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Playing in the Sandbox Group Build Sept 1, 2024 - Jn 1, 2025

Tamiya F-4B Phantom


Peterpools

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Thanks Rob

The NMF/exhaust work starts today and I'm still trying to figure out the best way of replicating it. I'm using Danny Coleman's book as my resource for what this should look like - for me, new ground for sure.

Keep 'em comin

Peter 

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Phil

Completely agreed - my favorites for sure. My only problem is, over the past few years, I've bought AM decals for the Academy F4B and they are the same scheme and stencils galore. I'm only planning on using the major stencils or I'll be applying them for years.

  Keep 'em comin

Peter

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TAIL END CHARLIE

 

8/16/21

 

Work this past week has been dedicated to the exhaust end of the BIG F4. I’ve looked at loads of photographs, my reference books and the exhaust area look different from F4 to F4, so some artistic license could be safely used. My goal is only to be representative and after spending a lot of time masking, painting very lightly staining, the burning effect was lighter then expected but I can play with it down the road a bit. 

For starters when I do my next Tamiya F4, the stabilizer assembly will be added after painting, no matter what. I used mountains of Tamiya masking tape, Post Its and 3M masking tape and spent hours trying to get it right. Masking and painting around the stabilators took an easy job and made it anything but simply because they were already glued into place. I’ve already had to go back and donate more then a few hours to touching up some bleed throughs and actually twice in some areas as one touch up created a few more bleed throughs, where none were before.

What I didn’t want was an overly shinny metallic finish as the heat did its dirty work very quickly and the key was the gloss black base. The area had been already primed with MRP Light Gray Primer along with the fuselage, so I was ready for the gloss black base, which almost always is Tamiya but this time around I used MRP Super Gloss Black. It dried smooth, but nothing like Tamiya for me. The two main metallic colors used were Alclad Steel ALC 112 and Alclad Dura Aluminum ALC 102. For the individual panel staining on the lower exhaust area, I lightly airbrushed on vertical passes Tamiya Clear Blue and Clear Yellow, then another light overlay of Alclad steel and lastly hand painted some very diluted Clear Blue, Clear Yellow and Clear Red. My first time out of the box and I hoped the effect to be of a low time airframe and the beginnings of heat discoloration - still not there.

The outer halves of the stabilators both top and bottom are gloss white and needed some tricky masking to replicate the NMF boarders as they do not go edge to edge and have some wickets jogs to them as well. I was pleased on how it turned out and decided to added the burner cans at the end of the build; right now, they are just being test fitted and need a a lot more work.

I’ve been using my new Infinity Cutting Mat and OMG, it’s pure magic – can’t recommend it enough.

Next up, it’s decaling time and was I surprised when I started …

News at eleven

Thanks for checking in

Peter

 

pXQjyG.jpg

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9xf3Pn.jpg

 

ylfKR9.jpg

6XwcHc.jpg

 

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The tail area looks good to me, if you are after a more or less new appearance Peter. 
Let the decal fun begin with all these stencils :D. Have I told you, that I have a set of HGW wet transfers for my Academy Phantoms stencils :hsmack:. They looked so tempting, having some of the stencils grouped for a certain area. If you remove the carrier film, they will look completely separated, but who knows, If they work...

Cheers Rob

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HI Rob - Much appreciated. So far, I have the Tamiya decal set with a load of stencils and two complete sets of Furball 48th Scale F4 Bravo Mig Killers - long story and the stencil data is complete on both sheets as well. Just a matter of deciding whose decals to use and I'm leaning towards the Furball sets right now as the screaming Eagle colors seem to be a bit more vibrant. I bought both Furball sheet a few years ago for the Academy kit which I never built and bought another set not remembering I had already had the sheet and cut a few decals here and there. Better to have too many sheets then search for a sheet that's out of stock or out of production.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

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Great work on the aircraft tail Peter.

Can fully understand that painting with attached stabilators is a time and tape-consuming job. 

But your awesome result pays off for that!

I solved the same problem on my 32nd scale Tamiya F-4J by cutting the stabilators assembly into 2 pieces and fit them at the end. This made painting very easy. They are still movable and the fit is very nice:

5D3E747A-B2C3-4B20-BC82-BB9BCBBB32D1.thumb.jpeg.69300ff1c85a29e40d5c7cbb9c50f6d2.jpeg

B221FB5B-9D49-4ED0-8857-14B9F4713B9A.thumb.jpeg.e904add1b1a3928e2f9d41f545f4f3a7.jpeg

2D5C3753-FFF0-4FBD-A724-1367980311E0.thumb.jpeg.436c251a0c0711958ba894a90a1277c5.jpeg

Maybe this surgery is also possible in the 48 scale version since the construction seems to be quite similar. 

Looking forward to seeing the decaled bird! 

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Kai

Thanks so much. I should have done what you did and masking would have been a zillion times easier - live and learn. Your masking on the Tail End Charlie of your F4 looks perfect.

A few hours ago I finished glossing the undersides with Mr Color Clear Gloss #46 thinned with Mr Color Thinner - smooth for sure. Tomorrw I'll be doing the uppers and sides and then hopefully by Wednesday, it's decaling time.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

 

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Peter,  I served with an active RF-4b squadron for a short time in 1984-85.  The exhaust vanes...or whatever they are called...   are a metallic color with a hint of yellow...   with soot all over them.  The soot dominates.  The soot stains the stabilators, too...   as well as those metallic bits underneath.

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IT’S DECALING TIME

 

8/18/21

I’ve finally reached the portion of the build I like the most: decaling. After all the color coats had dried thoroughly, I gave the Big F4 a thorough going over with a Tamiya anti-static brush, removing any dust that still might be lurking here and there. Time to gloss the Phantom and my preferred gloss: Mr Color #46 Clear Gloss. Yes, it smells and even when thinning I wear a good respirator. I glossed the undersides first, let dry for a good six hours then gloss the top and sides and left to dry overnight.

Tamiya’s decals look wonderful and they are getting better and better. The fly in the ointment is I had purchased had two Furball F4 Bravo Mig Killer decal sets a few years back for the Academy F4B & F4B/N , never built either the kit.

The Furball decal set is gorgeous and printed by Cartograf. The dilemma, which decals to use. I decided to use the best from Tamiya and Furball. Both sets include the gorgeous CAG F4B of VF-51,The Screaming Eagles on a specific date of 5/6/72 so they should be the same but they aren’t. Looking over each set, I found loads differences in color, size and thickness of the lettering and the Eagle itself, especially with the Tail Feathers.

Diving in, this is all I’ve accomplished so far and it’s a combination of both sets. The Screaming Eagle is from Tamiya as the Furball Eagle just doesn’t fit right as with the Danger/Intake decal – the Furball decal was a bit too big and didn’t fit naturally as well as the Tamiya.

Nope I’m not planning on drowning the F4 with stencil data, just enough to look good and somewhat busy.

While both sheets have the minimum of clear carrier film, I do worry a bit more about the possibility of silvering with the Tamiya decals as they are a bit thicker and the carrier film has a slightly milky look to it. I also wanted to see how the Tamiya black boarder stripes worked for the red tip bands and applied the first one to the top of the vertical stabilizer – it fits just fine.

Just a few images to show as I’m out of the gate, with the decaling well underway with most of the decals now finished on the right-hand side of the fuselage and wing.  Just a few quick images of where I’m at.

Thanks for checking in

Peter

Nearly done decaling the right hand side and keeping the stencils to a realistic number before it drive me nuts.

 

mUUfus.jpg

HOBDWL.jpg

xNjlYR.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Peterpools said:

IT’S DECALING TIME

 

8/18/21

I’ve finally reached the portion of the build I like the most: decaling. After all the color coats had dried thoroughly, I gave the Big F4 a thorough going over with a Tamiya anti-static brush, removing any dust that still might be lurking here and there. Time to gloss the Phantom and my preferred gloss: Mr Color #46 Clear Gloss. Yes, it smells and even when thinning I wear a good respirator. I glossed the undersides first, let dry for a good six hours then gloss the top and sides and left to dry overnight.

Tamiya’s decals look wonderful and they are getting better and better. The fly in the ointment is I had purchased had two Furball F4 Bravo Mig Killer decal sets a few years back for the Academy F4B & F4B/N , never built either the kit.

The Furball decal set is gorgeous and printed by Cartograf. The dilemma, which decals to use. I decided to use the best from Tamiya and Furball. Both sets include the gorgeous CAG F4B of VF-51,The Screaming Eagles on a specific date of 5/6/72 so they should be the same but they aren’t. Looking over each set, I found loads differences in color, size and thickness of the lettering and the Eagle itself, especially with the Tail Feathers.

Diving in, this is all I’ve accomplished so far and it’s a combination of both sets. The Screaming Eagle is from Tamiya as the Furball Eagle just doesn’t fit right as with the Danger/Intake decal – the Furball decal was a bit too big and didn’t fit naturally as well as the Tamiya.

Nope I’m not planning on drowning the F4 with stencil data, just enough to look good and somewhat busy.

While both sheets have the minimum of clear carrier film, I do worry a bit more about the possibility of silvering with the Tamiya decals as they are a bit thicker and the carrier film has a slightly milky look to it. I also wanted to see how the Tamiya black boarder stripes worked for the red tip bands and applied the first one to the top of the vertical stabilizer – it fits just fine.

Just a few images to show as I’m out of the gate, with the decaling well underway with most of the decals now finished on the right-hand side of the fuselage and wing.  Just a few quick images of where I’m at.

Thanks for checking in

Peter

Nearly done decaling the right hand side and keeping the stencils to a realistic number before it drive me nuts.

 

mUUfus.jpg

HOBDWL.jpg

xNjlYR.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Excellent Peter! Keep up the good work! :)

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On 7/11/2021 at 7:56 PM, Peterpools said:

Please excuse my photography for this update – the background need to be replaced (old as the hills) and I’m ordering two new LCD lights to take care of the lighting issues.

What?! These photos are awesome! Clear, in focus and free of background clutter and a joy to look at (not that the excellent build/painting job in the image isn’t enough). 
and enjoying this build and catching up (and obviously rereading a few sections 🙄).

Bryan

 

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