Barry Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 (edited) Well after collecting photos and dimensions for the EF-4C Camera Pallet for the project Derek and I had started but unfortunately it never progressed due to life's little "pleasures"!. I thought I would take a break from Phantom cockpits and cobbled this together over the last couple of weeks. Composite photo of installation on the EF-4C at the "Mighty Eighth A.F. Museum here in Savannah, GA. It is as dimensionally accurate as possible and fit the Tamiya kit along prototype panel lines and within the fixed points on the kit that correspond to the actual jet. It is and add on designed to fit in and around the left forward missile well. It does wrap over and up the left side behind the left fixed intake ramp. It has a number of shapes that proved a little trouble some to capture but once done the shape and prototype dimensions proved to match the Tamiya kit pretty closely. The pallet/canoe itself is by no means an elongated rectangular shape with triangular shaped fairing on the front and rear. The camera window housing proved especially challenging as it has NO square edges or sides. It is a trapezoidal shape with triangular sides to compensate for the angle that the camera pallet/canoe has when mounted. All the shapes allow the camera window to remain parallel to the horizon when the aircraft wings are level. Starting to take shape; the structural fitting for the forward fairing is sheet brass shaped to fit and the aft is sheet plastic. Barry Edited November 22, 2015 by Barry Jer, Girlscanplay2, NavyF4s and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee White Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Pulling up a chair...... Girlscanplay2 and Derek B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted September 21, 2015 Author Share Posted September 21, 2015 Lee, I will try to not keep you in suspense! Barry Lee White and Girlscanplay2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 NICE! I love the brass work...............Sooooooo clean and conformal looking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Lovely piece of modelling, Barry. Sincerely, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Brilliant work Barry I got as far as drawing it up based on your dimensions, but found a length discrepancy which may either be due to a mis-match in my calculations or the panel line dimensions of the Tamiya kit. I also managed to fill the forward left Sparrow recess with filler to produce a positive close form location for the pallet. I am so pleased that you addressed the way that the pallet side plate wraps around the lower fuselage (I would have tackled it pretty well the same way that you have done). Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony T Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Would be interesting to see this compared this with GT Resin's Weasel pallet. Gary's set is for the Vietnam era configuration, as the rear cockpit IP changed noticeably with the post-war upgrade as did the antenna fit. Curiously, F-4C 64-0815, the machine at The Mighty Eighth, was the very first of four Mod 1178 Wild Weasel IV-C to be adapted, in Sept 1966. That was when the gear was carried in a pod. The electronics was later internalised in the pallet under Mod 1778B, starting with one of the other three test beds in the Spring of 67, so '815 is probably representative of the "production configuration" applied to 36 jets. I was lucky enough to visit and photograph '815 myself in April 2010, and must have filled the memory card with sixty shots. The log periodic homing antennae had long since been removed from the nose barrel, but it did feature the post war receivers. The KA-71 station was empty. AFAIK the original rear pallet vent featured louvres - not mesh as installed on '815 at The Mighty Eighth. Curious to see two approaches to this mod after years of nada!!! Tony andromeda673 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batura Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 lovely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted September 21, 2015 Author Share Posted September 21, 2015 NICE! I love the brass work...............Sooooooo clean and conformal looking Thanks Brian; I could not figure any other way that would yield the look and conform properly. Lovely piece of modelling, Barry. Sincerely, Mark Thanks Mark. Stay safe! Brilliant work Barry I got as far as drawing it up based on your dimensions, but found a length discrepancy which may either be due to a mis-match in my calculations or the panel line dimensions of the Tamiya kit. I also managed to fill the forward left Sparrow recess with filler to produce a positive close form location for the pallet. I am so pleased that you addressed the way that the pallet side plate wraps around the lower fuselage (I would have tackled it pretty well the same way that you have done). Derek Thanks Derek I too had the same issue with measurements and fit to the model. After another visit to the aircraft with my measurements I found that I had miss read my own writing and the panel just aft of the camera hatch was 30.5 not 50.5 the three looked like a five. As for the filling of the missile well I used one half of one of the AIM-7s and attached "fins" that aligned the pallet using the missile wing recesses. Would be interesting to see this compared this with GT Resin's Weasel pallet. Gary's set is for the Vietnam era configuration, as the rear cockpit IP changed noticeably with the post-war upgrade as did the antenna fit. Curiously, F-4C 64-0815, the machine at The Mighty Eighth, was the very first of four Mod 1178 Wild Weasel IV-C to be adapted, in Sept 1966. That was when the gear was carried in a pod. The electronics was later internalised in the pallet under Mod 1778B, starting with one of the other three test beds in the Spring of 67, so '815 is probably representative of the "production configuration" applied to 36 jets. I was lucky enough to visit and photograph '815 myself in April 2010, and must have filled the memory card with sixty shots. The log periodic homing antennae had long since been removed from the nose barrel, but it did feature the post war receivers. The KA-71 station was empty. AFAIK the original rear pallet vent featured louvres - not mesh as installed on '815 at The Mighty Eighth. Curious to see two approaches to this mod after years of nada!!! Tony Hi Tony thanks for the historical back ground I was unaware that it was one of the first to be converted. As for comparing it to the GT Resin piece I will leave that to Gary or someone who can supply better photos of Gary's effort. If I can find a picture or the number needed I will use louvers as I am sure you are right about their use. lovely Thanks Batura! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andromeda673 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 wow, also pulling up a chair as well! nice bit of work so far. Barry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) Derek, Here a couple of shots on how I created a repeatable, positive alignment. Barry Edited September 23, 2015 by Barry Girlscanplay2, Derek B and Youngtiger1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Now THAT'S ingenuity - love it Barry! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Derek, Here a couple of shots on how I created a repeatable, positive alignment. Barry Great work Barry Mine is somewhat similar to yours, but I have masked the inside of the lower fuselage missile recess fin slots with tape and applied milliput to the external recess, which will be filed flush with the surrounding fuselage - this would form a solid base to build the rest of the canoe pallet in the same way that you have done. The reason for my approach is that experience has taught me that hollow cavity inside master pattern parts is not a good thing when it comes to moulding them for production, as the heat cycle (and vaccum) required to cure the mould rubber often causes the part to collapse if it is not solid. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batura Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Very nice work Barry. Though you probably have lots of photos of the camera pallet, this link may also help your build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 WOW Barry !!.......Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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