WIP : Tamiya 1/72 F-16CM Fighting Falcon Pt.3 – Painting
After fixing the few gaps, it’s time to put some color on this kit! First, the stealth coat with Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. Then a marble coating with Tamiya XF-12 IJN Gray. The instruction sheet made a mistake in calling out 3 gray tones for the camouflage. By 2010, this jet only has 2 gray …...
WIP : Tamiya 1/72 F-16CM Fighting Falcon Pt.2 – Construction
Work continues… Disappointingly, Tamiya left some visible ejector pin marks on the gear doors which need to be addressed. Tamiya calls for some blue and silver colored parts inside the gearbay. Not sure how accurate this is. The main undercarriage is designed to be installed from the beginning. While troublesome, the upside is a...
WIP : Tamiya 1/72 F-16CM Fighting Falcon Pt.1 – Construction
Next on the factory floor is this Tamiya kit which looks to be as shake and bake as it will ever get. This is the 2nd release where Tamiya added the pylons, underwing stores, armaments and targeting pods. Checking the parts, I realized that by adding 1 component, I can model the F-16CM, an upgraded …...
Painting a 1/48 Modern US Pilot
I decided it’s time to add a 1/48 modern pilot to join my 1/48 WWII pilot that’s used for size comparisons for my completed kits. There is a surprising lack of offerings for standing modern pilots in 1/48 scale but I finally got my hands of a pair of them, courtesy of Plus Model. Even …...
Completed : Fujimi 1/72 McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II
Kit Info Brand: Fujimi K-3 Scale: 1/72 Media: Injection Markings: AirDOC Gulf War Warriors 72006 and Hasegawa 00954 The Subject The RF-4C was the unarmed tactical reconnaissance variant of the F-4 Phantom II deployed by the USAF. It was similar to the US Marine operated RF-4B but with different engines and a more spacious nose …...
WIP : Fujimi 1/72 RF-4C Phantom II Pt.5 – Finishing
Time to finish this thing. First an overall gloss coat to prep for decals. The AirDOC decals are printed by Cartograph and look very good. However, all the aircraft numbers and codes are individually printed and need to be added 1 at a time. I decided to use the slime lights from the Hasegawa sheet …...
WIP : Fujimi 1/72 RF-4C Phantom II Pt.4 – Painting
Finally ready for painting! I begin as usual with a base primer of black. I’m trying something new with a marble coat of medium gray and white colors. Not sure if it’ll affect the final paintjob though. Let’s see… Modern USAF F-4s came in a striking 2-tone gray camouflage of FS36270 and FS36118. For the …...
WIP : Fujimi 1/72 RF-4C Phantom II Pt.3 – Construction
So I was told by a fellow modeler that the fit of the 4-part canopy might not be great so I decided to do a quick dryfit. Thankfully they fit fine. Problem is the rear canopy has a crack in it. Nice. I’ll live with it. A dip in Future is next for these. The …...
WIP : Fujimi 1/72 RF-4C Phantom II Pt.2 – Construction
So I’ll be building a Desert Storm era RF-4C. The kit will require donor parts to get it to be configured correctly. USAF F-4s use straight-edged styled pylons. The kit is supposed to include them but alas, these were missing (I bought this kit used). I got a spare pair with the sway braces from …...
WIP : Fujimi 1/72 RF-4C Phantom II Pt.1 – Construction
Next build up is an oldie but goodie (famous last words). Having built one in the mid 1990s in college I remember this kit to fit well in general and with fewer parts than the Hasegawa counterpart, would be a quicker build. I was planning for this kit to be part of a groupbuild with …...
