Joel_W Posted May 29, 2016 Share Posted May 29, 2016 After finally finishing the 1/48 scale B-25B Mitchell, which followed right on the heels of the 1/48 scale PV-1 Ventura, I really wanted a break. Something easy, and something quick. Between the last two builds I invested nearly a full year. So when the opportunity came to build the new Academy 1/72 scale F-4J Phantom, I took the plunge. Considering I haven't built a 1/72 scale aircraft in more then 35 years, I didn't really know what to expect, or even if these old tired eyes were up to the task. I've already blogged my build of the 1/48 scale Academy F-4B, and I've heard that the 1/72 F-4s are more like little brothers then just a completely new kit from scratch. So I was more then just curious to what I was in store for when I opened the box up. The 1st thing that I noticed was that the kit was in three colors, so painting wasn't necessary, but recommended. And that the kit itself is basically a snap-tite kit. In the past that meant a very simple, basic kit with a minimum of details. But after a close inspection of the trees, the scribed detail looked just like the scaled down version of it's big brother. The one page decal sheet was once again printed by Cartograf which includs the stencils, rather then a separate page printed by Academy as was the case with the 1/48 scale version. I started off with the cockpit, and there was a totat of just 11 pieces, plus 6 pcs for the two bang seats. I opted to paint the cockpit and interior walls of the fuselage Tamiya XF-66 light Gray, but it looks close enough to FS 36231 as called out for the cockpit in the kit instructions. I left the two IPs in the raw black plastic color, but hand painted the gray panels sections. Then using a drop of Pledge to simulate lenses in the larger instruments. Using Life Color Matt Black I also hand painted all the side panels, & when dry I drybrushed them to bring out the details. To my surprise, the panels really do look quite detailed. I then airbrushed the side cockpit sills flat Matt Black, and test fitted the cockpit. So far the fit has been exceptional. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nicholassagan Posted May 29, 2016 Share Posted May 29, 2016 Coolness. I've been eyeing this kit and am looking forward to seeing your progress :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 29, 2016 Author Share Posted May 29, 2016 Coolness. I've been eyeing this kit and am looking forward to seeing your progress :)/> Nicholassagan, Glad to have you along on this short journey. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted May 29, 2016 Share Posted May 29, 2016 Same here! I need a Navy-Phantom and I like the Jolly Roger-Tail. Will follow your progress! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 29, 2016 Author Share Posted May 29, 2016 Same here! I need a Navy-Phantom and I like the Jolly Roger-Tail. Will follow your progress! HAJO HAJO, Welcome to the party. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dkobayashi Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Cool, been thinking about grabbing one of these. Will be following! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 Cool, been thinking about grabbing one of these. Will be following! Dkobayashi, Glad to have you along for the ride. Hope that you enjoy it. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Goooood...........Goooooood. The empire needs more Phantoms........ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Goooood...........Goooooood. The empire needs more Phantoms........ Phantom, Now I feel better that you've noticed another F-4 joining the family. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kike Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Will follow closely Joel! I have the Hasegawa kit but I'm not confortable with that scale! maybe here I can find the courage cause inspiration is guaranteed!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Will follow closely Joel! I have the Hasegawa kit but I'm not confortable with that scale! maybe here I can find the courage cause inspiration is guaranteed!! Kike, Welcome to the show. I'm not exactly comfortable with 1/72 either, as I haven't ventured into that scale for more then 35 years. It's almost like a trip back into simpler modeling times for me. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 Well, progress is creeping right along at my usual warm weather pace. I've glued up the lower fuselage/wing to the one piece upper fuselage, and then glued on both top wings. The wing to fuselage seams did need a little putty and blending, but nothing major by any means. I 1st applied a coat of Bondo #3 Glazing and Surface putty, then after sanding and polishing, a fill and final blend coat of Vallejo's Acrylic White putty. the topside the Bottom The intakes, which always seem to be a issue with alignment to the fuselage were a pleasant surprise. The 4 piece intake sub-assembly goes together perfectly. I had to hand paint the interior gloss white, which I did with Life Color paints. I still need one final coat, and it does look good. Checkout the intake alignment. All they needed was a little sanding and polishing. The vertical tail fit was pretty good, but it also needed a little putty to blend it in. I opted to use Vallejo's White Acrylic putty so no sanding was needed. I also glued on the lower exhaust can section. Once again the fit was very good, but it did need some sanding to even out the joint lines as there was a step on each side. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nicholassagan Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Cruising along! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 Cruising along! Nicholassagan, most certainly, and enjoying every minute of it. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Wow, very nice! Anyone know how this compares to the Hasegawa 1/72? Always happy to find something of great quality which doesn't require as much time and headaches as the Hase.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 Wow, very nice! Anyone know how this compares to the Hasegawa 1/72? Always happy to find something of great quality which doesn't require as much time and headaches as the Hase.... Andrew, Honestly, the Academy kit is about as close to a perfect kit as I've ever built. So while I've never built the Hasegawa kit, at best it can only be its equal, and somehow I don't think at best it's quite that good. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
my favs are F`s Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 The Phantom silhouette is scale-less :) Unique! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kike Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 You make it look really easy Joel!! for not beeing confortable with the scale you're doing a really good job! keep it up!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Andrew, Honestly, the Academy kit is about as close to a perfect kit as I've ever built. So while I've never built the Hasegawa kit, at best it can only be its equal, and somehow I don't think at best it's quite that good. Joel Wonderful! The Hase has been fantastic in appearance but not much fun to build...thanks to you, looks like I now have a reasonable replacement! Sorry Mr. Hasegawa...you've been fired replaced again.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kurnass77 Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Look like if you're at a good start mate! I will follow with interest as I'm considering to buy one of box... Gianni Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stevehnz Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I'll be along for the ride too please, one of these high on my wish list.:) Steve. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 The Phantom silhouette is scale-less :)/> Unique! my favs are F`s, That it is. But once the gear and loads go on, I'm sure that the fidelity to scale with become ore apparent. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 You make it look really easy Joel!! for not beeing confortable with the scale you're doing a really good job! keep it up!! Kike, Why thank you for that most appreciative comment. Joe Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Wonderful! The Hase has been fantastic in appearance but not much fun to build...thanks to you, looks like I now have a reasonable replacement! Sorry Mr. Hasegawa...you've been fired replaced again.... Andrew, You're going to love the kit and the build for sure. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Look like if you're at a good start mate! I will follow with interest as I'm considering to buy one of box... Gianni Gianni, Love to have you along for the ride. Like I said, the kit is a dream build so far. I sure hope I'm not jinxing myself. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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