When
I first saw the AeroMaster “Phancy Phantom” ref 72-215 sheet I knew what my
next 1/72nd scale Phantom II would be. At the time I wanted to start a Phantom
series and had selected an F-4N, an F-4E, an F-4S (all Hasegawas) plus an F-4
FG1 (Fujimi) from my stocks. I had not decided which one was to be the first
build until I found a copy of these decals.
A
QF-4 might not be the most glamorous of Phantoms, but at least they were
amongst the last to fly in US inventory.
I
even was lucky to find a helpful photo of this very machine in the Koku
Fan “US NAVY” Issue 113. |
Click on
images below to see larger images
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MODEL
All
my Phantom projects, except Spey engined models, are based on the Hasegawa
Phantoms. I believe they are the best on the market and the family is quite
complete. The Monogram (C/D or J) are nice and well detailed but they boast
molded panel lines. Revell models (RF and F) are
well engineered and well detailed but they have some shape issues
particularly around fin and cockpit.
Hasegawa
Phantoms look right, detailed and well engineered. In common with most Hasegawa
models their cockpit are flat and lacks details (even for the small /72nd
scale). Some Phantoms specifics that have been included both by Revell and
Monogram (and Fujimi on their Spey Phantoms) are missing. As far as I know a
parked Phantom always has lowered ailerons and airbrakes plus opened belly
auxilliary air inlet doors. Hasegawa just doesn’t provide these gimmicks. The
rest is 1/72nd scale Phantom at it’s best.
Click on
images below to see larger images
BUILDING
In
regard with what I have said above, I start all my Hasegawa Phantoms with some
surgery on the wing parts, because all Phantoms have dropped outboard flaps,
airbrakes and engine auxilliary doors when at rest. Engine doors and airbrakes
need to be detailed with well walls in Plastic card.
Next
step is a serious gloss white painting session on all landings gears, wheel
hubs, wheel doors inner surfaces, wheel wells, air intakes and adjacent fuselage
surfaces.
Then
I started to work on the cockpit area. Hasegawa Phantom have a nice bulkhead
arrangement but are flat, instruments and consoles being provided as decals. I
don’t like decals even in the small (to current standards) 1/72nd scale. So I
used a photo etched part set designed by Airwaves. I also added some bits of
plastic card and stretched plastic rods.
Model
plastic ejection seats are OK but I replaced them with Verlinden resin MB Mk7
seats which are more detailed. Cockpit general colour is the usual Dark Gull
Grey FS36231. Black has been used on details and instruments plus seats frame.
Patches of Olive green, yellow, red, white and light grey were used to detail
the pilot and NFO offices.
I
found easier to build fuselage in two side halves, not following Hasegawa
instructions to build up front fuselage, both fuselage then join both.
I joined right front fuselage to rear right fuselage then did the same
with left parts. My front to rear parts alignment was perfect this way. I later
added cockpit between fuselage halves the cemented the whole thing together.
Wings
had been prepared and are joined along the air intakes. My Phantom is now
getting its shapes. A very fews areas need to be filled then sanded smooth. Fine
grain is used throughout not to spoil the petite panel lines.
Landing
gears are detailed with thin fuse wire for brake lines and electric wiring on
front gear. Some other details are being added. I checked documents for small
antennas around the airframe : there are quite a lot on a QF Phantom II.
Click on
images below to see larger images
PAINTING
Everything
smooth means time for painting. I started with metallic colours in the tail/Stabilators/jet
exhaust area. Different metallic paints were used (silver, oily steel… ) all
from the Extracolour range. I did some masking with very thin masking tape
stripes to reproduce metallic variations on the unpainted part of stabilators,
trying to reproduce pattern from available photographs.
Then
after some masking on mettalic areas the whole airframe is painted with satin
Gunze Light Gull Grey acrylic
paint. Then all orange areas are
masked and are given a white undercoat layer. I always use a white coat when I
paint yellows, reds or oranges. Bright orange then is airbrushed these white
surfaces.
I
then did some additional masking around front canopy and over nose for the black
anti glare panel. Some additional and more elaborate masking is done to paint
medium grey walkways over the wing roots and over the air intakes and upper rear
fuselage.
I
added all lights around the aircraft the easy way : no clear parts sanded in
shape this time. I just painted all light chrome silver, let dry, then brushed
over with Tamiya translucent colour according to real light colour. Don’t
forget 2 small lights that are under jet intakes.
Click on
images below to see larger images
DECALING
AND FINISHING
My
photographs shows a “semi” clean machine : I mean some panel lines are
visible but that has nothing to do with an aircraft at sea. So I was quite light
on weathering on this model, though I was a bit heavier on the rear lower
fuselage. Decals were used with no problem at all. Things went so well that I
did not even gloss varnished the model before decals application. I nevertheless
used some decal softeners, especially on the shark mouth decal: some small razor
cuts around shark mouth decal made my life easier.
After
decals were on I airbrushed some matt varnish on some areas. I also weathered
the canopy seals with yellow zinc chromate, as I had seen on some Phantom
photographs.
Adding
the last detail parts as, doors, antennas, canopies completed this new Phantom.
I
even found one single photo of an older VF-51 F-4N Phantom to add to this
report. It actually was my first Hasegawa F-4 some years ago.
This
QF-4N was my first new Phantom project and now this one is finished another one,
an F-4E, already made it’s way to my workbench.
Eric
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