Darren Roberts Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 (edited) I did the first test cast of the F-4J and S updates for the good old Monogram kit. The S will have vinyl pieces, so if you could let me know if you're interested in getting the set, I'll be able to get an idea of how many vinyl pieces to have cut. The J update will include: -- circuit breaker panel for the left side rear cockpit -- padded right side for the right rear cockpit -- J style wheels -- reinforcement plate on top of wing -- vinyl refueling door -- flame holders for the burner cans The S will have all of the above plus: -- ECM antennas -- slats for the wings (cutting will be required) -- slat mechanisms for the underside of the wing -- wing fences -- vinyl wing stiffeners Here some pictures of what it will look like. Edited July 10, 2009 by Darren Roberts Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dekon70 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Those are great. I'd be in for at least 2 F-4S sets, maybe more depending on the cost. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gsquared Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 interestedin 2 as well...Vf-161 baby!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 2, 2009 Author Share Posted July 2, 2009 interestedin 2 as well...Vf-161 baby!!! What's funny is that it was the Afterburner sheet that got me going on this. I'd always wanted to do it, but then I saw all those great looking schemes coming out and knew I had to get a reasonably priced alternative to the Hasegawa kit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Corey Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Whoa, I'd be in for some of the S mods for sure!!! Corey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jollyrogerf14 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I did the first test cast of the F-4J and S updates for the good old Monogram kit. The S will have vinyl pieces, so if you could let me know if you're interested in getting the set, I'll be able to get an idea of how many vinyl pieces to have cut. The J update will include: -- circuit breaker panel for the left side rear cockpit -- padded right side for the right rear cockpit -- J style wheels -- reinforcement plate on top of wing -- pattern for refueling door and vinyl to make the door The S will have all of the above plus: -- ECM antennas -- slats for the wings (cutting will be required) -- slat mechanisms for the underside of the wing -- wing fences -- vinyl wing stiffeners Here some pictures of what it will look like. Gotta have it. Just tell me when & where! V.C. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rickmb Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I did the first test cast of the F-4J and S updates for the good old Monogram kit. The S will have vinyl pieces, so if you could let me know if you're interested in getting the set, I'll be able to get an idea of how many vinyl pieces to have cut. The J update will include: -- circuit breaker panel for the left side rear cockpit -- padded right side for the right rear cockpit -- J style wheels -- reinforcement plate on top of wing -- pattern for refueling door and vinyl to make the door The S will have all of the above plus: -- ECM antennas -- slats for the wings (cutting will be required) -- slat mechanisms for the underside of the wing -- wing fences -- vinyl wing stiffeners Here some pictures of what it will look like. Darren, The slats appear to look more like the ones on the F-4E/G than the ones on the S. The S slats have a bit more camber than the E slats which results in the leading edge having more "droop". This is more noticeable on the inboard slat. I do have some pics I took of the S on static display on the Midway I would be glad to share. Rick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
silverkite211 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 If I may be so bold, I think that you might think about reshaping the trunnion plates for the top of the wing, take a look at a Hasegawa FG.1 to see how the plates should look, they blend into the wing more than your replacement pieces. And, would you consider the possibility of making replacement parts for the catapult bridle hooks? Other than that I think that this is a great idea, it would certainly let people make an F-4J or S without the cost of using the Hasegawa kit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 2, 2009 Author Share Posted July 2, 2009 Darren,The slats appear to look more like the ones on the F-4E/G than the ones on the S. The S slats have a bit more camber than the E slats which results in the leading edge having more "droop". This is more noticeable on the inboard slat. I do have some pics I took of the S on static display on the Midway I would be glad to share. Rick Thanks for the input. I'd love to see the pics. I'll PM you my email address. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 2, 2009 Author Share Posted July 2, 2009 If I may be so bold, I think that you might think about reshaping the trunnion plates for the top of the wing, take a look at a Hasegawa FG.1 to see how the plates should look, they blend into the wing more than your replacement pieces. And, would you consider the possibility of making replacement parts for the catapult bridle hooks? Other than that I think that this is a great idea, it would certainly let people make an F-4J or S without the cost of using the Hasegawa kit. You may be so bold. I was looking at the Hasegawa parts and knew they weren't quite right, but I didn't know exactly what it was about them that were wrong. I knew they too tall, so I made mine with a lower profile. Thanks for the input. I'll do my best to fix them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
silverkite211 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 You may be so bold. I was looking at the Hasegawa parts and knew they weren't quite right, but I didn't know exactly what it was about them that were wrong. I knew they too tall, so I made mine with a lower profile. Thanks for the input. I'll do my best to fix them. Those loaves of bread that Hasegawa pass off as trunnion plates have always been a point of irritation for me. In addition to the FG.1, Hasegawa got the shape pretty good with their F-4B, as well as the old raised panel line F-4J. Why, when they came up with their "common" wing for the E, EJ, G, J and S Hasegawa remade the trunnion plates into those abominations is beyond me. Grrrr. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PlasticWeapons Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Darren, Nice work! Give some love to the Monogram kits! I hope these suggestions will help ya out: You may want to add two different sizes for the under-intake radar warning receivers on the F-4J. In my research for Vietnam era F-4J Phantoms, I noticed that the starboard antenna size was similar to the port side. Later, the starboard antenna was replaced with a larger one as the RWR system was upgraded. Here's a pic of some RWRs I scratchbuilt for my Hasegawa F-4J (which of course is still not finished two years later, LOL). I placed them side by side for comparison. The smaller one is glued in though and I do need to make the larger one a bit wider! The small bumps on the wings are nearly flat. As mentioned in an above post, take a look at the British F-4 versions by Hasegawa. I fixed my F-4 kit's bumps by laying down electrical tape on all sides then beveled each side with a Dremel grinding bit and finally sanded them to shape. Hope to see your updates soon! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 Darren,Nice work! Give some love to the Monogram kits! I hope these suggestions will help ya out: You may want to add two different sizes for the under-intake radar warning receivers on the F-4J. In my research for Vietnam era F-4J Phantoms, I noticed that the starboard antenna size was similar to the port side. Later, the starboard antenna was replaced with a larger one as the RWR system was upgraded. Here's a pic of some RWRs I scratchbuilt for my Hasegawa F-4J (which of course is still not finished two years later, LOL). I placed them side by side for comparison. The smaller one is glued in though and I do need to make the larger one a bit wider! The small bumps on the wings are nearly flat. As mentioned in an above post, take a look at the British F-4 versions by Hasegawa. I fixed my F-4 kit's bumps by laying down electrical tape on all sides then beveled each side with a Dremel grinding bit and finally sanded them to shape. Hope to see your updates soon! Thanks for the input. I'm not sure how much thinner I can get the plates on top of the wings. I'll do some sanding and see what happens. I didn't realize that J's had the antennas. I learn something new every day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle1 Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I'll take one of each set. Any idea on the release date? Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 I forgot to mention that there will also be flame holders for the nozzles. I should have both sets ready to go to Gordon at Sprue Brothers by the end of July. For pricing, the J set will be $6.50 and the S set will be $12.50. I've tried to keep the cost down, as I myself as a modeler have a hard time paying more for aftermarket than I do the kit! :o Quote Link to post Share on other sites
P-38 guy Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) Oh yeah, I have several J's that I would love to make into S's. Mike :o Edited July 3, 2009 by P-38 guy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 Those loaves of bread that Hasegawa pass off as trunnion plates have always been a point of irritation for me. In addition to the FG.1, Hasegawa got the shape pretty good with their F-4B, as well as the old raised panel line F-4J. Why, when they came up with their "common" wing for the E, EJ, G, J and S Hasegawa remade the trunnion plates into those abominations is beyond me. Grrrr. "...loaves of bread..." That's the best quote I've heard in awhile about a model! :o Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Folks - as a general rule, when a post has a bunch of pictures in it, there is NO need to "quote" the entire message (including the pics). All that does is waste bandwidth and make the page slower to load. If you want to quote, remove the image links from the quote before you hit "Add Reply". Tks! J Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 Thanks for stepping up to the plate and saying that Jennings. I think a lot of folks simply hit reply with quote and don't think about the pictures being included. I'll admit to doing just recently and having to go back and edit so the pictures weren't included. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Viperguy Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Darren, with the price of the Has kits, your conversion is a sight for sore eyes. Count me in for a few sets. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 What's funny is that it was the Afterburner sheet that got me going on this. I'd always wanted to do it, but then I saw all those great looking schemes coming out and knew I had to get a reasonably priced alternative to the Hasegawa kit. HA! I know the truth behind the conspiracy! The truth is ONE Hasegawa F-4S is not a big deal. The conspiracy is that Darren wants to build multiple F-4S models using all the neat F-4S decals released in the past year and there-in lies the real financial problem. :) I wonder if anyone has thought about using Darren's F-4S conversion on the ESCI/Italeri F-4J? Hmmm... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
j-basset Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I'd buy 2-3 sets of the F-4S conversion. Jason Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 HA! I know the truth behind the conspiracy! The truth is ONE Hasegawa F-4S is not a big deal. The conspiracy is that Darren wants to build multiple F-4S models using all the neat F-4S decals released in the past year and there-in lies the real financial problem. I wonder if anyone has thought about using Darren's F-4S conversion on the ESCI/Italeri F-4J? Hmmm... Ahh, you've uncovered the truth! Curses!!! I actually pulled out my ESCI kit to see. The leading edge looks to be a bit longer on the ESCI kit, so you'd have to fill in a panel line on the leading edge and make the cut a bit short. It could be done, though. I'm planning on using the J set on the ESCI kit and sticking a spare Hasegawa J interior in it along with some aftermarket nozzles. That would actually make the kit a pretty nice looking model. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrvark Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Darren, Contact me off line. I have some photos that may help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hrtpaul Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Will these be available to us poor buggers down under? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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