!4d-78.945149

Despite my efforts on catching up on house work yesterday so I could devote the day to the Phantom, things didn't go as planned, lol.  Maybe tomorrow.

I know most of the squadrons that have been on base, I think I've reached my limits as to what I'm going to find on the internet.  I did take a small tour of the base in October, but I was so in awe of the C-130 in front of me I forgot to ask questions, lol.  I may just have to work up the courage and go over to the base. 

Contact the base Public Affairs folks. They should have access to older photos that may not have been put onto the internet digitally. Also look up the history of what units have been assigned to that base. Squadrons may change mission types over the decades. My fathers old wing over the course of their history from WWII to today has flown B-17s, B-26s, C-119s, KC-135s, C-141s, and C-17s among other types. If you tell the PAO folks you're interested in the history of the base and units there, they may be quite helpful.

I don't mind doing research most of the time, but it seems when it comes to anything related to what was stationed at our base there is limited information and pictures.  I spent hours online trying to find a picture of a camo C-130 from our base in the 80's and turned up nothing.  Only reason I even know we had them is I could see 6 of them in the background of a picture of an F-101 Voodoo.  Short of going to the base and asking them, which I think might make me look like a crazy person, I'm not sure how to obtain anymore information.  I can't afford to buy a book on every airframe I decide to do, wish I could.  

A goal of mine is to complete a rendition of every aircraft that was stationed here.  They certainly don't have to be exact replicas, I'm not being picky, especially when a very generous forum member chose to gift me the kit to get me one step closer to that goal.

Well, I would not call the differentiating between two quite distinctly different versions of the Phantom as "rivet counting" by any stretch. And researching your builds can be half the fun. Especially if you see a paint job you like and want to track down your subject to see if they wore something similar.

Keyda, looks like Jeaton knows A LOT more about Phantoms than I do (and I enjoy hearing from people like him who knows more than me)....I think your attitude on "rivet counting" (not using the right F-4 for your build) is very refreshing and very practical.  It's always great to hear from members like Jeaton who help with questions and good advice!
If it's not the right airframe....that's not such a bad thing.  If it makes you happy and you are going to have fun....then...well, it doesn't get any better than that, does it?

And.....it's a spankin PRETTY plane!  Have fun!!

Oh...and for future reference....white wheel wells are easy.  Like you, I've had LOTS of problems painting the gloss white - sometimes it takes HEAPS of coats to cover.  Soooo.......I use FLAT white (FS 37875) or Tamiya flat white Surfacer (decanted into my airbrush jar) .... light coats will cover VERY well, and then a coat of gloss white or Future.  Works every time.

Go for it!  Have fun!  And post lots of pics!

I think progress is done for today.  I discovered while putting the wings on the plane that I'm missing a few pieces.  No big deal, nothing that is going to stop building.  They are pieces that can always be put on even after the model is finished.  I've already emailed Hasegawa about it.  We'll see what happens when they get back to me.

Fuselage without the pound of tape, lol.

Left intake

Wings and nose

I know it's a lot of tape, lol......I just didn't want anything moving on me.  Hopefully everything is lined up nicely, I tried to make sure it was.

This is one bad ass looking plane.  Having a blast building it!  I forgot how nice Hasegawa kits went together, it's spoiling me.  I'm going to let everything sit overnight and set up nice and tight.  I sometimes get impaitent and land up pulling pieces off when I take the tape off, lol.  I've been slacking on house work anyway.

It's looking really good and coming along together nicely.  IP looks great!

Toshi

F-4Gs wore that same camo scheme for the early portion of their service careers. Just different tail codes for the few Weasel units

Howdy Keyda, sunlight versus indoor lighting, changes the way a paint reflects it's hue. Paint subjected to outdoor weather and sunlight fads the paint. Then there is the scale affect that scale models have to the human eye that makes the paint seen too dark. I build models in 1/72 scale and depending on the color will add 15% white, sometimes less, to the paint so the paint job doesn't look too dark. The 1/48 scale model guys that do this use a different percentage of white to their paint, I don't know what that percentage is. However, I don't add white to silvers, golds, coppers, whites, or clears for example. Very light shades of any color I usually leave alone, for instance FS36195 light grey, add 15% white to this and it looks white to my poor tired eyes. Ultimately in the end remember it's your model and if it makes you happy you have done well. Andrew Magoo

Got the cockpit together, and the fuselage halves glued together last night. 

I did a small paint swatch to test out my colors.  The reference I have calls for dark tan, but it looks too dark compared to the photo of the original plane.  I could probably chalk that up to lighting and the fact it's a rather old photo.  But the greens look spot on. 

Some more progress painting the little bits and pieces.  I'm calling the cockpit stuff done at this point.  If I try to detail the IP's anymore at this point I'll just make a giant mess, lol. 

Hoping to get started putting the cockpit together after dinner.

Not sure why it looks so bad in the pic, it really isn't that messy in person!

A piece broke off, and I have no idea where it went.  I'm not even sure how long it took me to realize it was missing.  I may try and fix it somehow, or just leave it.  I haven't tried my hand at scratch building anything yet.

Will hopefully have more progress to report tonight! 

I'll be following this one  count me in!

Toshi

The panel looks nice, Keyda.  Are you using flat white?  It will cover a lot better than gloss white.  I just put a thin coat of gloss over the flat white, or Future, if I need a gloss finish.  I never did learn how to get good coverage with gloss white without getting about a 1/4 inch thickness of paint!

Made a little bit of progress today.  I really hate white paint, lol.  It seems no matter what kind of white paint I use I need to put a 100 coats on.    I can't use spray paint at the moment, my little home made paint booth can barely handle the airbrush fumes.  Stay at home mom budget kind of sucks, lol. 

White done.

Just a little start on some detail. 

Keyda, if using the G kit makes you happy then use it and enjoy it.  As you say, it's a hobby.  Some of us talk too much, with me at the head of the line on this one!

sweet kit! I'm always up phor a phantom build , however the F-4G with it's longer nose and all is a far stretch from a Short nosed C model. Academy makes a great 1 48 scale C kit, but I understand your position 

jeaton01

Keyda, I'm not the greatest F-4 expert around here, but it looks to me like your kit is an F-4G, which was based on the F-4E, and the photo is of an F-4C, F-4C-21-MC 64-660 to be precise.  It will be a lot of work to go from one to the other.

 

Your much more of an expert than me, lol.  I'm sure there are plenty of differences, if I had the time, and paitence to do all the research I would.  But this is just a hobby and I have one of those "good enough" attitudes, and I'm not real picky, lol.  I would certainly drive myself quite crazy if I tried to get every detail correct.  I even thought at one point I might get in trouble for "spying" on the C-130's we have on base, lol. 

Keyda, I'm not the greatest F-4 expert around here, but it looks to me like your kit is an F-4G, which was based on the F-4E, and the photo is of an F-4C, F-4C-21-MC 64-660 to be precise.  It will be a lot of work to go from one to the other.

That's what I thought, lol.  I was going to do it in the normal color scheme, even though I've always liked the way the Phantoms look in camo, then I stumbeled on that picture, and that sealed the deal, lol. 

I was just looking around for examples for the writing of Niagara Falls on the tail, and came across someone who makes custom decals, so I ordered those.  Makes my life a bit easier.  I printed my own decals once, it was a pain in the butt.

I have a photo in a book of that same airframe in the ADC grey. Cool to see it in camo.