Jump to content

Hasegawa F-4S USMC Detailed build


Recommended Posts

The 2019 IPMS Nationals is within driving distance, so It is a great chance for me to bring a model. I want to build something which represents my best possible work.  You might remember my thread about tracking down an F-4S.  You might be wondering why I chose the Hasegawa kit for this project.  It would be more logical to use the ZM kit, and I would not need this much AM, but I have a similar project in mind for an RF-4C, so I figured I could gain some experience with  the AM stuff for the RF-4C project. It also looked like the Eduard stuff for the Hasegawa phantoms was slowly starting to become discontinued, so it could be my last chance to have this experience.  I will use one of the options from the Furball "Low Viz Devil Dog Rhinos" sheet.  I am not sure which squadron yet.

Here is the kit I will start with:

 

2v2J5vs2Mx9awpY.jpg

 

here is most of the AM I will use:

 

2v2J5vRzjx9awpY.jpg

 

I realized I also need the Master Brass pitot set, True Details USN Pylons, and eduard Triple ejector racks, which are on the way.

 

While trying to decide on a weapons load, on another forum someone shared this picture:

 

Yuma_Last_Bomb_Run.jpg

 

And I knew instantly what I wanted to build. 

 

So, Since the Nats are less than a year away, I figured I should get started. 

 

It is a cliché, but I started with the cockpit.   Since I will use PE, I need to remove this  raised detail

 

2v2J5vRj5x9awpY.jpg

 

 

I always feel bad doing this, someone spent a lot of time designing this... but some time later with files, sandpaper, and sanding sticks I have this:

 

2v2J5vRMrx9awpY.jpg

 

 

 

There are the pedals, and some PE parts which look like armor plate or something to add to the cockpit. I will also need to see if the Eduard seats fit. 

 

see ya next time...

 

 

 

 

Edited by Kurt H.
typo
Link to post
Share on other sites

I am making progress. I have glued in some of the naked brass parts which are not pre-colored. The last time I used PE was in my F-104 build in the modern luftwaffe GB. This time it is a little easier with my discovery of the Glue Looper, Ultra thin CA, and most importantly a magnifying visor.

 

2v2J5i12jx9awpY.jpg

 

After I took This picture, I glued one of the rudder pedals in place in the front cockpit, but I was starting to get tired, and this is not a task I can perform without 100% focus.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Nice! Just rememberto dry fit as you, I had to sand off a load of plastic under the IP coaming to get the fuselage together. The etch does make a snug fit in places. But it does look good. Let me know if you want some PM'd pics from the DACO book on placing the wing strap, intake ECM canoes and the wing fences.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I decided I wanted to add detail to the back of the rear IP . I have seen several models with this detail, so I decided to try it.

 

I have a True Details cockpit set which I plan to use in a different build. I also looked at pictures of other models and pictures of the Aires cockpit set. A quick search did not turn up any pictures of the real thing.

 

So looking at the locations of the gauges on the PE part and the True details piece I marked the centers of the gauges on the back

 

2v2J5hkuvx9awpY.jpg

 

Next, I finally had a use for my "chopper" and chopped  some styrene rod

 

2v2J5hkJUx9awpY.jpg

 

I glued these pieces in place

 

2v2J5hkE9x9awpY.jpg

 

Then added individual copper strands from a piece of wire

 

2v2J5hkezx9awpY.jpg

 

The wire might be a bit under scale, and the gauges not quite perfect, but I think it will add the level of busy-ness I want. Now I need to find some pictures of the real thing to route the wires.

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

That looks busy good! You will see, once the black/darkgrey paint is on it will be fine. 

Be careful with the true details pylon set: I already bought 2 sets in the past and both were crap. bad casting quality as the molds gone down the jordan - means the still use worn out damaged molds. That what it looked to me and so I never use that set. 

Check the EDU wheels, they might be too small! It happened to my friend with his RF-4E (you remember the RF in the modern Luftwaffe GB?). When possible I prefer Royal Resin wheels.

Your chopper seams to be a real good tool!! like it

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

I have made some progress

 

the PE is applied to the cockpit tub

 

2v2JrysRUx9awpY.jpg

 

and the Instrument panels

 

2v2Jryss9x9awpY.jpg

 

2v2Jrysizx9awpY.jpg

 

 

I love the detail of these printed PE panels

 

I decided to start on the seats, and noticed some problems

 

2v2JrysDox9awpY.jpg

 

see the seat in the foreground? The side rail at the end of the seat cushion is broken and I did not find it int he package or on my bench after removing the pour stub.

I can not cut a piece of styrene precisely enough to fix it. 

 

Then this part is broken as well

 

2v2Jrys42x9awpY.jpg

 

This is a discontinued set so Eduard can not help. I found another set on ebay so hopefully between two sets I can have two good seats. If nothing else I will have spare parts.

 

things happen. 

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow some nice work there. Curious about why you had to mark the rod when you had the chopper. I know there is another piece for it that sets the size. Did you misplace that? Just curious.

 

Also the instrument panel looks good but not too crazy about the side panels. The kit raised detail is pretty good I think.

 

Will be following this as I have several of the Hasegawa kits in my stash.

Link to post
Share on other sites
22 minutes ago, skyhawk174 said:

Wow some nice work there. Curious about why you had to mark the rod when you had the chopper. I know there is another piece for it that sets the size. Did you misplace that? Just curious.

 

 

The other piece is missing,  And I forgot about that feature. 

Edited by Kurt H.
Link to post
Share on other sites
On 9/4/2018 at 8:29 AM, Kurt H. said:

Yuma_Last_Bomb_Run.jpg

 

And I knew instantly what I wanted to build.

 

Great choice of subject! :thumbsup: That does look nice.

 

Would love to see Furball scale-down their "Lo-Viz Devil Dog Rhinos" to 1/72 some nice day.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
15 minutes ago, Dutch said:

Kurt, really nice work there! I really like your razor blade "chopper". Is that a custom home built design? I could use one and would be interested if you would share your design in the tool section? Thanks.

R/ Dutch 

 

You can get it from MicroMark. It is actually called "chop it"

 

https://www.micromark.com/Chop-It

 

 

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thank you for the compliments.  Before I move on to the seats, there is one thing which is bothering me, there are no throttle handles. I thought the Hasegawa, or Academy kit had a throttle lever, but I did not see one in the instructions. I decided a small piece of styrene rod would be enough to give a hint of the throttle levers, so ... here is what i did:

 

I rummaged around my styrene stock and found this:

 

2v2JzgQcGx9awpY.jpg

 

It is the smallest I had on hand, aside from some piano wire, and I did not feel like trying to cut the wire.

 

I cut a tiny piece and glued in in place

 

2v2JzgQfqx9awpY.jpg

 

So, I know you are wondering, why I did not paint it before gluing? Mostly because I could not think of a way to hold it, and paint it.

 

So after doing some other work on other models, I painted it with the smallest brush I could find, and used Valejo model air nato black

 

2v2JzgQ6yx9awpY.jpg

 

Next, I will build the seats. I dread removing the pour blocks. But I will summon the courage and crack on with it.

 

See ya next time

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

I want to glue the cockpit in place and keep moving with this model.

 

To assemble the fuselage, I need to attach the intakes. The Fuselage requires modification to install the Rhino intakes.

 

Here was my first try to cut the fuselage as directed

 

2v2E2KZ2nx9awpY.jpg

 

Ouch! pretty rough. I tried scribing the face of the intake from the inside of the fuselage... score and snap ... but It took a bit of plastic with it. 🤦‍♂️

 

Ok, but the intake fits:

 

2v2E2KZUdx9awpY.jpg

 

I can fill that gap with styrene and CA, or milliput .. or something.  Unfortunate, but not insurmountable.

 

Next I made room for the Aires Exhaust.

 

2v2E2KZEWx9awpY.jpg

 

With the experience gained from the first fuselage half, the other side was easier, and came out much better

 

2v2E2KZHGx9awpY.jpg

 

I also cut a second seat from the casting block

 

2v2E2KZ1Nx9awpY.jpg

 

The seat on the left is one I cut off a few weeks ago, and it was a little lop sided. I applied  tamiya epoxy putty to square up the bottom of the seat. The one on the right I cut from the block tonight, and it was just a little easier.

 

These seats are kits upon them selves, I just wanted to ensure they fit in the cockpit. I will work on the seats seperate from the rest of the model, since they will be installed last. 

 

Next task will be to work on the fit of the Instrument panel to the coaming, as a few of you have said it is a trouble spot.

 

 

Edited by Kurt H.
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

I am still working on this one, I have just been bad about documenting my work.

 

The cockpit was glued in the fuselage

 

2v2EEuDoLx9awpY.jpg

 

I left out the sticks, and the seats. I have not yet build the seats, and those parts can be broken while handling the model

 

I painted the turbine faces

 

2v2EEuD3Wx9awpY.jpg

 

then glued them to the intake trunks

 

2v2EEuD2gx9awpY.jpg

 

These were set aside while ...

 

I joined the fuselage halves

 

2v2EEuDvGx9awpY.jpg

 

Note the area where the radome will attach has been opened. This is to accomodate a Royale Resin radome.

 

The fuselage was cemented together in stages, my goal was to move slowly to try to avoid a stepped joint

 

2v2EEu6WFx9awpY.jpg

 

I use tape to hold the halves together, and the toothpicks hold the tape above the surface to prevent the cement from wicking under the tape, making a mess

 

This was done over the course of a few days.

 

I realized this area needed to be removed for PE

2v2EEu6Dqx9awpY.jpg

 

It was very easy to remove making several cuts with back of a scalpel blade. note the panel line, I started cutting in the wrong place, and made it almost all the way through when I realized it was the wrong place. I was able to fill in the cut with thin CA and a glue looper.

 

 

While the fuselage set, I turned my attention to the wing. Since I plan to take this model on a long trip, all that ordnance needs to be mounted solidly to the wing. Pylons and bombs always seem to fall off, and the little nubs just are not enough to solidly mount pylons. And, the resin pylons I will use have no pins. I will use wire and tubing to ensure a strong joint to the wing.

 

here is the tubing

 

2v2EEu6yGx9awpY.jpg

 

When I was thinking about this project, I decided to perform a trial run with another phantom kit. 

 

2v2EEu8oFx9awpY.jpg

 

I learned a few things. When I did this a few months ago I used tubing I had handy, which was brass. The brass is harder to cut. I used a K&S tubing cutter. So, I made sure to get aluminum tubing. 

 

The inner pylons have small holes, and the 1/16 tubing fits in the hole

 

2v2EEu65nx9awpY.jpg

 

The outer pylon holes, and centerline holes are larger, but too small for 3/32 tubing, so the holes were opened with a 3/32 drill bit

 

Next, 3/32 tubing was cut into short pieces and glued in the holes.  more 1/16th tubing was cut and glued inside the 3/32 tubing

 

2v2EEu6Nqx9awpY.jpg

 

2v2EEu68yx9awpY.jpg

 

 

 

I also installed tubing for the gear legs. I want this model to be very sturdy.

 

Thank yo for looking

 

 

 

 

Edited by Kurt H.
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...

I have been very carefully working on the seams and mold lines on this fuselage. I got to the rear fuselage, and had to be really careful with the fuel dump. It was also ever so crooked. I noticed a bit of a step on the tail cone, but i could not sand it because the dump post is in the way.

 

I noticed the Steel Beach fuel dump at sprue brothers, so I decided to order it. 

 

2v2EZ2yEdx9awpY.jpg

 

It looks a little thicker than the kit part. maybe it is more accurate? I have no idea. Any way I decided to take a leap of faith  and remove the kit part

 

2v2EZ2yaLx9awpY.jpg

 

Now I have much easier access to the tail cone. That nasty seam would surely put me out of contention at the Nats. 

 

I sanded the seam, but forgot to take a picture.  Since my last update I sanded the seam on the titanium lapped section. In the past, I lost the stepped effect sanding it all flat. This time, I used aluminum tape to mask the surrounding panels, and this prevented sanding adjoining panels. I forgot to take a picture becuase I was on a roll. Any way, next time I hope to wrap up sanding and then spot prime.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...

@Kurt H. I just realized you have several projects going at once. I'm glad I'm not the only one.  My Hasegawa F-4J has been at the point you're at for a year and a half. I just can't seem to find the mojo to pick it back up. I hope you have better luck with yours!

Link to post
Share on other sites
9 hours ago, picknpluck said:

@Kurt H. I just realized you have several projects going at once. I'm glad I'm not the only one.  My Hasegawa F-4J has been at the point you're at for a year and a half. I just can't seem to find the mojo to pick it back up. I hope you have better luck with yours!

 

 

Yep, My thinking (or excuse) is to have models in different phases of construction, so if one build is at a stopping point, like letting paint or putty dry, I can work on something else. But I find it is more fun to start a project, so I have quite a few on the go.

 

I made some time for this while Aqua Gloss dried on the F-5E. 

 

Between the last time you saw this model and now, I spot primed the seams. For the most part, it looks pretty good, but still had a few spots which require attention

 

2v2E1Af5qx9awpY.jpg

 

 

I used CA, and sanded as soon as it was hard

 

2v2E1AfzWx9awpY.jpg

 

The black areas in the seam are where the CA covered the primer in the low spots. I had to be very careful not to sand too much to prevent making the top of the fuselage flat.

 

Another round of spot priming is next.

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Kurt, Outstanding work there.  I am really learning a lot. I like the way you made the pylon mounting receptacles from aluminum tubing.  Makes for a sturdy mounting later, as you said.  Keep up the great work.  Semper fi! Dutch  

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...