Subscribers’ Gallery : aircraft F

Because I was curious about this new Kinetic release, I decided on building it as soon as it fell on the mat. The model depicts a JASDF aggressor, machine no. 46-8648 of the 204th Hikotai, 5th Kokudan based at Tsuiki Air Base in the late 1970’s.

The decals I have used are from Xtradecal and a Fündekals stencil set. I added some wiring to the avionics bay and I used an instrument panel from an Aires set to make the cockpit a bit more interesting. The kit wasn’t as good as the reviews made me believe but all in all it was a quite enjoyable, albeit long build. The metals are all Alclad2 and the colours are from Mr. Paint and Gunze.

What I like most about this one is that is was a complete 180 degree turn from my normal camouflage madness. In the end I think it turned out quite nice.

Jeroen B.

This is my build of the Kinetic F104G Starfighter.

As with Dave Coward’s superb recent build of the same kit, I’ve used the Eduard Resin wheels and the pitot probe from Master Models. However, the seat is the kit supplied item fitted with Eduard’s PE harness and firing handles. In addition, I also added a scratch built drogue gun and a parachute withdrawal line missing from the seat. The main instrument panel was replaced with one from Eduard’s LooK range which I carefully repainted to match my interpretation of the cockpit colour.

The avionics bay was super-detailed with various thicknesses of lead wire to represent the cabling with placards from the spares box. The AS 34 Kormoran 1 and Sidewinder AIM-9B missiles are from Eduards Brassin range. The Remove Before Flight (RBF) tags are again from Eduard.

Finally, I represented the wing leading edge protection covers commonly seen on the F104 from vinyl tubing slit down one side, painted red and then slipped over the front slats. The AC was painted using colours from Hataka’s Orange range, i.e. lacquers. These went on beautifully, drying very quickly.

I whole-heartedly agree with Dave Coward, this is definitely the best F-104 in any scale.

Mark R.

VF-84 “Jolly Rogers”, 1:48 scale Tamiya kit.

Details:
Eduard Colour PE for the interior and seats
Brassin resin wheels
Decals from the kit – these were actually very good and surprised me as Tamiya decals have a reputation of being very thick and not settling well. I think they’ve finally got the message and sorted them !!

The helmets are the kit ones that have been drilled out to remove the head/O2 mask. Great kit – I just love them !!!

Dave C.

Thought you might like these VF-1 pictures for the Gallery.

Info VF-1 DXM decals – performed very well
Phase Hanger early resin early gun vent and beaver tail – decent fit
Eduard Colour PE Interior and seat detail
Brassin Resin Wheels.

Typical Tamiya F-14 build – no issues – one of the best kits out there.

Dave C.

The attached images are related to the Academy 1:32 kit of F/A-18D which I made recently.

This kit has an amazing quality and accuracy. I have spent approximately 100 hours to made it. I just send them to you to make them on-line. Hope you like them.

With Warm Regards
Mehdi N.

Here’s my 1:48 scale F/A-18F Super Hornet made from the Italeri kit. The kit has plenty of faults but at the time I made this there wasn’t much choice on the kit front.

This model features in the book I did in the Osprey Modelling Series on the F/A-18 (in case you recognise it!).

Plenty of additions including cockpit, filling the airbrake, some re-scribing and adds like the FOD guards etc etc.

Came out well in the end I think – hope you like it…
Geoff C.

Here’s my model of the F3H-2 Demon made from the HobbyBoss kit. The scale is 1:48 – hope you all like it?
Krzysztof T.

This is my second bird from last years “blue phase”.

As I already had to mix these curious Japanese blue tones, which are described in the F-2A article elsewhere in the Readers Gallery, I started this Hasegawa 48th scale kit of the F-4EJ Kai in JASDF 8 Sqn service, which was rereleased recently.

Besides the Hasegawa kit I used True Details seats, the Wolfpack flaps and slats and Cobra afterburner cans. Otherwise I added the small stripes on the radar nose peculiar to the “Kai” version. The two anti-ship missiles came from the JASDF Weapons set from Hasegawa, whereas the decals are out of the box. And these decals were the only nightmare on this build, as they insisted on silvering. I rarely have such problems with decals in recent years. My system of having a Klear gloss surface and applying the decals also with Klear normally works easy and perfectly. Not so with these Hasegawa “bastards”. I overcame this after making endless small holes in each decal with a small needle and applying Microsoft Sol on each of them. That took several hours/days, but in the end saved the work invested so far.
I hope you like the result.
Maybe a F-2 two-seater or a T-4 will follow soon.
Jürgen J.

Here is my 1:32 F-4E Phantom “Arizona Chicken” made from the Tamiya kit.

Hope you like it…
Celaleddin A.

Hello Phriends,

This here is my build of the Hasegawa F-4E in IRIAF markings. A lot of hours went in this one. Aires cockpit and exhausts, Icarus decals stencilling set (which took ages to apply), master pitot tube, resin AGM’s, resin exhaust covers and stabilizers from an Academy Phantom. The decals are from Modeller decals in Iran.

Have a great day, Jeroen B.

And another one of my builds! This time it’s a Hasegawa F-4E in Hellenic Air Force trim. I managed to get the Aires cockpit in, which is dreadful and some resin exhausts, also from Aires.
The paints used are Gunze and Alclad metals and coats.
Hope you like it!

Jeoren B.

Here is my Greek Air Force F-4 E

It´s a refurbished Hasegawa F-4 E with slatted wings.
The decals are from CAM pro.
Otherwise I did some weathering, added an exercise bomb disperser from a Hasegawa weapons set and a Sidewinder training round. The Sidewinder launch rails are from a Monogram F-4 kit, as they are a better representation of the real ones. Resin seats were also added.
Best wishes Jurgen J.

The F-4E Phantom is the 1:32nd scale Tamiya kit with an Avionix resin replacement cockpit. The figures came from Verlinden and PJ Productions – the latter was a conversion using kit crew parts and PJ legs.

I love the Tamiya Phantom kits – still the only really decent kits in this scale, they aren’t perfect but they fit together better and are most accurate for variants covered.

Ian R.

Hi

Hope you be fine.

I am “Mehdi Nader”, a professional modeler who is living in Iran, Tehran.
I am one of your website’s fan. As the matter of fact, recently I’ve finished
a Revell 1:32 F-4F Phantom II WTD 61 “Flight Test” kit. Actually it took around 35 hours to be made.

I just wanted to share its pictures to you too .

Thanks & Regards, Mehdi Nader

Kit: 1:72 Revell F-4 Phantom 04615
This is yet another Revell F-4F Phantom in 1:72nd. This is my fifth model and is painted to represent aircraft F-4 IRIF (Islamic Republic of Iran). My opinion is the Iranian camouflage is one of the best colour schemes applied to any F-4. (What do you think?)
The ICE Phantom is a major upgrade for the F-4F, and finally gives the aircraft a BVR capability with its APG-65 radar and AIM-120 missiles.
Nice model of one of my favourite subjects, and I was very pleased with the results. Model was built in about 10 days in May and I built it with all restrictions.
In my country is lack of buying facility results in boycott. The boycott is unfair because that causes hurt to all people not to government. (Specially artists)

Mohammad Adl from IRAN 2013 Email address: sm_adl@yahoo.com

This is one of my own aircraft dioramas – it’s in 1:32nd scale. The F-4J Phantom is Tamiya’s lovely model of the US Navy variant.

The scene depicts an F-4 of VF-151 “Vigilantes” onboard USS Midway CV-41 circa 1979 about to be prepared – flighted etc, before being launched on a CAP mission.

Hope you like it?
Ian R.

This is the Tamiya 1:32 kit, which is starting to show its age, not sure why they include the screws for fitting, but anyway, she went together rather painlessly. I used resin ejector seats and engine cans, with quite a lot of Eduard brass in, the pilots were from PJ productions, again my thanks to Jenifer @ JS miniatures for the lighting rig, and programming the chip.

Main decals were from the colourful F-4J Phantoms, very nice, more than could be said for the kit decals, they were dreadful, and I had to delve into my spares box, good old spares.

The armaments were Eduard but only the Sparrow and Sidewinders, I was going to use the Eduard kit on the bombs but the kit ones worked nicely. She was all painted using Tamiya paints.

Mike T.

Hasegawa 1:48 scale

Here is another of the stunning pieces by Hong Hwan Jang. Some incredible weathering on show here. Note the incredibly subtle airbrush work to get that authentic US Navy low-vis finish. Simply inspirational work. Thanks Hong Hwan.

Hasegawa 1:48 scale

This is the beautiful1/32nd scale Tamiya kit. It’s almost entirely from the box, the only exception being the Eduard cockpit set. Paints used were a mixture of Vallejo, Xtracryllics and Tamiya. The decals are from the kit and I had not seen them applied to a kit in any scale until I used them on mine.

Here’s my Tamiya F-4J Phantom II in 1:32 scale.

I spent a long time on the base using mostly AMMO of Mig Jimenez, AK weathering products and you can also see other small accessories like leaves, grasses etc.

Glad you like it.
Marco L.

This is my 1:32 model made from the Tamiya F-4J kit.

This is the Tamiya 1:32 Birdcage Corsair

Aftermarket: Barracuda Studios resin wheels, Barracuda decals and cockpit stencils.
Painted with custom mixes of Tamiya acrylics. Weathered with oils and enamels.

See www.jimsmodels.com
James DiCesare (Dickerson)

VBF-6, USS Hancock (Cv-19), March 1945.

This is the Tamiya 1:48th scale boxing that includes a tow tractor and two figures.

The deck is part of an Eduard injection moulded item. Basically what came in box created the diorama.

Ian R.

An F-5A from Classic Airframes in scale 1:48 scale, built straight from the box as a bird from the South Vietnamese Air Force during its final days.
It is a former Iranian Aircraft being delivered to South Vietnam still in its desert camouflage and used in these colours. The scheme was taken from the book “Fall of the Flying Dragon” from Harpia Publishing.

See you! Jürgen Jaacks

Attached some pictures of an F-5 B I finished this year and also had at our Cologne Pirates stand at SMW (2012).

After having a bunch of F-5 kits laying around in my cellar for some years now the release of the wonderful AFV Club F-5 E/F in scale 1:48 triggered me to start an F-5 series; and here is the first one. It is an F-5B in a Canadian Aggressor scheme, which is included in the kit. The kit is no longer available, as Classic Airframes unfortunately disappeared from the market last year or so. Whereas the basic layout of the kit is more on the basic side, the resin parts included really make the difference and make effectively almost as good as the new Kinetic kit. Assembly took some dry-fitting of the parts, especially the resin parts. The colours are rather odd, but exactly that makes the difference of the scheme. I used Xtracolor paints: X39, X107 and X133.
After all the work invested was honoured by a medal from the folks from IPMS Winnipeg at SMW 2012. Thanks!
Jürgen Jaacks

Hi all,
Here is another of my recent Kinetic builds. This is the 1:48 F-5B in VNAF markings.

The mechanism to open/close the canopies were completely scratch built. A pair of resin ejection seats and photo etch mirrors were the only aftermarket parts I used.

The model was painted with Hataka paints from the orange lacquer based range over a black primer from Alclad.

Again the kit decals are very good and gave no problems at all.

René VDH.