Hasegawa RF-4C Phantom II

Kerry COX
Derek, You will find that the Hasegawa F-4 Phantoms are the best for surface detail you can find. 🙂
The "Benchmark" you might say, and this goes back 20 years or more when the first lot was issued.🙂
The detail I am seeing in your cockpit area is just beautiful, and if this is the standard you set, well the rest should be a master piece mate. 🙂 👍

Derek Jordan
Kerry, I take it you've built a few of these? If so, what are the trouble areas I should be aware of? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I also perused your recent album. That kit is coming along nicely. Great job.

Kerry COX
Derek, Thank you very much for your kind and welcome words of appreciation of my work. 🙂
I appreciate your asking my input too mate.🙂
In recent times, unlike other manufacturers, Hasegawa have been cleaning up their dies and correcting small anomalies of earlier fit issues.🙂
I am taking for granted (Correct me if I am wrong) that the kit you have is one of their more recent releases. and if so, you will really enjoy a trouble free build 🙂
The one I built was the Viet-Nam cammo F-4'G's" and I never really came across anything you would call an "Issue", other than the usual bits of flash and some heavy seam lines on the undercarriage struts and some slight misalignment of the underwing tanks. :-/
I did break the two small tabs that are located on the rear of the two cockpit canopies, Grrrrr🙁
Just be careful when placing the small arch with the two small windows on top of the cockpit sills that takes the front canopy, and (I know you dry fit) just make sure all the clear bits line up , including the front wind shield through to the Wizzo's canopy.🙂
Other than those bits Derek, you should have a trouble free time of it.🙂
Cheers mate. 🙂 👍

PS, hehehe, I'll be watching. !!! 🙂

Derek Jordan
Thanks for the input! I just royally screwed up one of the beautiful resin ejection seats. I guess that means that I'm back to the kit seats, but at least I'll have Edward's photoetch parts to detail it up some.

Kerry COX
How,? What happened. ?
BUGGER. !!! 🙁

Derek Jordan
I had cut the first one from its casting block with a razor saw perfectly. I was cutting the second the same way, got distracted looking at something else, and accidentally cut a huge chunk off of the bottom of the seat, rendering it useless. I could order another set, I guess. Maybe that's what I will do, though the kit seats could be dressed up pretty well with the PE belts, pull handles, etc that came with the Eduard resin.

Derek Jordan
Well, I bit the bullet and just bought another set. Now, at least I'll have a spare seat, and two sets of spare PE.

Kerry COX
That brings to mind, the actual height of the resin seats compared to the kit seats, and having the base of the resin kit missing a "bit" may not be so bad after all. !! 🙂 Yes. ?

Marko
Nice looking cockpit. Can't wait to see the rest of the build.

Derek Jordan
Kerry, I'll have to check the height of the resin versus the kit seats more carefully. On the sprue, the kit seats look bigger.

Derek Jordan
Marko, thanks! I'm about to start working on the cameras. I'm thinking of drilling out the lenses and trying to detail them up some.

Kerry COX
I was hoping that there was a way out of having to buy a second seat Derek, that's all. 🙂 👍

Derek Jordan
Ah, well thanks for looking out for me, my man. Too late though, the seat is on it's way.

Kerry COX
One ejection later............................LOL. 🙂 Cheers DJ.

Derek Jordan
I started messing around with the seat. This guy is about 1/3 of the total parts for the seat, and it's driving me crazy. So much of the detail they want you to install would be totally obscured. I'm just going to detail the parts that can be seen.

Kerry COX
It would be great if the actual model was all clear plastic hey. !!! :-/

Augie
Liking the look of it so far

Derek Jordan
I must admit, right now I am super frustrated. I have been playing around with dry fitting the fuselage halves together with the cockpit and cameras installed. So far it is a nightmare. There are few, if any, positive location points for the cameras, and the instructions are absolute garbage. Same with the cockpit. There is really nothing to help aid in alignment, and the instructions are missing any helpful information. The bulkhead at the back of the camera bay spreads the nose apart too far. The fuselage halves themselves only have a very few tiny location pins, and none of them in a place that is under stress or prone to misalignment. The ones that are there are too small to really do any good at all. There is this very long space along the bottom of the fuselage where the wings will sit with no alignment pins at all, that is molded out of alignment. I am really disappointed with it at this point.

Kerry COX
Have you looked for any build reviews to see if there is a solution to your dilemma. ?
Please do not take my comments as an insult, but I have taken the liberty of searching for a couple or three blurbs on the bird that I think may be of some interest to you.:-/
Cheers. 🙂 👍

Kerry COX
google.com.au/url?sa..UEwe1emUnrVBJpe0QbIg
google.com.au/url?sa..rHXYmR9lf_QVB56qrEXg

google.com.au/url?sa..FFpL7X2YqQSbAaK9ek7Q

Derek Jordan
Kerry, thanks for those. I had done some googling. I found others described similar problems, I didn't really find any info on how to fix it. It's really frustrating. I think I can get the cockpit in correctly, but those camera bits are finicky. I'll just have to take it really slow. Maybe I should pull out another kit to work on when I get frustrated, so I don't rush this one.

Kerry COX
THAT is a great idea mate, to start something else, because, it usually happens that the solution to your problems get solved. :-/ :-/ :-/

Derek Jordan
I've been thinking of starting an Eduard F6F-3.

Derek Jordan
I wonder if I could close the fuselage up, then put all of the cameras in through the bottom.

Kerry COX
Make a "Pod" of the camera equipment that looks like it can be loaded as a module, that is if there are the panel lines you can cut along to effect that look...................Maybe. ?? 🙂

google.com.au/url?sa..ust=1445117847724327

google.com.au/url?sa..ust=1445117847724327

Derek Jordan
Those are awesome links.

I actually think I got it figured out. I am still shaking my fist in Hasegawa's direction for the lack of pins along the fuselage. The whole spine has a total of 2; one near the cockpit and one near the tail. That leaves about 8 freedom units with nothing in between, and no way to make sure the spine is mating up correctly. It will take some serious sanding along some of these joints to make it look proper. I hate sanding and filling.

As far as the camera bay, I was able to get the whole fuselage joined but left the nose unglued. I put the bulkhead in from the bottom, then glued everything shut. From here, I think I can get the rest of the stuff in, it will just take some patience.

Derek Jordan
Got all the cameras in, whew.

Kerry COX
Hangin' out for the pics. 🙂

Derek Jordan
Just uploaded a couple. I drilled out the camera lenses and added clear parts cement to give the appearance of a camera lens. It's still drying but so far it looks okay.

Derek Jordan
Good grief your model is looking great. The PE doors with the precise bend. That is great stuff Kerry.

Derek Jordan
I have a question for all you master model builders. If I understand correctly, the windscreen in the F-4 was tinted green. I believe this was because there was no HUD; the information was projected directly on the green tinted screen. Anyway, what is the best method to recreate that green tint?

Kerry COX
Derek, Thanks for your enthusiastic comments mate, I love it. !!!
Now, as for the green tint, I have always used Tamiya clear green acrylic, diluted with a drop of water and placed on the INSIDE of the wind shield and let it dry. 🙂
It does not need to be "Green" green, but s subtle 'decolourisation' of the wind shield.
Get as many images of the actual windshield and you will come up with that right 'tone'.
The good thing about using the acrylic clear is that you can do it as many times as you like until you "Get it right" and no damage. 🙂

google.com.au/url?sa..ust=1445138873744105

Augie
The green tint you need to be careful with

"The authors also heavily tint the center windscreen green on this and most of the other models in this book, which is incorrect. The three-piece windscreen on a Phantom consists of the side panels which are Plexiglass plastic roughly 1/2 inch thick, and the center panel which is laminated glass, roughly an inch thick. Glass is less transparent than plastic (compare a large acrylic aquarium with a glass aquarium of similar capacity at a pet store if you want to see this for yourself), and really thick glass takes on a very faint green tint. I'd seen many models of Phantoms with tinted center windscreens before I joined the Air Force, so when I was working on them I took a good look to see if this was accurate. In most lighting conditions, the center windscreen looked clear, but perhaps VERY slightly darker than the side panels. However, in certain lighting conditions (hazy no-shadow days as I recall) the glass would appear a beautiful shade of green. The center windscreens on book's models are tinted far too dark. If you are going to tint the glass on your models, make it subtle!"

Derek Jordan
That's great information. Thank you.

Derek Jordan
Back on track today. Made some headway. I assembled the wings and removed the little bulges on each one. The places where the bulge was removed have had putty applied, ready for sanding. I also got the camera bays finished with the covers installed, ready to mask (waiting on some montex masks to arrive). I worked the fuselage seams which will now have to have the panel lines re-scribed. The nose cone is assembled and installed. I can probably get the wings on tomorrow. I'm also planning on removing the kit pitot tube on the tail, and replacing it with brass tubing. To be continued...

Kerry COX
Oh joy. ! 🙂.
I love good news stories. 🙂 👍
A stunner is on its way I feel. 🙂

Thomas Bischoff
looks great!

Derek Jordan
Thanks Thomas. I had a little trouble getting in to this build, but I'm getting more enthusiastic as time goes on.

Clifford Keesler
Looking great Derek, nothing like building Phantoms, I love them.

Derek Jordan
Thanks Clifford. I'm actually not real impressed with this kit. I know the RF-4C not a popular enough subject to be much more than afterthought, but this kit feels like it's just stuff thrown in a box. I bought the Eduard "Good Evening Da Nang" boxing of Academy's F-4C kit, and I'm really looking forward to that one.

Clifford Keesler
That is a great kit. Actually the Academy F-4 kits now outclass the Hasegawa F-4 kits. I have the Academy "B" and "J" models. Eduard just added resin and PE parts to the Academy F-4C, but it makes a good kit even better. I built the Hasegawa RF-4B not to long ago, and it was nice, but I added a lot of extras, Resin and PE. Would like to see Academy or Eduard do the RF-4B and RF-4C.

Urban Gardini
I'm also hoping for RF versions as well as other versions as E/F and K/M from Academy. Come to think a bit about it I'd say that an EJ Kai also would be nice.

Augie
a few brit rhino's too..

Kerry COX
I think there are about 4 different metal elements in the tail section, and so far, it's looking like a Phantom should.🙂
A great result Derek. 👍

Derek Jordan
Kerry, I used four different colors of alclad. I'm also using Alclad's aqua gloss as a base layer for decals. We will see how that turns out.

Kerry COX
It will look wonderful Derek. That's for sure. 👍

Urban Gardini
But Augie! K & M is the Brit Rhinos... 😉

Derek Jordan
Kerry, I've got a hard deadline coming up. I need to be done by friday for a show on Saturday. And, I'm still waiting on some parts to arrive via mail. As an aside, so far I'm very pleased with aqua gloss. It goes on about the same as Future, but dries faster. Have you used it?

Derek Jordan
Clifford, this kit had the full Eduard trearment, including their Brassin seats and wheels. The cockpit PE and masks are things I'll never build a kit without.

Kerry COX
Yes, I have used them, and if you can get the same colours in Tamiya enamels, thinned with acetone, it is even faster drying. ZOOM, no kidding. And all the very best of judgements to go your way mate. 🙂 👍.

Derek Jordan
Thanks, KC. The paint job on your Uhu was spectacular, by the way.

Kerry COX
Derek, I am really not that happy with it as the edges were too 'harsh' and I needed that 'soft' demarcation, but I will clean off all I don't like and repaint.:-/
Easy done really, using brake fluid.
I will be posting progress images as I do it so that everyone can see how well it works at breaking paint down with no mess.
Cheers mate. 👍

Kerry COX
Meaning. ?

soheil moghisi
Really nice.

Kerry COX
Efthymios, I was really unsure what it meant. "Lost in the translation" is what happens, and thank you for clearing that up for me. 🙂

Clifford Keesler
Looks great. I won't build a kit without the cockpit PE either. If I can't get it for the sepefic kit I am building, I will buy the set for another kit of the same aircraft and make it work. I'm presently building a Revell Germany F4U-1A and using the Trumpeter PE set, SAC white metal gear for the Tamiya kit, and True Details resin wheels.

Kerry COX
A real mish mash of bits Cliff, but it sounds really interesting and for sure the outcome will be wonderful. 👍 🙂
Good modelling mate. 👍

Clifford Keesler
Thanks Kerry.

Kerry COX
Like I said. 🙂 "the outcome will be wonderful. 👍 🙂"
This is one serious looking piece of hardware that spells "Grunt".🙂
Just fantastic Clifford. 👍 👍

Clifford Keesler
Just awesome, what a fabulous Phanthom.

Derek Jordan
Thanks Clifford, and everyone else. I'm glad this one's over, but I'm proud of how it turned out.

Clifford Keesler
It was worth the effort.

Derek Jordan
Thanks Clifford, I really appreciate that.

Derek Jordan
If any of you are on reddit, we're doing an F-4 groupbuild starting around the first of the year. Join us.

Gareth Windsor
this is really smart. I have 3 Hasegowa F-4K's in storage and I can't wait to start at least one.

Clifford Keesler
I have more F-4's than Carter has liver pills. LOL. Sounds like a good excuse to build my 1/32 F-4G.

Gareth Windsor
F-4 is a great looking aircraft. 1/32 Phantom build Clifford, I'll pull up a seat for that. Derek, sounds like I will have to get onto reddit

Derek Jordan
I hope you both come over to reddit. Find s/modelmakers. I guess I'm running the group, so come sign up. 🙂

Clifford Keesler
I will have to check out reddit. @ Gareth, I have all the after market goodies for this one. It is Revell but I have all the Tamiya goodies for it, plus the SAC metal gear.

Derek Jordan
When you make it to reddit, you can find me @ u/Fortunate_one.

Spanjaard
excelent result

Holger Kranich
Hi Derek, cool Rhino! The pit looks very nice as the seats. I like your paintjob very much.👍 Do you have a pic from the helmet on the rear seat?

Urban Gardini
Lovely result mate, good work on the brick!

Kerry COX
Derek J, Still one of the best Phabulous phantoms I have seen here on SM. Just a delight to see those magic lines of the beast. 👍
I love it. 🙂

Augie
Very nice!