jester292 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 This is Monogram's 1/48 F-4J Blue Angels boxing. I'm building it as a VMFA-333 F-4J using CAM Decals. I built this kit with my father when I was a youngster in grade school (grammar school), but it was gray styrene with Showtime 100 decals. Here's the obligatory box top picture and my progress so far. More to come this week! Thanks for looking! Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
xavi84 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I'm really look forward to seeing more of this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jester292 Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) The cockpit is finished! Nothing but basic color and a little drybrushing to bring out the detail. US Dark Gull Gray for the interior, Grimey Black for the black panels and dials, and a drybrushing of Neutral Gray to make the details pop. After gluing the cockpit in place it was simple enough to glue the two fuselage halves together. I used Tenax for that. It's very easy to use and helps close the gaps. Few gaps on the Monogram F-4J though, as always! Really it fits together very well. I usually have 3 different glues on the go. Sometimes they're not all needed but it helps if I'm in a jam and need to change it up. I used Tenax for the fuselage tonight, and used Model Master Liquid Cement to glue in the cockpit. I have my local hobbyshop brew of superglue. This one is the extra thin. I prefer gap filling in most cases, but I'm out of that one at the moment. Cheers, Aaron Edited August 22, 2012 by jester292 spelling and grammar Quote Link to post Share on other sites
geedubelyer Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Ah, the Blue Angels Phantom. Such a beautiful scheme. :wub: A friend of mine bought a Blue Angels model and I think it contained more than one airframe. In fact, it's possible there were four planes in the box with a black plastic stand to show them in formation. It's a long time ago and my memory is hazy.... That dark blue plastic is going to take some covering.... :unsure: Great start Aaron, looking forward to seeing more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neo Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Yeah ive built this kit its pretty nice but lets just say i learned how to putty on this one ! I like the marking with the clover on the tail Quote Link to post Share on other sites
71roadrunner426 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Looking good so far Jester. The cockpit looks really good, I can't wait to see more. Keep up the good work. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jester292 Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Thanks for the kind words gentleman. Geedubelyer: I'm not too worried about the blue plastic. The gray will cover okay, and I'll lay down the white OVER gray on the bottom to help with coverage. Neo: I haven't had much trouble with gaps yet. One small one on the bottom where the bottom fuselage and wing assembly meets the nose. I haven't needed much putty on these F-4s, but the Monogram A-10 is a different story! Moving on, I've attached the wing assembly to the fuselage. Just a small gap towards the front where the bottom fuse attaches near the nose. Most of the seams can be removed with a few swipes of a fine grit nail polisher. Pics to come this weekend. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neo Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 where i had an issue was the rear canopy hinge section but i think 50% was due to poor modeling skill at the time! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 what kind of primer will you use to get rid of the dark blue color of the plastic? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jester292 Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 what kind of primer will you use to get rid of the dark blue color of the plastic? No primer on this one. I think the blue will disappear ok. If not, then I'll probably use Model Master Acrylic primer. I love that stuff. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jester292 Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Time to dig this one up! I've made a bit more progress by adding the wings and intakes. Now I'm working on the tail and reworking some seams to get it ready for paint. Canopy needs masking and I have to decide how I'm going to paint the metal on the back end. I apologize for not having pictures and for taking some time away from the build. Family life has been busy; and while I've had time to squeeze in some building, I haven't had the additional time required to update this thread with pictures. I'm hoping tomorrow. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jester292 Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 This is the only photo worth posting for tonight. I'm pretty ticked with photobucket, I was unable to get the editing features to function properly. Unfortunately, this is the size you get! The wings are on, the canopy is masked as well. Just about ready for paint. I'm letting most of the seams go, I don't feel like destroying all the fine raised detail. Hopefully some clever post shading and weathering can keep the focus off the gaps on the intakes. Weapons, pyolons, and gear to go! Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jester292 Posted September 29, 2012 Author Share Posted September 29, 2012 I finally had some time at the bench last night. I've decided that I won't be puttying or sanding seams. The biggest reason is that I don't want to demolish all the raised detail on the kit. Also, it will add too much time to this build for me. My goal is to have this done by the end of the year so I'm skipping the seams. Here's how it sits today. Almost ready for paint! I'm using the weapons that come with the kit. 6x Mk. 82 with fuse extenders, 4x AIM-9, and 4x AIM-7. The Sparrows are from my spares box leftover from a Hasegawa F-4. I'm thinking about replacing the Sidewinders as well. The kit's are pretty bad. The kit inboard flaps were molded seperate and in the lowered position. The fit was good, but pictures indicated that they drooped a bit more than the kit provided. I clipped off the tabs and added half round strip styrene to the front edge, creating a better looking piece while closing the unsightly gap between the parts. As always, suggestions are welcome! Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rightwinger26 Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Looking fantastic!!!! Your making that old kit look like a gem. I can't wait to see her with paint on. Keep the updates coming. Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jester292 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 Hey there gang, another quick update. Yesterday I managed to preshade the Phantom. I don't normally preshade, but it looks pretty good under white so I though that would be the best way to begin the weathering process. I used Floquil Grimy Black for the preshade. Its not too drastic when used for weathering. I use it for cockpits, tires, and weathering. Today I painted the underside white. I use Model Master Acryl Gloss White. It's relatively easy to use. I spray it straight from the bottle at pretty high air pressure, about 30 to 35psi. I also sprayed the wing tanks and the weapons pylons. I won't have any bench time until next weekend, so that's all for now. Thanks for watching! Cheers, Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2qwik4u Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Looking good! I remember building the Showtime 100 bird myself, it was one of my favorite builds. Your white underside is turning out much better than mine ever did. I remember painting all of the white using a small pint can of my dad's gloss white enamel paint that he used for woodworking. I used one of those old 1/4" wide Testors white handled brushes and I slapped about four coats of paint on their trying to get decent coverage. And thus began my loathing of having to paint gloss white! -Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neo Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Wow great job look allot better than mine !!! clicky Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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