Hasegawa 1/48 F-4G, ...first in progress shots... Options

[lgl007]

Hi everyone,

Well, my current project is coming along 'swimmingly' and I just wanted to show you guys some of the progress shots.

The bulk of my time thus far has been spent prepping all the parts for airbrushing but here are some of the highlights.

The most amount of work thus far has been on the ejection seats. I did not go for aftermarket stuff so I decided to enhance the kit's seats. Most of the effort was spent on the upper surfaces as these are most visible. Here's a pre and post shot:


Here is the almost completed product... pilots still to come:


I also started on the back panel of the rear instrument panel... I will add more detail once I get it in the pit:


Here are the finished pilots. As I am doing one of the last F4-G's to see action in Iraq I got some modern helmets from Aaron (thanks mate) to replace the kit's old 70's helmets:


Here's a pic of the front instrument panel... I know the lighting is terrible...


The kit does need much attention to get right... for instance you have to fill the air intake guides otherwise you get so see a hole when looking down on the F-4 at some angles...


I spent alot of time on the missile pylon's. First they have to be re-scribed as these have raised panel lines unlike the rest of the kit. They also had to be re-detailed. The chaff/flare dispensers are only half right in the kit. I had to modify the outside one to point down and also had to scratch build the mounting plates. I also had to fill the mount holes and add some sway braces:



Here are all the parts getting ready for assembly and airbrushing. The main fuselage body parts, especially the wings, require that many of the 'bumps' be removed/sanded for the F-4G configuration... a bit of a pain but necessary.


...and of course you have to have daily inspiration for the build ;-)


Thanks for looking... will update with more pics as events warrant ;-)

-Greg

[phantom]

Bout time! Looks very promising so far.

[Henk Koppelaar]

Hi Greg,
You already did an awesome job with all those details. Ik like it. I'm looking forward to more pictures
Regards from the Netherlands
Henk

[strikeeagle801]

Lookin' great so far Greg. You did a great job on adding detail to the seats and pylons. Can't wait to see more progress.

Aaron

ps. As always, you need anything else, let me know. If I have it, it's yours my friend.

[strikeeagle801]

Double post...sorry!

This post has been edited by strikeeagle801: Oct 1 2007, 04:46 PM

[Aggressor Suppor...]

Looking good.

[lgl007]

Update time... spent some time this weekend working on the F-4 :-)

I started work on the ALQ-184 - repositioning the mounting point:



Then I just had to spruce up the pit... not enough detail for my taste :-)





I also did some detail work on the exhausts ... but I'll post pics later...

Best,

-Greg

[lgl007]

Now a quick coat of gray, wash applied, then highlighted with light gray:







Thanks for looking.

-Greg

[HomagerMan]

Greg

AMAZING work so far, I'll be following this one . Hope you take a lot of pics and keep us posted.

James

[dragonfly]

Your dry brushing looks expertly done. Beautifull!! Really brings out the extras you've added.

Jerry

[afterburner]

Super work in the cockpit, Greg. Sometimes it just gets too expensive to get the aftermarket bits and seeing the changes you made to the front office using a little styrene looks brilliant. Great work, sir and nice choice on the a/c. Can't wait to see more.

[jefropas]

Good looking stuff man, keep it up!

Jeff

[Aggressor Suppor...]

Nice updates.

[lgl007]

Thanks guys... I really appreciate the feedback. I would love to use aftermarket stuff and would wholeheartedly if it was not made from resin. I can't stand working with the stuff. Moreover you have to be careful about inhaling resin dust ... /shrug So I have to use my own hands to try and re-creat some detail in 1/48 scale to fool the eye into seeing there's quite a bit happening in these cockpits ;-)

Any recommendation or direction re building the Hase F-4G is welcome as always.

-Greg

[FlyAndFight]

Fantastic job on creating that extra "spark" in the cockpits.

I agree regarding the aftermarket resin sets. They are getting just as expensive, and in many cases MORE expensive than the kits that they are for.

I'll be following your progress with great interest!

[BReif61]

I also started on the back panel of the rear instrument panel... I will add more detail once I get it in the pit:

What did you use for the wiring? It almost looks like solder, but its bronze-ish? That seems to be something fairly simple that I can try to incorporate into my next builds

[lgl007]

Na it's just another size brass type wire... it's harder to work with then copper wire but I will add more copper wiring once this piece is in place to add even more detail. I just wanted to have a couple of sizes of wire here for better effect.

-Greg

[jimz66]

Greg keep plugging away. That is one fine looking job you have started on that Recce Rhino. What are you doing for seatbelts?

[lgl007]

Well... spent some time this weekend working on the kit... here are some more progress photos. One thing I have to say is that to make this kit really nice requires ALOT of work... nothing that anyone with moderate modelling skills can't handle but it certainly isn't like the Revell F-15E ... It's quite an old mould really and it shows. Parts don't align as perfectly as they should, gaps exist... GAPS... GAPS... don't get me started on the gaps inside the air intakes... that's my next mini project to at least seal those gaps. Anyone who wants a good rendition would be probobaly best served setting some seamless suckers for this one.

Still a very fun projects :-)

Firstly I had to add some detail to the burner cans... they were just too simple...


Then started work on the cockpit... mind you these are quite the large closeups... in RL the details looks super sharp...

[lgl007]

Here are a few more:






Here's the front wheel well:


Finally the fuselage halves together.
Notice the gradiant shading on the back end of the air intake... to try and fool the eye ;-)
I also added more detail to the back instrument panel to make it look even more busy.


I'll of course update with more pics as I get further in the build... now the tedious task of sanding all the joint seam lines and rescribing lines :-(

Hope you enjoyed the pics.

Best,

-Greg

This post has been edited by lgl007: Oct 23 2007, 01:59 PM