Revell 1/32 F-4E (from F-4G kit) 32nd TFS - The paint is on!

[Grunticus]

Today I started on my Revell 1/32 F-4E. It's the F-4G kit but as most know it comes with all parts required to make an F-4E. I will finish it as one of the 32nd TFS Phantoms. As a teenager I spent a good amount of time along the fence of Soesterberg air base and watch them take off, land, and taxi. It was awesome. And it was....1978! Oh my. I'm....old.

 

The Quinta studios cockpit set and Reskit exhausts (designed for Revell), wheels, and AIM-9Js are underway. In the mean time I started with the seats. I will use the kit seats and dress them up a bit. The Quinta set already gives them an immense boost but I will add a few bits as well.

 

A small start but there it is.

 

 

 

The one thing in the Quinta set I am not too fond of are the ejection pull-rings so I will try to use the kit ones. I seperated them for easier painting.

 

 

I also scraped off the molded-on seat belts off the seats and gave them a quick paint.

 

 

I know there is a lot of comment about the shape of the nose (supposedly "corrected for the F-4G kit), but I'm not sure I am going to bother with a replacement. Maybe I'll sand off some styrene on the top but to my eye it's not so bad.

 

 

It's quite a beast when taped together!

 

 

Cheers!

Edited November 17, 2023 by Grunticus
Title adaption

[Jim Kong Un]

Cant wait to watch this one unfold.   Using same kit to make F-4S out of next after I finish Revell 1/32 Tomcat 

[Mark P]

IMHO, if the canopies left open it helps to break up the nose a bit so any problems with profile are less obvious.

 

Just a thought and my opinion only...

 

Still, I will be watching with interest as I have a Revell F-4E sitting there waiting! 

 

Mark Proulx

[alain11]

Hi

I am very tempted by the Academy ( Revell rebox ) with an impressive decal scheet ,but I read here and there that this kit has some shape issue , the nose cone for exampe , the wheel well not deep enough , the cockpit floor .....too deep ,the gear legs especially the front on are too " skinny " , and the top of the vertical fin must be reworked 

I said , I am tempted , because it's a cheap kit , and these shape issues can be " easily fixed " after all ....and the last .. the Tam's kit is not available ... anywhere 

maybe , it's time to produce a conversion ( as cutting edge  did it a while ago ) to upgrade the C/D from Tamiya  

I will follow your thread , sure it will help me to take the plunge 

Alain

[chaos07]

Nothing wrong with an F-4!  Looking forward to your progress.

[Phil88]

I am finishing the F4G, I can confirm that the nose even for a "G" and even more so for an "E" is not correct, like the part under the nose which is different from the location of the barrel. But in the box you have everything to make an "E", including the crew side consoles. On mine I 3d printed the reactor outputs as well as two or three other accessories. I am working on the correct modeling of the noses for the Revell Phantoms. Alain11 know my works on mine.

 

I will follow your works on this plane

Edited October 7, 2023 by Phil88
Edit my text

[Grunticus]

1 hour ago, Phil88 said:

I am finishing the F4G, I can confirm that the nose even for a "G" and even more so for an "E" is not correct, like the part under the nose which is different from the location of the barrel. But in the box you have everything to make an "E", including the crew side consoles. On mine I 3d printed the reactor outputs as well as two or three other accessories. I am working on the correct modeling of the noses for the Revell Phantoms. Alain11 know my works on mine.

 

I will follow your works on this plane

 

Phil, thank you. Can you post some pictures of what you made, and the nose? I'd love to see it. I can appreciate the nose is a bit off, but not enough for that I have to replace it. I did look at replacement noses but wouldn't know which one to pick. If you have a good suggestion I'm open to it. I am now working on the stores, tanks, and landing gear bays while awaiting the Quinta cockpit set. So far, fit of various parts has been really good.

[Phil88]

I will send you some pictures yes but for the moment i am at work. 

[Grunticus]

Just a small update. I am still awaiting parts from Ukraine so in the mean time I deal with some of the smaller stuff.

 

The tanks came together well. With incremental gluing I was able to match the opposite seams quite well and minimal sanding and filling was needed. I will replace the raised rivets with Archer ones, and maybe add a few, I still need to study pictures of the tanks.

 

 

I am not so sure about the Sparrows. I will see how they look all painted up. They'll be hardly visible sitting in the recesses under the fuselage anyway. They too fit quite well with minimal work. I still need to fill the seams at the fin bases and re-scribe a few panel lines.

 

Is this rear-end representative of all/most Sparrows? Is this a remove-before-flight thing?

 

 

Or should the motor-end me opened like below when flight-ready?

 

 

The kit ones (AIM-7Es). The first pic is a different mark altogether and the one above is an -F.

 

 

The nose gear well look quite busy OOB, I may add a few lines and a cable-loom, but not much. I glued the forward bulkhead of the well to the well itself instead of the fuselage as directed in the instructions, it fits better that way, plus it will give me more wiggle-room when it's time to fuse this part to the forward fuselage. I test fitted this and I am positive that with incremental glueing I can get it to fit very well with minimal seams and no steps. Pity I forgot to fill the ejector pin holes. I might try to correct this with punched disks.

 

 

Currently I am finishing the access ladder. It will be yellow and add an interesting colorful note to the finished model. I use evergreen for the rungs of the ladder. The original ladder parts all had pesky mold-seams on them which were tricky to remove. Using evergreen for the rungs saves me some work. When it's all assembled I'll give it a swipe with nail polish remover (diluted acetone) to smoothen the surface before paint. The black anti-slip layer on the rungs will be done with black decal. The top rung looks crooked, but it's mounted angled compared to the lower ones, as on the real thing.

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

[Shujaa]

Hey buddy,

 

in answer to Your question regarding the back-end of the AIM-7 Sparrow: The second pic of the "Foxtrot-model" is more representative for Your needs. Also a head's-up regarding the center-line fuel-tank You have prepped. You need to use the other one in the kit (the big "fat" one). The one You prepared is the F-15 style high-speed version which has never been used by the 32nd. The 32nd swapped their F-4E's for F-15's around late 1978 - early 1979. The high-speed center-line fuel-tanks were adapted well after that time-period.

 

Obviously You will need to remove the small buldge in the center of the bottom wing-section to accept the old style center-line tank but I'm sure that's a piece of cake for Your skill's. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Rudy.

[Sabre F-86]

I just picked up a started kit, major parts glued, whoever it was did a nice job. The wing part, the aft fuselage, and a few other bits. He'd started the cockpit but I cleared that off for the the Quinta Studio set which arrived yesterday, and I'll get to it as soon as I finish the P-51. Just how bad are the exhaust? Never really looked at a Phantom, never had a chance to see one on the ground. The missiles are pretty basic too. 

[Grunticus]

2 hours ago, Shujaa said:

Hey buddy,

 

in answer to Your question regarding the back-end of the AIM-7 Sparrow: The second pic of the "Foxtrot-model" is more representative for Your needs. Also a head's-up regarding the center-line fuel-tank You have prepped. You need to use the other one in the kit (the big "fat" one). The one You prepared is the F-15 style high-speed version which has never been used by the 32nd. The 32nd swapped their F-4E's for F-15's around late 1978 - early 1979. The high-speed center-line fuel-tanks were adapted well after that time-period.

 

Obviously You will need to remove the small buldge in the center of the bottom wing-section to accept the old style center-line tank but I'm sure that's a piece of cake for Your skill's. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Rudy.

 

Wow, thanks for that, I never knew! ...And for the Sparrow information. I will prepare the fat tank then. The bulge will be a piece of cake indeed. I witnessed their transition to the F-15A. I saw one take off and go vertical until it disappeared in the clouds. I was awestruck. Still gives me goosebumps...

 

Many thanks for this heads-up! I have just looked up photos and they didn't carry that center-line tank very often it seems, but there is proof:

 

 

Edit: all right. Now I also have to get an F-15A just because of the fond memories. Which kit do you guys recommend for a 1979-ish 1/32 F-15A or F-15B (or F-15C/D)?

 

1 hour ago, Sabre F-86 said:

I just picked up a started kit, major parts glued, whoever it was did a nice job. The wing part, the aft fuselage, and a few other bits. He'd started the cockpit but I cleared that off for the the Quinta Studio set which arrived yesterday, and I'll get to it as soon as I finish the P-51. Just how bad are the exhaust? Never really looked at a Phantom, never had a chance to see one on the ground. The missiles are pretty basic too. 

 

The cans look basic, but I really fell for the detail of the Reskit ones without even looking at the kit supplied cans. It will be a first for me. When they arrive I will show a comparison here (even when there's no competition). Do you have a thread going on here for the Phantom? Would love to see how you tackle it, and learn.

Edited October 9, 2023 by Grunticus

[Shujaa]

You're more than welcome buddy. As stated in a PM, back in the day I was too young to watch these Phabulous birds operate on a daily basis from Soesterberg so I don't know if they carried the "fat" center-line tank on a regular basis (I think these belly-tanks are refferred to as "Royal tanks"). My train of thought is that they mainly carried it when they were sluggin' around a dart-target so they could stay airborne a bit longer. (As seen in the pic You posted.) As for "regular" sorties, they probably preferred to keep the belly clean due to the drag-penalty of the "fat" centerline tank.

 

Furthermore, back in the day the 32nd was FULLY integrated within the Royal Netherlands Air Force. It's my understanding that USAF-units that operate abroad normaly adhere to local regulations, but mainly operate to serve USA(F) interrest's. Of course they coordinate with the host-nation, but as far as I know they kinda operate alongside the host-nation...

 

As stated, the 32nd was FULLY integrated within the Royal Netherlands Air Force. They were directly controlled by the Royal Netherlands Air Force Command & Control Station "BANDBOX" and also cycled within our national QRA-duties. Hence the wreath around their WOLFHOUND badge & the Royal crown on top. They received these honors back in 1959 and thereby has been the only ROYAL USAF unit till date... Anyway, being fully integrated and cycling within our national QRA-duties they probably never needed the extra 600 gallons of fuel since The Netherlands is just a tiny piece of real-estate... 

 

How I cherish the days their 4-ship F-15's would make a fly-by over our unit after returning from a sortie over the North-Sea...

 

Some more ref-material can be found on this website:

http://www.overshoot.nl/OVERSHOOT.html

 

As for Your question regarding a suitable F-15: I guess the only game in town is the Tamiya F-15C. Since I'm no expert on the F-15, the Tamiya F-15C would also be my choice for an A-model. Stick some turkey-feathered can's at the back, maybe a backdated instrument-panel and an earlier-date Fiscal Year number with matching registration. I guess that should get You pretty close...

 

Should You have some space left in Your mancave, You might also consider a F-86 Sabre (Kinetic 1/32) and a F-100C (Trumpeter 1/32). As for a F-102 You will probably have to rely on a vac-form kit in this scale...

 

Kind regards,

 

Rudy.

[Bruce]

I've built a couple of these kits.  There are 3 major problems.  1. the canopy profile is off because the center section is a scale 2 inches low which throws it off(not much can be done there).  2. the intakes are too long, they need to have about 1/8 inch removed off the back edge.  3. and most important is the rear cockpit is too low, it needs to be raised about 1/8th inch.  Put the seat in and see where the parachute pack is in relation to the canopy rail and compare it to pictures and you'll see the problem.

[Grunticus]

9 hours ago, Shujaa said:

You're more than welcome buddy. As stated in a PM, back in the day I was too young to watch these Phabulous birds operate on a daily basis from Soesterberg so I don't know if they carried the "fat" center-line tank on a regular basis (I think these belly-tanks are refferred to as "Royal tanks"). My train of thought is that they mainly carried it when they were sluggin' around a dart-target so they could stay airborne a bit longer. (As seen in the pic You posted.) As for "regular" sorties, they probably preferred to keep the belly clean due to the drag-penalty of the "fat" centerline tank.

 

Furthermore, back in the day the 32nd was FULLY integrated within the Royal Netherlands Air Force. It's my understanding that USAF-units that operate abroad normaly adhere to local regulations, but mainly operate to serve USA(F) interrest's. Of course they coordinate with the host-nation, but as far as I know they kinda operate alongside the host-nation...

 

As stated, the 32nd was FULLY integrated within the Royal Netherlands Air Force. They were directly controlled by the Royal Netherlands Air Force Command & Control Station "BANDBOX" and also cycled within our national QRA-duties. Hence the wreath around their WOLFHOUND badge & the Royal crown on top. They received these honors back in 1959 and thereby has been the only ROYAL USAF unit till date... Anyway, being fully integrated and cycling within our national QRA-duties they probably never needed the extra 600 gallons of fuel since The Netherlands is just a tiny piece of real-estate... 

 

How I cherish the days their 4-ship F-15's would make a fly-by over our unit after returning from a sortie over the North-Sea...

 

Some more ref-material can be found on this website:

http://www.overshoot.nl/OVERSHOOT.html

 

As for Your question regarding a suitable F-15: I guess the only game in town is the Tamiya F-15C. Since I'm no expert on the F-15, the Tamiya F-15C would also be my choice for an A-model. Stick some turkey-feathered can's at the back, maybe a backdated instrument-panel and an earlier-date Fiscal Year number with matching registration. I guess that should get You pretty close...

 

Should You have some space left in Your mancave, You might also consider a F-86 Sabre (Kinetic 1/32) and a F-100C (Trumpeter 1/32). As for a F-102 You will probably have to rely on a vac-form kit in this scale...

 

Kind regards,

 

Rudy.

 

Rudy, thank you for your elaborate post with great insights for me. Yes, the 32nd was an integral part of the Royal Netherlands air force, and I felt very safe as a cold-war kid knowing they were there. Great times during the cold war, which in hindsight was a breeze compared to what is going on in the world today....

 

I am going to the Scale Model Challenge in Veldhoven next Saturday and will see if I can pick up a Tamiya F-15C there and back-date it to an -A (and read up on what should / could be done to it to get there). The changes you suggest would certainly satisfy my accuracy-hunger.

 

I already have the Kinetic F-86F in my stash, but was pondering on finishing it in the pretty IIAF Asia Minor three-tone scheme. My F-100F will become a three-tone Misty-Fac. I only saw the 32nd TFS's F-4Es and F-15s (well and a T-33 I think) with my own eyes and want those on the shelf.

 

42 minutes ago, Bruce said:

I've built a couple of these kits.  There are 3 major problems.  1. the canopy profile is off because the center section is a scale 2 inches low which throws it off(not much can be done there).  2. the intakes are too long, they need to have about 1/8 inch removed off the back edge.  3. and most important is the rear cockpit is too low, it needs to be raised about 1/8th inch.  Put the seat in and see where the parachute pack is in relation to the canopy rail and compare it to pictures and you'll see the problem.

 

Thanks Bruce. I will see if my skills can cover the adjustments you suggest. 1/8th of an inch is 3mm and sounds doable. Thank you for taking the time to point this out. I hope that my canopies in open position plan will distract from the center section enough for it to be less noticeable.

 

Thanks to you both!