academy 1/48 F-4B build

[Bob Beary]

I'm just starting the build and have a question..

From the initial trial fit of several parts, it appears that the kit aligns very well. One of the best kits in that regard that I have seen. I read one build article and the fit of the fuselage, wings and intakes area left a lot to be desired..lots of gaps needing correction. It was so bad that the author resorted to using intake FOD screens to hide the mess. Has anyone else experienced this and how did you manage it?

Is it advisable to deviate from the order of the instructions in this area to get a better result?

Thanks,

Bob

[dryguy]

I found the 'external surface' fit of the wing and intake area to be exceptional. However, the intake trunking......

[Ben Brown]

I've found overall fit to be excellent, even though the breakdown of the kit is pretty complex. If you go slow and test fit often, you'll need hardly any filler at all. I added aftermarket intakes (XMM's, but DMold's a excellent, too), which caused some very minor fit issues around the nose area, due to Operator Error. The seam on the aft fuselage where the upper and lower parts (O1 & O2) go together goes right through the raised detail for the stabilators pivot, which is a pain to fix. That's really the only poorly-engineered part of the kit. If you get the Hypersonic stabs, you also get some nice photo etched parts for the pivot details, so you can sand off the molded detail in that area while you're doing away with the seams. The main gear wells are a bit fiddly, and there isn't any good way to make them so you can wait to add the gear struts. I've managed to get all the way to the decaling stage without damaging the gear struts. There are a few accuracy issues with the cockpit, but overall, it's a great kit.

Ben

[Joel_W]

Ben pretty much nailed it. I built the F-4B and posted my build blog here on ARC. The fit of the kit is generally excellent. The intake areas did need a little putty and sanding work, and of course the intakes themselves had the usual seams that needed to be addressed. If you can go the AM route of seamless intakes, you're that much ahead of the game. I used the Latex paint method, and while it worked, it was very messy and time consuming to say the least. Overall it's an excellent kit, you'll enjoy building.

Joel

[Bob Beary]

Ben pretty much nailed it. I built the F-4B and posted my build blog here on ARC. The fit of the kit is generally excellent. The intake areas did need a little putty and sanding work, and of course the intakes themselves had the usual seams that needed to be addressed. If you can go the AM route of seamless intakes, you're that much ahead of the game. I used the Latex paint method, and while it worked, it was very messy and time consuming to say the least. Overall it's an excellent kit, you'll enjoy building.

Joel

[/quote

Joel,

Despite searching in many different ways on this forum, I cannot find your build article.

Can you link me to it?

Thanks,

Bob

[Joel_W]

Bob,

Strange. I can't find it here either. Here's the same blog that I posted on Aeroscale.

http://www.aeroscale.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=218247&page=1

Joel

[Bob Beary]

Bob,

Strange. I can't find it here either. Here's the same blog that I posted on Aeroscale.

http://www.aeroscale.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=218247&page=1

Joel

Thank you Sir. That's great. I just poured my morning coffee so I now have a great read.

Much appreciated.

Bob

[Darren Roberts]

In regards to the fiddly wheel bays, I just sent a Steel Beach order to Gordon at Sprue Bros. that contains wheel bay jigs to help align the parts. It makes like MUCH easier! You can also use them as many times as you want.

[Joel_W]

In regards to the fiddly wheel bays, I just sent a Steel Beach order to Gordon at Sprue Bros. that contains wheel bay jigs to help align the parts. It makes like MUCH easier! You can also use them as many times as you want.

Darren,

That's sounds very interesting, as I need to use it at least twice on the C and J. I'm stilly hoping for a G if they want to invest the funds in new molds.

Joel

[Gene K]

...intakes area left a lot to be desired ... Has anyone else experienced this and how did you manage it?

I agree with Ben about the XMM and DMold seamless intakes - certainly worth the cost!

I was somewhat disappointed with the Academy intakes because:

__ First, there is a large step where the trunking meets the inside of the intakes;

__ Second, the interior of the intakes need putty to fill ejector marks and the skinned-over holes for the shoulder antennas;

__ Third, there are no sensors in either intake;

__ Fourth, there are no supports between the intakes and the fuselage;

__ Fifth, the bleed air exits on top and bottom of the ramps are omitted.

The old, impossible to find Cutting Edge set reviewed here by Dave Aungst addresses all the points above and has good supporting photos.

As expected, there are ARC folks who will disparagingly shout "AMS" about the above points, but certainly the first item needs rectifying (unless you take the easy road out with FOD covers such as those from Darren).

On my first Academy kit, I did this revised subassembly, but subsequently went the much neater/easier route of using the XMM intakes. Haven't tried the DMold intakes, but his stuff is absolutely first rate

Gene K

[Darren Roberts]

The other thing about the intakes is they seem to be narrower than both Hasegawa and Monograms.

[Bob Beary]

In regards to the fiddly wheel bays, I just sent a Steel Beach order to Gordon at Sprue Bros. that contains wheel bay jigs to help align the parts. It makes like MUCH easier! You can also use them as many times as you want.

Well, no wonder I couldn't find them on the Sprue Brothers site!!! I wanted to order them when I ordered your intake covers...just in case of a massive fail :)

Walt's Hobby is now Walt's Hobbytown.

Thanks for your input.

Bob

[Darren Roberts]

Well, no wonder I couldn't find them on the Sprue Brothers site!!! I wanted to order them when I ordered your intake covers...just in case of a massive fail :)/>

Walt's Hobby is now Walt's Hobbytown.

Thanks for your input.

Bob

Wow! Like in Hobbytown USA, or just a name change? I'd like to get back up to see my folks in the near future and hang out with the guys at Walt's. That would be fun!