Ayovan

Just completed my F-100F build as 58-1226 one of the 6 Wild Weasel proof of concept aircraft sent to Vietnam in 1966(?)  
 
I bought the kit from Ebay last year , it came with a load of Extras including a Zactoman nose conversion Aires Single Seater Pit, U/C bays and engine exhaust , so a pretty good package  ,
 
I actually stared work on it last year , getting the resin bits to fit , but decided to wait until the Eduard cockpit set became available, since then it's been a fairly straightforward build , thanks to recommendations  received I got the Detail and Scale book, and made the relatively minor airframe changes to make it a Weasel ,The only real downside of the kit for me is the cockpit , no interior rails, also missing is the internal rail between the cockpits , all easy enough to add , but you really shouldn't have to 
 
Shrikes and launch rails are Eduard  and yes I know they only flew with one , but 2 look cool! 
 
So hope you enjoy 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

The kit one is to flat it's the same on the intake it should be more round profile 

Here is My A-7D that I did last summer. I correct the intake and the windscreen with zactomodels correction set . All major markings have been painted on. 



 
 
 

Nicely done Andy!   a true example of modelling fun.
 
I hope your recovery continues as well ...   and grab another kit from your loft

She's done. I put the wonky kit wheels on for now. Still waiting on some Eduard diamond treads that should be here this week.
 

 

Right - off we jolly well go.
 
Plan A for the teeth is mask and spray, with decals being plan B.  As I have to draw the whole thing first anyway, I've started with B. Making masks from the drawing should not (ha!) pose too much of a problem.
 
My first thought was to copy the mouth from the scheme sketch and make up pieces for the centre which I could mod as required to get the mouth to fit the fuselage.

 
and boy, was that a mistake A right royal pita to fiddle with, so I fell back on what I should have done to start - extend the mouth to the centreline, and copy it.
 
The first try was way too narrow.

 
The second was waaay too wide.

 
And the third.... (three bears moment)
 
ooh, hello, looks like we might have a winner

 

 
Yep. That'll do - a tiny bit of work to adjust the teeth, but I'm happy.
 
The resulting decal sits nicely with no wrinkling, even though it's quite large. It looks like it might even be persuaded to conform to the gun troughs. If not, I can always slit the decal as the troughs will be painted some metallic shade, anyway.

 
Excellent... tomorrow: fettling and mask making, but it's a lovely evening here so I hereby declare it to be pub o'clock.
 
Cheers!
 
Sepp, out.
 
 
 
 
 

I had purchased a set of GT Resins F-4J seemless intakes a few weeks ago from Sprue Bothers. When I opened the package the other day I noticed one of the splitter plates was broken. I contacted SB, and they contacted GT.
Gary at GT  contacted me via email today and said he will have parts made and sent to me this week.
I wanted to share with the forum the excellent service I have received from both Sprue Brothers, and GT Resin.
Both companies have provided outstanding customer service. 
 
Thank you, both
Andy
 

I had purchased a set of GT Resins F-4J seemless intakes a few weeks ago from Sprue Bothers. When I opened the package the other day I noticed one of the splitter plates was broken. I contacted SB, and they contacted GT.
Gary at GT  contacted me via email today and said he will have parts made and sent to me this week.
I wanted to share with the forum the excellent service I have received from both Sprue Brothers, and GT Resin.
Both companies have provided outstanding customer service. 
 
Thank you, both
Andy
 

I had purchased a set of GT Resins F-4J seemless intakes a few weeks ago from Sprue Bothers. When I opened the package the other day I noticed one of the splitter plates was broken. I contacted SB, and they contacted GT.
Gary at GT  contacted me via email today and said he will have parts made and sent to me this week.
I wanted to share with the forum the excellent service I have received from both Sprue Brothers, and GT Resin.
Both companies have provided outstanding customer service. 
 
Thank you, both
Andy
 

Ok I'm in .....
 
I'm going to take one of these ...
 

 
And add bits from one of these ....
 

To create a model of one of these 

I've been plugging along with the MDC cockpit but first off, some notes on the real deal.
 
World War II Gallery Cockpits (nmusafvirtualtour.com)
 
The above link should get you into a virtual P-47 cockpit.  It's missing a few bits and the Interior Green color is not applicable to any P-47D but I don't believe it's restored and is a great resource for zooming in to see the fine details of the Thunderbolt's "office" as well as the somewhat ratty appearance of the various fittings and instruments.     
Regarding interior color, plenty of threads on that subject, as I found out when I started this job.   Suffice to say, Republic Jugs had their cockpits painted in a somewhat unique shade called Dark Dull Green.   I went with Colorcoats version.   They put a great deal of research into their paint and it sprays wonderfully.   Here is a nice picture (courtesy of DB Andrus) that shows the color nicely.
 

 
So that's it for background info.   The MDC cockpit set is awesomely detailed but I can still add some extras.    On the starboard sidewall, I added a cockpit light and some additional wiring.   I also added some warning labels and placards.   To me, these really add some nice realism to a cockpit, especially a large scale one.   I got spoiled by having access to Barracuda's excellent cockpit decal sets for my last three builds (F4U-1D, F-51D and Mosquito).   This time around there is nothing specific to the P-47 out there, so I've been going the generic route.   Still a work in progress.   I also plan on heavily weathering the cockpit.   Italy was known for either being hot and dusty or cold and muddy.   These aircraft flew multiple missions each day (certainly a higher tempo than 8th AF aircraft based in the UK) and I highly doubt the ground crews had much time to clean the interior between flights.   I've been using a combo of "hairspray technique" for the floorboards, chipping using a silver artist's pencil and a few shades of Flory Washes.   
 
That's enough typing, here are the two bits of the cockpit that I've got (somewhat) complete so far:

 

 
All that text for two little pictures!    Still a work in progress but thanks for looking. 
 
 

We're away!
 
https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/forum/107-target-for-today/
 
Kev

I had dug this out of the stash to use for this group build. I'm not sure whose markings I'm going to use, I have to do a little research. I think I want to do a late WWII aircraft instead of a Korean War aircraft
 

 
Perhaps these markings that come in the box.

She's done. I put the wonky kit wheels on for now. Still waiting on some Eduard diamond treads that should be here this week.
 

 

1/32 Phantoms are coming soon. Cobra is probably later this year.

+2 ......Quinta , it's up to you !!!!

Me too...

I'm waiting for 1/32nd scale F-4 goodies...
 
Mark Proulx

I have both GT resin intakes (C/D and J). The only difference I can see is the turbine face.
1st time I opened the package for the J intakes. Unfortunately one of the splitter plates is damaged. Doesn't look repairable, but I guess can try.

Evil. Just pure evil..............

I've never had much interest in USAF Vietnam-era F-4's.   Just too uniform and bland compared to Navy jets.   Cookie cutter SEA paint schemes really don't do much for me.   Then last night, having nothing better to do, I downloaded Fundekals Operation Bolo instructions and gave them a read.    https://www.hobbyzone.biz/fundekals/docs/fun_32011.pdf
 
What a fantastic selection of very non-uniform jets, all presented in amazing detail (plus a lot of general info on Vietnam F-4C's).      So much for these Phantoms being a bland, uniform, three color. 
 
 

 
So of course, I'm now short $90, having just hit my LHS to pick up the Tamiya kit.    Thanks Jennings!   BTW, my Minister of Finance (wife) says you're a bad influence and wishes to have a word with you.   I didn't have the heart to tell her that $90 is just going to be the tip of the iceberg.
 
John
 
 
 

Coming along nice Peter. Looking forward to seeing it completed.
 
Andy

So I guess I'm ready to start another build.   That last year long build of Tamiya's amazing 1/32nd Mosquito FB.VI wore me out.   After a long term build, I typically lose my modeling mojo for a few months.  This time it was longer.  Once I get it back, I then need to find something that inspires me to start another project.   I purchased the Tamiya Spitfire IX and a boatload of aftermarket gear but for some reason, I couldn't find a subject that leapt out at me.   I'll build this kit, it's too nice to leave on a shelf, but it will have to wait a bit. 
 
My problem is that I like to build somewhat unique subjects (you won't see me building Duke Cunningham's F-4, Galland's -109E or any other "trendy" aircraft).   My list of builds includes an AH-6C Littlebird, a very late Vietnam war US Army Huey, a US-2B Tracker that crashed near where I live back in the 70's, a Korean War F-51D, and a somewhat uniquely finished Coastal Command Mosquito.   Aside from the Littlebird and Tracker, which were both true labors of love, the F-51D was the other kit that I really dove into.  From the "Forgotten War", the F-51D was no longer a pristine thoroughbred.  It was just a neglected, expendable, beaten-up bomb truck.  My kind of aircraft! 
 
As such, I started to be drawn to late war Thunderbolts flown by the USAAF in Italy.   Like Korea, the Italian Front was also somewhat of a "Forgotten War" (except by those who fought and died there).   The US public's attention quickly focused on the war in France and Germany, post-Normandy.  The troops in Italy kept fighting against very fierce resistance up until the end of the war, often in absolutely horrible weather conditions.   By 1945, P-47's were flying mostly air to ground missions, where the always deadly German light Flak took a heavy toll of them. 
 
So, the next step was to find a suitably unique subject.   Lots of decals out there for MTO Jugs.   While perusing online, I saw this sheet:
 

 
The bottom one jumped out at me.   Has some interesting color to it, plus the two tone paint scheme was usual, which is also a plus.   The EagleCal instructions state that it's painted OD and camouflaged with British Dark Green.   Some questions posted here and over on Brit Modeler lead me to believe that "Little Bunny" was actual just a very weathered Jug that was touched up in multiple places with various shades of fresh OD paint.   Here are a few pictures of the real thing, judge for yourself:
 

 

 

 

 

 
You guys can judge for yourself but I'm going with fresh OD over old OD!   Speaking of OD, one could probably write an entire book on this paint and how it rapidly weathers.   Coincidentally, someone has.   LSP's own Dana Bell and I highly recommend it:   

 
I'll dive into OD paint later but here is a picture that gives you an idea of how badly this paint weathered and what fresh OD touchups look like.

 
This is "somewhat" what Little Bunny will end up looking like.   
 
That's it for now, I'll be along at some point with the start of the actual build.   Thanks for looking and for those folks in the US - Please remember that this Monday (Memorial Day) is more than just a reason to have cookouts and drink some cold ones.   
 
John

She's done. I put the wonky kit wheels on for now. Still waiting on some Eduard diamond treads that should be here this week.