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Help needed: painting F-4E Tail Setion


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There's probably enough information and techniques out there to write a book on this subject.  So many modelers, all with their own take on how to do this.  The easiest method is probably to put down a base layer of something metallic like the a fore mentioned Metalizers, and then overcoat with dark wash in the seams.

 

 

But no guts, no glory.

 

Using photos from the Modern Navy Phantom Guide book I attempted to replicate a bit more of the heated effect on the titanium plates of the aft keel.  I wouldn't do this on every Phantom model I build, but I had to try it once.

 

IMG_2505.jpg

 

This is all Alclad custom mixed shades.  The base layer is Airframe Aluminum with a tint of Jet Exhaust added.  Then different panels were masked and sprayed with mixes of Stainless Steel, Steel, and Jet Exhaust, going from darker to lighter moving from front to back.  Over this I layed very thin strips of Tamiya masking tape laterally across the panes in the concave area and sprayed very thin mixes of the darker shades lightened a bit with Aluminum, Hotmetal Sepia and Hotmetal Blue to create bands of color variation representing the affects of the frame members under the titanium plates. I was scared of overdoing this effect, so I probably only hit the airbrush trigger once or twice quickly and called it good.  Some of it had a hard edge from the masking so I used some Tamiya Smoke over the entire area to blend it and soften the shades. I used an acrylic dark gray wash in the seams and an aluminum wash on the round fastener detail.  Then I flat coated the whole bottom area.  The plates further up the side of the aft fuselage I left bright with a shade darker post shade on the seams and the dark wash.

 

IMG_1996.jpg

 

Same basic technique on the metal part of the horizontal stabilizers, with Tamiya Smoke on the underside.

 

This took a long time to do.  I like it, but it will be many more Phantom models before I go to this extreme again.

 

Rick L.

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I built a Hasegawa F-4G and took some pics of my metalwork process in the exhaust area...

 

My metalwork process:

 

Alclad Airframe Aluminum sprayed on all areas to be metal-

312501-16625-79.jpg

 

Alclad Pale Burnt Metal applied in the panel lines and panel edges-

312504-16625-24.jpg

 

Alclad Burnt Iron applied to create burnt areas-

312506-16625-71.jpg

 

Lastly, added Tamiya Rubber Black to give it that "sooty" burnt metal look-

312510-16625-37.jpg

312514-16625-65.jpg

312524-16625-67.jpg

 

This process is pretty easy and only took me a couple nights to do.  While not as awesome or convincing as Spruemeister's work, it is definitely much less time intensive to do.

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On 1/12/2018 at 10:31 AM, Spruemeister said:

There's probably enough information and techniques out there to write a book on this subject.  So many modelers, all with their own take on how to do this.  The easiest method is probably to put down a base layer of something metallic like the a fore mentioned Metalizers, and then overcoat with dark wash in the seams.

 

 

But no guts, no glory.

 

Using photos from the Modern Navy Phantom Guide book I attempted to replicate a bit more of the heated effect on the titanium plates of the aft keel.  I wouldn't do this on every Phantom model I build, but I had to try it once.

 

IMG_2505.jpg

 

This is all Alclad custom mixed shades.  The base layer is Airframe Aluminum with a tint of Jet Exhaust added.  Then different panels were masked and sprayed with mixes of Stainless Steel, Steel, and Jet Exhaust, going from darker to lighter moving from front to back.  Over this I layed very thin strips of Tamiya masking tape laterally across the panes in the concave area and sprayed very thin mixes of the darker shades lightened a bit with Aluminum, Hotmetal Sepia and Hotmetal Blue to create bands of color variation representing the affects of the frame members under the titanium plates. I was scared of overdoing this effect, so I probably only hit the airbrush trigger once or twice quickly and called it good.  Some of it had a hard edge from the masking so I used some Tamiya Smoke over the entire area to blend it and soften the shades. I used an acrylic dark gray wash in the seams and an aluminum wash on the round fastener detail.  Then I flat coated the whole bottom area.  The plates further up the side of the aft fuselage I left bright with a shade darker post shade on the seams and the dark wash.

 

IMG_1996.jpg

 

Same basic technique on the metal part of the horizontal stabilizers, with Tamiya Smoke on the underside.

 

This took a long time to do.  I like it, but it will be many more Phantom models before I go to this extreme again.

 

Rick L.

 

Nice work on that Rick! I appreciate the "lesson" and I'm with you...Alclad is the way to go, if for no other reason it's for the durability of the finish.

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On 1/12/2018 at 10:31 AM, Spruemeister said:

There's probably enough information and techniques out there to write a book on this subject. 

 

 And you and Michael did  great tutorials.

 

Thanks,

 

Gene K

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On 1/14/2018 at 2:38 AM, Fighting Eighty-Four said:

312514-16625-65.jpg

 

Note that the underside area aft of the jet nozzles wre titanium panels, but considerably blackened by soot until smokeless J-79s came online in the very late '70s/early '80s and mainly fitted the the F-4E and F-4S fleets. The model above shows a good depiction of sooting after moderate use, but could be very much blacker after a high number of flight hours on an FY69 jet.

 

The fuselage side panels above them however were a kind of high temperature stainless nickel steel (Inconel X), and remained much brighter, though they could dull down after some years. The staining shown on the model above doesn't quite ring true for them. The photo below is a good guide;

 

68-0374-F-4E-tail-RIAT-2006%20(1).JPG

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One more point to consider and that is soot. Sometime mid 80ish, the USAF modified all J-79s with newer combustion chambers making things much cleaner around the heat shields and the bottom of the slabs. After their introduction there was almost none of the velvety soot present hitherto. I'm not sure if the USN or foreign users bought these. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/15/2018 at 10:58 PM, BillS said:

One more point to consider and that is soot. Sometime mid 80ish, the USAF modified all J-79s with newer combustion chambers making things much cleaner around the heat shields and the bottom of the slabs. After their introduction there was almost none of the velvety soot present hitherto. I'm not sure if the USN or foreign users bought these. 

 

The smokeless J79s were part of the F-4S upgrade, Bill. And certainly at least some of the Greek AUP and Turkish Terminator 2020 F-4Es look very clean around the jet pipe area, whereas Japanese ones don't.

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