gmctaggart

Amazing job. I'll be sure to refer to this when I get the nerve to tackle the Academy kit. Gord

Thanks guys for your comments. Kev, I have adjusted the link now so that should help with other readers. This build will take a bit to get going as I clear a back log of projects and wait to get the AM for the kit. In the mean time I have continued to open up some vents (Carefully)and get rid of some of the raised panels. I have also started to modify the intakes to address the issue of the seamless intake trunks. Thanks for reading. Gord

In advance of getting the PE, I am starting to work on some of the key issues with the kit. The first issue is the raised panels that cover the fuselage and intakes. The one common theme from reviews of the kit and comparing against photos is that these panels should not be there. I have marked some of the panels and will start to scrape and sand these down. What is not clear is whether this panel below should also be sanded back or removed. It is symmetrical and seems more than a BDR. In photos of some walk arounds the panel is there appears to be proud of the surface. Insight from others would be appreciated. Beyond identifying panels to be removed, I did some work on opening the vents above the exhaust nozzles. I carefully ground out the inside and ran my knife across the blades until I broke through. I know the size and shape of the blades are wrong, I am just not sure I could do justice to getting these perfect. So this is the start and I welcome insight and comments. Gord

I am throwing my hat in the ring for this fantastic group build. There has been some amazing work done so far and I am hoping that this endeavour will be at least half as good as what I have seen. There have been some awesome Phantom builds online and I have always been fan. Even when I was a kid and started modelling, this kit and jet held my fascination but was always out of reach from a skill set and financial standpoint. Now that I am older and back in the hobby, I could finally get my hands on this beast. I picked this kit up a few years ago and now that I am getting more proficient its about time to tackle this kit. This group build has been the impetus for seeing if I can do justice for the kit. So I have the kit and will be getting the Eduard PE as well as the Hobby Decal markings for the VF-84 Jolly Rogers. Thats about all I will added to the build as i am hoping to scratch and modify anything that needs to be added. I am also looking at setting her up on a diorama ready to be launched from a carrier catapult. I also know there are some challenges with the kit and so I am using the tweak list from Thierry Laurent as well as several other build logs such as this one on ARC as part of my references. As usual please comment. If its wrong or you have suggestions please let me know. I can improve through hard work and guidance from this great community. Thanks for Reading Gord

Thanks everyone for your comments. Its been awhile since I lasted posted. In that time its been work trips, vacation and moving my model operations to a new space. I have not been idle though. To advance the build I worked on the base of the AC. This is wood board that has been stained black with a gloss finish applied. With the spitfire meant to be in a wheels up position, I realized that I need to complete the base as well as the stand and then build in the corresponding tube within the AC. This meant attaching the lower wing and the port fuselage together so that I could position the tube within the model. So far this has worked out well and I hope that I can build the rest of the AC from left to right without any fit issues. In addition I have added some more brass wire and installed the 2 other visible frames. A dash of paint and this side has come together well and thankfully the whole thing slides over the rod and into position with no issues. Following that, I began to paint the pilot. Still needs some work but its progressing. Building the plane this way means that the pilot needs to get mounted next and followed by the control stick. Seems like its going well but as always let me know if something doesn't look right. Gord

Looking good so far. Gord

Quick progress.Nice work so far. Gord

Currently building this so I will follow your progress so that I can steal (borrow) your approach Gord

That was quick. looking good. Gord

A bit more progress. I have started to build up the cockpit. I am not following the instructions in this as I am trying to run a number of wires and these travel across different assemblies which would make it difficult install later if everything was assembled as intended. Instead I am building out from the port side, layering and adding parts until I can close it all up. I know adding the wiring and pipes on the starboard side will be tricky but I am hoping it still might work. At the end of the day it is a small space and you will likely not see too much of the interior. Anyways thank for watching. Gord

Thanks Maxim, Gerhard, DonH and the Mongoose. Appreciate your encouragement. DonH Thanks for the note. i.e., should have left it alone vs cutting it off the column. Easy enough to adjust. A quick update. My friend arrived and I thought I would share. He arrived in a nice box and well protected. The casting was in a bag with a small colour reference guide. While no specific colours are called out, there is enough references online to sort out proper matches. Once out of the bag you can start to see the details. It was difficult to find reasonable images of this online so there was a lot of hope that it would be nicely sculpted and would work for my purposes. But once it was in my hands I was relieved. Separated and cleaned and then roughly assembled. The quality of the mold seems fine but there are some small holes from the casting. The harness looks about right but I am definitely not an expert on this and I also know this tends to be a contentious issue. I will need to add to the harness to show straps passing through the plate of he headrest and back through the fuselage. It looks like the scale is right and should work well with the kit. I will know for sure once start trying to incorporate everything into the cockpit. The legs do seem a bit stretched out so I am concerned that I would need to become a doctor and amputate our friend. Not sure what to do with the 'thumbs up, everything is all right look' either. I am thinking of having the AC in a 30 degree bank so he is likely not this casual. Would spitfire pilots ever use both hands on the stick? I had originally thought to have his left hand on the throttle quadrant which would definitely require the doctor. Any suggestions? Gord

Watching this with interest. Gord

Cool. Gord

I have been meaning to build this kit for a while and this group build is a great opportunity. Of WWII aircraft, the hurricane is my favourite. I have a few other projects I need to clean up before I can move onto to this, but I figured I would state my intent. Thanks for reading. Gord

Thanks for the encouragement Cluckmeister. With all the Spitfire builds going on here, its great to see how everyone else is dealing with the kit. I have been frugal with the build, only springing for a pilot, which will hopefully arrive in the next week or so. This means that the goodies like a new IP or a cockpit upgrade is just not going to happen. So I am working with what I have and that also means it will not be totally accurate. However where I can, I will try and make this as true to form as possible. So work proceeded on the pit but I am limiting the assembly progress until our guest arrives by post. This means I am approaching the build a little bit different than what I would normally do and that I am making sub assemblies, painting and finishing these so that they can be put together later. This will allow me to fit the pilot in place and build or modify the cockpit around him... I hope. Anyways a few focused areas. For the IP I was surprised by Revell. They include a decal and a plastic version of the panel. However they are not the same. The instruments on the decal are completely wrong and are quite frankly in the wrong place. The plastic however represents a close approximation. So I shaved the back of the IP and drilled out the dials. The decal was cut up to match the openings but again, the decal dial size is larger than the plastic and so there arises another issue. This seemed like a simple thing to get right as there is a lot of reference out there in the world. I will keep telling myself that it will be hard to see this once everything is place. Small comfort, knowing its not as close as it could be.. The Seat frame was also detailed and painted. I am happy with this and hope that the addition of the pilot and seat will go smoothly. Also adjusted was the voltage regulator at the back of the seat. With no clear image, This is a bit of shot in the dark but hopefully looks the part. Also added the shield for the wires and the wires themselves. The control stick is essentially the kit part but the gun trigger was replaced with plastic card. A thin strip of Tamyia tape was then wound around the grip with the whole assy. finished with some .2mm lead wire. Finally, a part of the pedal assembly. Sorry about some of the images. My phone doesn't like me zooming in as much and seems to pixelate the image a lot more. Anyways thanks for looking and appreciate comments as usual. Gord