Jump to content

RAF FG.1 XV571 WILD HARE Phantom Conversion


Anthony in NZ

Recommended Posts

The upper colour does appear to extend down to the lower colour demarcation line behind the splitter plate on the FGR.2 aircraft. However, there is no specific guidance within the RAF paint AP as to how this should look, so it appears that individual aircraft could vary locally in these areas (see images below; the first one would seem to be most typical).

 

xv497%20(191).jpg

 

F4JDUXlowersurfaces.jpg

 

 

Regards

 

Derek

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys, talk about motivational!

 

I awoke this morning with a fresh perspective.  For now I have to go to work, but I will try and get some work done on her tonight.  To move forward now I have realized I need to graft that back end on first.

 

Thanks again, and that's why I love this place!

 

Cheers Anthony.....already itching to get back home LOL 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Anthony in NZ said:

sf3Goo.jpg

This really is the only difference between the kit part and the resin part.  Either I graft this in or I might just rework the kit part???

 

I need to go to bed soon, my head aches thinking about how to do this bit properly...maybe tomorrow I will be able to think more clearly about it! Either way, there is no coming back from this butchery!

 

Cheers guys

Anthony

Is the resin replacement part because of smaller diameter nozzles? Just trying to understand what's going on.

Oh, sleep is over rated.;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, AlbertD said:

Is the resin replacement part because of smaller diameter nozzles? Just trying to understand what's going on.

Oh, sleep is over rated.;)

The diameter is a bit bigger and the engines sit lower down. Necessitating that part to be straight rather than curved. Not sure if I’ve made sense sorry 

 

Yeah sleep....pfffft

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Anthony in NZ said:

The diameter is a bit bigger and the engines sit lower down. Necessitating that part to be straight rather than curved. Not sure if I’ve made sense sorry 

 

Yeah sleep....pfffft

Oh, ok. I should have realized the engines sit lower being that it's a major part of your conversion. Maybe there is something to that sleep thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/11/2020 at 2:28 PM, Anthony in NZ said:

What we DO need is someone to produce a range of these hinge decals, they are just too tricky to scribe and do a nice job.  They are such a common feature of airframes.  We need to petition to someone to do a range of hinge types and sizes..... Fundekals?????

 

Woody at Archer Fine Transfers might be a good go-to guy. (Apologies if someone has already mentioned this.)

 

Cheers,

Damian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, AlbertD said:

 Maybe there is something to that sleep thing.

LOL

 

7 hours ago, D.B. Andrus said:

 

Woody at Archer Fine Transfers might be a good go-to guy. (Apologies if someone has already mentioned this.)

 

Cheers,

Damian

Hi Damian...I looked at what they produce (and I have a lot of their sets), but nothing I feel I can replicate that flush hinge...

 

Right-O, home, eaten and chores done.  Time to hit the model bench and more surgery LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Barry said:

Anthony,

 

Just a little more food for thought.

 

Compare the aft hot section of the K/M with that of the J

 

SlLw66o.jpg

 

Here is how I added to get the look.

 

o7gYflq.jpg

 

Barry

 

Barry has done some outstanding work on his conversion project (or at least half of the airframe - I never did find out if he replicated it on the other half!). This is another area of the F-4K/M which was also extensively modified to accept the RR Spey in the lower location which very few kits feature correctly - this would also be my approach to tackling the issue in the same way Barry has done (it actually appears that both the J-79 and Spey engines have the same downward thrust angles of approximately 6 degrees, but because of the larger jet pipe diameter, the spey sits lower in the airframe at the aft end).

 

It looks like MDD resolved this issue by essentially grafting an extension to the airframe stations to provide the new shape aft fuselage lower section (although I am uncertain if the airframe anchor point for the arrester hook was unchanged as a result of this - the evidence would indicate that this was unlikely as the centre lower ventral line/keel of the original F-4J appears to remain the same; only the jet pipes (and associated aft airframe 'hot areas' were lowered to match).

 

F-4K_tailcone_keel_extra_structure_01_web.jpg

 

F-4K_tailcone_keel_extra_structure_02_web.jpg

 

F-4K_centre_section_and_wing_web.jpg

 

F-4K_centre_section_mounted_on_wing_web.jpg

 

(LSP Member Check kindly provided these images back in 2012 when this issue was discussed here).

 

Derek

Edited by Derek B
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is very interesting, the more I study photo's the more I can see the difference!  That photo certainly shows the frame difference clearly and matches up with the photo's I have looked at.  Without doubt, I need to fix this area...

 

Thanks guys, the deeper I get, the more I learn of the differences.  very interesting indeed and this helps me with more accuracy. Brilliant stuff, keep it coming when you spot areas that need attention!

 

British Phantoms 'look' like Phantom's but the similarities (or lack of) to their US built counterparts are becoming more evident the more we all go through this.  I am learning a lot, thanks!

 

I am still staring at photo's and working on panel lines and rivets on the upper tail section before I cut it off.

 

Cheers and thanks

Anthony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Anthony,

 

looking from the aft forwards, when comparing the F-4K/M to the J-79 F-4's, I visualise the vertical centre line of the airframe as being identical for both aircraft, with the relative location of both jet pipes being similar in terms of width apart and down thrust angle. The main visual difference to me is that instead of the smaller diameter J-79 jet pipes (which are approximately 32 smaller than the Spey jet pipe), you now have two fat Spey jet pipes in the same location, which effectively look lower and wider. In order to match the airframe to the bigger Spey jet pipes, the outside of the upper airframe shape has to more or less 'drape' itself over these larger jet pipes - this may also account for some of the aft fuselage shape differences that you had already noticed.

 

As a consequence, I would expect that the rear lower fuselage 'hot section' would also need to be widened (although it should, in theory, remain more or less the same in side profile) accordingly - it would be nice to compare plan and bottom photographic views of actual F-4J and F-K/M aircraft to confirm this?

 

This link may help as well (full credit to Tommy Thomason and his Tailspin Topics blog for this reference information).

 

Hopefully, that all makes sense!

 

Cheers

 

Derek 

Edited by Derek B
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...