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Time to have a look at the Nose Gear Bay:

PB150038.jpg

Oh dear, why do they do this?!

I can't understand why Hasegawa (one of the worst culprits, IMO) insist on moulding 'deep' detail solid -it can only make life more difficult for them, and makes it near-impossible for me. It would be better if they left out the nonsense that extends from the front of the bay into the middle: it is supposed to be two 'struts' (or moulded these as separate parts?), and the little wall where they converge is fictitious.

A modeller with average talent could probably paint all this with subtle shading and make it look convincing, but it never works for me. It'll all 'ave ter come out, mate! That's going to be fun :bandhead2:...

I may be some time...

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Edited by ChippyWho
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Who said major sticking-together would start soon??! Stripped some of the moulded 'features' out of the nose-gear bay and added some plumbing; the rest of the home-made stuff can go in after painting. Also, the nose-gear leg retraction arm was modified somewhat.

If any of this bears a vague resemblance to the real thing, it is purely accidental as I have no references for the two-seater nose-gear domain. Critique away, but please remember that it is a 'back to front' layout from the single-seater (the gear leg is at the front, like the XF-104).

PB220040.jpg

Painting tomorrow; as always thanks for checking this out!

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Still bumping along...

The nose-gear bay is pretty much done:

TF-104GNLGBay1.jpg

PB280048.jpg

Like I said, I can't guarantee any accuracy but I think it is an improvement on the relief-moulded features of the original.

Next: 'It'll All 'Ave Ter Come Out, Mate!' -Part Deux: the speedbrake bays. For why? Ah...! To accommodate this monstrosity:

PB280038.jpg

More later!

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Edited by ChippyWho
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OK, I had to resort to the dreaded rotary tool to remove the speedbrake interiors. Like all the best workmen, I will now cover everything with an old tarpaulin and disappear until sometime in the New Year...

Why this sudden trip to tool-belt world? Well, because I Gotta Be A-startin' Somethin', I decided to make use of Dr Coremans' Patent Open Drag Chute Housing and Parachute. This requires the removal of a panel in the bottom of the rear fuselage, and guess where the kit's exhaust ends -yeah, right above the front of the opening. There won't be much of a view into the void within, but knowing how this is one of the silly things that would gnaw away at my inner obsessive if I left it be, I thought I should extend the exhaust forwards. A surplus exhaust from a Tamiya F-16 fit the front of the Hasegawa pipe exactly :yahoo: , so I glued it on and voila! It still has to be painted, but at least it will preclude the formation of a Black Hole where 'something' should be.

PB300038.jpg

This will add a bit of weight to the rear, of course, and despite the AIRES 'pit being quite heavy at the front end, I'll put a fishing weight in the nose cone to be on the safe side.

The actual brakes' fit is so-so; Lockheed's QC would probably :explode: but it's pretty usual for plastic-ware. Mr Dissolved Putty will be making its debut here, I think.

Thanks for looking in!

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Edited by ChippyWho
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Great progress chippy!

V/r

Ron

Thanx Ron -I am one of the sloooowest modellers in the world, but I do enjoy my work!

I’m quite pleased with how the burner can turned out; the photo isn’t too great because it doesn’t show the residual shiny effect, but it is there. Hopefully it will come out in later shots when everything comes together.

The photo kindly provided by Paolo Maglio was the basis for the finish. Initially, I airbrushed the inside with Tamiya Titanium Silver and the outside with Tamiya Metallic Grey acrylic. The outside was then finished in Alclad II Jet Exhaust; I hoped the darker Tamiya ‘primer’ would darken the Alclad somewhat but it wasn’t enough, so I buffed some black pastel over it with a Q-Tip and that seemed to work.

The inside was given a ‘thick wash’ with Xtracolor Exhaust and the inner petals dry-brushed with a light grey Humbrol enamel. The little ‘rollers’ around the inner ring were picked out in Revell Enamel Copper, and the sealing ring(?) at the front end was made from 0.3mm lead wire painted in brown Humbrol enamel. This is an area where a little fuss makes a big difference, and I think it will look good once installed.

PB3000382.jpg

Cheers...

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  • 3 weeks later...

I haven't had too much time with this thing in the run-up to Christmas, but the Holidays loom large and hopefully some of them will be spent productively!

Here's a (slightly) better photo of the exhaust:

PC210038.jpg

And here, some home-made oddments attached to the underside of the pipe:

PC210040.jpg

This is a rough approximation from photos of this J79 variant; it should be enough for what will ultimately be visible.

Just got to fix the various light lenses around the hull from inside (eight of 'em!) and it really will be ready to come together at last!

As always, thanks for looking in, and Season's Greetings!

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Edited by ChippyWho
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  • 2 months later...

Sorry gents -this project, along with a few others, has been indefinitely suspended due to a returning illness (been off sick for a couple of weeks). I'd love to have got it all done in time for the GB deadline, but...didn't.

Many thanks for looking in on the thing as it progressed; I'll get back to it as a non-GB build once I'm back in action.

Best to all! :wave:

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