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1/32 F-4J Phantom (Complete)


gmctaggart

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  • 2 weeks later...

So after a week of work and travel, I finally got back to my bench. I missed the opportunity to take a few photos but I hope these will show the progress. With the leading and trail edge flaps removed, I went about filling in the cavities with plastic card and preparing them to be installed in their extended position. The top of the wing was installed and a round of filling is still needed. The trailing edge is not exactly like I have seen in photos but I am hoping it looks close. 

hzjtph.jpg

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I also found the outboard leading edge to be very thick and it didn't lend itself to being extended. I took some creative licence with the exacto blade to get these to fit and be positioned appropriately. Not perfect or accurate but better than being totally wrong.

eXGPJ8.jpg

As more parts get installed I realized I also needed to get a move on the figures, so I started working on these. These need to be in place so I can finalize the canopy and prepare to paint. I have assumed that in '71 the pilots have gone to a green flight suit and not the orange that was common earlier. Hopefully this is correct. Some additional pipes and wires to be added, more details to be picked out and oh, he needs a head. 

ucz17h.jpg

Thanks again for reading and as always please comment.

Gord

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Have been off the interwebz for a bit, but you're making great progress! As for the flight suits,  yes by 71 they all had green Nomex. As for hand positioning,  the RIO will likely be bracing himself against the IP or a grab handle on the sill. Standard practice for pilots was left hand on the throttle (very straight arm, locking it in place) and the hand is placed behind the stick, almost touching their chest, with the forearm resting on the thigh. Trim was set before takeoff and the stick would rotate back and into their grip during the stroke--this kept them from pulling back and stalling due to the forces involved. Both would have their heads firmly planted against the ejection seat headrest. I can tell you that the cat shot is brutal,  so they're bracing for it to fire. Once it shoots (esp. on the older cats) they're pinned against the seat regardless. 

Hth

Peter

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Thanks Stephen and Out2gtcha for your kind words and encouragement. Its at this point that you need to dig deep to keep going and try and maintain the level of detail and accuracy without doing a 'that will do' type attitude. Peter, I was hoping someone would chime in on this. Very descriptive and helpful. As I have advanced the pilot and rear I decided that I would take it back a few seconds before the launch. I have the RIO reaching out to grab something to hold onto with his right and the left is parked in his lap. The pilot is finishing his salute with the right and has his left hand at his lap. It may be difficult to adjust his hand position to the throttles now. A few more pictures shows the seats and pilots done (but still headless horsemen). Hopefully this will look convincing, and Peter feel free to tell me if this isn't how it should be. I was a grunt in a former life with a passion for flight but never had the privilege of being in a jet so looking to those that have been there to provide some guidance.

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D6dtrK.jpg

 

Thanks again for reading.

Gord 

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Thanks Alain,

A quick update. The pilots have been locked away into their offices and the canopies have been attached. Some of the odds and ends have been installed and focus has been on getting the leading edges in place as well as the angle for the outer wing. There is still some clean up to do but I think it is starting to look like a plane.

qn15t5.jpg

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Thanks Again all.

Gord

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Hi Gord,

 

Here a couple of pics of my efforts at building the Phantom wing with the Flap down.

 

Inboard Leading Edge Flaps

BUoXOh3.jpg

 

Outboard LE

xfxdIfc.jpg

 

INZ0RDX.jpg

 

Trailing Edge to Fuselage

5HtNcwm.jpg

 

Trailing Edge Flaps

RQu6lYv.jpg

 

The main issue with getting the Outboard LE to look correct is the Tamiya wing is too thick. The upper in the pic is the stock and the lower is the thinned down wing tip

lDAE8mL.jpg

 

Cheers,

Barry

 

Edited by Barry
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Thanks Barry. I like how you tackled the wing. I was surprised at how thick Tamiya made the wing. I should have thought about making it thinner. Also, did you show the front landing gear in an extended position as well? If so how did you achieve that? This goes for everyone, as I am trying to figure out how best to cut, extend and secure the metal gear. Appreciate some help for this one.

 

Gord

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Hi Gord,

 

Here are a couple of pics of the "extended" nose gear strut. I am not sure that this is the actual total length of the nose strut when it is the "hike position" used for cat launch. I extend mine for the airborne position when fully extended in the Weight Off Wheels (WOW) when in the retraction mode. I determined this by placing the upper trunnion mount in its position and then determining the maximum length with clearance to the aft wheel well bulkhead.  

 

The spacing marks on the mat are 1/2" apart.

 

Td35Oob.jpg

 

VpVSLoA.jpg

 

cvBuO1b.jpg

 

This is the nearly retracted position needed for my purposes.

 

wPdRe2N.jpg

 

Hope these are helpful and if I can help further just let me know. The build up to the point I stopped is here on LSP but the photos went the way of many others.

 

Barry

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