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New 1/32 F-4K/M (FG.1/FGR.2) Phantom kit announced by HKM


Derek B

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16 hours ago, ghatherly said:

 

Yes he did, which is why I asked the original quest of Kag,  who maybe right about the fan face.   Have not had time to check  the book pics he referenced, pages would help speed thing up Kag if you have them.   I have all of the books, including Michael Burns book.

 

All of the CE molds were destroyed when Klaus shut down the company.   The way the company ended also released were all the intellectual property agreements under contract back to the pattern maker/ creator.  It was DonLogan and the creator of the CE F-105 items that prompted me us to start GTR.   Just a reproduction of the CE F-4L/M set with a full cockpit would be in that $500-$600 range with is not good for 99% of those wanting to build one.  That is the price to be profitable and deliver a quality product not dealing with the decal issue or the toner kit.   Then there are those that would pick it to death at the slightest perceived error as seems to be the norm now with every new release, regardless of the forum.   We do this the least of any of the sites, but still it happens.

 

The same goes for a F4H-1 set.  

 

I would bet the that HK bit off amore than expected, so we should be patient since no on has skim in the game.

 

I see. So, the company ended in bankruptcy? or filed for it? It is a strange way to operate: destroy what is of potential tremendous value. I read that the legacy PE/Resin/Books company Verlinden also finished business. There were no interested parties to buy it (or parts of the valuables (goodwill, masters etc), so they closed shop and destroyed the remaining stock and masters...a crying shame.

 

Good you decided to jump in the hole left behind!!! Now...how about the F-16A./B conversions in 48 and 32? LOL :)

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3 hours ago, timvkampen said:

 

I see. So, the company ended in bankruptcy? or filed for it? It is a strange way to operate: destroy what is of potential tremendous value. I read that the legacy PE/Resin/Books company Verlinden also finished business. There were no interested parties to buy it (or parts of the valuables (goodwill, masters etc), so they closed shop and destroyed the remaining stock and masters...a crying shame.

 

Good you decided to jump in the hole left behind!!! Now...how about the F-16A./B conversions in 48 and 32? LOL :)

His wife wanted the business in an ugly divorce, so he killed it rather than hand it over to her and her family, most of which worked for him at CE.

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I've seen some examples of polystyrene - same as regular kit plastic - FDM printing done by WunWingLow and it's very impressive. 

 

I still think all you need are CAD-designed, polystyrene printed: revised inlets, engine nozzles and fin top RWR fairing. 

The more robust Spey rear fuselage contours and fuselage sides could be catered for by carefully designed ribs or part-frames onto which a plastic card skin can be glued, seams filled etc. Voilà. And all using normal polystyrene cement. 

 

The K/M cockpit is so very similar to the J that scratching bits and bobs would suffice. ILS antennae for the fin might be handy, as would a new NLG for an FG.1/F-4K. There's no need to overegg the cake with tons of extras. Kelly Johnson's smarter not harder work philosophy of Keep It Simple - but really fudging clever - is the key.

 

Tony 

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5 minutes ago, Jennings Heilig said:

The revised inlets also mean revised upper wings (the inlets are much wider).

 

No need to change wing upper surfaces - a little trimming at the root, if at all.

 

With all this chatter - does anyone actually know if the HK kit is happening, or not?

 

Iain

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4 minutes ago, Jennings Heilig said:

The revised inlets also mean revised upper wings (the inlets are much wider).  Literally the only things you can use from an existing kit are the canopy, radome, a/c intakes, parts of the forward fuselage, the main structure of the vertical fin and horizontal stabs, tail hook, outer wing panels, and main landing gear.  Everything else is different.

even the fuel dump on the tail...…..

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8 minutes ago, Iain (32SIG) said:

 

No need to change wing upper surfaces - a little trimming at the root, if at all.

 

With all this chatter - does anyone actually know if the HK kit is happening, or not?

 

Iain

Sorry Ian to disagree, but the entire fuselage is wider than the GE powered J.   Yes you could trim all the wing top as you suggest,  but adding the extra width to the entire fuselage down the center of each engine section is a real skilled project not many would undertake.    We are only talking inches but it is wider.

 

  Now if someone produces a kit that offers a few items as Tony suggests,  we get back to the discussion of close vs exact in respect to details and correctness and this crowd  would get rip it apart  for not being accurate and keeping in the spirit of the UK jets.  In my opinion, and I may be wrong, a no win situation for a company to produce.   One of the major items Klaus changed  that Frank never addressed is the wider fuselage.   What you have is the extra width in the intake is carried trough all the way to the fan face.  IF not there would be no point in widening the intake.  

 

In real world, Not widening the fuselage would also screw up the aerodynamic efficiency of the area rule shape.  That is a critical equation with a tight design window,  too much shape is almost as bad as not having shape at all.   Think f-102 redesign here.  Also, since the Spey is a larger diameter than the GE, you cannot create space on the inside of the airframe as there is the main structural fire wall that separates the engine bays.  The GE was already so tight that bypass air had to by used to vent the heat from the engine bays out of the rear of the airframe.  Hence, the entire airframe is wider.  

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41 minutes ago, Jennings Heilig said:

The revised inlets also mean revised upper wings (the inlets are much wider).  Literally the only things you can use from an existing kit are the canopy, radome, a/c intakes, parts of the forward fuselage, the main structure of the vertical fin and horizontal stabs, tail hook, outer wing panels, and main landing gear.  Everything else is different.

 

36 minutes ago, phantomdriver said:

even the fuel dump on the tail...…..

 

Both over egging it. Part frames that can be glued onto the existing fuselage, then skinned.

Such would require very clever design. Fuel masts etc are really mere cosmetics that can be easily scratched.

This way, you could get a conversion set for maybe £100.

Just an idea, before it gets (yet again) complicated out of existence. I reckon it would satisfy 99% of the calibre of modellers found at LSP.

 

Tony 

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An interesting thread, even if some of the ideas would appear to be either prohibitively expensive or likely to be well beyond my capabilities as a modeller.  Given the gestation period of their Lancaster are people not being a bit presumptuous writing HKM off so soon?  While I am as keen as anyone to see an IM UK Phantom in 1/32, having been waiting for one for well over 40 years and drawn back to LSPs on the promise of one being produced, I am happy to wait a bit longer for one to materialise.  As some users appear to have links with HKM, has anyone actually asked if they are prepared to say whether they are still intending to produce the kit and, if so, a likely timescale?

 

Nige     

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Hi Gary,

 

I know that - and I have dimensions/photos of the relevant areas of the airframe.

 

I understand how the wings interface with the intake trunks - I've seen - and measured - the separate parts of the real aeroplane in front of me.

 

I'm *not* saying the fuselage isn't wider  :)

 

Iain

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1 hour ago, Tony T said:

 

I've seen some examples of polystyrene - same as regular kit plastic - FDM printing done by WunWingLow and it's very impressive. 

 

I still think all you need are CAD-designed, polystyrene printed: revised inlets, engine nozzles and fin top RWR fairing. 

The more robust Spey rear fuselage contours and fuselage sides could be catered for by carefully designed ribs or part-frames onto which a plastic card skin can be glued, seams filled etc. Voilà. And all using normal polystyrene cement. 

 

The K/M cockpit is so very similar to the J that scratching bits and bobs would suffice. ILS antennae for the fin might be handy, as would a new NLG for an FG.1/F-4K. There's no need to overegg the cake with tons of extras. Kelly Johnson's smarter not harder work philosophy of Keep It Simple - but really fudging clever - is the key.

 

Tony 

Tony,  if you can do the work you suggest then there would be no need for the simple items you suggest.   Not looking to upset you here, but really if one can do the airframe work as you suggest, building a few add ons and an instrument panel are within ones skill set making the purchase of your suggested set  a dead product.

 

On a separate note, in all of your travels did you ever meet Kelly Johnson?

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Tony - I'm with your thinking - different method - but same result.

 

More areas than you list - as Gary states.

 

I had a cunning plan - before I got sidetracked researching - *if* the HK kit is toast (??) I may have to re-visit my original thoughts.

 

Iain

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1 minute ago, Iain (32SIG) said:

Hi Gary,

 

I now that - and I have dimensions/photos of the relevant areas of the airframe.

 

I understand how the wings interface with the intake trunks - I've seen - and measured - the separate parts of the real aeroplane in front of me.

 

I'm *not* saying the fuselage isn't wider  :)

 

Iain

NO worries,  I figured that you did but many might not know, so I went off on a bit of a tangent.  I have been really thinking the build through as I may not use any of the wild hare kit when I build mine.   I would love to see your data if you would consider sharing it, as a trip to measure one is not in the cards for some time.   Maybe coming to Telford one of these years but not any time soon.

 

One thing I can say is that the cheapest way to get a UK bird is an updated version of the CE kit with a cockpit and any other corrections that can cost effectively be made.  IF 50 could be sold the cost of the tooling, materials and production would lead to a sale price of $450.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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34 minutes ago, ghatherly said:

Tony,  if you can do the work you suggest then there would be no need for the simple items you suggest.   Not looking to upset you here, but really if one can do the airframe work as you suggest, building a few add ons and an instrument panel are within ones skill set making the purchase of your suggested set  a dead product.

 

On a separate note, in all of your travels did you ever meet Kelly Johnson?

 

From my own perspective I disagree. For many, achieving symmetry is the toughest part, which is why those L & R items are key. And printed in polystyrene so that normal solvents may be used. Something that's 97% right but is symmetrical looks better than one side 100% accurate and the other anything less. I concur that the titanium empennage is different but the Inconel parts are pretty standard F-4-looking.  

 

I have an autographed copy of Kelly's autobiography. I never visited Lockheed but corresponded. Most of the people I met were Pratt & Whitney, General Electric or serving personnel at USAFE facilities. No longer do any of that. The Cold War ended a long time ago. However, would love to see some of the Russian jets which passed me by, such as the Su-9/11, -15 and MiG-25 if they have not all been scrapped.

 

Tony 

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I'm with Tony on this. A conversion requiring some modelling skill, rather than drop in replacement parts would be dramatically cheaper.

 

The major part would be the intakes (and ramps!) correctly shaped as far back as the rear canopy fairing, which isn't a great deal more than most resin intake/trunking replacements.

Aft of them, vac-formed panels to be laid on the fuselage sides as far aft as the jet nozzles, and below either a resin undertray incorporating the Sparrow bays as one moulding or as another vac piece to be dressed up according to taste or weapon load, with the Tamiya kit still inside to act as both strengthener and armature.

 

The keel area would likely need to be another chunk of resin too. Inner and outer tube resin mouldings would also produce jet nozzles to better effect than the CE one piece approach

 

All of this simplification would be vastly cheaper than the CE approach of a huge fuselage moulding with all its inherent complications and expense.

Edited by Chek
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2 hours ago, ghatherly said:

One thing I can say is that the cheapest way to get a UK bird is an updated version of the CE kit with a cockpit and any other corrections that can cost effectively be made.

 

I agree.

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