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EmperorKai

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Everything posted by EmperorKai

  1. EmperorKai
    Ok, here's a more in-depth look at the SAC F-4 Landing Gear 32039. Not comprehensive, but enough to get an idea of what is involved. First up- Me neither Tony. I checked the sprues and went through the Revell instructions and I'm not able to locate a corresponding part anywhere. Here is the SAC set laid out. The mystery piece is on the right. Perhaps for the older Revell F-4 kit? A close up. Each of the parts feature the rough finish that is characteristic of the SAC sets. The nose gear is nothing more than a direct copy of the assembled Revell gear. Here, a side view of the nose gear compared to the Revell piece. I had wishful thoughts that the dimensions may have been addressed, but unfortunately that is not the case. Here, the SAC gear is compared to the nose gear found in the Tamiya F-4J kit. Note the diameter of the Tamiya gear- almost double the SAC/Revell gear. A reference pic, clearly illustrating the dimension issues. Note the scissors- could these be the mystery part? If so, it is oversized by more than just a little bit. The main gear- again, a direct copy of the Revell piece. I probed at the pieces to try and get a sense of strength- the SAC gear is probably slightly stronger than the plastic parts, but it does bend. I am not entirely convinced it will be enough to support a build loaded up with resin aftermarket. It also doesn't help that the SAC parts are twisted slightly right out of the package. Here, the main gear compared to the Tamiya parts. The supporting strut for the nose gear and the Revell piece. The struts for the main gear and the Revell kit. There you have it. I've seen a couple of builds of the Revell kit using the stock parts, and they look great. The gear is not that noticeable when the build is viewed as a whole. But when considering the merits of the gear alone, there is a real need for a set for the Revell F-4 that is both dimensionally accurate and of sufficient strength. Kai
  2. EmperorKai
    Ok, that's funny Kai
  3. EmperorKai
    Thanks Hubert! Hoping this one comes together a little faster than the 4 months the last one took Kai
  4. EmperorKai
    lol! I didnt' notice the special model holder- just grabbed it and started taking pics! Kai
  5. EmperorKai
    Nice catch Thierry. Eric's look pretty awesome though. Too bad they're gone. Kai
  6. EmperorKai
    I just got the SAC F-4 gear (32039) in the mail today. Haven't had a chance to really examine them yet, but I can do a a deep dive review if there's any real interest. I can tell you that even in the package, they look typically SAC. I just hope they can be cleaned up enough to be useful. I also have a sinking feeling they may be designed for the ORIGINAL 1970's Revell F-4 kit. Kai
  7. EmperorKai
    I don't see what it lists for on the Lukgraph site, but it's priced at 132 pounds on Hannant. Mine ended up coming in at $202.39 after conversion to USD. Ow. Kai
  8. EmperorKai
    So my last post was somewhat gloomy. Which, if anything, should be taken as a testament to my own process and fumblings. I've been trying new techniques for the last year or so, and while learning alot, I've also had my share of face plants. With that said, I've more pics of my efforts to close up the main wing section. A follow up pic of the main landing gears and bays. These were done with a base coat of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and then Gunze C69 Off White. Details were brought out with Mig Dark Wash and everything blended together with light spot coat of Gunze C156 Super White (which was rather finicky in the airbrush). Of course, the gear is still unpainted. Holes for the cannon barrels (to be cut from thin walled brass tubing) were drilled deeper for later. The shell ejection ports were also covered from the back and will be painted black later. Here, a great reference shot of the cannons. It appears that the guns are loosely placed on this museum example, hence the strange slightly cockeyed angles. The kit piece for the outlet vent on the upper spine was a little narrow by the time I finished cleaning up the opening, so a new vent was scratch built from sheet styrene. A reference pic- now that it is posted here side-by-side with the kit piece, it looks narrower, longer and located further from the spine. hmmm. The NACA duct on the belly was cleaned up, grated and covered over to force the dark internal shadow. A reference pic. I didn't have anything like this type of grating, so I used the square pattern mesh that I had on hand. Once all the internal details (including the engine) were in place, the upper and lower wing sections were glued together. Despite test fitting dozens of times, it wasn't until I was halfway done that I noticed that the gear bay was too big and touching the upper half. The result was a big gap along the leading edge. I forced the pieces together to close the gap and glued the heck out of it. However, I was still concerned that it might pop later on, I decided to pin the area. Holes were drilled and scrap brass rod pins were driven in each hole. The pins were cut short so the either end resulted with a counter sink. The empty hole is were my cheap chinese drill bit broke, becoming an impromptu pin. The left side was cleaned up and panel lines replaced where needed. The plates for the strakes were quite misaligned, so I made a rubbing, sanded them off and cut a replacement from lead sheet. Here, the first one is in place. The second one next to the slat is next. The wing section as it sits now. The trailing edge and rear section still await glue, but I want to settle accounts along the leading edges first. The good news is that the wings look straight and aligned from the front. Still alot to do, but overall, this is coming together relatively fast. Thanks for looking! Kai
  9. EmperorKai
    I go back and watch those every once in awhile. Cheesy, but I feel like I'm 10 years old again. Can't tell you how many Revell Corsairs I built so we could play "Baa Baa Black Sheep". Before internet, before Atari or even pong, we had Models. I'll stop there- I'm dating myself now Kai
  10. EmperorKai
    Sweet! Thanks Paul! Kai
  11. EmperorKai
    Paul Fisher includes a couple of AIM-9B's in his F4D-1 Skyray kit. You might PM him and see if he'd be willing to cast a set separately. I'll have pics of them on my WIP soon (not quite there yet). Kai
  12. EmperorKai
    I hear ya Ernie- I love telling the story that goes with the build, and for me it's the bigger part of the hobby. Thanks buddy! Kai
  13. EmperorKai
    Thanks so much everyone. It's definitely a fun build
  14. EmperorKai
    As promised, some pics. Most of my efforts have been on the main wing section. On reviewing the instructions, I noticed that they call for the wings to be trimmed as needed for fit. After test fitting and trimming, I found that there is just a bit more warp in the main wing sections than I initially thought. Here, the bottom section. The top section is similar, but not too bad. I dunked the wing ends in boiling water (5 seconds was plenty) and was able to remove the major warps, but in doing so, I inadvertently introduced some new ones. The other side, which didn't come out as bad. I did go back and apply hot water to the problem areas with a glass eye dropper and was able to correct most of these, but there's a bit more to go. Here, a quick test fit. The droop on the left side straightens out more when the ends are fitted, but again, I think I'll need to coax it some more with the eye dropper. There's also a funky gap on the top half on the right. The vertical fin leaned a bit, but this was corrected pretty easily. I decided to turn my attention to the engine, which is done at this point. Here, the nozzle section. .. and the turbine, which were all done using Gunze Metal-Cote. I tried taking a pic with engine assembled, but couldn't get decent focus. I'll try again later. A couple of pics for reference. Not much to look at right now, I know. Hopefully more tomorrow. Thanks for looking! Kai
  15. EmperorKai
    Great crowd! Thanks all- I've started digging in and will have some pics shortly! Brian- You bet- I'll take a few extra pics. I've got the main gear bays cleaned up, and just finished painting the engine. Will have pics soon. Kai
  16. EmperorKai
    Thank you Hubert- you are most kind! Kai
  17. EmperorKai
    I recently picked up this wonderful kit via the LSP Traders forum, and after looking through it, decided this was the next one. I'll be building it out of the box with the provided markings for US Navy all weather fighter squadron VFAW-3 "Blue Nemesis". This squadron has the distinction of being the only US Navy unit assigned to the North American Air Defense Command. The scheme I'll be depicting, though with the black nose. The decals are for aircraft 32. The kit has seen several owners before landing on my bench. In the box Parts! The main airframe parts, which make for an "oh wow" moment when first opening the box. Decals, masks, photo-etch, all in part of the kit. Nice. So many Fords, so little time... Thanks for looking! Kai
  18. EmperorKai
    Thanks my friend! Kai
  19. EmperorKai
    Here is the project summary, which I'd like to do from now on at the end of each build. Kit was built more or less out-of-the-box. Nice kit of a relatively obscure (and rather homely looking) aircraft. The only issues of substance are: the angle of the landing gear, which is easily corrected the vinyl tires poor fitting clear cover for landing light mold seams on windshield Not enough North Korean insignia supplied in the kit (only 2, really needs 4) Minor issues that are not really noticeable include: sharp edge along the bottom rear of the fuselage lack of ribbing on the underside dimensions of the rear canopy appear to be slightly off (too long) lack of detail on the main wheel rims Thanks for looking as always! Kai
  20. EmperorKai
    Finally finished. There was still more fight in the tail numbers, but got past it. North Korean Air Force Bed Check Charlie 59, June 1953 Kai
  21. EmperorKai
    Thanks my friend- you are most kind. The primers were probably the most confusing part for me, which is why I went basically for all of them Kai
  22. EmperorKai
    She's a beauty Jerry Kai
  23. EmperorKai
    Project summary (much belated) Hobby Boss Il-2 Sturmovik: good kit overall part edges are thick missing panel lines at wing root rear fuselage has rivets (should be plywood) shell ejection ports need to be drilled out under wing missing aileron mass balances poor fit at landing gear fairings on wings rubber tires armaments need work Montex mask: masks slightly oversized for panes, slogan not tall enough, fin "2" too tall Eduard interior details: 85% used, good set Eduard exterior set: 75% used, works for early Il-2; missing trim tab linkages for ailerons Eduard flap set: Alot of work, but looks awesome Eduard armament set: used 30%, has only enough RS-82 rocket fins for 4 rockets (had to use second set for difference) Quickboost exhausts: Look good but missing weld seams Thanks Kai
  24. EmperorKai
    I know this is considerably after the fact, but I recently finished work on some software I've been working on that helps me track my modeling projects. At the completion of each of my projects, I can now generate a graphical project summary showing the colors I used and the items that were used in the completed project. It's intended to serve as a reference when I plan or work on similar projects, but I will start posting as I think it may be of some interest. I'll also post a brief summary of the aftermarket items (I always appreciate it when others do this, so I'll do the same). Here is the project summary for this build: Aires Engine: Engine burner can is for an early F-8 Crusader, but still looks great Aires wheel bays: Excellent detail, front bay needed shimming Aires cockpit: Fit great, dash for French Crusader and was modified, seat appropriate for F-8J and not used AMS Resin seat: Appropriate seat for F-8E, fit and looks fantastic. AMS Resin Mk 82 Snakeyes: Awesome set, special order G-Facter landing gear: The best landing gear set for the Crusader, nose gear tiny bit too tall but used as-is anyway. Works great with Aires bays. Rhino intake: Modified to avoid major fit issue Eduard detail sets: Used almost entire wing section set; used about half of exterior set. Contacte Resin details: No longer in production, acquired direct order from personal contact (pure luck) Victory decals: Excellent set, no issues; has markings to do additional aircraft Master Model pitot: Amazing piece Trumpeter F-8E: Good kit; nose not bulged; wing slats not really designed to be lowered; only two Zuni launchers Thanks! Kai
  25. EmperorKai
    Gorgeous work Mike- Bravo! Kai
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