Hey Greg, it was worth the wait! Sharp clean build, she looks fine without ordinance- more of the sleek look.

Better late than never, I suppose.  Well, I finally finished my F-4B.  It was a Monogram F-4C, converted to a thin wing B.  It is a lot rougher than I would have liked, but I did learn a lot from doing this conversion.  Lesson 1- avoid olive drab plastic!  I learned quite a bit, that will hopefully make my current and future builds, less rough.  I have not place to display it right now, so it is going in a box, so I didn't hang the ordinance on it.  Anyways.....

T-bolt, thanks for letting me take part.  Enjoyed it.

Cheers,

Greg

ahh many thanks berny. from everything ive read in this GB you are definately the man when it comes to the phantom. so reading your list of changes ill just pony up the dough and buy a -4j instead of butchering my -4c. (1/72nd scale this time). thanks again and i hope you are felling alot better.

some assembly required

berny, ineed your help please. could you give me a brief run down of what i would need to change to convert my f4c to the f4j config. im not too worried about the interior layout of the cockpit (unless its totally different) but more of the "lumps n bumps" . so help me obiwan youre my only hope

It is going to take some major modifications.  The rear cockpit in the F-4J did not have a flight control stick, throttle or side consoles that the F-4C has.  The antenna hand control was moved from the right console to a panel in front of the RIO.  Left and right sidewalls were totally different.  The instrument panel was different.

The F-4J had the long AB secondary exhaust nozzels, not the short ones the F-4C/D had.  The ECM hump under the radome will have to be removed.  The F-4J had slotted stabs.  It used the Probe and Drogue refueling system so the refueling door will have to be engraved on the right side of the nose beside the cockpit.  A refueling light will have to be installed.  The USAF style refueling receptacle on the backbone behind the rear canopy will have to be filled in and sanded smooth.

The F-4J had different wheels and the main brake housing was different.  It didn't have the Anti Skid system and that is why the brake assy was different.  It didn't have the beef up plates on the stab (The wedge shaped plates on top of the stab torque box).  The inboard pylons will have to be replaced with the pointed type used by the Navy and Marines.  Outboard pylons if used will have a different shape.  Will need launch hooks installed under the forward fuselage.

That is just a few of the main differences.  There are more but not as obvious as what I have listed. 

berny, ineed your help please. could you give me a brief run down of what i would need to change to convert my f4c to the f4j config. im not too worried about the interior layout of the cockpit (unless its totally different) but more of the "lumps n bumps" . so help me obiwan youre my only hope

simpilot34

OH Good eye Berny, didn't notice that when I just saw her on the eye in the sky GB thread. Also noticed there is no gear doors on the struts either. Overall appearance though is great Wirraway!!!!

I think he realized his mistake when it came time to install the gear doors.  They wouldn't fit. 

OH Good eye Berny, didn't notice that when I just saw her on the eye in the sky GB thread. Also noticed there is no gear doors on the struts either. Overall appearance though is great Wirraway!!!!

Good looking RF.  However, I hate to tell you this Wirraway, but you have the main gear on backwards. 

Wirraway -- WOW! That's a clean, beautiful, mighty build! Thanks for persevering. It's a gorgeous piece of work and would be a credit to anyone's display shelf!

I'll update the roll of honour shortly.

If anyone is still contemplating finishing their Phantoms, please do, the build remains open to anyone still plugging away (which includes me!)

Cheers, Mike/TB379

lol no worries Greg!! Just don't call me late for dinner!!!

Can't go wrong airbrushing future. Just make sure you clean your airbrush really well afterwards to prevent stickage (voice of experience. )

Thanks Lt Cmdr Richie, and please forgive me for misspelling your name on Korea post.  I think I am going to try and future it just to be on the safe side.  I've never tried to future anything this big, so I am wondering if I should spray it, or use a brush, or as I read once, a cotton ball????

Cheers,

Greg

Gregbear she's looking good mate!!! Usually it's the painting I sweat about, not decaling. With painting, without a good base to put the decals on, they show things that aren't supposed to be seen lol You'll do fine mate, looking forward to the decals!!!!

Gregbear -- looking good! Bring on those decals!

M/TB379

Thanks 68GT!  Now I'm nervous that I'm going to screw up the decals.  Wish me luck.

Cheers,

Greg

It's turning out real nice!

Ok, I made a little more progress.  Time willing, I will be able to start decaling it in the next few days.  I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Cheers,

Greg

Thanks for the encouragement guys!  I'm going to try and mask it today for the metal and the black anti-glare area.  If so, I might, fingers crossed, paint it tomorrow a.m.. 

Comparing the F-4 to an F4U I'm working, the Phantom is huge!  I have the old Revell in the "Showtime 100" markings up in the closet.  If I ever build it, I have no idea where I'd put it.  I bought it years ago for nostalgic reasons, as I built it as a kid. 

Cheers,

Greg

Xradio and Greg- coming right along! Great looking work so far!

Greg -- I'm glad to see progress and look forward to adding this one to the roll of honour! The paintjob looks nice and smooth from this distance, and you gotta admit, there's nothing nicer than a 1:48 Phantom!

Cheers, M/TB379

Amazingly enough, I actually got some paint booth time!  The heat and humidity have made it hard to do anything out in the garage, but I hit it early today.  Sad that just painting the gray on top is such an achievement for me.  Now I just have to paint the black anti-glare, and the metal finish parts.  This beast has been a pain, and my future phantoms will most likely be in smaller 1/72 scale.  No masterpiece for sure, but from about 3-4 ft away, not too shabby.

Cheers,

Greg

I finally got a set of decals to stick. I'm going to let them dry a few days then apply my flat acrylic. I hope to have it done in a week or so. Seems like forever to get this one done but it has been a learning experience thanks to everybody who answered my questions in this groupbuild.

Thanks Gamera.

It's not  raining today, although there is a chance every day this week, I shall be victorious in my quest to apply pigments.

Kustommodeler: looking good!

Well folks, I got started on the second color (medium green) after the first (tan) cured a couple of days, and it has now started raining, so I may have to wait a day or so before continuing.....

Well, it's like the ketchup commercial used to say I guess- "Good things come to those that wait"

But I've waited so long I'm a nervous wreck wanting to finish her.....

Hi KM1 -- Yes you can! I was about to post to the list as a whole, it's the end of June in the States today and the first of July Down Under, which means the scheduled end date is upon us, but the intention was always to provide as much leeway as anyone needed. I've always maintained it's better to foster finished builds than shelf-queens, so everyone who is still engaged on a Phantom and would like to finish it and grab a badge, please take all the time you need to do the job right. I'll leave the build open and am delighted to continue to administer it. Indeed my own bird is in the unfinished pile and i would love to get her done!

Salutes to those who have turned in their aircraft on time, and all encouragement to those builds still moving down the production line!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

FINALLY!!! After 6 months, I got the first color on mine. Starting with the tan, then I will do the medium green, then the dark green, and finally the grey undersides.

It will go faster now. Can I get an extension on time? June is over......

Thanks Dupes!

Gamera

Wow, man...that's just - wow.