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


Grunticus

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Hi,

 

Interesting project as this is a rarely chosen USAFE scheme.

 

AMS has many parts that could help you noticeably with regard to the overall look. The nose and air intakes with variramps will be game changers. For the landing gear issues, Aerocraft has the relevant parts.

 

I started correcting the Revell Phantom many years ago and the issue is to know where to stop as the kit has shape inaccuracies everywhere. Hopefully some are minor as various ones are close to impossible to correct. One good example is the step on each side of the rear belly. The transition under each reactor should be smooth, without such a step. Alas, correcting that is nightmarish. It is better to forget it... Nonetheless this is the only 1/32 slat wings kit and it is quite cheap. So, it makes sense to consider it and built kits are impressive!

 

BR

 

Thierry 

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For your F-15 project, you will want to pick up this decal sheet:

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/DD32036?result-token=CT7r1

 

I don't know if the period of the decal sheet would mean the ACES II seat or the Escapac seat.  The illustration shows exhausts with turkey feathers, so you may have to get a set of F-16 exhausts to cover that base as I don't see any turke feathered exhausts for the F-15 available.  However, they were removed early 80s from my understanding.  Hopefully some F-15 experts will chime in.

 

And these wheels (they are intended for the Revell kit, but I am sure you can adapt to the Tamiya kit):

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/RS32-0020?result-token=CT7r1

 

As for references,  you can't go wrong with the Daco book on the F-15A/B.

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Hi

I would like to come back to the rear cockpit issue pointed out by Bruce ...it seems that the seat should have to be raised to 3 mm, to get a good stance 

Okay !!! easy !! . but question : what about the consoles ? shouls they have to be raised too ?.. I presume  they have to ...3 mm isn't a lot but it 's still a lot :hmmm:

 If we don’t........., their position would not be correct compare to the raised  seat :mental:..... and what about to the IP ????? should it ........ ... sorry for the mess  :doh:

Maybe a lead to follow to enhance the rear cockpit the front one as well , I read that somebody dry tested the Aires 's  F J/S  cockpit to the Revell 's kit  and it worked ..Okay, this set needs to be reworked at least the left side console, but it's worth to be considered

Alain

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9 hours ago, thierry laurent said:

Hi,

 

Interesting project as this is a rarely chosen USAFE scheme.

 

AMS has many parts that could help you noticeably with regard to the overall look. The nose and air intakes with variramps will be game changers. For the landing gear issues, Aerocraft has the relevant parts.

 

I started correcting the Revell Phantom many years ago and the issue is to know where to stop as the kit has shape inaccuracies everywhere. Hopefully some are minor as various ones are close to impossible to correct. One good example is the step on each side of the rear belly. The transition under each reactor should be smooth, without such a step. Alas, correcting that is nightmarish. It is better to forget it... Nonetheless this is the only 1/32 slat wings kit and it is quite cheap. So, it makes sense to consider it and built kits are impressive!

 

BR

 

Thierry 

 

I am so glad and overwhelmed by all the suggestions in this thread. My aim is to make a reasonably passable representation of a 32nd TFS F-4E, not the most possible accuracy level. Knowing myself I would bog down and loose interest. I will look in to the AMS set because of the nose though. Mnay thanks Thierry

 

8 hours ago, jenshb said:

For your F-15 project, you will want to pick up this decal sheet:

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/DD32036?result-token=CT7r1

 

I don't know if the period of the decal sheet would mean the ACES II seat or the Escapac seat.  The illustration shows exhausts with turkey feathers, so you may have to get a set of F-16 exhausts to cover that base as I don't see any turke feathered exhausts for the F-15 available.  However, they were removed early 80s from my understanding.  Hopefully some F-15 experts will chime in.

 

And these wheels (they are intended for the Revell kit, but I am sure you can adapt to the Tamiya kit):

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/RS32-0020?result-token=CT7r1

 

As for references,  you can't go wrong with the Daco book on the F-15A/B.

 

Jens, Reskit do a whole bunch of F-15 stuff, including wheels and exhausts. I will look at these first when the time comes. I'm not sure those are Turkey-feathered ones though. I will also look if the Daco book is available, I know it from the past. Great reference.

 

6 hours ago, alain11 said:

Hi

I would like to come back to the rear cockpit issue pointed out by Bruce ...it seems that the seat should have to be raised to 3 mm, to get a good stance 

Okay !!! easy !! . but question : what about the consoles ? shouls they have to be raised too ?.. I presume  they have to ...3 mm isn't a lot but it 's still a lot :hmmm:

 If we don’t........., their position would not be correct compare to the raised  seat :mental:..... and what about to the IP ????? should it ........ ... sorry for the mess  :doh:

Maybe a lead to follow to enhance the rear cockpit the front one as well , I read that somebody dry tested the Aires 's  F J/S  cockpit to the Revell 's kit  and it worked ..Okay, this set needs to be reworked at least the left side console, but it's worth to be considered

Alain

 

My plans it to just raise the seat 3mm, not the tub, and see how that looks. I am in no way an avid enough modeller to tackle big corrections involving lots of putty :D

 

I think it is however possible, even for me, to raise the back of the tub including everything. I just have to see how the rear instrument panel behaves when I do that. We'll see.

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I just stumbled onto this project of yours, and i'm impressed by your approach and by all the knowledge going around by our LSP member builders.

In reality i've worked with the CR phantoms and eagles on practice approaches at the airbase i worked as a air traffic controller, but especially handling them in visual approaches, seeing them  doing a break overhead, and after the PD "burn" there way back to EHSB, awesome........

Will follow your build with anticipation,

 

groeten,

 

Jack

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I inserted punched styrene disks into the ejector pin marks. I made a small sander form sprue (it's on the wooden block) to be able to get into the confined space so not to damage the details. Obviously this would have been a breeze before assembling the bay, but I got carried away with glue when dry fitting the parts ;)

 

Z687rNt.jpgCVLcnQz.jpg

 

After filling and sanding with the makeshift sander it looks better already. This is after one thin coat of Surfacer 1500. The disks still shine through, but the surface is smooth and the details are successfully retained. Some piping and wiring will be added.

 

6rjiVT7.jpg

 

The Dutch Decal DD32018 set arrived today. This set is not easy to find so I'm lucky. I will ultimately make masks as much as I can but I think the badges are too small to be succesfully copied as masks.

 

x41rfvL.png

KNPVrWK.jpg?1

 

The boarding ladder is getting there....

 

ZdBCpR1.jpg

 

If all goes well the Quinta set arrives tomorrow and I can pick up the trail and start with the cockpit in earnest.

 

And lastly, OT, some fun artwork.

 

eTR1DVk.png

 

Cheers!

 

 

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On 10/10/2023 at 1:50 AM, Grunticus said:

 

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. ;)

 

 

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!

here is a link to my build: 

 

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On 10/14/2023 at 6:27 AM, Bruce said:

 

On 10/14/2023 at 6:29 AM, Bruce said:

my build shows what i did to the intakes

 

On 10/14/2023 at 6:24 AM, Bruce said:

here is a link to my build: 

 

 

Bruce, thank you so much, and what an awesome build! I could not live up to the standard you set with this kit, but I'll borrow some of the things you have shown, like the fantastic solution to the ejection cords. Very nifty.

 

My build was stalled a bit because i was admitted to hospital. I just got home from that and will resume shortly. The Quinta set has arrived and the Reskit stuff has cleared customs.

 

I also managed to buy this resin nose off Ebay. I don't know the brand. Maybe it's home brew, maybe it's a ripoff (hopefully not).

Edited by Grunticus
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I dressed up the seat with a few bits of Evergreen so that it vaguely resembles photos I've looked at. After some paint I'll leave that to dry and then I can dress them up further with the Quinta stuff and some wiring.

 

dasFP94.jpg91EFCib.jpg

 

In the mean time I've started to remover the fairing under the wing so it will accept the 600 Gallon fuel tank. Luckily it's solid plastic and not a hollow space. With some care I can get it smooth.

 

AU2c4hG.jpg

 

Cheers!

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I've made some progress with the cockpit. The Quinta set is of course a short-cut compared to real modellers. I used the Quinta ejection handles after all, I could not get the kit handles or the twisted yellow / black thread trick to work to my liking. It looks lovely however (it better be, at €57, more than what I paid for the kit). One seat to go, some weathering ahead and then a matt-coat.

 

One of the caveats with these sets is getting the same color as the printed placards. I chose a color that matched pretty well when compared wet, but it dried up a bit darker. I will leave it this way.

 

tmDhMFE.jpgUWFQUZj.jpg

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easy fix for the rear cockpit is to separate the two , take a 1/8 inch off the top of the rear wall (following the existing shape) a take a 1/8 off the front wall where you separated the two halves and glue them back together.  this will raise the rear cockpit and fix the location of the seat because the floor will be higher.  From measurements of a real F-4, the Revell front cockpit from rail to console and console to floor is correct, the rear from rail to console is to low, but, console to floor is correct.  If you just raise the seat, it throws off the relation of the seat to consoles and leaves a gap under the seat.  Its no too late to make the cut of the cockpit.

 

Bruce

Edited by Bruce
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