BlrwestSiR

I think I finally got all the seams filled. Of course I dropped it and snapped the nose section off so that had to be glued back on and seams filled again. Speaking of dropping the model, I did that earlier on in the build and snapped off one of the tips on the aft end. I tried to make a replacement from Apoxie Sculpt but didn't have any luck. So I ended up grafting on an ECM fairing from the Tamiya kit. With that done, I started on the paint.

Where you're at in the build is often where my procrastination starts to kick in and I have to fight the urge to go onto something new. I haven't heard of AAA either so hopefully they can come through for you.

So Hobby Easy carries their products and have the EJ Kai conversions up for pre-order. Also, it turns out the company name is W & D but seems to get spelled out as WandD sometimes. Bestest English!

Superlative work there Rob. Sounds like one of those kits where you have to look a couple steps ahead just to make sure you note everything.

Chris, I saw your post. That really is unfortunate. No one else makes a jig for the wing dihedral but you could probably make a simple one. It's handy to have if you're doing more than 1 F-4 kit.

I guess I'm fortunate that at the moment I can get away with a set of readers. But I'm sure there will be a time when I'll need something stronger. Nice to hear about what folks are using for when that day comes.

That's sorry to hear. Not really being a ship builder, I only bought the F-4 jig and the belly strap that they did.

Glad the suggestion worked out there Chris. The fit definitely looks much better.

That gear looks a lot more solid than what I've got on the Kai Eagle.

The Carrier looks great. I think I'm with Paul and will need to get one.

Some nice progress there Chris. To get the pylon to fit better, you could try taping a piece of sandpaper to the wing and then use it to sand the pylon to the right contour. I would definitely pin it as well with a bit of metal rod.

Started work on the landing gear. Lots of flash and ejector pin marks to clean up. Then I noticed that half of the nose leg was short shot. Thankfully I just grabbed the one out of the second kit and started over on the cleanup. The main assembly has been getting the seams filled and sanded so it's getting close to a coat of primer.

Maybe it made it easier to cast? Either way, you're making it look easy. I know, there's probably a bunch of test fit, sand, repeat but still.

Chris, I haven't heard of any issues with the kit Sidewinder rails. You actually need G11. Those are the LAU-7A that would have been in use at the time. If you do want to go AM Flying Leathernecks does some. Here's the Hannants listing but others should have them too. https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/FL32-2039?result-token=MMJRr If you haven't already, download the instructions for the F-4E kit here. They will help clear up some of the differences between the E and EJ. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tamiya-60310-mcdonnell-douglas-f-4e-phantom-ii--131015

Ah, a Girls und Panzers fan. Nice work! Carl

With the extra work done to the back half of the fuselage, the Eagle is now a tail sitter. So time for some nose weight. 17¢ was put in the nose cone and glued in place. Once dry, I can then attach the nose cone.

Chris, here's the jig for setting the outer wing angle that I have. http://nautilusmodels.com/32-802.htm The angle is 12.5° otherwise. As for the wing pylons, they need to move inboard 4.7mm

I guess that's better than one about navel lint.

Vertical tailplanes are filled and sanded. I'll see what touchups, hopefully minor if any , are needed after a coat of primer. I've now glued the horizontal tailplanes on. Again, some decent sized gaps along the top edge so duly filled and puttied. This just leaves the canards to mount.

I think I'm going to stick with the drop tank. It'll be closer to what's seen in the anime. Although I will definitely be keeping the ASAT for a future project.

So in other words, you need to have the shops send one sprue at a time.

Next up are the wing pylons. I'm using the Tamiya ones as the detail is a bit more refined. They're a simple fit, just need to drill holes instead of the slots the kit pylons use. Both fitted but not yet glued. For the centreline, I can use the centreline tank. Another option I have is mounting an ASAT. One of the Revell kits still has the original sprue with an ASAT in it. Could be an interesting load out. Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising anyone?

With the intakes dry and the gaps mostly dealt with, I finally added the vertical stabs. Because they're canted outwards instead of straight up and down like they were originally, I've had to fill in the gaps along the base. Once that's dry, I'm sure there will be more sanding and filling until smooth.

Great job on a not so easy kit. Nice choice of markings too

That will be different. The RCAF had at least one P-40N during the war that was NMF.