Not a WIF, but thud progress anyway

[noxioux]

Okay, here's two quick pics of where I'm at on this 1/32 F-105 F.  Sorry the pics suck, but this dinky camera I'm using really isn't a good choice for this crap.  It really sucks on the closeups.  I need to get a slide scanner, so I can go back to my old dusty and trusty Pentax K1000.

Anyhow, the intake ducting is done, but not correct.  When I weighed the chances of people looking down the intakes vs. the amount of work it would take to make the ducting correct, I compromised.  The way I did the ducts was to put some .040 strip along the insides of the fuselage, above and below both ducts, all the way back to the engine face.  Then I cut two lengths of .010 styrene nice and straight.  Then I bent the styrene, and glued the edges to the strips inside the fuselage.  It certainly is no JMN job, but it ads a nice touch.

What's funny about this is that the F-105 is a pretty popular modeling subject, but there's almost zero reference on the web for the intake ducts.  Too bad there's not a set of seamless suckers for this thing.  That would've been nice.

You can also see where I've removed the ECM pods, and I'm busy filling and sanding.  That's probably going to be the most difficult part of the whole build, just due to the large area of filler required.  I'm sure rescribing all the detail down there will probably subtract a few years off my life, too.  I really wish that Trumpeter would've done this kit as an F/G model, and made the pods optional (like the 1/48 Revell kit).  Sure would've saved some work, and added some versatility to the kit.

This thing is going to be about 95% OOB.  A little filler here, a little styrene there, and that's it.  I'm debating whether or not to pin the landing gear, or go with the white metal replacements.  I got a long way to go before I have to make up my mind about that.

I'd like to do another one of these sometime.  Maybe take the D model, and make a prototype YF-105, or something more arcane than your usual thud.

[The Rat]

She's looking good, and those pics are actually pretty good, closer than what I can get with my Kodak. For my pics in this thread I used close-up filters from my film camera. I stack them together and just hold them in front of the lens. For the extreme close-up of the tip tank I took my 50mm lens and held it reversed over the digicam lens. Depth of field is tight, but it works.

And to stop people peeking into the intakes just put them on the bottom shelf!  

I got close to some 105's at YYZ in the 80's, didn't even think to take detail shots. Man, those things are BIG!

[nev]

Yeah, I read somewhere its the same size as a B-17    

[Ollie]

Excellent Noxious.

I'd like to buy the Wild Weasel version of this kit, the 105 sure was a sexy beast.

Hmmm, Coke bottle fuselage!

 


Keep us posted, eh!

 

[Captain Canada]

Good stuff, buddy !

Keep the updates coming, eh ?

And indeed, 105w are dead sexy.....only ever seen one at the museum at Willow Run airport, but they are big !

[Gary]

It's one aircraft I don't have in my stash but I've been eyeing one for a while at the local shop here. The single seater. I was kinda thinking about that idea of doing the unlimited canyon racing series and using that beasty for my ride. Bright red and white bands of colour. Very bright so the clean up crews can find the wreckage that much easier.

But wow, that giant version is truely impressive. I can't imagine laying down the paint for something like that. Wowsers! Keep it comming there dude.

Gary

[NARSES2]

There was a built up one on the stand opposite us at Perth - impressive kit !

[Keith Diamond]

Thanks for posting some pics.   When I get started on mine, I'll post some pics here too.  BTW, what markings are you using?  I'll be building Pussy Galore II.

[noxioux]

This is a custom job for my best friend's dad, who crew chiefed on the bird.  It was tail # 64321, "Midnight Sun".  I don't have any history on this plane, other than it got shot up pretty good after he left 'Nam (but it still brought the crew back).

[noxioux]

More thud progress.  The third pic is for scale, with the thud next to the Tamiya 1/48 spit.  It's big, and it's a beauty.  I'm getting really excited about this project.

I also found out that I was radically wrong on the serial number for this one.  I've been emailing AFHSO Research trying to get some more background on the real aircraft, and got a little comeuppance on my USAF serial number knowledge (which I admit is hovering very close to zero).  So now I'm on a mad hunt for the real serial number, so I can get some more background on 'er.

I also found some good information about the mis-information on the F-105 Thunderbird crashes.  It seems like some had the opinion that the Thud would've made a perfectly good demonstration bird, and the two crashes in question may have been due to manufacturing and/or maintenance problems.

Which brings me to another cool whiffer idea.  No, not a T-bird.  But how about a civilian display thud?  Or, since there seems to be a rash of them going around, why not a water-bomber thud?  Damn, my brain is starting to hurt now.  Anyhoo, here's the pics:

[nev]

How do you spell big?