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RichieB

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  1. RichieB
    Many thanks for all the very kind comments chaps. Next up (95% sure!) is an early F-15B. If anyone knows how to upload video from Flickr (tried the 'share link' method but it just copies the first image) please let me know and I'll post a quick video of the cockpit lighting! Til next time..
  2. RichieB
    Superb Intruder, love the weathering absolutely perfect!
  3. RichieB
    Many thanks Jan, and I still haven't got round to giving it to him!
  4. RichieB
    Many thanks for the very kind comments chaps, they are all greatly appreciated. This forum has been inspirational and informative in equal measure and a great showcase for the masses of talent out there that help make this such a pleasurable hobby. I commend anyone who has yet to start a build thread here to have a go, you will not regret it! Ivan - love the photo! Gerhard - The acrylic rods were heated in an oven to about 150 deg C then bent over a large tube. I had to do this over a number of attempts to avoid putting too much pressure on the rods when bending them. You may need a straight edge to straighten the ends so they fit in the holes neatly. Be aware that the rods I used were quite thick (10mm) to support all that weight (lots of resin bits) and they expanded to ~11mm so I had to file them back down at the ends!
  5. RichieB
    Chaps, Sincere thanks for all your kind comments, much appreciated. I've add some more pics in the Ready for Inspection section if you want to see them (link below). Revell F-4E Finished!
  6. RichieB
    Hi everyone, This is the Revell 1/32 F-4E kit with some aftermarket help from GT Resin in the form of exhausts, belly strap and intakes, new nose from Sierra Hotel, Aim-9Js from Cutting Edge and a cockpit from Legend. The aim was to depict a late 70's USAFE jet from the 50TFW at Hahn AFB using AirDoc decals, put her in-flight and add some lighting to bring her to life. This was sort of a learning project for me, picking up on the excellent tips found in this forum, trying out some new techniques and learning from my mistakes (of which I made a few - see build for details!). In the end it took 2 and a half years to complete so the ratio of builds to acquires is way out of kilter. Anyway, on to the pics... And with lights on... Overall, a challenging but fun build of the impressive Phantom! Build thread is here ... https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/58988-132-revell-f-4e-what-could-possibly-go-wrong/&page=1 Many thanks for looking!
  7. RichieB
    and ................ she's done! and for all those wondering if the lights still worked...... Phew! I could probably keep tinkering with the weathering etc etc but in truth, after 2 and a half years its probably time to move on. Biggest wins - turning the lights on, spending time getting the weapons and drop tanks right, finally building a great big F-4. Biggest score-draws - some of the stencils silvered and I couldn't fix them (probably needed better prep), fit could be better in places. I learned a lot about decals, dry-fitting, weathering paint jobs and when to build detail into big scale (and when to not bother). Still there's always next time which in my case will probably be an early F-15B in candy stripes. Thanks for watching and all the comments, much appreciated. Have fun out there!
  8. RichieB
    Many thanks Maru, starting final assembly now so hope to have this completed soon (he says!). Bruce - many thanks for the info. I will probably add a brown band to the Aim-9s as I've seen this on some photos but I'll probably leave the silver band as I quite like the add colour.
  9. RichieB
    Many thanks Ron & Maxim - light weathering it is then! Chek - You are absolutely right about the missing detail but I didn't have the time or energy to try and add it. Your method sounds brilliant though I fear is a level of effort far beyond my time/patience border! Good luck and would love to see a picture when you've finished it.
  10. RichieB
    Quick update, engine exhausts have been painted up using Alclad and various washed to add a weathered and stained look. The exhausts are from GT Resin and are much better than the kit ones. They also fit nicely, unlike the Aires ones. The associated exhaust tubes are already fixed in the aircraft and have a similar level of detail (though you won't see much after I've inserted the rods that will hold it in flight). Getting there!
  11. RichieB
    Many thanks chaps, this forum is great for inspiration and the rest I just make up as I go along! Bruce - Thanks for the timely observation, I hadn't really checked as I just assumed Two Bobs knew their stuff, maybe not! Any steers on what that band colour should be, I'm presuming black or brown? I've marked up the sparrows using Two Bob decals as well. They look great on (presuming they are the right colours!) but you need to split them up a bit as they come as 2 large decals for each missile which is a bit of a pain to get right in one go. Again, might add a touch of dirt as they would have been underneath the aircraft and subject to all the muck through up by the wheels and airframe. The Tamiya missiles are quite nice really and fit the Revell kit just fine. The front two Sparrows have magnets on so they can be removed easily but because Revell put the slots in the wrong place on the rear stations I've decided to fix those in situ.
  12. RichieB
    Good question Sgt, I have to say that I've sort of avoided that moment when you realise whether your homemade electronics have survived the build! Mostly because I'm trying to finish the model in a manner where the lighting is a nice addition not the end game otherwise it could feel like show's over when the switch is thrown and nothing happens. LEDs are pretty robust but my main fear is the soldered joints as its not my strong point (perhaps literally!). Not too far away now from the home truth.
  13. RichieB
    I've never been a fan of clean jets and by that I mean with nothing hanging off them (though a clean, clean jet is probably my least favourite!). Something about a fully loaded jet that just means business. To that end the Revell F-4 provides you with 4 Aim-9s and 4 Aim-7s but they are not the right marks for the early years so it was off to the spares box to raid some Aim-7Es from a Tamiya kit and some cutting edge Aim-7Js as no-one seems to provide a correct plastic version. This seems odd as loads of cold war era pictures seem to have this type of winder and it was exported widely. The cutting edge resin pieces are very nice but very fiddly, especially the front fins where I had to guess where to place them. I also managed to lose one of the fins so had to fabricate another one from plastic card. As cutting edge don't provide you with decals I had to use Two Bobs missile sheet instead. These are great and add a nice touch of detail. I might add a little bit of weathering just to add interest but they were generally well looked after. The Revell kit also comes with a jamming pod, an ALQ-119 I think, and since the front Sparrows will be removable I decided to paint this one up as an alternative fit. The piece looks reasonably accurate though the decals are a bit rough and ready. As they sit under the jet I dirtied it up a little more than the missiles.
  14. RichieB
    Thanks chaps. A small benefit of not having a lot of time to do this stuff is that you have a lot of time to reflect on what you want it to look like and doing it in small steps allows a little more of the 'next-day viewpoint' to quell 'in-the-heat-of-the-moment' additions!
  15. RichieB
    Continuing the weathering theme, I decided to move on to the under-fuselage and inner pylons. I used a medium gray panel line wash generally and a dark wash in any grates and grids before dirtying up a number of areas, but especially the engine areas. I've seen very few F-4s with clean undersides, except perhaps for special scheme birds, but didn't want to turn it into something that looked like it had landed wheels up in a farmers field - leave that to the armour dudes. It is therefore a relatively fine line between over and under doing it. What can be said though is that rarely does a plane look the same colour all over even if it is painted in the same FS paint. Natural light, wear and tear, and environmental conditions all make a difference to the final result and so unless you are making a portrait of a plane for a very discerning patron, it's all in the eye of the beholder! This is my convoluted way of saying I'll just make it up as I go along and hope it resembles something realistic at some point in time. I used a brown exhaust wash to tone the rear fuselage and then added various grime and oil streaks. Hopefully it adds enough interest without looking like its just had a double engine failure (!) and I need a bit of contrast for the large central fuel tank. The pylons were treated the same with a PLW followed by some light streaking and a touch of pigments around the locking mechanisms. To make these pylons fit the jet I had to thin the sway braces and make room for the belly strap to pass under. The chaff and flare dispensers have been added as the Revell kit just had the fairings. The rails were adapted from the Revell ones which were too long. They've also got some really small magnets in to allow the winders to be attached and detached at will. The winders also have magnets in but getting them all to line up and with the right polarity was a bit of a nightmare! I also had to make sure that whatever weathering I did on the pylons matched in intensity, that on the undersides of the fuselage as they were rarely removed and would have weathered at the same rate. Next up - missiles!
  16. RichieB
    Having started I might as well finish with this area, so on to the under-wing tanks. These often seem to have staining around the pylons, joins and seams with varying degrees of dirtiness - so there's lots of scope! Weathering was done in stages with panel line wash, some oil dotting (mainly browns), streaking then the odd patch of pigment to simulate dirt. I also used pigments to try and dull some of the rather bright stencils. Mostly there with these now. I might add some different pigment shades if I'm feeling brave however less is generally more so I might see how the rest of the weathering goes. I like the idea of tackling small items in stages as it allows you to concentrate on one thing rather than trying to resolve weathering the whole aircraft in one go. It also give you a bit of practise before the main event!
  17. RichieB
    Thanks chaps, they are indeed made from guitar string with a disc of plastic attached to the end and slightly chamfered. A bit of dark wash helps take of the brightness.
  18. RichieB
    Taking on Bruce's information I added a seam line and some pseudo bolts to the large fuel tank using plastic strip. Having got this far I thought I'd practise some weathering techniques on the fuel tanks before I hit the main event. Firstly the large centreline tank. As this tank sits under the fuselage it probably collects its fair share of muck, well that's my working assumption anyway! I used a Mig Ammo panel line wash then added some random colour patches with oil dots blended in. I then added some fuel and dirt streaks and finally some pigments to show the more obvious dirt. In addition, I've scratch built the braces that come down and sit on the front of the tank though you probably won't see much of them when they're fixed in place! Happy so far, so on to the underwing tanks next for more of the same.
  19. RichieB
    Absolutely stunning finish and inspiring photography, brilliant stuff!
  20. RichieB
    Many thanks Bruce, just what I was looking for! Some scratch building required here methinks. Are they rivets or bolts along the tank seamline? Also, I presume the seam runs only on the left hand side of the tank?
  21. RichieB
    Amazing work Fanch, pure art and a great technique!
  22. RichieB
    Thanks for the steer Bruce, I'll have to look into it as the Revell tank is obviously devoid of that detail.
  23. RichieB
    Thanks for the advice, sounds like a plan!
  24. RichieB
    Anyone know why the USAF decided to remove most of the stencils other than the sheer number of man hours required to put them on in the first place? Quick question: For weathering purposes I'm looking to use a Panel Line Wash and try out the oil dot technique with Mig Ammo Oilbrushers. Which of these should I do first? I believe they are both enamel type products so I guess they may interfere without sealing coats. I'm going to test it out on the drop tanks which look like this currently: Any steers before I kick off would be greatly appreciated!
  25. RichieB
    Just think of the poor guys and gals who had to paint these on for a living! Many thanks for the feedback chaps, I think it took twice as long as it should have done as I ended up reading most of the markings to see what they referred to. It might be a little while before I tackle a similar task.
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