SapperSix

Thank you for your kind words.

This kit was traded for as mention prior. This kit has had at least three missing parts. And with that comes some challenges. Such as it is, I have been making the missing pieces. It was time to learn and so far my initial attempts have been ok. One of the missing pieces was the right side avionics intake scoop. I cut it out of stock plastic and shaped as need. The inlet hole for the scoop was cut with with an exacto blade and is very shallow. I am still working on a method to get a deep cut in the thin plastic without messing up the part. I also need to take a mm off the bottom to straighten out the lower edge. The left stab was missing so again I took a stab at making the stab...see what I did there? initially just a flat sheet that I cut to shape and bent to replicate the shallow downward angle of the stab. The joining tab was just some excess that I doubled up and super glued so I can recreate the standoff of the stab to the fuselage with some realism. I added a second sheet and blended to recreate the thickness of the stab nearest the fuselage. I cut the arrow shaped reinforcement plate, for top and bottom, out of the thinnest sheet I had and will give a light sanding to thin it a touch. Pictured here it is just placed for reference. Now to scribe and prime.

Thanks Gaz. I think I have it down a little better. Patience is key when re-scribing and I have to really go easy. everything else when well and smoothed out pretty good. Despite the models many issues the build hasn't been fighting me, just lots of attention required.

John, awesome build as always. You really make it look smooth and easy.

I take off for awhile and this is what I come back to? Thank god none of us are adults.....You guys are too funny.

Lots of big parts glued together with still more prep work. I have started on the exhaust base coats and color experimentation on a test plane. Gluing the body parts together has been brutal. I haven't seen such huge gaps in a long time. Basically where light and grey plastic meet there will be lots of body work. Low score on the fit and finish on this model. There will be another week or more making this right. And its just not gaps, its elevation as well. The little triangular NACA intake forward of the right side auxiliary air door has been filled (white triangle). And still more body work. The nose is fitting pretty well. Some minor sanding and maybe a bit of checking the panel line depth and it will be good. Its starting to look like a Phantom. Seeing it like this after many months feels pretty good. Fuel tank re-enforcement made from left over brass. It wasn't very straight and required a bit of work. Still not perfect but well on the way. Last of the rear deck wiring was completed. Now just to add some details, clamps, rivets and retainers. My first attempt at scribbing was less than desirable. I will have to do it again.......and probably again still..

As we have discussed so many times Harv, the vision will clear up when you remove the whiskey bottle from your lips. HA! Get well Harv. All the good vibes I can muster are headed your way.

Lots of busy work, correction and receipt of a great reference. The reference being "The Modern Phantom Guide". I wish I would have had it to begin with. Pretty awesome book! The tail was identified as being too sharp. I almost overlooked it and had to make a correction despite having already painted it. Ended up pretty happy with the change. I traded for this kit. I think it might be the same kit run two different times or from another version. Different colored plastic and some misaligned body lines are the clues, maybe I am wrong. There is going to be a fair amount of re scribbing. If I pushed it all the way back to line up the intakes would have had a pretty good gap. So I chose to re-scribe. There was some decent gaps between the fuselage and the wings. I used some plastic stock to cut some gap filling strips and make sure it had strength to secure the wings properly. I have since filled both sides as it worked out pretty well. I began detailing the landing gear. References in this case have been very helpful. Many modifications learned for the next Phantom. The ALQ-71 F-4 Short Tail is all put together awaiting a good coat of primer. And lastly the Vertical portion of the back deck is smoothed out. Ready to have wiring drilled through it....

Thank you Gaz! I think I used too much wash but they are not going to be the focus any time soon. I have cleaned them up a little to lighten them up. -Frank

Soooooo...I ordered some nice knitting needles and a few colors of yarn. Anyone interested in making some socks? This has to be the most amazing thing I have seen in regards to modeling. Wonderful to watch.......

Lots of work over the course of the last couple days. I was away for a bit and missed my workbench dearly. Clearly I am addicted. Lots of attention to the forward fuselage and cockpit. The cockpit is secured with the side instrumentation fitted and glued. I will take some close ups when I am done with all the extra wiring. I glued and filled the lower section, front landing gear bay, of the forward fuselage. It was a bit of challenge and required a fair amount gap filling. I am finally to the finer points of smoothing and re scribing. When the lower was fitted it was clear that the upper cockpit section wasn't going to align well with the lower. While there wasn't much of a gap, the plastic couldn't be affixed so that both sides were level. So there was much more putty and sanding than I had hoped. The front landing gear bay itself fit very well to the lower fuselage section and required little attention after gluing. The auxiliary air intakes had a lot of metallic experimentation done on them and came out well. The camera isn't doing them justice, rather my inability to take proper photo's. The aux air intakes were fitted with the red "boarders" cut from bulk plastic, edges filled and painted red. Out of shear luck, the doors that came with the aux air intakes match up to the modifications wonderfully. I did a ton of wiring to the bay of the main landing gear after I did the aux intake work. Pictures upon completion. Lots of parts painted red. A second coat awaits some parts. The red tail of the 14TRS and the photo flare box received their first coat of red. I also started the detailing of the landing gear, pylons and the ECM pods. She is starting to take shape.

If I may so bold Gaz, I dont think the engine produces HP for John. Just more corsairs, of which I am of great appreciation.

John, I do truly enjoy your well done, well thought out builds. This build was nothing less than excellent. There is a few corsairs in my future. I assure you I will be looking at many of your builds as my template. I look forward to your next corsair build and have also enjoyed your P-47 and -40 builds -Frank

Finally putting together a few of the sub assembly's in to the fuselage. The Camera's were eventually left to be good enough as I kept learning and gaining ability to make them better, soon they were good enough. They were not going to be exposed so further detail and enhancement was not going to give any returns just skills. All the wiring and detail wont be seen but I learned a lot about modifying stock parts and and have become way more confident. I had to fight the camera structures to make them fit so that they were aligned with the view windows. In the end they lined up pretty well. This is the front wheel bay wiring/hydraulic lines. A little bit of custom parts created from the plastic card stock. I used both an aluminum and copper tape to tryout creating conduit joints. They both worked pretty well and were easily formed and cut to make whatever form was need. Just about to primer. I put some time in to test fitting the cockpit and front instrument panel. Had to create a new base for the front instrument panel and work on positioning and fit. I hope to have that installed by the end of the weekend. We will see...

I have spent a pretty good sum of money on a RF-4C Project I have been working on. Time away from the family, from what was already limited. Having said that it has been a great kit and one that I am learning a lot on. I was building the RF-4C for a person that claimed they had flown the plane. Unfortunately, they have turned out to be a liar. They were outed by some other interested parties and its been a bummer to say the least. In the mean time I have a partially built RF-4C that could use a good home. As I am in the military I will be moving later this year. I had build it with someone else in mind and would like to keep it as such. If you know a deserving veteran or organization that would like the RF-4C build to be continued with them in mind please let me know. Its not too late to change course on the exterior color scheme. In the mean time I am going to continue building. Happy modeling to you all! -Frank

Cant...stop....buying.....models...ahhhhhhhh!!!

Thank you very much. When I was younger I built 1/72 and 1/48th scale phantoms. It has been something like 20 years since my last phantom build. In many ways this is also for me as much as it is for the pilot. The revell kit isn't as good as others on the market. In the end it will look like a phantom....I phase in and out to being that kid that's just happy to build and to up and coming bolt counter. And in that spectrum I will enjoy, as I hope you do..... Thanks for the kind words Ernie. There will be no cats in my build area....

Cant stop now I have in too deep....Thank you Peter. Thanks Harv. Its been a real trial.

Thank you Barry, and thank you for your help. Thank you sir. I have seen you work, I am but a shadow... Thank you Bill. Much appreciated. Thank you. When my mind is blown I sit for a bit and sip fine scotch whisky, hopefully it will work for you. Indeed your work is fantastic. Thank you.

Lots and lots of detail work. Wiring has certainly been the focus. I have been looking at everything wiring. And when it comes to the phantom it has a few wires. The cockpit wiring has been created and some installed. Some wiring from the pictures below will be ripped out and replaced as information has presented other, more realistic, options. I am waiting on getting a smaller drill set. Much of the wiring on the back deck comes in from the fuselage. The design of the GT Resin Cockpit requires that after I install it in to the fuselage then run the wiring coming in from the vertical portion of the back deck. Also the WSO instrument panel will have to be permanently affixed prior to additional wiring. So it will be a multi stage process to complete the cockpit as a whole. I started making harnesses and installing as sets and ran in to some problems. I eventually stared running each wire individually. I have made plans for all of the landing gear bays and of course the landing gear. Below is where I am now. Actually its time to take a break from the cockpit detail work and move back to the camera's. I plan to do some wiring and install the cameras in to their cradles in the coming week. Once I have done that I can think about installing them in to the fuselage along with the cockpit. I will need to work out the cockpit side panels as they dont seem to fit the cockpit in a intuitive way. I have been trying to make sense of the cockpit side panels by dry fitting them with little luck to this point. I have yet to install some detail on the ejection seats and in the cockpit in the interest of simplifying future construction. And hopefully increasing the survival probability of the more fragile bits. As usual I appreciate any and all input. I do need to make note to the many that have offered me information during this build. I do very much appreciate it!!

I am trying to get the wiring configuration for the whole of the Cockpit for an RF-4C. I know some of it wont be seen, but I am using the whole of the operation to practice wiring as discipline. This a close up of some of the wiring I have been doing. All of it can be replaced/rerouted upon verification of the real thing. Or, I can leave it depending on whats discovered. Any wiring information will be much appreciated. -Frank

Those are rookie numbers, got'a pump those numbers up!!!

Nicely done John! Very good builds all around. -Frank

Its amazing how the wiring makes an engine10 fold better. Excellent work all around. -Frank

Thank you Peter, Next time I will have all the wiring to scale and better equipment. It sure has been fun though. Thank you for your continued kind words. -Frank