Completed : Hasegawa 1/72 McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II
Build 07 of 2021...
WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-4J Phantom II Pt.3 – Finishing
BuNo 155800 NG-100, an F-4J, callsign Showtime 100, from VF-96 Fighting Falcons, was the aircraft flown by Pilot Lt. Randall ‘Duke’ Cunningham and RIO Lt. (jg) William ‘Willy Irish’ Driscoll when they scored their third, fourth and fifth kills to be the Navy’s only two ‘Aces’ of the Vietnam War....
WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-4J Phantom II Pt.2 – Painting
Instead of stripping the pebbly paint I decided to simply sand and buff smooth as much as I can. I could only do the best for the hard to reach areas like the inside of the inner pylons though. I also tried to improve the fit of the canopy onto the fuselage. This kit really …...
WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-4J Phantom II Pt.1 – Construction
One of my oldest Shelf Queens, I started this kit in 2008 and had never finished it beyond the start of painting. I figured I should finally finish it up. My initial cockpit work from 2008. Belts were done with masking tape. The F-4J doesn’t have the arrowhead reinforcement plates on the stabilizers. These were …...
Preview : 1/72 F-4 Phantom II kit comparison (Fine Molds, Fujimi and Hasegawa)
The fine folks at Fine Molds have a reputation of superbly done kits and the latest kit in their quiver is the F-4 Phantom II, the first versions (the Japanese EJ and EJ Kai) of which were released in December 2019. With this new kit in my hands, I now have F-4 kits from four …...
Completed : Fujimi 1/72 Douglas A-4F Skyhawk
Kit Info Brand: Fujimi F-24 Scale: 1/72 Media: Styrene Markings: Superscale 72-828 The Subject The Douglas (later McDonnell Douglas) A-4 Skyhawk is a single seat subsonic carrier-capable attack aircraft originally developed for the US Navy and US Marine Corps. While relatively lightweight, it was nimble, had a top speed of more than...
WIP : Fujimi 1/72 A-4F Skyhawk Pt. 2 – Construction, Painting & Finishing
Work continues with the smaller details that need to be addressed. First up is the mis-molded tailhook which eventually broke during my handling during construction. I cut off the tailhook bar and replaced it with 0.5mm plastic rod instead. I drilled a hole into the actuator side and inserted the rod to get a more …...
Completed : Academy 1/48 Lockheed Martin F-16A Fighting Falcon ‘TOPGUN 51’
Kit Info Brand: Academy 1688 Scale: 1/48 Media: Styrene Markings: TwoBobs ‘F-16 NSAWC Vipers’ 48-069 The Subject The Lockheed Martin (originally General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter. It currently serves in at least 25 nations, with over 4,400 aircraft built. Commonly known as the ‘Viper’, it...
WIP : Fujimi 1/72 A-4F Skyhawk Pt. 1 – Construction
I’ve been wanting to build an A-4 Skyhawk armed for an Iron Hand (air defense suppression) mission for a while now and have heard good things about the Fujimi kit. Let’s see how it goes together shall we? The ejection seat has very fine belts molded on but I replaced them with 0.7mm masking tape …...
WIP : Academy 1/48 F-16A ‘TOPGUN 51’ Pt.6 – Painting & Finishing
So we finally come to the meat and potato parts of the build: painting and finishing. I begin with a base coat of Mr Hobby Black Surfacer 1500 thinned with Mr Leveling Thinner which results in a smooth and semi-gloss surface. This is now my go-to base coat when I can spray outdoors. For the …...
