Bruce

Paul, do I have to go thru you to load the pics in the completed gallery? Bruce

Well I'm finally finished. I'll load more later today. Hope you all like it, Bruce

have you thought about taking the picture that you have, printing it in 1/32 scale, then using double face tape, taping it to plastic using it as a master to locate the holes, and then cutting the 18 holes and then vacform it over a hump master. Bruce

Do you need photos of an actual -135 tire? Bruce

OK, here are some updates after my seat dilemma, I made a template to hold the stabs at the proper angle while the glue set up. here is how its looking now. just a few more things, add the ECM pods and mount the canopies, and a little more weathering here or there.

the problem I had had to do with the seats. The problem stems from the fact that the Tamiya cockpit tub is too shallow. BB made their resin tub the same depth. Not all the resin aftermarket seats will fit the BB tubs and there in was my problem...I forgot that the seats I had done had all the detail on the bottom so they stuck out of the cockpit and all that detail had to be cut off the bottom and the sides for them to fit and even then it was tight. Even the BB seats are hard to fit into their tub. Bruce

are the engine cowlings the same for the A and D? cutting off the nose and replacing it would be a simple task. Bruce

I didn't get it done...I had problems installing the seats and I should have known I would. i'll give a full explanation later. I made it to the nats but won't be able to work the F-4 for a week. I have to go to Grissom AFB, IN when I get back to teach KC-135 simulators. When I get back from that trip I'll explain the seat dilemma. Bruce

thanks Jack, BTW, your Thud is looking really good too. Bruce

the spine mods were made I believe in late '67 and the strengthening plates were post Vietnam I believe. For sure after "Alice's Joy" time. Bruce

I'm almost there and no time to spare... homemade 308th patch homemade a/c nose art modified Tamiya ALQ-71 ecm pod and scratch built ALQ-101(V1) pod I leave for the IPMS nats wednesday morning, I'll be burning the midnight oil... Bruce

Lee, there is a good article in Airpower Vol. 33 No. 2 with lots of pics of theEF-101B from the Nam timeframe. good luk with the build. Bruce

Barry, I showed on the first page how I made the conversion. I'm not sure how to list this build, is it a "Revellimaya" or a "Tamiyavell". The Revell fuselage seems like its just a shell to hang all the resin and Tamiya parts on. Bruce

I'd go with chromate green on the wheel wells and silver lacquer on the doors. There is a good article in Airpower vol. 33, No.2 that has pics of his bird. You'll need to remove the strengthening plates on the wings and the spine on the top of the fuselage as his a/c didn't have those mods yet. Good luck with the build. Bruce

well the seats and missiles are done. I did something a little different on the pull handles for the seats. I took some black and yellow needle point thread and twisted a couple strands together to get the stripes. I used white glue to keep it together. After several days of drying, I took the resin pull handle parts for the seat and cut off their pull handles. I cut some of my twisted strands the right length and then super glued them to the resin parts. I painted them and glued them in place. The center pull handle I made from wire and plastic and painted. Bruce

is it 1/32 scale?

I mentioned at the start of this that I was doing the model as a tribute to my pilot training mentor and friend Col. David B.Dingee. Dave passed away February of 2012. Dave served two Vietnam tours as a WSO in F-4s was shot down twice in '72, the first time he was flying a SAR mission looking for Roger Locher when they were hit and he and the pilot almost made it back to Udorn before ejecting. The second time he was shot down, his aircraft was hit by a missile from a Mig-21 and he became a POW. After his return in '73 he went to Moody AFB, GA for pilot training which is where I first met him. To read more about him and his Silver Star award go to this link: http://veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.php?recordID=1752 and http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Aircraft_by_Type/F-4_PHANTOM_USA/f4_phantom_US_1972.htm. The model is in the markings of the aircraft he was flying when he was shot down the second time. I built a 1/48th scale desk model of this aircraft for him while we were in pilot training and he gave me the picture that is on page one of the build. I've looked at that picture GOK how many times in the last 40 years and it wasn't until the other night that I saw that he was carrying tow ECM pods, ALQ-101(V1), and an ALQ-71. Bruce

OK, thanks, I was getting confused. So, I could graft a Hasegawa small mouth intake from their C model onto the Sufa kit when I use the CE large mouth intake conversion on my Hasegawa C? Bruce

Well I'm down to the wire if I want to get this finished for the nationals...I'm ready to glosscote and get the decals on. Wish me luck! Bruce

Chris's fix on the small mouth intake includes the small intake on either side of the splitter that is above and aft of the main intake. I've looked at numerous photos of the Sufa and don't see those small openings. Bruce

OK, I'm not a F-16 "officianodo" so can someone make this simple for me. I see that the modification adds the small vent opening and adds some space betwen the fuselage and the intake. Now, I thought that the Sufa doesn't have the small intake that Chris has added but that all other F-16s do have it. I have the Academy Sufa(is Sufa small or large mouth?), CG/CJ, and F-16D kits. Which ones need the fix? Thanks, Bruce

the other thing that should be mentioned is that unless you have a new Revell Germany release of the D/E kit the canopy is smoked. The only F-15 A-E that had a smoked canopy was the "E" demonstrator. Revell issued the C kit for a while with a clear canopy and the D/E kit. here is a link to my effort to combine two Tamiya kits and make a B model. http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=35161&hl=bruce&do=findComment&comment=329049 Bruce

You'll need to reposition the sides of the tail hook assembly to align with the new ventral fin side. great job so far. Bruce

You.ve got me wrong! I said on an earlier post that I too had an A-26 kit and was asking only from the interest of possibly purchasing copies from you so I didn't have to duplicate your fine work. I have no interest in selling anything to do with the A-26. Bruce

are your going tocast the tire so you don't have to do this twice? Bruce