toadwbg Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 I’m finishing my Tamiya 1/32 Marine Phantom VMFA-235 Death Angels. I know a lot of Vietnam era phantoms did not have their stencils maintained after leaving the factory. So I’m wondering how detailed I should get in stenciling this airframe? Here’s a specific example: Microscale Instruction sheet locates those colorful Honeycomb “no step” decals to be placed on the black walkway areas on the wing. I think I should leave them off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichB63 Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Pictures of the aircraft you’re modeling (153879, I think) indicate it had received a depot level repaint when it wore those colorful markings. Most likely the factory honeycomb markings were replaced by simple “NO STEP” instructions, as depicted on AOA Decals Phantom Airframe Data (Stencil Type) sheet, as shown below. And as you surmised, they certainly did not appear over walkways! By the mid 1970’s it was rare to see panel numbers on USN,USMC Phantoms (unlike their USAF counterparts)…just cautions, warnings, no step, push etc. Maybe @ziggyfoos or other knowledgeable members of the community can add to (or correct) what I’ve explained. Your model looks great by the way! Rich Quote Link to post Share on other sites
toadwbg Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 Very helpful and just what I was looking for! Thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BillS Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Very nice jet there. I concur with Rich. Refer to photos from that era. I’m a USAF’r and can attest to the fact that as time wore on, stenciling became minimalist. I saw plenty of USN/USMC F -4s in the late 70s and early 80s. You’d be super safe with servicing markings (O2, hyd. Etc) and safety warning markings. My opinion is the honeycomb markings remained on both USAF and USN til the end. Best wishes on finishing that thing! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
toadwbg Posted March 25 Author Share Posted March 25 14 hours ago, BillS said: Very nice jet there. I concur with Rich. Refer to photos from that era. I’m a USAF’r and can attest to the fact that as time wore on, stenciling became minimalist. I saw plenty of USN/USMC F -4s in the late 70s and early 80s. You’d be super safe with servicing markings (O2, hyd. Etc) and safety warning markings. My opinion is the honeycomb markings remained on both USAF and USN til the end. Best wishes on finishing that thing! This kit has been a lot more of a struggle to finish than I had expected. Maybe it's the size in 1/32, I have built dozens of 1/48 and 1/72 Phantoms in my 40+ year modeling history. The masking and painting in this scale just became a huge job. Assembly was a little tricky as well but nothing majorly wrong with the kit design, only a little filler used. LOTs of subs built separate from the main airframe. Decals were another challenge as my sheet was aging and the larger decals were brittle and would crack while applying! I made them work, just barley and almost scrapped them early on after the first few put on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BillS Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 You're on the home stretch! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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