Rhino's first build

[Rhino]

Hi All

This RF-4B will be my first build. It is a scheme I have wanted to build for a long time. 1/48th is not my preferred scale, although I do dabble sometimes.

I have made a start, mainly cleaning up the resin parts, and some test fitting. The reason for that is I did 18 days on sea trials without any models to build, and I was suffewring from withdrawal symptoms. No painting has yet been done, but the wings have been well started. I will post pictures of the Aires wheel wells later. The Aires resin does look very nice, and the cockpit looks drop in.

Ted

[bexwh773]

Hi Ted, look forwards to this, PR is one of my "Fetish's" to say the least. That resin office is very nice, I used one in a What If I built using an RF-4C instead, but will take A LOT of sanding

Bexy

[zero]

Wow not going to town on this one then, Ted!!!

Just to prop you with an idea I had on my build, (i'm just finishing this kit) I used a set of little's cars Lenses for the cameras, and they really look the part.

heres a few link to a few shots of the cameras in mine (I don't like posting pictures in others build threads) so click the links to view

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1409/6773...9/394847893.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1409/6773...9/394847906.jpg

Also it's a lovely kit to build, it falls together, so enjoy it.

Dave

[Rhino]

As I work half days on a Friday, I've managed to get some work done today. I've put the wings together, with the Aires wheel bays now fully fitted, the outer ailerons had already been cut out, and are now attached, and I started painting the superb Aires cockpit. I'll post some pics this weekend, hopefully when the cockpit is complete.I've also started cutting out panels to accomodate the Aires recce compartment (another work of art).

Zero, thanks for the links to your build, I did that scheme some time ago in 1/72nd scale. If you or anyone does feel the need to post relevant pictures on any of my builds I will welcome them.

Catch you tomorrow.

Ted

[wellzy]

Hi Ted

Will keep a close eye on this one I have one to build .Look

forward to your build to see if I can pick up any tips.

wellzy

[Rhino]

Hi Ted

Will keep a close eye on this one I have one to build .Look

forward to your build to see if I can pick up any tips.

wellzy

Wellzy

Are you planning on using the Aires stuff? If so. I'll do a more detailed build thread.

Ted

[wellzy]

Wellzy

Are you planning on using the Aires stuff? If so. I'll do a more detailed build thread.

Ted

Thanks Ted yes I will now I have seen what you get the nose and cockpit look really good.

wellzy

[Rhino]

Progress so far. As promised, here are a few photos.

First up is the cockpit. The Aires cockpit is really nice looking, not 100% sure about accuracy, but it is certainly a lot better than Hasegawas offering. Noticeable is the wiring behind (in front of?) the GIB's IP. Still to add is the pilots stick, which was missing on my set, so I will use the kit stick instead. Also the throttle quadrant needs adding, plus some other minor details,

The shots below show the Aires MLG bays before and after painting. Some detail painting will be carried out, but a good idea of what they are like can be seen here. A lot of thinning was required to get them to fit, but again they are superior to the Hasegawa offering.

Next stage will be the Aires exhausts and the recce bay. Plastic has already been removed.

Wellsy, let me know if you need any more details as the build progresses.

More later.

Ted

[Rhino]

Hi All

Todays update.

First off was the building of the gorgeous Aires exhaust. Very easy to put together, and looks really cool with some careful painting.

I first sprayed Tamiya's Titanium silver over the outside. Various Mr Metal colours were then added

Next, all theinsides were added, then thefuselage was joined. The following 3 shots shows the Aires bits inside the fuselage half.

Once the 2 halves were joined and the wing added,I tackled the nav light that sits on the vertical stab. On a previous build I tried replacing the light with clear red resin block. I liked it sufficiently to want to try it again.

First a slot was cut out.

Next a block of resin was superglued in place.

This was then trimmed and polished. All thats left to do is to apply some Kleer to bring out a more glass like finish, which will be done later in the build. For an hours work I do like the result. If you fancy it, I have been told a clear red toothbrush works very well, but I have the resin for now.

Finally some overall shots to show progress so far.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm flying south to attend a course, but before I go I will have a go at the recce pack. There may not be another update until the end of the week.

Thanks for looking.

Ted

[Rhino]

Hi All

I've managed a bit more progress on the RF-4B since the last update.

First of all, I have now completed the ejector seats as supplied in the Aires pack. These come complete with brass seat belts. I've done a large number of resin seats, but the idea of etch seat belts is a new one. They are a bit fiddly to put together, but they look OK.

I've also done some work around the recce nose bay. I did have a problem with one area. The kit comes with what looks a good looking air intake but I found this is somewhat undersized, but having already cut out and disposed of the kits parts, I was in trouble. The way out was to use milliputto fair the area in to an approximate correctness, put the rear part of the clear glazing in, then complete the filling. It looks a mess but it should be OK when painted. The area behind the bay has been painted, but the colours are a guess, but done to try to add some colour to the model. If anyone knows how irt should be it can easily be repainted. I still have some more details to add, then the cameras are next.

Hopefully more progress can be made over the next week.

Constructive critisism would be welcome.

Thanks for looking in.

Ted

Edited June 7, 2011 by Rhino

[wellzy]

Hi Ted

Looking good so far love the cockpit and seats,

very interested in the nose whats the fit like.

wellzy

[periklis_sale]

nice work mate

but

the harnesses on the seat should start from the head rest not the shoulders

apart from that nice one!

[Alan Hooker]

Coming along very nicely indeed! Look forward to seeing the finished article.

[Rhino]

Hi All

Thanks for the comments.

Wellzy. The fit of all the Aires stuff is good. The recce bay needs a fair bit of thinning, but I would recommend removing the Aires cooling intakes and retaining the kit part instead. That is where all the filler is. The Aires part was definitely too narrow. I don't know if you are supposed to do it that way or not, Aires instructions aren't the greatest. The cockpit fits like a dream, just thin the kit plastic at the top. The rein wheel bays are worth the effort, but they require a lot of thinning, just persevere with it. The nose bay is OK, but agai needs to be thin in places, trial fits should help. Overall, the wow factor is increased using this set.

Periklis my friend, thanks for the heads up. I knew something wasn't right, but couldn't work out what. I'll get it corrected tonight. Pity it's not a Greek one eh.

Alan, thanks for the friendly comment, hopefully be squirting paint at it this weekend, just a couple of minor bits to do before then.

Many thanks for looking.

Ted

Edited June 8, 2011 by Rhino

[periklis_sale]

Ted is never to late to turn it Greek!

just change the side wall of the co pilot and put Greek declas

[Rhino]

Ted is never to late to turn it Greek!

just change the side wall of the co pilot and put Greek declas

Nah, I'll leave it as is, may do a Greek one later though.

[Rhino]

Hi All

I've now reached the slow part of ther build, i.e. painting the beast.

I have applied white paint to various parts, i.e. the red parts have been primed with white, and the white parts are now painted. As I've used Tamiya acrylics I'm going to wait a week before masking and repainting the red and grey parts. This obviously means not a lot to do for a while, so I will start another project. The planned next builds are a pair of F-4EJ Kai special schemes, which I've been looking forward to for some time.

Earlier this week I corrected the seats as suggested by Periklis, thanks again for the heads up.

Thanks for looking.

Ted

[Rhino]

Hi All

Just a quick update. As I've been waiting for the paint to harden so I can mask the white, I've actually done very little. After a week or so, I masked and sprayed the red spine and tail.

Unfortunately, I managed to damage some of the paint, so I resprayed some white, and will wait a while again for the fresh paint to harden.

Just a couple of shots to show where I've got to so far.

Next job will be the Gull Grey uppersides.

Thanks for looking.

Ted

[Rhino]

Hi All

Having completed the two Japanese Phantoms, I have plucked up the courage to continue with this build.

I have to admit that the paintwork has been challenging, I have touched up the red twice, the white undersides 3 times, and the Gull Grey twice, and it's still not quite there. I have also redone the metal area. Hopefully I'll get there soon.

Part of the problem has been with masking the paint, so I tried a new technique (for me).

I decided to try a combination of blue tack and ordinary clingfilm, and this seemed to work very well. I simply surrounded the area to be painted with a thin layer of blue tack and covered the rest of the model with cling film. I found the cling film excellent for covering as it sticks to the blue tack and to itself so preventing overspray. Also it does not damage the painted surface, which is the problem I have been having. The cling film probably isn't suitable for the edges though as it isn't tacky enough for a seal at the edge.

The pictures show the current state with a coat of Klear on the paint to protect it.

Comments welcome as always.

Thanks for looking.

Ted

[Rhino]

Hi All

A quick update on progress.

First I seem to have mislaid the canopies, but I am using some from another Phantom I have. I have a British Phantom which is being used for spare parts, but I discovered the pilots canopy had been removed before I got the kit, so took that from yet another kit but I need to replace that.

This is quite a complicated build that isn't going as smoothly as I would like but I am determined to complete it.

I'm finally close on the painting, and I doubt I can do better, though there are many of you who could do better without trying I know.

I had the rear of the fuselage wrong, compare it to a previous post, and you'll see the correction I made, it sort of stands out.

I decided to put some decals on it so at least it would look like there was progress being made. It is also encouraging me to continue with it. So todays progress is seen below.

There is still a lot to do, but at least with decals on I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

Next stage is to complete the camera bay and then get her on legs. I'll see how it goes then. I do promise I will finish it though.

As always comments and suggestions are welcome.

Ted

[Rhino]

Hi All

Time for a quick update on progress so far.

It's been a bit slow this weekend as I seem to have a bit of a cold, but I did make some progress.

I have painted the canopies, and put some metal inside, the framing needs painting next, before being attached.

The following shots show the addition of the undercart. I like the Aires undercarriage bays, and especially the way the kit legs are used. You simply cut off a little bit, and attach a resin replacement part, then a nice deep hole for the leg. It is a very solid attachment. I attached a resin gear cover that is supplied next. Nose undercarriage went on next with no problem.

Next is the kits speedbrakes, and the centreline tank.

Next was the ejection seats, looking good in the pit I reckon.

The last shot shows the progress on the rest of the parts. I'm not going to install all the cameras as I realise now it needs to be installed before putting into the fuselage. Still got a few more bits to go. I'm hoping to complete this project next weekend.

Thanks for looking.

Ted

Edited September 25, 2011 by Rhino

[wellzy]

Hi Ted

She looks very nice almost there,

wellzy

[Rhino]

Hi All

Final update. I'm calling her finished. This was definitely not my best build ever, due to various mistakes I made during the build. At least if I was to do a similar build I know what not to do.

I'm glad I've done this scheme, it's one I've wanted to build for a long time now.

A few pics of the completed build.

Many thanks for all the comments and for looking in. It is much appreciated.

Unfortunately, this will probably be my last build for this group build, as the next 3 builds are too advanced to be included, but for info the are going to be 3 F-4C Wild Weasels from Vietnam, for the USAF SIG's Telford display.

Ted

[Jabba]

It may have been a struggle but it was worth it in the end, nice finish.

[Alan Hooker]

That's a beauty!