SamuraiPaddler Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I decided I needed some model airplanes to hang from the ceiling of my office...and I also wanted an excuse to build a model without AMS and not feel guilty about it. It's slowly dawning on me that not every model I build has to be a swing for the fences...sometimes, I can have just as much fun if I spit one out in a week or two. So, putting those ideas together, I decided I could throw together an in-flight airplane and hang it from my office ceiling...the greatest modeling sins wouldn't be seen and 99% of the people seeing it wouldn't know it wasn't an award-winning model anyway (they probably won't even know it's a Navy plane even though it says "NAVY" right on the side). So I stopped at the LHS after work one day and picked up the Italeri 1/48 F-4J kit - the boxing with the VF-213 art on the top. The plan was to build it OOB (with the addition of some pilots), make no attempts to fix any accuracy issues, and hang that puppy up. I replaced the kit seats with Hasegawa F-4 seats because I will use resin seats in my Hase F-4s and the Italeri seats look abysmal even from the ceiling I printed my own triangular fin flash because the kit decals are too purple and I replaced the lion on the blue background with the more common lion on a gray background (the lion on the blue background isn't wrong for a certain time period...I just didn't want to use it). The gear doors fit in the closed position better than any kit I've ever tried to close up...it was perfect! The canopy pieces don't fit too well in the closed position, but well enough that you don't notice problems from a few feet away. All in all, the Hase kit still gives you more detail but this one fit every bit as well as a Hase kit and was a lot of fun. And here's the result. I make no claim, nor do I even think, it's accurate and there aren't things about it that just aren't quite right...but it's right enough for my intended purpose and audience and there's another VF-213 model on ARC, so my goal was met This was so much fun, I think an F-14 will be finding its way to the ceiling too... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
klimmer Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Nice I think we all need to do something like this. Great idea. Ted Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhinolover Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Sweet looking jet. Nice work bringing the love to VF-213. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rocat Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 nice. this kit, 85% done, has been sitting among my bench queens for a while, you gave me new motivation :-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SamuraiPaddler Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 Glad you guys like it - thanks for the comments! you gave me new motivation Glad to hear it, Rocat - now if I could only motivate myself more often Quote Link to post Share on other sites
slick95 Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Very cool, and excellent choice of markings! SLICK Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 For a 'quick' build, that is really sharp ... Heck, It's Damn Sharp anyway ! It looks to fit the role you set for it too ... Nice choice of squadron, we don't see many Black Lions Phantoms and now, two recently ... Maybe post a pic once she's 'flying' in your office ? Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SamuraiPaddler Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 Thanks guys! Maybe post a pic once she's 'flying' in your office ? Will do It will be the first of several, I'm sure. In the meantime, here's a couple pics of it "flying" at home. I Photoshopped out the fishing line it was hanging from...and this is before the missiles were painted and attached. It looks to fit the role you set for it too ... Another role I had for it was to try something new for me - all the panel lines (recessed on the kit) are just drawn over in pencil. I wasn't sure if it would look ok or not, so I tried it here figuring if it didn't look right, no big deal. Turns out, I like the way it looks even up close, so I learned something from this quick build I can apply to more in-depth things later on. So there's another useful reason to make a model like this every so often - you can experiment without fear of botching something up because even if you do, the final product won't be seen well enough for people to notice...and in the end, you still have a completed model you can display as though you were 8 again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
POMPEO Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 nice build my friend...cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 NOICE! It's actually not a bad kit. If you replace the cockpit, wheels, and burner cans/nozzles, it can be turned into a very nice looking finished model. Your's looks very nice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Sharp Phantom! Nice markings, in flight, and air to air loadout gets a big Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Cool, liking the in-flight shots ! Thanks ... Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SamuraiPaddler Posted July 9, 2009 Author Share Posted July 9, 2009 Thanks guys! I remembered to bring my camera to work this morning...so here it is, seen as intended: In person, with my usual office lighting, you can't see the fishing line as prominently as you see it in the picture...so it looks pretty convincing. I like it so much, I think an F-14 will join it in the near future Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kellyF15 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Beeeew-T-FUL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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