McDonnel RF-101F Voodoo

JayBee · November 22, 2011, 06:32:42 AM

Herewith gentle folks (and WhIffers) is the latest project that I have commenced.
This all started at Telford 2010 when I spotted a Matchbox F-101 Voodoo kit in the Kit Swap. I had never built a Voodoo in any scale and being a mad impetuous fool I bought it, with no idea as to what I was going to do with it.
In the following months I built the Luftwaffe Jaguar R1/2

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,31429.0.html

This gave me the urge to fit photo-recon noses to aircraft. Who said that "Any aircraft can be improved by fitting longer wings" ?
Give me a recon nose anytime.
Wait a minute how about doing both things?
I feel ANOTHER project coming on. ARGH!

Back to the present, I had the idea of joining the recon-nose from the Hasegawa RF-101C to the Matchbox kit! SIMPLES!
No.
Try finding a Hasegawa RF-101C kit.

I tried putting a post on the forum for the required bits, but not a lot of help.
Then I heard that Hasegawa were re-releasing the 101 as a double kit. I checked the price with HLJ. HOW MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

Back to the drawing board.
Then one of our members fairly local to me (only about 70-80 miles away)(that is a fair distance in Scotland) "Gondor" said that he had the RF-101C kit and was looking for the radar nose parts for a project, Deal done.
Then our very own "Howard of Effingham" offered me the RF-101C kit for a very reasonable number of drinking tokens, and to be delivered to Telford this year. The Gods are for once in my life smiling upon me. (Grovels suitably so they do not change their minds too soon).

I am now back from Telford, and am at last recovering from the cold that I came down with after that trip (NOT Man Flu).

Anyway, I have now started on this project.
My first surprise was that the RF-101C has two vertical camera ports behind the front wheel well. So obviously, cut behind those, then a horizontal cut to where you cut down from the front of the windscreen.
Check the width of the two different kit fuselages.
DOH!

At the point where you have to make the rearmost cut, the Hasegawa fuselage is 2.5-3 mm wider than the Matchbox kit! See below.

That is not going to work, so I am going to make the cut/join further forward.

Also I have cut out new camera ports behind the front u/c well in the Matchbox fuselage.

The difference in width where the new join will be is only about 1mm, so here goes for some PSR.

That is it for the moment, I will post more pictures as/when/if there is more progress.

PR19_Kit · November 22, 2011, 09:32:44 AM

Quote from: JayBee on November 22, 2011, 06:32:42 AM
This gave me the urge to fit photo-recon noses to aircraft. Who said that "Any aircraft can be improved by fitting longer wings" ?
Give me a recon nose anytime.
Wait a minute how about doing both things?

Hehe, we think on similar wavelengths Jim........

Quote from: JayBee on November 22, 2011, 06:32:42 AM
Try finding a Hasegawa RF-101C kit.

I know where there are a couple of them.....

Quote from: JayBee on November 22, 2011, 06:32:42 AM
Then I heard that Hasegawa were re-releasing the 101 as a double kit. I checked the price with HLJ. HOW MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, a couple of THOSE RF-101s too, still in the hands of the blasted Customs and Excise! I wrote to my MP about this a couple of days ago.

I suspect you'll have yours finished before I see anything of my two Jim.

kitnut617 · November 22, 2011, 10:29:56 AM

I got a bit confused here for a moment, because I thought there were parts in the Matchbox kit to build an RF-101F. At least I'm pretty sure that's what I sent to Evan a few years ago because I didn't need them as I was using the F-101C I have to convert to an F-101A.

But then I realized that your changing the nose completely ---- it's ok, I'll get my coat ----- stage left ---

JayBee · November 22, 2011, 11:07:08 AM

Good on yer Robert,

glad you liked the Spit, looking forward to photos.

Jim

JayBee · November 25, 2011, 08:44:11 AM

The Hasegawa nose and the Matchbox fuselage have now been stuck together.
One thing I noticed when I was cutting the kit parts is how much harder the Hasegawa plastic is compared to the Matchbox stuff.
As I have mentioned before the cross sections of the two kit fuselages are not the same, and the following photos show the difference.
Let the PSR begin.

scooter · November 25, 2011, 09:31:58 AM

Quote from: JayBee on November 25, 2011, 08:44:11 AM
One thing I noticed when I was cutting the kit parts is how much harder the Hasegawa plastic is compared to the Matchbox stuff.

Oh yes, I noticed that when I was trimming the wingtips off the Hasegawa F-106 to mate F-16 wings to it.

Gondor · November 25, 2011, 11:16:49 AM

I am sure that with your flair JB that you will fair the two together

Gondor

Eddie M. · November 25, 2011, 02:13:35 PM

I'll be watching this one with great interest. Good work so far!

JayBee · December 09, 2011, 11:18:22 AM

OK, the first stage of PSR has been done and there is more to go.
The third photo shows how the nose/fuselage just does not merge in yet but it is early days.

Gondor · December 09, 2011, 02:14:14 PM

Its looking dam good JayBee, not much signe of a miss match there unless you look closely.

Gondor

PR19_Kit · December 09, 2011, 08:42:16 PM

Quote from: Gondor on December 09, 2011, 02:14:14 PM
Its looking dam good JayBee, not much signe of a miss match there unless you look closely.

What Gondor said, exactly! It looks great to me Jim, more power to your PSR elbow,

Howard of Effingham · December 10, 2011, 03:05:51 AM

i do like things so far jim!

as for myself, i'm pleased to have finally gotten me mitts on a RoG F-101F [will be done
in rw markings though.] however i think i still have a matchbox F-101 somewhere in the
stash, which if i can find it, can be wiffed.

trevor

Pablo1965 · December 10, 2011, 03:37:35 PM

Good Idea.

JayBee · December 11, 2011, 01:34:36 PM

If you look at the last photo, on the top side, just aft of the leading edge of the windscreen, you will see that the shape of the fuselage tends to dip in a bit. Seen from directly above there is no sign of this so it is the upper cheek portions of the fuselage in this area that need some more PSR. Also the top of the RC nose needs some smoothing out, especially where the RWR's are being removed from the kit mouldings.
I have also realised that the two rearmost, vertical camera ports may not work, but that will be explained in the back story

Jim

JayBee · December 17, 2011, 01:24:09 PM

OK, next stage of P, no SR just yet.
As you might notice here, I use more thean one type of putty.
In these photos the grey (grAy for our American readers) is Humbrol, which I tend to use for most general filling jobs. When I can not get it, I use Squadron Green Stuff.
The white stuff in the photos is Vallejo's Plastic Putty 401. A very fine acrylic/water baesd filler that comes in a tube with a very fine applicator nozell. Great stuff, and thanks to OGL for putting me on to this stuff.
The other filler that I now use is (in the UK) Isopon P38 Automotive filler that the Wooksta put me on to. See here: http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,33402.0.html

Excellent stuff. It does cure because of a chemical reaction and therefore generates quite a bit of heat, but it does set hard in about 15 minutes, is easy to sand, and takes a very smooth finish.

As far as these photos are concerned I have used Humbrol for the main fuselage bits, and Vallejo for the finer bits oin the centre line.

Now, I am going to stop playing with WhIffing and turn my attention to the 1/1 scale turkey, etc..

Happy Christmas/ Festive Season to everyone/everywhere.

Jim, in Scotland.